Check Out Lindsay Oien’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Oien.

Hi Lindsay, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Ever since I was little I’ve had a passion for all things artsy. I used to sneak off with our old family camera to take pictures of flowers, then come home and draw them. I was always gifted some form of art supplies for my birthday or Christmas. At one point, I wanted to have my own HGTV show. I designed a dress for a fashion contest in middle school.

Two summers in a row, I spent refurbishing furniture from the side of the road. I worked as a graphic designer in college. I’ve painted two murals in my home. The list of creative endeavors goes on and today is no different! Although I have narrowed my focus (a bit) haha I still have that same firey passion inside me.

Photography was one of the few art forms that stuck around as the years went on. College was when I started to take it more seriously – bought my first DSLR, took some college courses, and had real paying clients. It was still just a hobby though as I finished my degree in Advertising and Marketing. I then worked at an advertising agency for a few years before being put in a position to start a new life chapter.

I found myself unemployed for three months before I finally got sick of the interviews, rewriting resumes, and waiting for the phone to ring. I decided it was time to do my own thing! September of 2019 was when I officially started my LLC and made photography my full-time job! It was still rocky at first, I was doing other part-time marketing work and taking photo gigs that today I wouldn’t even consider.

But, over two years later, I’ve met so many amazing people and truly love the work I create.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The struggles are endless, in fact, one of the biggest struggles is figuring out how to deal with the struggles haha.

But I’ve definitely learned a lot along the way. When I decided to take this leap, I didn’t realize how much confidence I was going to have to have. Especially as an artist, there will always be people telling you that your work isn’t good enough, you charge too much, or they don’t even take the time to acknowledge you at all.

If you want to make it out there on your own, you have to strut your stuff, toot your own horn, and make your voice be heard! No one will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in brand and commercial photography. That means I produce artistic creativity tailored to unique businesses and individuals that set every brand up for success. I find that beautiful results start with sharing our passions with each other.

Once I understand the driving force(s), I work to find the right creative inspiration for bringing the vision to life. I believe in the power of people and the beauty of nature. I am constantly amazed by what we can create together, using the natural world as our canvas.

My vision is for every business, brand, and person I work with to feel empowered through our creative collaboration. I am an expert in what I do, and my clients are experts in what they do, when we put our passions together we are able to create meaningful and impactful imagery that tells the brand’s story.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the amazing people I’ve surrounded myself with. Everyone from college professors, old bosses, co-workers, clients, friends, family, and of course my loving fiance have played huge roles in my success today. I could call on any one of them right now and tell them about a problem I’m having and they would be ready to go with advice and words of encouragement.

Having a support system is crucial! They have provided me with the knowledge, confidence, and resources I needed to grow as an individual and as a business. One of my favorite parts of a support system is the inspiration and motivation aspect! I get this a lot from clients. The reason I can keep doing what I do is because of the joy and excitement others have when working together!

Seeing a client or even a mentor get just as excited about a project as I am, lifts all anxiety, and that happiness just spreads like wildfire throughout the entire process. These people in my life are truly the reason for it all. There are too many helping hands to name them all, I just feel so fortunate to have had mentors through all stages of my life.

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@lindsayoien.com
• Website: www.lindsayoien.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lindsay.oien/

Image Credits
Katie Pope and Sarah Dovolos