Meet Anna Claire Schellenberg

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anna Claire Schellenberg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anna Claire below.

Anna Claire, 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?
Growing up my parents taught me to be very independent. Starting in middle school if I came to them with a question, they would turn the question around on me and ask what I think about it or what I think I should do about it. I HATED when they would do this, but it was the best thing they could do to create an entrepreneur. There are a thousand problems that happen every day and as an entrepreneur you have to solve them all. How do I make a website, how do I change into a new market, how to I land a brand deal, how do I handle a equipment breaking when I need it, the list goes on and on.

Sometimes I think, who can help me with this? Oh, it’s me again, But that is exactly the attitude why we can problem solve on our feet. I remember when I was working a normal 9-5 and I would sit and think when I was done with all of my work. My coworks would ask what I was doing and I would say “thinking”. They would say but what are you doing? Because they didn’t think that thinking how to make the company better, how to execute an event the best way possible, how to make my job more efficient, was actually a part of the job. They didn’t know that they had permission to solve problems themselves without brining it to supervisors. It is this mentality which is why working a normal 9-5 is boring for entrepreneurs. We need to constantly be stimulated by thought.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
When starting my photography company I didn’t want to name it after myself. It had to have meaning. After a lot of thought I decided on Thin Spaces because Thin Spaces are moments so beautiful it is as if Heaven and Earth exist in one time and place. That’s what I want to capture for others moments and celebrations that they will want to look back on forever. I started my company when I was let go during COVID and in just three years I have worked all over the world capturing luxury weddings, A-list celebrities, and even have found myself being hired by a few billionairs. I am excited to wake up everyday to see what new opportunity my camera can bring me. The opportunities are truly limitless and that is what excites me.

Right now I am trying to break into the wedding market in Bali. Before COVID, I lived in South East Asia for four years and would love to go back to do the thing I love the most. It is challenging to break into a new market, but I trust when the time is right that the stars will align.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities that I have: The ability to storytell, network, and problem solve.

The best advise I can give anyone is to get a mentor! I know, I know it may cost money to sit down with someone to talk about their expertise. However if they are successful, they have the knowledge how to make YOU successful. The reason I became successful so quickly and by passed many creatives where I live is because of my mentor. It would take me three times as long to get where I wanted to go without her.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I have read dozens of business books and self help books. The book that has had the most immediate impact on my life is The Third Door written by Alex Bannayan. One week after reading that book, I was working with celeberties AND I met the author. It taught me how to conduct myself among A-listers and how to break into their circles.

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