Pivoting Around COVID-19 | Coronavirus
First and foremost, I hope that you’re doing well and staying safe during this global pandemic. This has been a very weird year from what anyone could have expected.
As an event and commercial photographer, I’ve seen the beginning of the year get completely wiped out. SXSW, which I was originally supposed to shoot, got canceled, and a lot of major events have followed suit. As the reality of the situation has become more apparent, sports and schools have been shut down.
As a small business, this is a harrowing time, but this means that as the situation changes day by day, businesses like mine are being forced to pivot in order to keep moving during this time. Here’s what I’m doing right now in order to still conduct business.
Selling Prints and Merch
Right now, I’m focusing on selling prints on my websites, including prints and merch (Code: THREAD) on sale. Having a physical product to sell is really helpful right now, and every sale helps.
Focusing on Community with Instagram, YouTube and Twitter
Since most shoots have been either postponed or canceled, I’ve been using this time to focus more on community. Part of that is posting some of my favorite commercial shoots from concerts and events on my Instagram, to having time to create more videos for my YouTube channel and interacting more with people on Twitter. Connecting with people in the community who are all being affected right now makes it easier to get through this situation together. Speaking to that, I got to be a part of a recent (as of posting this) Gerald Undone video.
Learning with SkillShare
I’m keeping my mind ready and learning about as much as I can topics I’m interested in by taking classes with SkillShare. There are some great classes on the site, and you can get your two months free with this code: https://skl.sh/3aaJGVX. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Keeping Aware of Grants, Loans, and Relief Programs
There are multiple websites coming out with relief programs for photographers and small businesses that are trying to help out during these uncertain times. For example, Gnarbox has a site right now with a list of resources for people to use right now. Be active, and keep an eye out for those resources as things are changing daily.
Staying Safe
The most important thing right now is staying home to help flatten the curve. Hopefully, this list will help you figure out what steps you need to move forward and stay creative. If any of this helped you, connect with me on my social media sites and let’s connect and talk during these tough times. Be well.