007 - Be Unique and Strive to Level Up Each Year - Interview Clay Cook Photography

Help me welcome to the show fashion, advertising and editorial photographer, Mr. Clay Cook. Over a short period of time, Clay has shaped creative projects with brands such as: Livestrong, NFL, Dillard's, Toyota, Red Bull and Vince Camuto. In addition, Mr. Cook has brought to life, worldwide assignments for publications such as USA Today, ESPN, Modern Salon and Inc. Magazine. Clay has over 55k likes on Facebook, 31k followers on Instagram, 10k+ subscribers on YouTube and 2.3k followers on Twitter.

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”

— Amelia Earhart

“Having Clay Cook on the show to share knowledge from his vantage point is tremendous. Grab your notebook, get comfortable, open your ears... this episode is chock full of value and real world inspiration.”

Key takeaways:

(01:58 ) How Clay and I met many many years ago doing Myspace redesigns?!

(06:30 ) Get out of the house - Don't hide behind the camera and hide at your house

(07:45) Get out and network. It can be the difference between making hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands of dollars on a shoot.

(08:30) Be unique. Be creative. Everyone has a camera. Everyone is shooting. You have to be really good, be an expert. There's a lot of noise out there. Do something creative. Do something that stands you apart from the rest.

(9:30) Hiking to top of Mt. Kilimanjaro

(11:45) Shoot. Shoot a lot. The more you shoot, the more you'll fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. Success is built on foundation of failure. I didn't make any money until I failed, a lot. So the key is really, just to shoot. That's how you will build a niche and find out what you don't want to shoot. Then you'll find what you DO like to shoot and find what is unique to you.

(13:33) You are your own worst enemy. The only thing that's stopping you is yourself. "The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart. It's about the hard work and the hustle. It's not about the lighting or the equipment (even though those have a massive roll), anyone can be a success if they have a strong work ethic. It starts with shooting.

(14:45) Excuses can be detrimental to the progress of anything. Get out there and hustle.

(15:30) Growth comes from change - the struggle is the catalyst for change.

(15:45 ) Heroes - Annie Leibovitz - Norman Jean Roy - Miller Mobley - Kristian Schuller - Patrick Demarchelier

(17:30) Where would we be if we were having this conversation in Louisville? Favorite place to eat?

(19:45) Strive to level up each year.

(20: 35) Learn from conversations. Learn from talented people. Easy to consume knowledge by conversations.

For more information on Clay Cook:
Email - info@claycookphotography.com
Web - ClayCookPhotography.com
Facebook - facebook.com/ClayCookPhoto
Instagram - instagram.com/ClayCookPhoto
Twitter - twitter.com/ClayCookPhoto
YouTube - youtube.com/ClayCookPhoto
Snap Chat - Clay Cook Photo

Final Thoughts - Feeding Our Brain
I'm a big fan of listening to audiobooks and podcasts that encourage growth, self examination, positivity and pursing our natural divine calling. Every episode I'll share with you a piece that's impacted me during the week

Start With Why
5 STARS = Must consume
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What do I believe in? What is my passion, what is my ultimate, ultimate goal? What is my 'Why'. Does what I believe in shine through everything I do? Do my actions align with my beliefs? Does my 'Why' align with every action I take in my life? Does this action reinforce my vision? Do my results support my vision?

What makes Apple a cult company? What inspires people to tattoo their bodies with the Harley Davidson logo? Where did Wal-mart go wrong? How can a leader teach his cause and rally believers who passionately want to help?