We were lucky to catch up with SARI FRIED-FIORI recently and have shared our conversation below.
SARI, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My parents fostered a strong work ethic from the very beginning. My brother, who is only 16 months younger than me, had health issues as a newborn. Both of my parents needed to tend to his needs. I learned to be independent and strong at a very early age. My parents instilled in me the importance of having a strong work ethic at school. I was expected to never miss school, get straight A’s and be actively involved in extra-curricular activities. Both of my parents worked. My mother owned her own business, and I often helped her starting after school and on weekends. My father worked two jobs, a day job as a credit manager and a night job as a professional musician. Both of my parents worked six to seven days a week to provide for our family and this served as a key imprint on my value system, especially the importance of having a strong work ethic. Throughout college, graduate school, my corporate career and now my career as a professional fine art photographer, I have always worked 6-7 days a week. It has been important to me to never miss a deadline, always produce the highest quality work, and exceed the expectations of others. This has been the constant in my life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a fine art photographer. While many photographers specialize, I work across specialties, subjects, and genres. I take what I see at the moment I see it. What sets me apart from others is my aesthetic. I always strive to find beauty. This could be the subject itself or it can be color, line, perspective, light, shadow, human or inanimate object, whether new or old, simple or complex. It can also be something that seems intangible like capturing silence. My photography merges my right and left brain to create a mindful process of bringing the artistic together with the pragmatic. I’m most proud of consistently creating beautiful images that people love to look at. When I created my business cards, I selected 40 images and put one on the back of each card. When someone asks me what kind of photos I take, I hand them the pack of business cards and ask them to select the one that speaks to them. I consistently hear that they are beautiful, there are so many choices, and yet people usually gravitate to 1-3 images that truly speak to them. No one has a problem selecting the image they like the best. Nothing makes me happier than to receive a message from a client saying that one of my images touched them in a personal way. Because mindfulness is such an important part of what makes me and my photographic work distinctive, I now offer workshops on how to take photos using mindfulness techniques. Many photographers teach people how to use a camera and the basic “rules” of photography. I want to teach people how to SEE their world, feel the surprise of having a flash of perception, and find that mindfulness presence in their images. I have developed two workshops and have a third in development. The first workshop is called “Opening Your Eye”; the second is “Mindfulness Photography”; and the third is “Photography as Creative Expression”. I also plan to continue creating new work and having it exhibited internationally. Finally, I am growing my base of collectors who are excited to bring my work into their lives and the lives of others. That is the culmination of my efforts to create, grow, and give back.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three things that have been most impactful for me are perseverance, authenticity, and integrity. My best advice is to never give up when things are at their worst, don’t let others define who you are, and be true to yourself and your mission in life. I developed these through life experiences. When I was fired from a job, I got a better one. I saw this as a message that I needed to move on. When I encountered resistance, I sought to understand where it was coming from and then asked myself what I could do to help lower the resistance in a way that was meaningful to the person who was resistant. When others asked me to do things that I knew were wrong, I dug deep and found my courage to say no, even though I knew there might be consequences. My integrity has been so important to me. It is the one quality that belongs to each of us. You must protect it and not succumb to the lure of doing something you know in your heart is not right for you or others. These qualities are engrained in me, and I take them with me where ever I go and whatever I do.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
The number one challenge I’m facing is growing an audience to purchase my photography. This is particularly challenging given that everyone has a phone camera in their pocket and people are very interested in the images that AI can produce. Both devalue the time, effort, and skill required to produce fine art photography. Over the past year, I have explored how to work with this changing market for fine art photography. I am actively looking for and testing niche markets through social media, networking, and contacting potential clients directly. It is critical to build relationships to sell art and so my tactics and strategies are about finding and growing relationships using a multi-pronged approach. I don’t think this challenge can be solved with a silver bullet. It must be addressed using multiple approaches and a willingness to adjust, adapt and change course based on the feedback received about my work from potential audiences and customers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sffphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sffphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sffphotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarifriedfiori/
Image Credits
All images are mine – Sari Fried-Fiori Photography
