We were lucky to catch up with David Enloe recently and have shared our conversation below.
David, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Living with purpose is simply learning where to find passion and joy and then connecting that to something deeper. Humans want to feel happy, but we also want to feel part of something greater than ourselves, connected to other people and to our environment.
Like most people, it took me a long time to make any sense of that.
In high school I excelled in math and science and became convinced that was my direction. All the while the things I liked about high school (really just skipping class to go surfing and film photography) were considered hobbies, not career paths. Career path or not, I would stay after school in the darkroom developing black and white photos for hours. I liked it so much I petitioned to take the class twice.
I wish I had listened to that calling, but I didn’t. Instead I studied to become an engineer, then applied to medical school, and ultimately became a pilot and flew airplanes and helicopters around for almost a decade..
I certainly found moments of passion and joy and connection in each of those pursuits. But not all of those things in one place or at the same time. When it was all over, photography was just sitting there waiting for me to finally rediscover it.
I am passionate about the aesthetic pursuit of making pictures, and I find joy in the process of working with people to create something meaningful to them. There is, of course, connection in working with people too, but I find the roots run even deeper than I expected. Photographing people, especially families, feels like telling an important part of our cultural narrative. And through the choices I make, I affect how that story is told and how it is perceived.
Passion, joy, and a connection to something deeper – family documentary photography is where I found purpose.
I guess I haven’t really answered the question of “how.” I found purpose by continuing to seek and not settling for less. I found purpose by learning that being good at something doesn’t necessarily mean that I am passionate about it. I found purpose by learning from mistakes and intentionally noticing the things that didn’t fulfill me, especially when I was on the wrong path.
If I had a mantra it might be “remain curious and proceed with intention.”
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 now live in San Francisco and family photography is my core business. Specifically, I position myself to bring the greatest value to individuals and families straddling the line between busy and creative, parents and artists. I strive to make working with me seamless and stress-free (parents need that). But I also find that a lot of the folks who book sessions with me have a strong aesthetic sense, or at least value one. They want something more than holiday card photos. They want art.
I also offer handcrafted picture frames. At the end of a session, these same busy parents can easily commission me to build them a frame out of locally upcycled wood – lumber from trees that fell in San Francisco parks and neighborhoods, often just a few blocks from their home. This year I will be building a line of smaller, standard-sized frames to keep in stock, making this option more accessible for everyone.
One of the greatest things about owning your own creative business is that you can explore new avenues as you wish. For me, that next avenue is business coaching and education. Teaching is one of the things I love most, and I feel I am finally reaching a level of proficiency where I can confidently guide other creative business owners. I have started casually coaching local photographers and plan to launch a more structured coaching program in the near future.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Tenacity, for sure. I already mentioned that my path to photography was a lengthy and meandering one. I did well in engineering school, I climbed the ranks quickly in aviation… it would have been really easy for me to settle into those careers. And every time I discarded my latest venture, friends and family would cringe at the wasted time and money. But somehow I knew it was necessary for my sanity. I simply put one foot in front of the other and kept seeking.
Professionalism can take you a long way in the world. Now, my definition of professionalism does not involve dressing or speaking a certain way. It means having respect for your clients and caring about their outcome. You can take that too far – into the people-pleaser realm, so it is really important to cultivate this balance from the beginning. What are you skilled at? What value can you bring to others? What does it mean to deliver on that promise and to do so with kindness? Answering those questions, to me, is the foundation of professionalism for creatives.
Humility. This one requires constant attention, but I think it might be the most powerful quality in growing yourself and your business. When we believe we know the right way, we close ourselves off to new ideas. We start talking instead of listening. I am guilty of this more often than I would like to admit. But the moment we open ourselves to the possibility that someone else knows a different path, maybe even a better path, a world of potential opens in front of us. Listen more than you talk. I’ll try to do the same.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents moved from middle America to the Caribbean before I was born. I would argue that was the most impactful thing they ever did for me.
They didn’t know people in the Virgin Islands. They didn’t have a lot of money. They bought a beater dental practice; my mom ran the front desk and learned to assist my dad while he fixed teeth. When the power went out, she handed him a headlamp.
They chose the unknown over the obvious. They chose curiosity over security. And my upbringing is full of memories saturated in that untethered way of being.
This has given me the motivation to keep searching, even when it is not easy. Living on a small island in “hurricane alley” was challenging, but it cultivated a rich existence that was worth the trouble.
While giving up my hard-earned career in aviation to start a creative business wasn’t easy, my instincts said that it would be worth it, and my island upbringing gave me the strength.
Thanks mom and dad.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theenloecreative.com/
- Instagram: @theenloecreative
Image Credits
The Enloe Creative photography (https://theenloecreative.com/)
