Capturing the World: A Photographer's Story | Autumn Carolynn

PROFITABLE TALKS...

In this episode of the Profitable Creative, host Christian Brim interviews Autumn Carolynn, a passionate photographer and author. Autumn shares her journey from discovering her love for photography in high school to creating a travel photography book inspired by her goal to visit 30 countries before turning 30. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of self-publishing her book, the marketing strategies she employed, and the impact it has had on her photography business. Autumn also reflects on her unique approach to photography, focusing on landscapes and architecture rather than custom portraits, and shares valuable insights on pricing and financial management for creatives. The conversation concludes with Autumn's aspirations for the future and advice for aspiring artists.

PROFITABLE TAKEAWAYS...

• Autumn's passion for photography began in high school.
• She created a travel photography book to inspire others.
• Self-publishing required significant effort and time.
• Marketing strategies included gallery events and media appearances.
• Her photography business has seen growth since publishing the book.
• Autumn focuses on landscapes and architecture in her work.
• She emphasizes the importance of pricing and financial management.
• Networking with other artists has been beneficial for her growth.
• Future aspirations include global art exhibitions and travel photography.
• Advice for creatives includes scaling work and managing finances wisely.

Ready to turn your PASSION into PROFIT?!? Let's get CREATIVE ➡️
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Transcript

Christian Brim (00:01.371)
Welcome to another episode of the Profitable Creative, the only place on the interwebs where you will learn how to turn your passion into profit. I am your host, Christian Brim. A special shout out to our one listener in Williston, South Dakota. Thank you, Williston. I've never been to Williston, don't even really know where it is. I have been to Custer, South Dakota. Beautiful place, Black Hills. Had a...

I had to rethink my life choices in South Dakota but that's a story for another day. Joining me today is Autumn Carolynn of Autumn Carolynn Photography. Welcome Autumn.

Autumn Carolynn (00:38.84)
Thank you, thank you so much for having me.

Christian Brim (00:41.351)
I'm excited to have you. on this show, we talk about entrepreneurial journeys of people like yourself that have turned their passion into a business. So tell us how you got started in photography.

Autumn Carolynn (00:59.192)
Sure, my passion basically started when I was 15 and I took this course that was an elective in high school. It was a photography course and it was a film photo where you can go in the lab and learn how to develop your own film. I just really fell in love with it. And so that's kind of what started my journey with photography.

Christian Brim (01:23.163)
I love it. started, I'm not a photographer. So that's misleading. I didn't start anything. It started and ended in like fifth and sixth grade. We had a dark room and we had pinhole cameras made out of oatmeal containers. And that was cool, but it never stuck with me. So how did you decide to turn it into a business?

Autumn Carolynn (01:49.752)
Sure, I started when I studied abroad my senior year of college and I was living in England at the time and my parents for graduation, they gifted me a Nikon D5100 camera, which was like, yeah, my dad got a really good deal at a pawn shop for it. And so it ended up being like my catalyst for everything. I brought it with me to all these different

Christian Brim (02:06.268)
Nice.

Autumn Carolynn (02:19.672)
countries that I went to and just kept on shooting and capturing all these different moments. And I feel like that's what started and prompted this journey.

Christian Brim (02:31.815)
So I noticed that you have a book, it's not a book about photography, it's a book of photographs. What led you to create that?

Autumn Carolynn (02:46.254)
Sure, I had this goal to go to 30 countries before I turned 30. So each chapter in my book is about a different country. And it's a mix of both, there are photos at the end of each chapter, as you read through each chapter, it's all about different experiences that have happened while I've been traveling.

being around different cultures and kind of just being in the moment with them, meeting new people, eating delicious foods that I didn't think. Well, some of them was not. That is true. There is this thing in Peru that they eat guinea pig.

Christian Brim (03:20.431)
Was it all delicious?

Christian Brim (03:25.658)
Okay, okay.

Christian Brim (03:33.243)
Mmm, okay. Does it taste like a normal pig?

Autumn Carolynn (03:38.818)
Well, I had just like a little nibble and it was one of those things where I was like, my gosh, I cannot believe I'm doing this. And then that, my husband ate the whole thing, but I.

Christian Brim (03:50.467)
It was what we call a no thank you helping. Yes, yes. So what was the weirdest thing you ate? Besides guinea pig.

Autumn Carolynn (03:52.394)
Yes, exactly.

