13 — Protecting Play with Pay
The following post was made in MEMORY CULT by documentary photographer Francesca Codispoti on protecting play in her photography practice and business. I used the same model for years as a gallery curator. With employment from a job, the work I did with my camera was freer and freer. Every possible combination can work for the one it works for.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the visionary business work this month and I admit I felt under pressure to want to make shitloads of money from photography. The reality is, I don’t. In fact I’m actively planning the initial phases of my business to be loss making. Here’s why.
I’ve always worked my arse off. At 14 years old, I started spending my summers picking fruit or waiting tables to pay for my school books, then university but also travel and fun. I then had a long career as a financial consultant for the ultra wealthy, working long hours in a competitive masculine environment, working my holidays, my weekends, my evenings. All whilst juggling the kids and bearing the main childcare responsibilities. In 2019 I was up for a big fat promotion, but I realised it was a trap, I would have had even less time and frankly, ”working wasn’t enough”. I wanted more in my life.
So I said no thanks (pretty unheard of in my environment) and moved into a more chilled, more uneventful non-client facing role. I also cut my days to 3 days a week instead of full time. Photography is my passion and is how I decided to fill the other days, but the only reason I made into a business is because I was bored of photographing my kids, and I thought ”if I photograph other families I may as well get paid for it”. Any money I make goes back into photography: courses, gear, outsourcing branding et. All I want is to have fun and get better each year and I want the business to fund this. I don’t want to pay nearly 50% tax on each penny I make (because of my other income I’m on a high tax bracket), so I reinvest reinvest reinvest in the business in a strategic way.
I love running my own business but I have no intention of quitting the corporate job - reason are: I like that too (not as much as the previous role though), I earn well, I get a pension, paid holidays, benefits, I learn stuff, I work wherever I want and I have full flexibility around the kids.
I COULD in theory earn the same from photography but I would have to work so so much harder to get to that point financially, and I just can’t be fucked. That’s the whole point, I don’t want to work hard anymore. I want to play.
I have a portfolio career and that’s my visionary business, a business that fits with employment in a strategic way. The employed job and the self-employed job go together. I see more and more women doing this, dialling one down and the other one up, seeking comfortable financial independence and a paid passion at the same time. I’m a huge advocate for a portfolio career, but the financial planning is different - sometimes less is more.”