Forum Takeover with Brooke Shaden

[alpha-jessica-a]

Brooke Shaden (@BrookeShaden) is a portrait artist, educator, speaker, and Sony Artisan. She photographs herself and becomes the characters of dreams inspired by a childhood of intense imagination and fear. Being the creator and the actor, Brooke controls her darkness and confronts those fears.  

It’s our pleasure to announce that Brooke will be participating in a text based Forum Takeover from October 7th to October 11th!

If you’d like to ask a question, post it in this thread and Brooke will answer it during her takeover. 

You’ll have a week to chat with and learn from Brooke. The takeover will also be saved and available to view after the week ends! 

[Brooke Shaden]

I'm really looking forward to my takeover! I'm obsessed lately with more meaningful connections and can't wait to answer questions, mentor, get inspired by others, hopefully inspire, and just generally immerse myself in this amazing community. I'm here for anything and everything so let's have an amazing week together!

[Penn Fraser]

Hi Brooke, I have a few questions, please feel free to pick the best one to answer 🙂 

What advice would you give to aspiring photographers and artists who want to stand out in the fine art industry?

How did you first find success in selling your fine art photography, and what strategies helped you the most?

How do you connect emotionally with your audience through your work, and what reactions from viewers have had the most impact on you? 

What advice would you give a fine art photographer or artist to help them create art that evokes deep emotion and connection within their community?

Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us! I love your work and your education style. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to ask you some questions!
 

Thank you so much,

Penny Fraser

[Sharketti Creative]

Purely hypothetical question for me, but good to plan ahead! In your master class, you talked about how to price your work. Now, what if you’re selling your work on your website for a certain price and then get picked up by a gallery, in which case you would increase your price. Do you then change your online pricing so that you’re not undercutting the gallery?

[Brooke Shaden]

Hi Creators! For those who may not be familiar with my work, workflow, and business, here are some topics that would be great to ask about if you've ever had questions/curiosities around them:

• Ideation/Conceptualization of images with deeper meanings
  • Planning/Storyboarding ideas
  • Symbolism in art
  • Creating works that connect emotionally
• Photoshop
  • Compositing
  • Color grading
  • Creating painterly images
• Fine Art Business
  • Working with galleries
  • Licensing your work
  • Limited edition prints
  • Marketing and branding
  • Artist statements
  • Proposals and pitches
  • Working with brands
  • Diversification of income
  • Commissioned shoots
  • Pricing of prints, licensing, commissions
  • Hosting events (small to large)
  • Building a CV
  • Submitting to contests/magazines
• Self-portraiture
• Nonprofit work with photography
• Creating through grief
• Writing
  • Fiction (I write novels) & story structure
  • Artist Statements
  • Social Media
• Community building
• Time Management

And some fun things!

• Reading - ask me about book recs! I'm a fantasy nerd.
• Travel - I've been to 22 countries so far.
• Tea - just, someone please talk to me about tea.
• Star Trek and Doctor Who

HUGS!
Brooke

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1 by Brooke Shaden
To remove images

[alpha-jessica-a]

What books have you been reading recently? Where do you discover what to read next? Have you ever been part of a book club? Any tips for when you’re in a reading slump?

What’s your favorite type of tea?

[libro]

What drew you to self-portraiture as a medium to explore the darker, more imaginative aspects of your art?

[aidm]

What are your top three tips for someone just getting started in portrait photography?

And is it hard to keep balance & continue to enjoy photography now that it's also "work"?

Edited October 6 by aidm

[Brooke Shaden]

On 9/30/2024 at 6:24 PM, Penn Fraser said:

 

Hi Brooke, I have a few questions, please feel free to pick the best one to answer 🙂 

What advice would you give to aspiring photographers and artists who want to stand out in the fine art industry?

How did you first find success in selling your fine art photography, and what strategies helped you the most?

How do you connect emotionally with your audience through your work, and what reactions from viewers have had the most impact on you? 

What advice would you give a fine art photographer or artist to help them create art that evokes deep emotion and connection within their community?

Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us! I love your work and your education style. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to ask you some questions!
 

Thank you so much,

Penny Fraser

Quote

What advice would you give to aspiring photographers and artists who want to stand out in the fine art industry?

