FAQ #1: Building Creative Decks
introducing the first installment of my new series, FAQ, where I answer the q's I get asked allllll the time.
Hi guys!!!
I hope everyone is having a fantastic February. I’ve finished a truly insane amount of work in the past month and have been recouping by doing lots of crafts– I think the trick for me (as someone who has been recently diagnosed as being “addicted to stress” by an Instagram infographic) is keeping my hands busy with something silly to trick myself into feeling “productive” while in reality, I’m actually making something that is totally inconsequential. Which feels good and helps me avoid burnout–and I get a fun craft out of it. But IDK I’m not a doctor!
Anywho, I got a request from a paid subscriber (shoutout to my newsletter VIPs) to talk about the business side of what I do: making creative briefs, pitching to clients, working with a manager, etc. I get emails like this with relative frequency, so I decided to start a SAVANA’S ADVICE series, now formally known as FAQ (aka F*cking Awesome Questions because I have to be annoying or I will die) so that hopefully I can start to direct those looking for my goldmine of foolproof, perfect, amazing knowledge to the newsletter instead. Also FWIW, I sometimes feel the imposter syndrome creep in when I’m giving advice, hence my sarcasm above, but I have to remember that WOAH, 15 year old Savana could’ve really used this advice! So nevertheless, I will persist<3 give me a medal of honor!!!
So, I’m going to lightly address a couple topics today here, in the free letter, but will be going much more in depth (and including an example of one of my actual decks with explanations) in the paid letter. Paid subscribers will also have access to a thread in which they can ask me q’s and I will respond within reason- if you’re an artist who’s looking to turn their work into a career, this would be a fabulous time to subscribe for $7 per month. I’m a great resource, I promise!
A quick announcement!
If you’re in Los Angeles on 3/25, grab a ticket to this panel at Junior High to see me and some other amazing artists speak on what it takes to break into creative roles (aka- make money from your art). Tickets are $12 here. Can’t wait to see y’all! Thank you to The Light Leaks for having me <3
A Severely Abridged History of How TF I Even Got Here
Because so many of the questions that I receive pertain to the business side of things, I want to give y’all a bit of background regarding how I started making actual ca$h with my art. I was always somewhat…entrepreneurial…selling hair feathers on Etsy in 2010 or so (lol), moving on to weird clay hair clips after that, and eventually realizing that photography was a medium in which I could combine all of my creative passions. I shot tons of photos before I ever started getting paid. I’ve been shooting/making art for 10 years (remember that for like half of this time, I was legally a child. just reminding you so it sounds less insane) and I’ve only just started to get paid appropriate, professional rates for my work in that past three years. But, I believe that the first time I ever got paid to make something I was actually passionate about was probably when I started contributing to Rookie (RIP).
At the risk of sounding a little scattered here, I feel like it’s important to note here, just in case: to simplify, there are basically two types of photography jobs- editorial and commercial. Editorial work encompasses work shot for publications, both online and print. It’s rarely paid. Commercial work is done for companies and is always paid- you’re much more likely to be able to pay your rent if you take on commercial work. These Tiktoks (1, 2) by photographer Alana Oherlihy explain this in depth. Also- I really like her work!!!! COOL
This said: magazines, like Rookie and a bunch of other online zines I contributed to early in my career, are considered editorial (read: budgets were teeny tiny, if anything at all). I didn’t book real commercial work until truly like 2020, when brands needed remote work and commissioned me for collage stuff. Which was a ble$$ing! I didn’t ever intentionally decide to work in multiple media and thus create multiple streams of income for myself–it really just happened as a result of me being curious and interested in lots of things.
Full transparency: because I work as a freelancer, I have all sorts of financial ups and downs, even after years of making work: I don’t always post 100% of the work I do to make money, and I also have some side hustles (like this here newsletter, reels monetized on IG, dog walking/cat sitting, etc- the lesson of the past 8 months in LA has been to ~stay humble~ lol). The truth is that it’s HARD, especially if you’re “hardwired for anxiety”, as my therapist says *I* am. But I really believe that if it’s worth it to you, you will be able to make it work.
The last thing I’ll say is this: it’s important to remember that everyone’s path looks different. Even one of my best friends, who works in the same media as me and for similar clients, has had wildly different experiences than me, career wise. Everyone’s journeys twist and turn at different rates and at different times— it’s not wrong, it’s not right, it just is. So keep that in mind when you read my advice. Take what you need and leave the rest!
How I Make Decks
OK- now that you more or less know where I’m coming from, I want to dive into DECKS, which I know I’ve mentioned before. Decks are typically PDFs or Powerpoint-style documents that help convey to a client and/or team exactly what your vision for the shoot/project is. I make decks when I’m pitching to a client, after I’m commissioned by a client, when I’m making personal work with a team, et cetera. Any time I need to clearly communicate the vision for a project (photos, collages, mixed media, animation, etc), I’m going to build out a deck.
Decks will outline the overall creative direction for a shoot, and then narrow down to things as specific as what the model’s eyeliner should look like in a specific shot. At minimum: there’s a general moodboard (and god do I have OPINIONS on what makes a good moodboard, but that’s for another day) and specific direction for each member of the crew–hair, makeup, styling, etc. In addition, there’s often also a formal written explanation of the concept, casting ideas, set design and lighting mockups, perhaps a shot list depending on the project, and anything else that helps communicate exactly what it is that you’re going for.
A good deck should sell the sh*t out of your idea–I tend to design mine as thoughtfully as possible, using stylized design, annotations, and collage elements to try and immerse the viewer into the world I want to create.
Below is a singular page from the deck for my Dream Theater shoot that I did last year, styled by Rebecca Diaz. I had very specific ideas for what I wanted the fashion to look like, and a wide range of references to pull from. I annotated it by hand to make it clear what I liked about each image.
Remember that paid subscribers will have access to the ENTIRE actual deck that I made for a personal shoot last year, complete with annotations by moi explaining WTF is going on and how I made it. It has taken me quite a long time to fully understand how to knock ‘em out of the park and SELL my ideas to clients—I’d love to share that info with you!
Ok, that’s all this time. LMK if you have any questions for this series <3 Thank you love you bye!