Daily Inspiration: Meet Kane Bassham

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kane Bassham.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
This journey started back in 2015 on a summer day, I was bored in my mom’s basement, staring at the ceiling thinking about how I wanted to make a career out of being an artist. Which at the time seemed like the most impossible thing to do. The “famous” question “How do you expect to make money as an artist?” Everyone would ask me when I was younger.

I knew I would be a multi-media artist and I knew that I wanted to have an art studio that was also a co-working space for other artists in the community. I started to get inspired by artists like Shepard Fairey which led me into my world of graffiti and falling in love with lettering. I slowly started to appreciate type and graphic design, which is what would jump-start my whole career as an artist.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There were definitely some rough patches in my career. Just like most artists or creative individuals when you start to build your business nobody knows who you are and you don’t have any money. So the first step was to let everyone know who I was and that my services cost money.

I started photography in 2015 on my phone taking photos for fun and by the end of the year on Christmas my mom got me a starter camera which was a Canon Powershot. I started taking photos of friends from school for sports, prom, and graduation photos, I even talked my way into shooting a wedding somehow. One of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome was the fear of charging money.

You might be reading this thinking that’s such a weird thing to worry about when in reality this is something that will make or break someone’s career. I was shooting promos for successful local businesses for maybe $50. I remember sitting at home adding up the amount of $50 promos I’d have to produce or how many $30 photography sessions I would have to shoot to pay my bills and it was an unreal amount of work and time.

To attack this situation you have to Learn, you have to be patient and you have to develop a different type of discipline, this type of discipline sucks…You have to be okay with losing. You’re not going to get all of the sessions you want. Every lead isn’t your dream client. You will work with difficult people. You will undersell yourself and companies will ghost you after sending proposals.

It all changed for me when I found my worth and I realized that my skills are being recognized and I’m inspiring others to follow their passions. My career changed the instant I learned that If I want to charge more money then the clientele will come. It’s that simple. I realized that if I want that “luxury” client I need to be able to provide a “luxury” service and charge “luxury’ prices.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Plusgrand Media is a dynamic media production company with a team of highly skilled creatives specializing in commercial photography, videography, graphic design, and social media content creation. We are committed to delivering high-quality and innovative content that exceeds our client’s expectations. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, we bring your visions to life, connect with your audience and bring your creative ideas to fruition.

Since I started “PGM” I’ve fallen in love with portrait photography. Most photographers try to tell a story with a photo, but my goal has just always make my audience feel emotions. I personally love when photos make me think “Wow how did they capture that?’ I think about lighting and the type of lens it would take to create something that beautiful. Portrait photography for me is having a vision of a photo, and finding a model that I’m confident can help me execute the vision and then create art.

I think something that will always set me and my business apart from most is just the pure passion we have for our creative outlet. I love what I do, I make good money doing the things that I love and I don’t think ill ever want to do anything else.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
If you are a photographer, a videographer, a graphic designer, or just someone that has a creative outlet don’t give up. It’s possible. I was charging $30 for photography sessions and now Plusgrand Media charges anywhere from $400-$5000 for a photography session. I used to work with local businesses with budgets so low it didn’t even seem worth it to work with them.

Now I have the pleasure to work with multi-million dollar companies on a regular basis. Stand up, grab your camera, pick up a sketchbook, open your laptop, and create something. If you are someone that is needing help with pricing or you are needing a little bit of guidance on how to push your creative career to the next level give us a shout on social media and we can talk one on one!

Pricing:

• Creative content retainers starting at $5,000/month
• Brand Promotional videos starting at $3,000
• Branding photography starts at $2,000

Contact Info:

• Website: plusgrandmedia.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/plusgrandmedia?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plusgrandmedia?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kane-bassham-a60442184

Image Credits
Manuel Lopez