1. Train yourself in communicating about your art in multiple ways: verbally, in writing, and presentation of the works. The artist who can effectively speak about their work (in video and in person), write about it in an engaging way, and present it (whether on a gallery wall or on social media) so that it catches someone's eye has 3x the chance of being seen.

2. Position yourself as an expert. That doesn't mean lie, of course. Think about your art and what makes it uniquely yours: A certain technique, concept, or presentation style? Own it. Speak about it. Make sure you imbue confidence into the way you communicate about that thing in which you are, uniquely, an expert. For me, that was absolutely owning the way I create beauty in darkness. 

3. Never stop asking yourself why you are drawn to the work you create. The more you ask, the deeper you'll go. Pro tip: begin working on a body of work that can be a cohesive series. Ask yourself: what is a single topic/idea I could think about for the next year and never get bored of. Dive as deep as you can into it, and take your work to another level. Think about the social/environmental/political/personal implications of the work to go deeper.
 

Quote

How did you first find success in selling your fine art photography, and what strategies helped you the most?

1. I identified how I want to sell my art. This sounds obvious, but it's not always. Artists and photographers often think we have to cast a wide net to make the most money, but I have found that "niching down" is one of the best ways to escalate your career. I decided I wanted to sell limited edition, fine art prints through galleries. I did not consider open edition prints or anything that might devalue the track I wanted to be on.

2. I wrote to, quite literally, 100 galleries. I heard back from maybe 10. Nine of them said no. One admonished me because I had put every single gallery in the "to" line instead of "bcc". MY BAD! 🤢 But one said they wanted to see my work. I drove it to them, and they made 2 piles: yes and no. Out of the 10 prints, nine were in the "no" pile, and one was in the "yes" pile. Based on that single image they liked, they asked me to create a series from it. If I did, they said they'd give me a solo exhibition. I did, and they did.

3. I decided to celebrate little successes in big ways. When something didn't work out how I'd dreamed, I pivoted. I wanted to publish a book, but no one wanted me (heck, I'd only been a photographer for about 6 months at that point!). So, I self-published. I wanted to show in galleries, but I didn't have a CV to show for myself. So, I applied to juried shows and drove my prints around, hung them myself, and built up a CV. I wanted to teach the techniques I'd learned, so I set up in a warehouse in Van Nuys in Los Angeles (it was totally and completely unsafe) and eight people came that first time. I'd been hoping for 15. But it was a start, and if you don't learn to celebrate those moments, even if they aren't what you expected, you'll quit before you get ahead.

4. Know the story you're trying to tell. So many people decide to buy art not based solely on visuals, but on the story behind the piece. Tell it well, and tell it often.
 

Quote

How do you connect emotionally with your audience through your work, and what reactions from viewers have had the most impact on you? 

I recognize that we are all living out the same story. The details are different, the timelines are different, but when you break it down...We're all heroes of our own stories. We all experience extreme joy and grief. We know what it is to lose and to win. The highs are the same, the lows are the same. When you recognize that, the stories you tell begin to transform from the "I" to the "We". My story is your story, and I bear that in mind when I'm telling it.

There was an image I created a couple years ago that floored me with the reaction...

I believe that once you release art, you should truly let it go. I try to do that. I let it take on a life of its own, and often public opinion of the art changes how I feel toward the piece. It never makes me regret the work, but it can add nuance to the way I see it. That happened with this piece, showing me how many people have suffered some sort of grief that hasn't yet been validated.

Thank you Penny for these lovely questions! And as always, continue doing what you do, hustling and making important art. 

Edited Monday at 05:20 PM by Brooke Shaden

[Brooke Shaden]

On 10/1/2024 at 6:58 AM, Sharketti Creative said:

Purely hypothetical question for me, but good to plan ahead! In your master class, you talked about how to price your work. Now, what if you’re selling your work on your website for a certain price and then get picked up by a gallery, in which case you would increase your price. Do you then change your online pricing so that you’re not undercutting the gallery?

If you are selling your work personally, and also have a gallery, those prices should be the same. You're exactly right in your idea that the artist shouldn't undercut the gallery.

It is always best to have a frank and open conversation with the gallery about how you've been selling. If the gallery asks you to, say, raise your prices (after all, they'll be taking on average a 50% commission), it is best that you raise the prices on your website to match the gallery pricing.

