Who Am I, Really? How I Went from Academic Burnout to Portrait Photographer
What I brought with me from university life, what I had to leave behind, and how listening became my best tool.
Over the last couple of weeks, I've been putting a series called ‘Who Am I?’ – a way to pull back the curtain a bit and talk honestly about my shift from academia into photography. Not just what changed, but why it changed, and how that shift is still shaping the way I work today.
This is a blog post with the first few videos, with more to come in the next few weeks. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like on the inside of academia, or what it’s like to have a fairly significant career change, you may be interested in reading and watching.
Leaving the university wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. I loved teaching. I loved the research. But I also spent years on short-term contracts, with a growing sense that the system was no longer sustainable – for me or many of my colleagues. Eventually, burnout won and I knew something had to give.
So, I turned to something I’d always loved but never imagined doing professionally: photography. The catch was that knowing how to take a photo isn’t the same as building a business. I had to learn how to price my work, market it, talk to clients and, most of all, treat what I do as a business – not just a hobby.
To be honest, that’s still the hardest part. In academia, ones’ ideas get tested through peer review, logic, or method. In business, however, the only feedback loop is whether it works, whether someone books you, and whether they come back. The metrics are different, and there’s more at stake given that my ability to pay bills depends on this loop!
One thing I wanted to do from the very beginning of the business however was to not get rid of the academic knowledge and skills I’d developed within the University sector. Whilst I can’t say I ever fully celebrated my PhD, or its publication, I’ve been passionate about my field since my BA. So it was important to me to incorporate this into my photography, and it’s become the foundations of how I shoot portraits and headshots.
Understanding and being able to critically deconstruct answers to questions like ‘where do you want to be in five years?’; ‘What story are you trying to tell?’; ‘What does a good photo mean to you – not just a nice one?’ is an invaluable aspect of my photographic practice.
You can hear more about the skills and knowledge I’ve brought from academia to photography on the YouTube series.
I’m still finding my feet and still learning how to wear the business hat, but I’m more energised now than I have been in years. Running my own show has its challenges, but it’s also helped me rediscover drive, creativity, and certainly even a bit of optimism.
If you’ve ever walked away from one world to build something new – especially if you’re still figuring it out – I’d love to hear your story. What pushed you? What’s caught you off guard?
Leave a comment, send a message. Let’s keep talking.