Autumn Carolynn (03:59.918)
Besides guinea pig. Well, I had ostrich. I've had an ostrich burger in England. had a reindeer burger in Norway, and I've had crocodile and alligator. And I'm vegetarian now so I don't know if that constellates for anything.

Christian Brim (04:04.677)
Hmm, okay.

Christian Brim (04:17.563)
that it might have driven you into it, I don't know. So what was the best thing you ate?

Autumn Carolynn (04:25.301)
Ooh, the best thing.

my gosh, that's a really good question. Wow.

Christian Brim (04:33.169)
Thank you.

Autumn Carolynn (04:36.106)
You know, I would have to say this past trip, I went to Poland and Czech Republic and Bratislava. And in Bratislava, there was this cake that was a multi-layered cake that was just this consistency of custard and cream, but also had these really thin little crepe pancakes and berries on top. It was delicious.

Christian Brim (05:03.067)
That sounds delicious.

Autumn Carolynn (05:03.406)
I sat there and I was just like, my gosh, I could eat this all day. It was so good.

Christian Brim (05:08.761)
Yeah, I went, when we went to Prague, last year, amazing city, by the way. we, we had stroganoff, but we went with the locals and, went to their favorite restaurant and it was unlike any stroganoff I've ever had. I'm like, this is not, this is not what we eat in the States and call stroganoff. and it was, amazingly good. I'm sorry. I digress back to the book.

Sorry. So what was your purpose in writing the book? I mean, I understand that you had this goal and you documented it, but what was the reason to put it into a book?

Autumn Carolynn (05:39.342)
That's okay.

Autumn Carolynn (05:52.652)
The reason why I wanted to put this in the book and wanted to create a book was it was probably a twofold. I actually didn't have this idea to write a book until the pandemic hit where I had all this extra time to be able to do something and with the time that I had. And that's when I started going back through all my old travel journals. And I just started writing it into this Word document. And little by little, as I was

you know, going through and making sure it was something, you know, in case of a fire or something, I wanted to make sure that those, that documentation was written on something digital. But then as I continued to read it or go through and put it, digitize it, it was something where I was thinking back on how there are a lot of people like myself who struggle with anxiety. And there are a lot of people who are not able to go and see

the world and see different places. And I really wanted to make sure that I had something that I could be proud of, but also create something that inspires someone to go out of their comfort zone and try something new for the first time, even if it's just going to a grocery store, that's someplace that they've never been, or to a city that's 20 minutes away that they've never really spent time in.

just to be able to gain that confidence. And then if they feel ready to be able to go to a new country, that they'll feel more comfortable with it.

Christian Brim (07:25.785)
Hmm. Yeah, I think one of the most fascinating things to do when you travel is to go to the grocery stores. I always find that fascinating because it's just interesting. I'll just wander the aisles. like, they sell that. Okay, so let's talk about the business aspect of it. Did you self-publish the book or did you use a publisher? Okay, so.

Autumn Carolynn (07:50.654)
self-published the book. And I did, I had three editors, 12 beta readers, two sensitivity readers, and then let's see what else. It took me four years to write and produce. Yeah, it was a big step for me to be able to get it done, but now that it's completed and out, it feels a big relief off my shoulders.

Christian Brim (08:04.005)
Holy cow, okay.

Christian Brim (08:17.295)
When did it publish?

Autumn Carolynn (08:19.438)
It published earlier this year in 2024. Oh, actually, it's 2024.

Christian Brim (08:21.839)
Okay. Gotcha. Now that was last year. So I'll ask the question. How was it sold? Has it met your expectations?

Autumn Carolynn (08:28.302)
Nothing.

Autumn Carolynn (08:36.962)
Good. Yeah, it's been amazing. I am so pleasantly surprised. I honestly thought that maybe a few people would buy it, like friends or family, but it got to the point where I've been very thankful to have orders be coming in. it's just, it's been a really incredible journey.

Christian Brim (09:02.151)
Has it paid for itself yet?

Autumn Carolynn (09:05.044)
Not yet, but I'm so close. But I did spend a, I spent a penny on this.

Christian Brim (09:07.239)
Okay, fair enough. no, even if you self-publish it is expensive to hire editors and formatters. So was there any crossover? Well, let me back up a second. How have you marketed your book?

Autumn Carolynn (09:17.23)
Yeah, it is,

Autumn Carolynn (09:29.272)
So I marketed it through different channels. I had this idea that when I was going to launch, the launch was really the biggest step in this whole production with publishing it. So I had a, let's see, I do photography and I'm a part of a photographer, or not a photographer, but an artist group here in Minneapolis. And it's called the Northrop King Building. So it's this.

