Conversations with Carly Chamerlik

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly Chamerlik.

Hi Carly, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In 2015, I earned my bachelor’s degree in fine art. What do you do with a degree in art, you might ask? Hell if I know. I’ve always loved art and entrepreneurship but didn’t know at the time how to integrate those two things to make a livable wage.

Instead, I jumped right out of college into a 6-month volunteer program in Germany and India teaching art, music, photography, and English. From there, I worked a string of odd jobs in retail, marketing, and the music industry in Nashville, trying on new careers every few months like seasonal outfits. Finally, I landed on something that stuck when I was hired as a flight attendant for a major airline in 2018.

Then… 2020 happened. Layoffs weren’t a consideration yet, but in March of that year, I witnessed the dramatic drop in travel and the huge cuts being made to flight attendant schedules and knew my job wasn’t safe. I started making backup plans. I researched how to build a website, how to manage a blog, how to make money from social media, and started taking on clients for basically any digital need that I knew how to do or thought I could figure out. I was officially furloughed in October, and filed my LLC, HeyCJ Media, a week later.

HeyCJ Media initially existed as a full-service branding agency, largely out of my own desperation to replace my sudden loss of income. I designed websites, ghost-wrote blog posts, consulted small business owners on their brand identities and started dabbling in product photography. Photography had been a hobby of mine since I was a kid, and it was exciting to discover this genre that was not only incredibly fun and creative but also lucrative and in high demand.

As my business grew and evolved, I gradually stripped away the services that I didn’t enjoy or that weren’t profitable and landed with the current iteration of HeyCJ Media: a luxury brand and product photography experience for small businesses. I style, shoot, edit, and deliver professional on-brand images to small businesses all over the country and the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, and have so much fun doing it.

I’m actively running this company as the sole owner and operator (with a few fantastic contractors and freelancers on speed dial) while also training full-time to become a commercial pilot! In a weird, backward way, being furloughed was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because of that loss, I have been able to take my passion for flying to whole new levels and have built an incredible business that I love and am so proud of.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I won’t make you read my “brief” story again.

The main struggle was definitely being furloughed and starting a new business despite a loss of income. Other struggles have been mostly related to the enormous learning curve of creating a business entirely from scratch, from picking a color palette to writing contracts.

Building a business is not for the faint of heart.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m most known for my photography, my earlier work in oil painting, and more recently, my professional pursuit of becoming a pilot. I specialize in lifestyle photography for personal brands and product-based businesses.

I’m most proud of my artistic skill, my paintings, and my ability to highlight the beauty in everyday objects and scenes.

What does success mean to you?
Success, to me, is a life that lets you breathe easy. For me, that means surrounding myself with beauty, nature, art, and people I love, working hard at things that feel meaningful, and having enough cash in the bank to live and live comfortably.

Pricing:

• Product Photography begins at $299
• Personal Brand Photography begins at $495
• Brand Consultations are available at $95/hour

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@carlychamerlik.com
• Website: carlychamerlik.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlychamerlik/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heycjmedia