We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Bizanovich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Katie, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout
I think the key to overcoming and trying to avoid burnout is to just give yourself breaks from creating. If you’re a full time creative, sure that can be hard because it is your job, but I think you HAVE to take some time from doing your normal every day work and let yourself breathe for a minute. If I am doing too much at once or doing the same kind of photos back to back, I do notice that my creativity dwindles and I can burn myself out. I need the extra time I set aside to go out and take photos just for fun or use it to try a new creative idea and try something I wouldn’t normally do. And sometimes it is okay to just not create at all. If you try to force it, it’ll only cause you to burnout even faster. You don’t always have to be creating something and I think a lot of people miss that point. Some of my best ideas have come to me when taking a break from shooting photos every day.
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 am a full time photographer and videographer. I do both corporate and lifestyle work, but mainly shoot lifestyle photo and video, which includes weddings, seniors, families, couples, etc! My favorite thing currently to shoot would have to be seniors! I just love the freedom and creativity it allows me to have, and I love that each senior is completely different from the last and they have their own vision for how they want their photos to be. I really strive to give ALL my clients an experience that is of the highest possible quality, and I try to go above and beyond to make sure their photos stand out from the rest and are completely unique to them.
I’ve been doing this job for 16 years, and the longer I do it, the more I love it! I do have moments like any other job where I get burnt out or I overwork myself and my creativity dwindles a bit, but at the end of the day this is still my dream job! I love the people I can connect with and I want everyone to leave at the end of their wedding or session knowing that I did everything I possibly could to ensure they have the perfect experience as well as gorgeous photos. Everyone loves pretty photos of course, but the way I interact with my clients is a huge part of how I can separate myself and go above and beyond. I let my kindness and actions speak first and then let the photos come in and speak for themselves. I try to always leave people better than I found them, and I can confidently say that my clients know this and would agree I always show up for them, root for them, and help them feel comfortable and confident every step of the way from start to finish.
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?
Looking back, I’d say having goals for yourself are huge. With any profession, I think you need to set yourself small and big goals for things you want to accomplish or master in your area of work. I was raised to have incredible drive and work hard to achieve the things I want in life. I’m also an adopted child, and being raised in a country where I can have the opportunity to follow any dream I want means the world to me and I don’t take that gift lightly. Once I set my sights on a particular goal or milestone, I won’t stop til I achieve it. Having that drive and the eagerness to be successful is key to actually growing and being successful in your job – and really anything in life! Work hard for yourself today and your future self will thank you!
For me personally, I also think being willing to go outside of your comfort zone is important. I am such an introvert, but when it comes to my job, I HAVE to be really extroverted because my job is to direct people and communicate with them so that they get everything they want out of their photos. Most people don’t know what to do when they are in front of the camera, so my job is to make them comfortable and confident, as well as articulate what needs to happen for me to do my job in the best way I can so that they get the best final product. You have to be able to communicate and be a confident resource for your clients, because they trust you to do the job, which is the most important thing. You have to be willing to try new things, and just push yourself out of your bubble because having that trust means everything in a profession.
I think lastly, I would say taking the time to understand social media was very impactful. Especially with being in a visual creative industry, social media is how I get most of my clients. Sharing my work and engaging with past, current, and potential clients is super important. Also understanding the numbers behind social media is very important as well. You need to know who your audience is in order to serve them the best you can. Understanding age, location, gender, interests, etc helps you understand who is looking at your content/business, and helps you identify how you can specifically tailor content to fit them and their needs. Social media overall has become more and more important for any business and profession, because it is the easiest and most tangible way to reach the people in your area. And people LOVE seeing faces behind a business. People want to see what your day to day looks like, and they want to feel like they know you – even if they don’t. It all goes back to building that trust and showing your expertise.
My advice for those just starting out would be just to practice practice practice. Even if you’re not in a creative industry like me, doing as much as you can to learn, educate, and get better at your profession will only help you. I’ve been doing this job for so long, but I still have so much to learn and so many ways I can continue to get better. I always make sure if there is something new I want to master, that I am out shooting and pushing myself to learn and get better at whatever that is. Once you master one thing, make a new goal for yourself, and get going on practicing that. Never stop pushing yourself to get better and better at your profession. And don’t get discouraged or give up if something doesn’t work out the first time. Keep growing and thinking outside the box!
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
I’d say my biggest area of growth in the last year is just how I have really come into myself this year, both personally and professionally. In just the last few months, I feel like I have become an entirely new person! I found my Russian birth family in July after 9 years of searching – which that in itself has impacted me the most. I feel like now that I have answers and “closure” with all of that, I feel more myself than I have in my entire life. I feel close to my culture and where I come from, and that in turn has made me feel so whole inside, it’s very hard to explain! I’ve also really pushed myself this year to grow in my photography and videography, and I have mastered things that I thought I’d never figure out! I forced myself to just try new things or try certain camera settings that I’ve never done, and it has completely elevated my work. It surprised me and reassured me that I can do anything I set my mind to. I don’t need to doubt myself so much. I feel even more confident in my ability as an artist to provide outstanding service from start to finish. I’ve really grown in my social media marketing and just overall how I present my work and connect with current, past, or future clients. I’ve created a great community by fully committing to sharing my work and my life online. By being vulnerable sometimes on my socials, it has actually allowed me to connect with even more people than I normally would, and I’ve made some amazing connections.
I think I really have just grown as a person and as a creative in the last 3-4 months alone. I’m really looking forward to what is next for me the rest of this year and even next! I’m setting my sights on some big goals for 2025 and I hope to achieve them like I have this year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tsgphotography.com
- Instagram: Katie.bizanovich.photo
- Facebook: TSG Photography Co
- Youtube: Katie Bizanovich
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