Christian Brim (09:53.809)
Hmm?

Autumn Carolynn (09:56.494)
large warehouse that has all these different artists in it. And I created this gallery that was going to be a one-day only travel gallery that had artists from the building in it showcasing their work. And then I did a book reading and then I sold my book there and it was on the day of the publish release. The next day I did a

speaking event at a Swedish institute and they were able to host me and so they sold tickets for that as well and then I did a presentation about travel for that one and then we did a book signing and a book reading at that point as well. So since February of 2024, every month I've done something that has been either a book reading or a book signing someplace, Barnes & Noble or a

you know, bookstores and different places around the Midwest, Chicagoland area, also Wisconsin and in Minnesota. And then that's been basically my main marketing when it comes to person to person. But I also was able to get on Minneapolis or not Minneapolis, Minnesota Public Radio, NPR and

our main stations here as well as up in Duluth for the NBC, ABC, and a few other TV stations as well. So I was featured on those news channels and talking about my book and the journey as well.

Christian Brim (11:35.665)
Did you organize all of that yourself? Impressive. All right. Have you done any Amazon advertising for your book? Yes. How has that worked out?

Autumn Carolynn (11:39.222)
Yes. Yeah. Thank you.

Autumn Carolynn (11:49.548)
Yes. Yep. Yes. So I used Rocket Publisher, think, or Rocket Publishing, which it's not a publishing group. Basically what it is, is it's a tool that you can use for being able to do Amazon ad advertisements and knowing which like keywords and SEO words to put in. So that has been going really well.

Christian Brim (12:12.474)
Right.

Autumn Carolynn (12:17.068)
And it has been gaining traction with a lot of people that I think wouldn't necessarily know about the book that are not from the Midwest, but are from different places.

Christian Brim (12:27.867)
Yeah, as you know, I self published my book, last year as well. And what I, in, in, talking to the publisher, I, I hired a publisher. She really went to publisher. She just helped and did the editorial and all this anyway, discussing it with her. was like, I came to this conclusion that you can have a great book, but if you don't market it, no one's going to know about.

which and there are a lot of bad books out there that have good marketing that sell well so it's not necessarily whether you have a good book or not it's how well you market it which is sad but that's that's reality

So is there been any, now I'll come to the question that I was going to ask, have you seen any uplift in your photography business from the publishing of

Autumn Carolynn (13:27.028)
Yes, and that has been a pleasant surprise because

Christian Brim (13:30.875)
So that was no expectation going into it. Interesting. Okay.

Autumn Carolynn (13:33.248)
No, no, it was something where I had this just this main goal to get this book out because I just wanted people to be able to see it. But then with the uptick in my photography business, I sell like, you know, I sell like, I'm sorry, I'm having this blank, the campuses, metal prints, matted prints, calendars, greeting cards, all that stuff. And

It's just been really interesting to be able to see that I'm getting orders I would normally get in the Midwest are now across the US. I had an order for San Francisco and places that normally wouldn't really be putting in orders that I'm used to.

Christian Brim (14:09.799)
Mmm.

Christian Brim (14:20.849)
So, looking at the photography business, is, explain your photography business. Yes, I'll shut up now.

Autumn Carolynn (14:34.35)
No, it's okay. So what I do is I have the, since I did the 30 and 30, I've taken pictures in all 30 countries. And so I sell my photography of landscapes, architecture, places that are well known in those 30 countries. And then I sell them to people for them to put on their walls or for them to have, you know, for like the cards and the calendars and things like that as well.

But primarily the reason why I started that was because if people were unable to go to a certain place and they really wanted to have this idea of like, okay, I want to go to Italy. I've never been there before. And then they have, you know, one of my photos on their walls. It's like a really honorable feeling to think that my like photo is on their wall. And it's something that's like reminding them of

Christian Brim (15:25.127)
Mm.

Autumn Carolynn (15:33.262)
you know, OK, I'm not going to spend that much because I'm saving it up because I'm going to go to Italy. And so it's just been a really amazing experience to meet people. But in that I sell online, but then I also sell at art shows every weekend and I sell at art exhibitions. So I think I've had like 22 art exhibitions within the Midwest at different museums or art galleries and.

