We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Harville and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’m not a good employee!

I need a hybrid of being able to travel for work and editing on a computer. I also work very well with people of all personality types, so it makes my job very entertaining to meet new clients.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I get excited during the planning stages. When it comes down to the fine details of how I want the shoot to go, discussing ideas is one of my favorites.

I got where I am today because I kept posting on Facebook and Instagram and eventually people asked me how much I charged and that’s how it happened!

Was it easy? I think a better question is, “Are you having fun?” and the answer is a resounding “yes!”. When you enjoy what you do and if you have a love for it, you don’t really think how complicated something is going to be and that gets you past all the tough parts.

One of the biggest lessons I learned is understanding how far confidence takes you. If you decide to take the business approach, even if your knees are knocking, you have to not back down from the prices you’ve made. You’re not meant to take every customer you come across and it’s okay to say ‘no’ if someone wants you to lower your prices. A lot of the time you’re selling your confidence.

What do I want the world to know? Have fun and don’t take everything so seriously. The more you smile, the more your clients will have confidence in you. If you enjoy yourself and really put yourself into the art, the money will come – don’t worry.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in a small town of about 30,000, so hopefully they’d be visiting from a big city to get away from all the noise.

The first place to visit would be the Lafayette Square and I’d show them the secret underground tunnel beneath the statue. It’s hidden under one of the plaques. Then if it’s a warm day we’d hop over to Ice Queen and grab us a cup of ice cream and head over to the local history museum to learn about LaGrange’s upbringing. For eats, I’d take them over to Sakura or Bulls Hibachi because that’s some of my favorite stuff! Then finally we’d hang out at one of the lake accesses and watch the sun go down. I don’t know what the hell we’d do the other 6 days.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Easily my family. Some people can’t tell their folks they quit their full-time job to pursue their passion. I did and they supported me 100%.

Check out “The Unfair Advantage. I have read enough self-help books to understand that if you go for something enough, it’ll come to you. The universe has a way of rewarding stubborn hearts.

Website: www.ryanharville.com

Instagram: @ryanharville

Twitter: @ryanharvillephoto

Youtube: Ryan Harville

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