Often artists baulk at this (and I get it!), but this is where a decision has to happen - do you want the gallery selling your work (in which case you need to give them the best chance at doing so), or do you want to continue selling on your own (which is also a perfectly valid way of doing it!). Sometimes only time can tell, and it's also okay to part ways with a gallery if you deem the relationship not to be beneficial.

Great questions Sharketti!

[CarolineJensen]

You have a lot of interest in death and deep topics, which always fascinates me and makes me think deeply. What will your tombstone say? or do you have other ideas about death and how you want to be remembered? 

[Brooke Shaden]

On 10/5/2024 at 3:52 PM, alpha-jessica-a said:

What books have you been reading recently? Where do you discover what to read next? Have you ever been part of a book club? Any tips for when you’re in a reading slump?

What’s your favorite type of tea?

I just re-read The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune so I can start on the sequel (ten million stars). My favorite author is C.S. Pacat...anything at all by her...Captive Prince, Dark Rise, anything.

I am an obsessive reader of book lists, and love to research "books like" something I've enjoyed lately. I've never been in a book club, but I'm part of a writing group! I write fantasy novels so I meet with my writing group every 1-2 weeks for about 4 hours at a time to edit each other's new work. 

Reading slumps - avoid them entirely by reading enjoyable things. I used to try to read books I thought would be intellectual or make me seem smarter. Now? Almost 100% Romantasy because life is short and sexy fantasy is unparalleled 😁

Tea - Rooibos with lots of steamed oat milk. London Fog. Anything cozy - vanilla and lavender flavors galore.

[Brooke Shaden]

On 10/5/2024 at 9:07 PM, libro said:

What drew you to self-portraiture as a medium to explore the darker, more imaginative aspects of your art?

Self-portraiture was purely a necessity at first. I used to be so deathly shy that I couldn't fathom asking anyone to model for me. What if I let them down?! What if I was awkward?! So, I began self-portraits in my little tiny apartment at the time. It allowed me so much room to grow and experiment without fear of looking silly in front of anyone. Images could fail with no one to let down. I had no expectations.

Once I got the hang of it, there was something alluring about being the artist and subject. I found I could articulate, through body language, the exact emotion I wanted to convey far better than I could direct someone to do the same.

Every story is our story, and every story belongs to everyone. Depicting them myself is one more link to my darker side, inner demons, and radiating joy. But it also, somehow, seems to connect me to community in a deeper way. It's as if being in front of the camera is an act of bravery that others acknowledge, and it adds another layer to my work.

[Brooke Shaden]

18 hours ago, aidm said:

What are your top three tips for someone just getting started in portrait photography?

And is it hard to keep balance & continue to enjoy photography now that it's also "work"?

1. So many people get stuck in the mindset of trying to create what other people will want. I believe very few people know what they want. If you find yourself drawn to something, even if it seems weird, try to go for it. You may be surprised at who responds positively, and how well that narrows down your work and clients to what feels authentic to you.

2. Create a box for yourself so you can step outside of it in meaningful ways. For example, I almost always use my Sony A7RV and 24-70mm GM II to shoot. I know how every function I use works exactly, so when I shoot, there's no second guessing. I know what height I generally like my tripod at, and the focal length, and my f/stop. When you have a go-to set of "rules" that generally apply to your work, you can get creative with ideas and begin branching out. But having that safety net where there's no barrier to beginning is incredibly helpful.

3. Be passionate. The more you exude passion for what you do, in whatever way feels natural to you, the more others will feel infected by that passion. I believe my career has gone on as long as it has due in large part to my exuberant passion and joy for what I do.

Balance & Work
I began my business by identifying three ways I wanted to make money: books, workshops, and print sales.
I've since added: licensing, commissions, motivational speaking, convention host, community leader, and fiction writing.
In every single thing I choose, I pursue joy in that. If it isn't joyful, I either change my approach so it is, or I slowly transition out of doing that thing. 
A great example of this is commissions. I have a love/hate relationship with them. When they go well, they're amazing. When they don't, I feel horrendous.
Therefore, I've become extremely selective about what projects I take in that area, and I don't advertise it either.
Photography itself never feels like a chore, because when I pick up my camera, it is 99% of the time to make something I want to make.