Yeah, so a little bit of both. then I sell courses. Well, I teach courses, and I teach workshops as well for people who are interested in learning how to be in art business, get into the art business world. But they're not really quite sure what to do or how to start.

Christian Brim (16:24.177)
So you don't do custom photography. People don't call you and say, hey, I need you to take some pictures of this. Okay, which is interesting because most of the photographers that we've had on the show, that is their business. so talk about why you didn't pursue that.

Autumn Carolynn (16:30.978)
No, no.

Autumn Carolynn (16:45.838)
Yeah, when I first started off with photography, getting out of high school and getting out of, you know, graduating from college, I did do a few weddings. I did family portraits and pet portraits and seniors and things like that. But I don't know, I just I felt like it wasn't really my passion. And my passion was more towards landscapes and things that didn't move, quote unquote.

Christian Brim (16:50.343)
.

Autumn Carolynn (17:15.086)
And so I feel like that was really a determining factor of that. I just really like what I do and I like being able to go to different places, capture it, and then be able to use that as my main focal point.

Christian Brim (17:35.463)
So it sounds like that wasn't like a business decision to do that. It was just your passion, but it does distinguish you because they're, you know, most people that are photographers are doing some type of custom photography. So what have been some of the challenges in choosing this business model?

Autumn Carolynn (18:02.51)
Sure, yeah, there definitely have been challenges for sure. I I kind of, and I do think about it sometimes of, you I get asked a lot if I do any type of custom portraits or if I do family portraits, especially at art shows, people are looking for that and they always ask me. So obviously like the main one is that, you know, if you're doing custom portraits, if you're doing portraits of people,

you are earning a steady income all the time because you're not relying on people to purchase your work, you know, one-on-one. And it's something that's a lot more intricate, but you can be able to work your schedule around it and be able to plan accordingly versus for my business right now, I kind of am going to different places. I'm setting up art shows. I'm doing,

you know, art exhibitions where my work is still getting out, but it's not that steady stream where it's I'm counting on it every single day to go through. But I kind of like the idea, though, that it's not something that I am booking and I'm not having these these, you know, clients go through. And, you know, maybe that's just

the way that I feel right now and that could totally change. It probably will change because I can't, you know, a lot of times it's harder for someone to be a photographer when they don't have that, you know, those people that they shoot every single year. But at the same time, I'm just, really passionate about what I do. I really love being able to travel and take pictures and then being able to talk about the different places with people that I meet at art shows and

you know, a lot of some people will say, where were you exactly on this? You know, when was this shot and how did you take that? And then being able to talk about the the day or where I was or how I was able to get the shot. think that's I don't know. It's just really important to me, I think.

Christian Brim (20:14.68)
Has anybody like travel websites or magazines approached you about doing work for them?

Autumn Carolynn (20:22.422)
Yeah, yep. I've had a few of them and I'm doing outreach as well for that too, because it is kind of like a tenfold. You know, a lot of people that take pictures and they sell them at different art shows and things like that. They can talk to magazines, they can talk to tourism boards and say, hey, I have this picture that I took of, you know, the Cliffs of Moor and I would love to feature it in your next

in your next article or online. And so that's been a really great way too, to be able to whitelist your work and be able to have like a different stream of income in that way.

Christian Brim (21:10.747)
Yeah, so as you're talking, my daughter who has been on the show, you should go back and listen to the episode, it's kind of funny, is a figurative painter. And so I see a lot of parallels in that you're going out and creating something that may or may not have a buyer.

As opposed to like if you're if you're doing custom photography you automatically have a buyer because they approach you so That dynamic is different in trying to figure out You know what you want to do? landscapes And then finding someone that is willing to pay for it. That's But I I love the fact that you've found alternative uses such as the book

such as calendars and other things featuring the photography. I love that you have found alternative ways to sell it besides just the traditional ways. That's brilliant.

Autumn Carolynn (22:22.072)
Thank you. Thanks. Thank you.

Christian Brim (22:26.343)
Um, so what do you see, you know, as, as you unfold this journey over the next three years, where are you going? What do you think happens?

Autumn Carolynn (22:38.734)
Yeah, have this dream goal and my dream goal is that I'll be able to have art exhibitions not only in the Midwest, but just all over the world. That would be the idealistic step for me to work with different museums or art exhibitions that are in Sweden or Norway or in Japan and then being able to work with them.

you know, ideally what then would come of it is that I would really love to be a photographer for different places around the world. So if someone is looking, you know, if there's a hotel or if there's like a tourism board that, you know, they have this new place that's coming up and they're looking for a photographer that I could be able to travel and take photos and have that be a source of income for me.

