I was a recent guest on Lou Lesko, and Kimi Recor’s Chaos & Creativity podcast billed as a “Diligent Dismissal of Convention.” Chaos & Creativity is a unique podcast focused on the artist, and framed with Lou Lesko’s experience as a photographer, writer, and creator of BlinkBid and Kimi’s as a musician. Podcast topics cover the creative spectrum from exploring the rules of the artist (there are none), how to bounce back from a mistake, street cred vs. social media and now “Super Agents and Where to Find Them.”
As we all know, the photography industry is morphing and changing daily. One of my mantras in my work is always to be thinking ahead; to always be relevant. When Lou contacted me for the podcast, it was timely. I was eager to sit down and discuss what it means to be a photographer’s agent in the industry today.
When it comes to being a rep today, here are four takeaways from our conversation that bear repeating here.
- Sharing images isn’t enough. How we talk about an artists work, whether in person or other avenues adds necessary relevancy and context.
- Creating new, relevant work often is a must. There is no substitution for creating work that people notice.
- Having an agent isn’t the end-all, be-all to getting work. The Agent/Photographer partnership is a symbiotic relationship. Each of us brings something to the table.
- We cannot rest on our laurels. Whether working with a new photographer or moving the industry ahead, I believe in being transformative; in creating a future-state and moving toward it, one step at a time.
There is power in a community. I’ve found being transparent, and sharing information within the industry only makes us stronger. The conversation with Lou and Kimi further cemented this idea. We found through our conversation whether you are in the music industry, commercial photography, or writing, we have a lot of similarities and can learn from one another.
Check out other Chaos and Creativity podcast episodes and Lou and Kimi’s story here.
Speaking of community conversations, please check out the Dear Art Producer Podcast; Sharing Conversations with Art Producers in Advertising.