Meet Marilyn Starkloff

We were lucky to catch up with Marilyn Starkloff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marilyn, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I’ve learned that my resilience wasn’t built from a single moment. It was shaped over years, through different experiences that forced me to grow even when I didn’t feel ready.

There have been many situations in my life, both personally and creatively, where I felt overlooked, underestimated, or taken advantage of. Moments when my kindness was misinterpreted as weakness. Times when people talked about me – sometimes praising me in ways that felt too big, other times spreading assumptions or rumors that weren’t true. There have been moments I wanted to speak up and defend myself, and moments I’ve learned that silence can protect my peace more than any explanation could.

That balance – knowing when to speak and when to stay quiet – is something I’m still learning. I still struggle with it. But I’m getting better every day.

My resilience really began years ago, long before the challenges I face today. I remember going through a difficult time when I was younger, feeling overwhelmed by life and sinking into self-pity. My uncle, who meant a great deal to me, sat with me and gave me a piece of wisdom I didn’t fully understand at the time:

“Life doesn’t stop. You have to keep moving.”

At that age, I didn’t want to hear it. I wanted everything to pause so I could catch up. But as the years have gone by – and as life has handed me new challenges, losses, pressures, and moments that tested me – those words have become a guiding truth. Life really doesn’t stop for anyone, and sometimes the hardest part is learning how to move with it instead of letting it pull you under.

I lost my uncle unexpectedly years later, but those words stayed with me. And they’ve shaped how I handle the difficult seasons of my adult life.

My resilience comes from:

navigating situations where my voice felt small,

learning to set boundaries and value myself,

dealing with people’s assumptions, opinions, and misunderstandings,

rebuilding my confidence after years of self-doubt,

trusting signs, intuition, and the spiritual nudges that guided me when I needed direction,

carrying responsibilities and pressure that no one else could see,

and continuing to grow even when life felt overwhelming.

And the truth is, I’m still becoming resilient.
I’m still learning to stand up for myself while keeping my kindness.
I’m still learning to move forward even during the heavy seasons.
I still have moments where I question myself more than I’d like to admit.

But every time I feel myself slipping or getting stuck, I hear my uncle’s voice – the same wisdom he gave me during one of the first truly difficult moments of my life:

“Life doesn’t stop – and neither can you.”

Those words continue to carry me.

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?

My creative journey has taken on so many forms over the years, but at the heart of everything I do is one purpose: helping people feel seen, confident, and connected through storytelling, photography, and meaningful visual branding.

I run Stark Creators, where I specialize in portraits, lifestyle sessions, real estate photography, branding photos, and creative marketing projects. What excites me most is seeing people transform the moment they step in front of the camera – watching them loosen up, trust the process, and see themselves in a way that feels empowering and genuine. Photography has always been the one place where I feel completely in flow, and bringing out the best in people is what keeps me inspired.

Alongside my business, I also work as the Marketing Director for Treeline Realty in Southwest Florida. It’s a role that has pushed me creatively and professionally. I get to support our agents, elevate marketing strategies, design campaigns, create branding materials, and bring fresh ideas to help them stand out in a competitive market. I love turning concepts into visuals and helping people communicate their stories through powerful imagery and thoughtful design. I’m constantly experimenting with new ideas, learning new skills, and finding inspiration in everyday life.

One dream that has stayed with me is a project I started years ago called The Florida Folk. It was a storytelling series where I photographed people in their world and shared pieces of their lives – moments where someone could read another person’s story and think, “Wow, I’ve also been there.”
Because those moments are what truly connect us.
They remind us we’re not alone, that we share more similarities than differences, and that everyday people carry extraordinary stories.

I unfortunately had to pause that project due to time, but I hope to bring it back one day. I would love to continue capturing individuals in the places and moments that define them – and create a space where real stories can inspire, comfort, and resonate with others.

What makes my work unique is the heart behind it. My personal journey – the challenges, the losses, the pressure, the growth – has taught me how deeply people crave authenticity. It’s why I approach every shoot and every project with empathy. I understand what it feels like to doubt your worth, to rebuild yourself, and to want something meaningful to come out of your experiences. That perspective shapes the way I work with clients and how I create for them.