Christian Brim (23:20.071)
Hmm.

Autumn Carolynn (23:37.826)
but then also being able to sell my photography too and just keep on kind of fueling this desire of travel, but using the fuel as photography.

Christian Brim (23:52.389)
Okay, I like that. What?

I completely, no, I remember now what my question was. It's hard to keep things in mind and still listen, right? So that's evidence I was listening. How do you determine your pricing?

Autumn Carolynn (24:03.052)
Yeah.

Autumn Carolynn (24:09.654)
Yes, I determine my pricing. Well, I listen to a lot of podcasts when it comes to art business and artists that are kind of in the same realm that I am because I find myself making a lot of friends with artists that are here in the Minneapolis Twin Cities area where their niche isn't particularly selling photos or canvases from across the world. Their niche is selling

campuses and matted prints and metal prints from Minneapolis Twin Cities itself. And so I've been able to really learn from them and go to their workshops and listen in on how they're pricing their models and what they use and using that algorithm. Because I want to make sure that my pricing isn't too steep, but it's also not

that I won't want to be profitable for me.

Christian Brim (25:09.489)
Yeah. Well, I mean, and so your, your profit is, is kind of backloaded in that, you know, you've got all the expensive travel and, and, and doing all the work and then you have to figure out, mean, replicating the print, there is some cost to that, but it's, it's nominal compared to what you're charging. So it's kind of like you, you put several thousand dollars into a project and then it's okay. How

How can I monetize that? That sounds like a bad word for an artist, but it's interesting because I've had many conversations with my daughter about pricing. she's the ripe age of 28, so still young in the game, but she figured out very early on that she was going to price things

Autumn Carolynn (25:42.51)
You

Christian Brim (26:08.839)
I almost say not to not sell them like she prizes them so damn high. I'm like, but you know, I think they're the reality is that who's to say what it's worth because and that dynamic that you know, she's very technically good. I mean, like very realistic figurative paintings. It

the way she prices it intrinsically gives it value, right? Like if she priced it lower and it was that technically good, it would be like, maybe something's wrong with it, you know? Is that been your experience in pricing?

Autumn Carolynn (26:41.294)
Mm-hmm.

Autumn Carolynn (26:49.122)
Yes, yes, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, definitely. And I had to learn that along the way because I started the photography business at the same time that I started writing the book. So it's been about four to five years. And at first, when I put these out there, I really didn't know what I was doing. you know, so I priced them really, really low thinking that, this would be a great way to be able to

work with people because my main thing was that I wanted people to be able to afford it. If they couldn't afford it, I wanted them to be able to, you know, it wouldn't be such a far reach for them because I, my main passion was just giving people that spark and wanting them to be inspired to go and travel on their own. And, but then as you know, the years go by, you start realizing that that price model is

It's, you know, nice in theory to think of it, but it's not profitable. And it's really hard for someone to, you know, keep a business up when you are striving on the back end to kind of make all the costs that you are doing because the pricing is so low, because in your mind, you're thinking that you're doing the right thing for other people, but it ends up just kind of being a wash and you end up, you know,

really hurting yourself in the end. So I started listening to those podcasts. I started realizing what the average pricing was for my, I don't want to say competitors, but for my friends who I, you know, I take what they do really seriously and they're like my mentors. They are like my photography mentors and I see what their pricing is. And so, you know, I match that now.

Christian Brim (28:40.197)
Mm-hmm.

Autumn Carolynn (28:48.5)
And it's been really helpful for me because I see how they run their business and I see exactly, you know, mirroring them. And it's been just really helpful for me to then not only feel like, you know, I'm making something that is worth what I'm doing, but it's also something where it's like, no, I should be marking these as they are, because this took me

years. It took me 10 years for me to get all these images. It took me countless, you know, flights to all these places and time and effort.

Christian Brim (29:25.427)
Yeah, it's almost like you're having to justify yourself rather than just accept it, right? Like these mentors that you have as far as turning the creative into the business, what are some of the more valuable lessons that you've learned from them?

Autumn Carolynn (29:35.598)
Mm-hmm.

