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This week we are inspired by a man who shows up every day to achieve what he wants, to follow his dreams and create.
Carson Burke from Windsor, Ontario, is a creative, freelance photographer and videographer. We met Carson at the Fall 2019 Creatives Weekend in Cape Breton Island and realized that him and Cierra were from the same city.
Carson is extremely passionate about what he does and he said that creating gives him a feeling like nothing else in the world.
"I do what I because I absolutely love it."
In high school, Carson got into graphic design and really fell in love with the creative process and it stuck ever since. He appreciates bringing a vision in his mind to life. From the storyboarding, filming, picking the music, editing, etc, each step in the creative process is like a puzzle piece and Carons loves filling in the full picture of the puzzle.
Carson also mentioned that another unique piece he enjoys creating is the emotion you can express in a video or picture.
"I am happy with a piece of my work when it impacts anyone, could be only one person," said Carson.
While being a creative and business owner, challenges can arise. Carson said that every day feels like there is a new challenge. He shared that it took him a while to get going with his business but he is starting to enjoy the process of creating a business while overcoming different challenges each day.
We asked Carson what his memorable moment of success was and he said getting his first creative job before he even registered his business. He said he sent out a bunch of DM's to local shops, dealerships, restaurants and got one message back from a dealership salesman and he was super stoked to work together.
He also mentioned that he had the opportunity to travel the west coast with his buddy David last summer to create content for GMC and Hitcase.
"I am also proud of starting my own business, its a great feeling working for yourself," Carson said.
With creativity comes inspiration and we wanted to know what inspired Carson, his answer was how short life is.
Carson said, "I am lucky enough to have supporting, loving parents that stick behind my decision of starting my own business and being a freelancer. Although its a struggle making money at the moment, life's too short to not do what you love. I'm going to fail a lot, but at the end of day, it's my freedom that I have."
He also mentioned that the thought of not experiencing this crazy planet while he is here just kills him. He wants to do it his whole life and a big part of doing that is creating around the world.
"I worked full time for a year and a half in a factory and that job changed my life," said Carson. I got a camera 6 months into it and that's the only thing I would look forward to after work. I am so grateful for the job I had, so grateful, but it showed myself personally what I wouldn't want to do for the rest of my life."
We couldn't agree more with Carson and how he mentioned that life is so short so we wanted to know his workflow and how he gets everything done in a day.
Carson said that one thing he is currently working on is setting a routine. "In the morning I wake up at 8:00 am but I would like to start waking up at 5:00 am. Cierra and Mike inspired that idea because there is so much more room to get stuff done and be productive in the day." #notsponsored
Carson's Ideal Morning:
Cold shower to focus on breathing
Decent size breakfast
Journal before opening the laptop
Create a todo list
15 Minutes of meditation and manifesting by the water
Then time to work
Carson shared with us that one of his key self-care tools is meditation to help him to stay focused and relaxed. He said that he would like to do it more often because it really helps with anxiety and stress. He does the occasional workout and is intentional of what he eats and drinks. He stays away from anything with a lot of sugar for the wellbeing of his skin.
Lastly, we wanted to know what he has learned about himself and what piece of advice he would share with like minded individuals. Carson said that the one thing he has learned the most is that creating is what he truly loves to do. He has experienced a lot of challenges but he is determined to overcome, preserve and continue to be inspired.
"I'm learning so much about myself as an entrepreneur and person," said Carson.
And for the piece of advice, Cason suggests others to listen to their gut!
"If you have a passion for anything in this world there is always a way to create a job around it. Get organized, find your alignment and stick to it. You're going to fail and struggle but stay positive and continue to work hard because freedom and success will come." Carson encouraged.
We are so proud and inspired by Carson. He is truly living his passion and we love that he shows up everyday and gives it his all. We can't wait to see what he accomplishes in the next 5 years.
Fun Facts about Carson
I was offered to play University Baseball in the United States
I have a business called OneManMedia
I dropped out of college 6 weeks in