We recently connected with Roderick Jackson and have shared our conversation below.
Roderick, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I believe I had found my purpose at a moment in my life when I was most uncertain of it. I was young (19) juggling career choices and eager to utilize my creativity somehow. Photography found me while I was “taking a break” from school. After picking up a camera to shoot a friend’s party, and then various events after that for 6 months, this was in late 2007. Over the next 4 years, I will facilitate a variety of photography services throughout my city. By the end of 2011, I had chosen to relocate for school in Boston, MA, and then again for work in 2012 after graduation in New York City. Living and administering my talents throughout NYC for 7 years I chose to move back home and build my brand in my hometown. From 2019 till now I have been doing just that. Through all this, I realized more and more how photography, visual arts, and the services that fall under them are my purpose.
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?
Although I have been told I do a lot I mainly try to focus on doing visual arts for my clients. Outside of my photography, I also design and manufacture custom rugs through my studio Cleveland Sky Studios. My art, studio, and rug designs all seem to captivate and draw a solid crowd of brands, artists, and creators. All my brands ShotsbyRod, RugsbyRod, and CSS all work in unison. My Photography and studio work hand and hand because I mainly utilize the studio to facilitate work for my clients. My Rug business and photography go hand and hand essentially because I need to make content to market my rug business. I do this all at my basement studio aswell as my warehouse space inside of Lake Affect Studio.
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?
The three most important qualities and areas of knowledge that helped me to advance were my patience, customer service, and persistence. Having patience is quintessential, thinking things threw and taking your time are very important, I was once told “Nothing great was ever rushed”. Customer service is extremely important, having a good reputation goes a long way. Persistence is always needed in everything you do, keeping up with all your ideas and creative endeavors may seem like a challenge remember when your plate is full, the goal is to eat.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Over the last year, Cleveland Sky Studio and its network have improved. Relocating in July, ideally not the time to move. Nonetheless, we did. Assuming operations would be difficult to roll out we prepared for everything to happen at a later moment did it all did. The Studio has extremely grown and I’m excited to show you where we are going to take it next.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shotsbyrod.co
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/shotsbyrod.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shotsbyrod
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shotsbyrod/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/shotsbyrod
Image Credits
Roderick Jackson, Montell Fowler,