Autumn Carolynn (29:46.114)
Ooh, valuable lessons, honestly, it would have to be, it would have to be definitely art show etiquette. Not, I mean, not even with etiquette, but just the way that they, you know, because when I first started off with my art booth, I had, you know, a little table and I had a tablecloth and I had this tent that I purchased on Amazon and

Christian Brim (29:49.829)
Yes, please.

Christian Brim (29:57.262)
OK.

Christian Brim (30:15.399)
I still have my daughters in the garage since she stopped doing that.

Autumn Carolynn (30:15.416)
It worked.

Yeah, I still I have it too. I do have it. But it was something where I didn't know how to necessarily make a you know, I didn't have my pricing all in one place. I didn't have something where people could go and see it. And I had these stories that were behind the photos that you know, I could think of a story and then say, yeah, well, I took that when I was here and then be able to

Christian Brim (30:34.896)
Mm-hmm.

Autumn Carolynn (30:48.018)
sell it in that way. And, you know, I learned which companies that they work with when it comes to, you know, having their booth ready and what their booth looked like, because their booths looked amazing compared to mine. I looked like I had this like, you know, this like tent that was and I still do have the tent and I still use the tent every single time. But they just had such like

Christian Brim (30:49.806)
Yeah.

Autumn Carolynn (31:18.094)
It looked so much more professional, is what I'm trying to say. And I really liked how they approached their business because it wasn't something where people were just coming up and saying, this is cool, and then walking away. But they actually had a business model that was impressive. And I just remember, excuse me, the first year that I was doing this.

Christian Brim (31:21.115)
Yeah, yes.

Autumn Carolynn (31:44.14)
or well first like two years, I just was watching them and I was like, okay, I'm just gonna slowly but surely I'm gonna try and do these little things that they are doing with the way that they're doing pricing. But I don't want it to sound like I'm just copying someone and that's my business model is just a copy because it was there were also you know, little things that I had done where they had picked up for me too. So it was it was like a

Christian Brim (32:01.595)
No.

Autumn Carolynn (32:11.864)
healthy business relationship where you learn from each other.

Christian Brim (32:16.039)
I call that R &D. It stands for rip off and deploy. So if you find somebody else doing something that works, absolutely duplicate it. It's interesting you mention Archeros, because my daughter started there. And after a couple of years, she abandoned it and went to the galleries. what she realized was, which I think is a

is a powerful insight is that the buyers at art shows are significantly different than buyers at galleries, right? And she felt like her work was more attuned to the gallery buyers. But it leads me to this question that I just thought of, which I'm curious your answer. Would you personally have a problem of having a photo

Autumn Carolynn (32:52.846)
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Christian Brim (33:15.291)
that and selling it at an art show and then taking that same photo and selling it at a gallery for two or three times the price. Would that cause you any problem?

Autumn Carolynn (33:29.23)
Ooh, that's a good question.

Christian Brim (33:33.157)
I know, that's what I do. I ask good questions.

Autumn Carolynn (33:35.278)
You know, I don't know, because that is very true. What is she saying is 100 % true because at the art shows I've noticed it is a completely different clientele unless it is a type of art show that is a juried niche art show that is something where people go there to purchase work for their house. They have a specific place that they want to put something in there, not quite sure what to put there. But

Christian Brim (33:41.701)
Right, right.

Christian Brim (33:53.947)
Right.

Autumn Carolynn (34:09.888)
I would have to say at, so I have my work at a gallery and I also do the art shows on the weekends. So I kind of do both right now. They have been the same price, but what I've noticed is that at the art shows, I will do discounts. So if someone is looking at something and I'm talking to them a lot of times what will happen.

Christian Brim (34:19.099)
Same price.

Christian Brim (34:22.983)
Mmm.

Christian Brim (34:30.407)
Mmm.

Autumn Carolynn (34:36.034)
This is so fun to talk about, just letting you know. I'm just so happy because I normally don't get to talk about this kind of stuff. And so it's really great. But at the art shows, what will happen is that I'll be talking with someone and they'll be interested, but they don't really, you know, they're kind of on that cusp where they do want to purchase it, but they're not quite sure. And sometimes if that's the case, I'll say, you know what, I'll give you like, you know, 5 % discount or something like that, where I will bring it down a little bit.

And that will help a lot of people to say yes and say that they want to go through with it. Whereas at the gallery, I do have a fixed price on everything. If I do a discount, it's because of an event that the gallery is hosting. But it is definitely a different aspect to both of them. Yeah.

Christian Brim (35:22.919)
sure.

