Chasing Life’s Happy Accidents - Seryndipity Arts

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Cherrie Henkle, owner of Seryndipity Arts, located in Lansing, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Seryndipity Arts is more than just a photography company. While my main function is as a Photographer and Artist, Seryndipity Arts is an online community built by artists, for artists, with a vision of a self-sustaining physical community center for artists who advocate in the future. My customers are couples getting married, families, businesses, and art buyers.

Seryndipity Arts customers are artists and art enthusiasts. Seryndipity Arts online community is currently located on Discord ( http://discord.gg/nVZtyMME5s ) and offers a supportive place for artists to share inspiration, brainstorm together, showcase their work in our gallery, collaborate with others, research using our resources, promote themselves, and participate in challenges, giveaways, and contests. We are a completely free community, with plans for subscription-based services coming in the near future, as well as long-term plans to move the community to a forum-based website with a corresponding mobile app.

Tell us about yourself

I have always been a creative-minded person, and since I've found my passion in photography, it has become clear to me how I can use that passion to help others. What motivates me each day is love. Love for life and the small moments. The happy accidents it throws at us, love for art, love for others, and love for myself. It's my purpose to help others, to inspire them to follow their own passions and to live their love. What drives me is the idea that with enough hard work, our art collectively can make a difference through advocacy for causes that we, the artists, believe in.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner thus far has been bringing the community from a concept into fruition and watching it slowly grow while I've learned how to build my website and take it to live. Every step has taught me more and more, and I'm proud of what I've accomplished while pursuing my Bachelor's Degree at Academy of Art University and simultaneously working photography gigs. My biggest adventure on this journey was this spring (2022), working and living on board a ship for a popular cruise line as a Photographer in Alaska, where the landscape and photo above were taken.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Every business is different, and everyone's personal circumstances affect what comes easy and what's more difficult, but one thing we all have to deal with is money. My biggest hurdle has been that financial struggle. It is a difficult journey, discovering what works and what doesn't. The process of sourcing streams of revenue and effectively implementing them without existing funds is a challenge that many business owners face, and keeping a positive attitude while working past this roadblock is exhausting but so rewarding. One of the toughest decisions has been being selective in the affiliations Seryndipity Arts takes on and making sure these companies' visions and beliefs align with my own.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

My tips are quite cliché, not sorry! They are the driving forces that work for me; hopefully, they will inspire others as well!

1. Follow your Heart. - I'm not saying to throw all logic out the window, but listen to your heart when it sings and trusts it. If something feels right and makes your heart happy, use logic to make it work. If something feels wrong, trust that too! Use your instincts; they're one of the best free resources you have.
2. It's Never Too Late. - Fear of failure can present itself in the form of countless excuses: I'm too old, I missed my chance, I don't know how. The truth is if you don't know how it's not too late to learn. The resources are available, and if you need help, just ask someone. The only way to change your life is to do it; tomorrow will only be different from today with change. Instead of being afraid, use that fear. Learn from it to change your reality. Don't be the obstacle that stands in your way.
3. One Step at a Time. - Don't bite off more than you can chew; baby steps. Starting is the hardest step. All of these are really good pieces of advice that boil down to this: It will take time. It is a process. As with any process, it starts somewhere and follows a path to a goal like a board game. You will never win the game if you don't play, so take the next step - whatever that is for you at this moment! Don't get overwhelmed by the number of steps you face. Just take it on - one challenge at a time!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.seryndipity.com/
Discord: http://discord.gg/nVZtyMME5s
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeryndipityArts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seryndipityarts/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/SeryndipityArts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seryndipityarts/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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