[Brooke Shaden]

38 minutes ago, CarolineJensen said:

You have a lot of interest in death and deep topics, which always fascinates me and makes me think deeply. What will your tombstone say? or do you have other ideas about death and how you want to be remembered? 

I love you Caroline 🥰

I think my tombstone would say, "INSPIRED"...Hopefully to show how I was inspired, and how I inspired others.

Last year I made an image with an elk skeleton that I found in the forest by my house. I got a lot of hate about it, including a comment that read, "I hope you die in the forest and someone finds your body and photographs it." To which I responded, "I hope so, too." I believe there's beauty and room for art in both life and death. I find beauty in dark things, and if you are drawn to something, you should always ask why.

Here are a few images from my series SAMSARA, which is a word meaning the cycle of life from birth to death that all living things endure.

[Giowanella]

Hi Brooke, thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us!

You are an inspiration not only as an artist but as a businesswoman. You have built a relationship of trust and recognition with your audience and with brands.

What strategies do you believe were essential for becoming known and recognized by the public and business partners? What would be your advice for artists who are seeking greater visibility and professionalization of their work, creating a community where they can rely on support, and also establishing partnerships with brands?

I know this is a lot of questions in one, so feel free to answer the one you believe is most meaningful.

Thank you very much!

Edited Monday at 05:56 PM by Giowanella

[Mary Bel]

Hi @Brooke Shaden how do you get over a creative rut from creating self portraits? I’m going through that now and dislike what I manage to create,  but I miss creating self portraits. What advice would you give others who are wanting to push past a creative rut? 

[Hhughes]

Love your work! 

Could use a pointer on grants.

As someone who travels a lot any travel tips (either overall tips or how to do so without breaking the bank when you are paying for it).

[alpha-jessica-a]

11 hours ago, Brooke Shaden said:

I just re-read The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune so I can start on the sequel (ten million stars). My favorite author is C.S. Pacat...anything at all by her...Captive Prince, Dark Rise, anything.

I am an obsessive reader of book lists, and love to research "books like" something I've enjoyed lately. I've never been in a book club, but I'm part of a writing group! I write fantasy novels so I meet with my writing group every 1-2 weeks for about 4 hours at a time to edit each other's new work. 

Reading slumps - avoid them entirely by reading enjoyable things. I used to try to read books I thought would be intellectual or make me seem smarter. Now? Almost 100% Romantasy because life is short and sexy fantasy is unparalleled 😁

Tea - Rooibos with lots of steamed oat milk. London Fog. Anything cozy - vanilla and lavender flavors galore.

I've read some C.S Pacat! I should get back into her work. 

Do you tend to re-read books to help with reading slumps? Or do you always try something new? Which is your most recent favorite romantasy? I just got Fourth Wing from the library and am about to start it!

Also rooibos is such a lovely tea, good choice. 

[Brooke Shaden]

22 hours ago, Giowanella said:

Hi Brooke, thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us!

You are an inspiration not only as an artist but as a businesswoman. You have built a relationship of trust and recognition with your audience and with brands.

What strategies do you believe were essential for becoming known and recognized by the public and business partners? What would be your advice for artists who are seeking greater visibility and professionalization of their work, creating a community where they can rely on support, and also establishing partnerships with brands?

I know this is a lot of questions in one, so feel free to answer the one you believe is most meaningful.

Thank you very much!

Quote

What strategies do you believe were essential for becoming known and recognized by the public and business partners?

1. Partnering with companies and people who had a reach outside my own. For example, creating a class for CreativeLive was one of the best things I did to expand my visibility.
2. Create work with consistency that pushes boundaries. I created a new image almost every single day in my first year of creating, and ended up with 100 images in my portfolio after year 1 because of it. I was creating subversive works that challenged our willingness to confront death. Super niche, but also very bold.
3. Trusting that what I wanted to say was something others wanted to hear. 
4. Listening to community and engaging in an honest way.
 

Quote

What would be your advice for artists who are seeking greater visibility and professionalization of their work, creating a community where they can rely on support, and also establishing partnerships with brands?