Christian Brim (35:29.895)
Sure. Yeah. that's what I... One of the things I find fascinating, it's like a hobby of mine is pricing. Because it deals with the human element and it's so squishy. It's an art, not a science, right? But I find that a lot of people really bulk.

Autumn Carolynn (35:37.954)
Boom.

Christian Brim (35:55.879)
Like I couldn't charge twice as much at the gallery as I did at the art show. That doesn't feel right. That doesn't right. But, you know, I think like value is subjective to the buyer. They're the only person that can determine whether or not it's worth it or not. And, and so then I kind of push back on that thinking to say, well, who are you to say that it's not worth that? Like if it's worth that to them, then. Okay.

You're not, you're not, it's not like you're robbing them. so yeah, interesting, interesting. what would you give your yourself four or five years ago? What advice would you give yourself? starting out, like what's, what's one of those one or two key things that you wished you had implemented sooner or known sooner.

Autumn Carolynn (36:52.696)
I would for sure tell myself the moment that I start earning profit on something, able to think of your finances in a way that it's not something where you're just putting the money back into the business so swiftly, but to be able to kind of grow that nest egg. So that way with your business, you can use that when the time comes.

Christian Brim (37:11.623)
Mmm.

Autumn Carolynn (37:22.72)
in an efficient way. Also with twofold on that, which is kind of, I guess, contradictory to what I just said. But at the same time, I would say when your business starts to become profitable, just to start scaling out work. If there are things that you are not able to, you know, that you want to do, but it just takes forever for you to do and someone else can be able to do it at a lower price, be able to work with them and

Christian Brim (37:24.967)
Yeah.

Autumn Carolynn (37:52.122)
not feel this afraid feeling of, don't know what to do. I want to hire someone, but I don't know if I, know, who to trust or how to do this. And, you know, just letting that fear go and saying, okay, I think, I don't think I can do all this on my own. And I think I need help. And what can I do? And what can I delegate to other people to be able to get them on board? So that way I can become more,

have more of a successful business model than just me doing it all on my own.

Christian Brim (38:27.587)
I think that's brilliant advice. have you read profit first? No. Have you heard of profit first? Okay. All right. Well, I wrote this book called profit first for creatives, which are to people like yourself, which, which address some of the nuances that Mike didn't cover in his book. but I, I think having that process of how to deal with your money.

Autumn Carolynn (38:33.997)
No, I have not, Yes, I have.

Christian Brim (38:57.647)
it's critical because most creatives, step into the business without any of that background or experience. And having just a structure in place to, deal with the money is I think very important because then you're intentional about it. You're not. And I think that's what you were saying is, is that, you know, being intentional about the money. Okay. I'm not just going to put it back in the business. I, I.

going to set aside, build up a nest egg. But I think that tracks right along with what you're saying about trying to decide what to delegate and who to hire. Because I think the most important thing for any business owner starting out is to understand very clearly what the value that they bring to the table is. And focusing on that and delegating the rest of it.

Like your genius isn't necessarily marketing or finances or maybe some aspect of the production of the art itself. Your genius is finding the landscape, capturing the moment, telling the story right around that piece. And that's what makes you money. That not the rest of the stuff. And a lot of business owners

take a long time to figure it out, if ever. Like they're just running around with their hair on fire and trying to keep it together.

Autumn Carolynn (40:36.908)
Yeah. I know that feeling.

Christian Brim (40:40.663)
Yes, yes, we've all been there. Well, Autumn, how do we find your work and buy your book? Where do we go?

Autumn Carolynn (40:48.286)
Yeah, so my well my website is autumn carolyn.com and it's carolyn with two ends and My book can be found on my website for purchase. it can also be found on Amazon Bards and noble different Walmart different places that sell books essentially and then if my

Social medias are all Autumn Carolynn photography and it's the the Carolynn is with the two ends at the end and that's on Instagram, Facebook. I have a blog on my website that I update quite a bit and it's all about different places that I travel to and just fun things that I like to write about.

Christian Brim (41:35.655)
Awesome. Autumn, thank you very much for your time and your experience here. Listeners, make sure you go and follow Autumn. Check out her book for sure. And if you like what you've heard here, please subscribe to the podcast, share the podcast, rate the podcast. If you don't like Carolynn, I don't know what to tell you because she's a lovely woman and you should have enjoyed this show. then, ta ta for now.

Autumn Carolynn (41:39.726)
Thank you.

Autumn Carolynn (42:01.55)
Thank you.