Today, we’d like to introduce you to Will Fenwick.
Please tell our readers about what you do, what you feel is most exciting or special about it, as well as anything else you’d like folks to know about your brand/art/etc. If relevant, please also tell our readers about anything new (events, product/service launches, expansion, etc.)
Well off the bat for anyone who isn’t familiar with me or my artwork, my name is Will, and I am a photographer, cinematographer, and creative director from Louisville, Kentucky. I’ve been shooting for over a decade – I honestly don’t know where I’d be without a camera. My creative roots came from skateboarding and embracing the gritty lifestyle that came along with it. I wasn’t a professional by any means, but I was sponsored from the age of twelve till about three years ago when I officially decided the medical bills weren’t worth it. I single-handedly credit the team skate trips for building my interest in traveling, and growing up in the outdoors created my addiction to adventure.
I’ve been pretty blessed to have had opportunities to collab with Budweiser, Nikon, and even the United States Forest Service as both an artist and a park ranger when I lived in the Pacific Northwest. I honestly miss living out in the mountains and I think it’s fair to say I will be making a move closer to the mountains again soon. As of right now all of my time and energy is channeled into remolding my business through a complete rebrand, building new healthy relationships, and a whole lot of rock climbing. Overall, I have some pretty big goals set for myself in 2024 and I plan to express some of these goals and accomplishments as I develop my brand.
One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I agree focusing on confidence and self-esteem is important when trying to make moves in any sense. I have to say my confidence is split 80/20 these days between my inner self and mentors or public figures like Gary Vaynerchuk and Kanye West. Ye’s life story from a kid to the release of College Dropout absolutely inspired me and I will always suggest the “Jeen-Yuhs” documentary to artists who feel like they’re in a slump. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter who you listen to though because the only person who can apply that confidence and self-esteem is you.
In this age of clickbait, I want to throw out my own clickbait for anyone looking to build their confidence – stop taking advice from other people and go with your gut feeling instead. I’m not saying all advice is bad, but if you want to live the life you want to live then you have to figure out where to draw the line when advice comes into play. Nothing will pull you off your pursuit of happiness faster than someone telling you how to do it when they never did it, especially if they don’t want the exact same outcome as you do. Invest in yourself, get comfortable with losing, and continue to persevere.
Learning when and how to stand up for yourself is crucial to building confidence as well. When I think about standing up for myself, I see it as if I planned a date with myself and didn’t show up. If you keep ditching yourself then it’ll absolutely kill your self-esteem over time. Be humble enough to accept your mistakes and losses, but don’t let someone else treat you of lesser value.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing in areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I feel like this all depends on your experience and your specific goals – if you have clarity and know exactly what you want then doubling down on your strengths while being thoroughly aware of your weaknesses is a great path to follow, but if you’re feeling burnt out, bored, or uncertain then leaning into your weaknesses or areas you’ve never considered before may be a solid path to follow. I’d suggest experimenting between the two, especially if you’re an artist. If you choose to double down on your strengths, then keep an open mind to giving your weaknesses a chance down the road. Experimenting calls for some vulnerability on your part and adverse criticism from people who don’t even remotely understand what it took for you to get here or why you’re pursuing the goals you’ve set for yourself. This lack of humility is unfortunate and somewhat common, so I’d suggest setting strict boundaries with these people or cutting out the noise completely.
I would say I personally have spent most of my time doubling down on strengths but recently I’ve found myself focusing on becoming more well-rounded to improve my skill set. I also have to say I find an odd level of comfort in uncomfortable situations which has to be a tug of war between my entrepreneurial self and my pursuit of adrenaline. I’ve always considered myself an introvert too, but over the past year I’ve begun to find more inspiration in socially based scenarios, and I am pretty excited to introduce a more extroverted approach to my brand in 2024.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
On a personal level, become comfortable with and value time spent alone whether daily or weekly. The mental clarity that comes from a lack of external bias is untouchable. My most successful creative ideas, commercially and personally, came from times when I had separated myself from everything else, and in a more general sense these are perfect opportunities to become more self-aware and emotionally intelligent. Spending time alone in nature is always a great place to start.
On a professional level, separate money from your definition of success. I get it, we all need money to pay our bills I’ve heard it a million times. Stretch that fact however you want but besides that fact alone there is no true substance behind profit. I am fully aware some people see this mindset as naïve, and they can feel that way all they want. 2023 was my most profitable year by far but by no means would I consider 2023 to be even close to my most successful year. True success derives from the concept of “ikigai” in my opinion – double down on your concept of ikigai and profit will naturally find its way into the picture.
On both a personal and professional level, take every calculated risk. If you had a kid, or if you already have one, wouldn’t you want them to be inspired by their parent’s life, to pursue their aspirations to the fullest extent without worrying about what other people think? Even if children aren’t in the equation, how are you going to feel 20+ years down the road when you look back and wish you had stepped out of your comfort zone instead of settling for what was right in front of you? Growing up in a small town, I realized just how many people feel threatened by big aspirations, but you can’t let others’ insecurities get in between you and the life you want to live. Focus on yourself and make the jump. I recently came across my senior quote and I feel like it’s perfect to wrap this rant up with: “If no one comes from the future to stop you from doing it, then how bad of a decision can it really be?”
Contact information:
- Website: https://willfenwick.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willfenwickness/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willfenwickness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willfenwickness/
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credits:
Personal photo: Lucas Tunstull
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