1. Listen to feedback about your work. This is a slippery one, because on the most fundamental level, I say trust your gut. But, if we're being very real here, receiving a piece of feedback consistently often means there's some truth to it. For example, if you consistently hear there's something bothering people technically, conceptually, or if the feedback is very often neutral and uninspired, those are signs to dig into a particular area of your work with more vigor. I hear feedback like this all the time. Some I take to heart, and some I don't, but it always helps guide me to do a check-in with myself about the feedback.
2. Get portfolio reviews! It doesn't have to be professional - send your work to friends or colleagues and really track their reactions.
3. Join communities. Being here is honest to goodness a good start. Be present in groups, speak up, advocate for yourself and others. Ask others in those groups to start an accountability side group, or a mastermind.
4. Be an expert at what you do, and don't be shy about asserting that expertise when you talk about your work.
5. Be bold. Go for big projects and big ideas. 
6. Seek opportunities, never wait for them. At least half of the "big breaks" I've had are from jobs I asked for.
7. About brands specifically - when approaching a brand, always put forth a "Here's what I can provide for you" attitude and plan. Know what value you specifically bring, and put that at the forefront of interactions.

Thank you Giowanella! Lots of love.

[Brooke Shaden]

19 hours ago, Mary Bel said:

Hi @Brooke Shaden how do you get over a creative rut from creating self portraits? I’m going through that now and dislike what I manage to create,  but I miss creating self portraits. What advice would you give others who are wanting to push past a creative rut? 

I believe most creative ruts are caused from boredom in some form. For me, it's often going to the same locations, photographing myself in the same ways, using similar costumes, etc. I like to ask myself: "What's the craziest thing I could photograph today" and often, diving into that discomfort, breaks something open inside of myself.

There are plenty of times, however, where it's a simple case of exhaustion. So be careful to tend to yourself and ask that heart what it needs.

But otherwise, do something totally wild. Think BIGGER. Remind yourself: You only have this one life. What do you want to say before you die?

You know, all the happy questions 😁

The truth is, we are all capable of so much more than what we do regularly. You especially, Mary Bel. Join a group to brainstorm, go someplace you've never been, get a costume you'd never normally pick, ask for your community to set a challenge for you, and shoot with even more consistency. When I did a month-long photo challenge in July, I was shocked at how hard it was to start, and how easy it was to continue.

[Brooke Shaden]

12 hours ago, Hhughes said:

Love your work! 

Could use a pointer on grants.

As someone who travels a lot any travel tips (either overall tips or how to do so without breaking the bank when you are paying for it).

When applying for grants, start locally. There are often city, county, or state-wide grants that will be much more within reach than national grants. Look at the jury to see who they are and what they may be looking for. When writing a grant proposal, always make sure you highlight innovation in your work and proposal, because they will want to know they've chosen someone unique who is doing something no one else is doing. Highlight how your project relates to the world right now, and how it will benefit the region you're applying for the grant in.

But my biggest tip about grants is to watch Endia Beal, who is a master in all things photography grants. I bow to her.

Quote

As someone who travels a lot any travel tips (either overall tips or how to do so without breaking the bank when you are paying for it).

Let's be honest, I'm sitting in the back of the plane in a middle seat half the time, attempting to jam everything I own into my backpack.

But aside from that, I try to mix work and pleasure whenever I travel. Perhaps reach out to camera clubs to see if they'll cover your travel in exchange for a workshop or talk, then you can do some travel local to that area without breaking the bank. This applies to anything you might be able to do for an organization in the place you want to go!

[Brooke Shaden]

11 hours ago, alpha-jessica-a said:

I've read some C.S Pacat! I should get back into her work. 

Do you tend to re-read books to help with reading slumps? Or do you always try something new? Which is your most recent favorite romantasy? I just got Fourth Wing from the library and am about to start it!

Also rooibos is such a lovely tea, good choice. 

I'm not a huge re-reader. I've probably only done that a handful of times. But I am a big believer in knowing what genre you LOVE - like, can't get enough of - and looking for "guilty pleasure" books in that arena. Though let's be clear, no one should ever feel guilty for what they enjoy.

Most recent favorite romantasy - I really liked The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle Jensen this year!
Fourth Wing is basically perfect.

[EJohnson]

How has your approach to art evolved since you first began photographing yourself? Has your relationship with your inner world changed through your work?

[download]

Hi Brooke! So excited to learn from you!!

What would you say is your favorite part of your creative process?