Meet Sunde’ Hilliard | Photographer & Creative Director

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

Hi Sunde’, we’d love to hear about a book that’s had an impact on you.
I think the most influential book I’ve read is called “The Year of Yes” by Shonda Rhimes. I absolutely love this book! Shonda is an incredible story-teller, obviously from her work on Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. What resonated the most with me was that, for a long time, she would always put work before having fun or ultimately having a life. She constantly said no to speaking engagements, appearances, outings, etc because she was so focused on building her empire. She finally decided to make a change in her life and FORCE herself to get out and do things that were out of her comfort zone. She said yes to EVERYTHING and it eventually grew her career and her name into where it is today. It opened multiple doors for her and it made her a happier person. This book impacted me because I used to be the same person. I always felt like I had to be laser focused on my business and couldn’t deviate from “the plan.” I also had to make the shift into saying yes to new opportunities, events, and atmospheres. It took me in the same direction. Up! Reading “The Year of Yes” taught me not to be so closed off and to embrace new possibilities that could advance my career further and let me have some more fun in the process.

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 am most proud of my resilience when it comes to business and my art. There have been PLENTY of times where I said I was going to sell all of my equipment and throw in the towel, but something in the back of my mind said “keep going.” I’m so glad that I decided to stay in the fight and push my creativity as far as I can take it. This has not been an easy road but through guidance from others within my industry and a lot of prayer, it’s helped me navigate hardships and difficulties. I always joke that I’m pretty much prepared for anything catastrophic that could happen during a photoshoot and it makes me feel pretty good knowing how to handle these situations without completely freaking out like I did when I first started out. I’m excited for future endeavors and connections as a result of my hard work and expertise.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Hard question! I don’t really get out a whole lot but I think a couple places that I would make sure to hit would be Jojo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge for drinks, CityView Sportsbar & Bistro for some good food and karaoke on Thursday nights, we could catch a live show at City Winery, brunch at Breakfast at Barney’s would be a must, and the Rooftop at Ponce would be fun because I’m competitive and I’d have to win at something LOL Oh and to get some dancing in we’d have to hit MJQ!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is going to sound like an acceptance speech but I of course have to shout out God and my family! I know for a fact I wouldn’t be as far as I’ve gotten without them. PRAYERS WORK! Also my closest girlfriends, my photographer friends/mentors Raimon Norris, Reginald Duncan, and Derek Blanks, and my repeat clients that continue to trust me with their photos and their business. Special shout out to Jason Carey and DJ Hershey for being listening ears to my entrepreneurial woes lol

Website: https://www.sundemarie.com

Instagram: @sundemarieimagery

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunde-hilliard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunde.hilliard

Image Credits
Photo credit : Sunde’ Marie Imagery