What’s next:
I’m expanding Stark Creators with more portrait offerings, new branding and marketing services, community events, and creative projects that focus on confidence, connection, and storytelling. I want to continue building a space where people feel supported, uplifted, and excited to express themselves.

At the end of the day, my work is about people – capturing their stories, building trust, and creating something that feels true to who they are. And I’m grateful I get to do that every single day.

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?

Looking back on my journey, the three qualities that have made the biggest impact on my life and career are resilience, empathy, and creative adaptability.

1. Resilience
Resilience has been my foundation. Life has thrown me curveballs I never felt prepared for – moments of doubt, moments where I felt misunderstood, and seasons where I had to rebuild my confidence from the inside out. Resilience is what taught me to get back up even when I didn’t feel like I could. It’s knowing that you can still move forward even when your voice shakes, even when your path isn’t clear, even when people talk about you or misunderstand your intentions.

Advice:
Resilience isn’t built overnight. It’s built by showing up for yourself in the small moments, not just the big ones. Take things one step at a time, give yourself credit for trying, and don’t underestimate the strength you develop in silence.

2. Empathy
Empathy has shaped everything about the way I work and live. I’ve been through enough to understand how deeply people need to feel seen, heard, and understood. Whether I’m photographing someone, designing for someone, or just sitting with them in conversation, I always try to see the person behind the moment. My own struggles taught me to look at people with softer eyes – because you never know what someone is navigating privately.

Advice:
To grow empathy, allow yourself to be vulnerable. Listen without preparing your response. Pay attention to body language, tone, energy. People open up when they feel safe, and empathy is one of the most powerful tools you can bring into your life and creative work.

3. Creative Adaptability
I’ve worn many creative hats – photographer, marketer, designer, painter, storyteller. Life constantly pushes me to evolve, to learn new things, and to step outside of what feels comfortable. Creative adaptability is what kept me growing even during stressful seasons. It allowed me to pivot when I needed to, reinvent my work, and find new ways to express myself.

Advice:
Try everything, even if you’re not sure you’ll be good at it. Say yes to opportunities that scare you a little. Creativity isn’t meant to stay in one lane – it grows the more you let yourself play, experiment, and explore.

If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you don’t need to have everything figured out to make an impact. You just need the willingness to learn, the heart to connect, and the courage to keep going even when life gets heavy.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The biggest challenge I’m facing right now is learning how to protect my peace while still using my voice. This past year has brought a lot of growth, but also a lot of pressure. People talk, people assume, and sometimes people create their own version of your story without ever asking for the truth. Navigating all of that at once hasn’t been easy.

I’ve always been someone who feels things deeply and cares a lot about others. Because of that, I used to explain myself too much or try to correct every misunderstanding. But that’s exhausting, and it doesn’t leave room for growth. So the challenge I’m working through is finding a healthy balance between speaking up when necessary and letting silence be an act of strength.

I’m also learning how to manage overwhelm – balancing my full-time marketing role, my photography business, personal responsibilities, and my own mental and emotional wellbeing. I used to take on everything at once, thinking I had to prove myself constantly. Now I’m learning that rest, boundaries, and saying “no” are just as important as saying “yes.”

What’s helping me overcome this challenge is being intentional with my energy. I’m focusing more on the people who truly know me, the work that fulfills me, and the moments that ground me. I’m learning to listen to my intuition more, and the opinions of others less. I remind myself that everyone faces seasons where life gets heavy – and that growth often happens in the quiet parts of those seasons.

I’m still figuring it out, and I’m still learning every day. But I’m becoming more confident in who I am, more comfortable in my boundaries, and more protective of the peace I’ve worked hard to build. And I think that’s the real lesson: you don’t have to have everything solved to move forward – you just have to keep choosing yourself, even in the small ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.starkcreators.com
• Instagram: @marilyn_star
• Facebook: Stark Creators or Marilyn Starkloff
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynstarkloff
• Twitter: @mstarkloff