We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michelle Kaffko. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michelle below.
Michelle, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I work in the creative field of photography, but as a small business owner, which is filled with mundane tasks in sales, marketing, bookkeeping, management, and more. But it’s so important to keep tapping into my creativity to innovate and keep everything in the business fresh. I’ve found the easiest way to do that is to foster an environment where I’m not the only one responsible for being creative, and others can feel free and empowered to be creative too. I set up monthly workshop days in my studio where all the photographers come together and tackle a lighting or posing issue and problem solve together how we can fix it. Having so many creative brains in one room focused toward one goal really energizes me and allows all of us to share creative energy and develop new ideas.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My photography studio, Organic Headshots, is a full-service portrait and commercial studio taking headshots and lifestyle photography for individuals, small and large businesses, and even global firms. We have multiple photographers at the studio, which is unusual for photo studios, so it’s been so challenging and rewarding managing others and leading them toward creating the awesome work we create. All of us agree that the best part of working at our studio is the amazing clients we meet and getting to collaborate with someone new on a photo session every day.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Big picture thinking, little picture thinking, and empathy. As a small business owner, you have to look at the bigger picture for every decision you make. When choosing a new software system or making a new networking connection, you have to constantly be asking yourself, “will this make it easier or more difficult for my business to run and meet its goals.” But if you only see the forest through the trees, you’ll miss all the little details that can make or break your business. Think about your client’s experience of you and your business through every little detail, including your word choice when drafting an email, for example, or what color in the lobby will energize clients or calm them down, depending on what you need? And always have empathy. I’ve found that most people don’t hurt you on purpose, but as a reflex or coping mechanism they developed. Meet them on their level– whether it’s a colleague, client, or competitor, and walk in their shoes to be able to better understand them and communicate with them.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed I STOP everything. Take a breath, disconnect for a few minutes, hours, or even a day if needbe, then look at everything with fresh eyes and triage what needs to be done now, later, or never. And I keep saying to myself, “how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.organicheadshots.com
- Instagram: @organicheadshots
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/organicheadshots
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/organic-headshots
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/organic-headshots-chicago-2
Image Credits
Organic Headshots
