ASLU 079: Creative Canadian - Photographer Betty Shin Binon & the Power of Education
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Betty Shin Binon (aka Stems and Forks) has gone from being one of Toronto's most successful floral designers to now being highly sought after for her photography and video work in her distinct chiaroscuro style. In this episode of the podcast, she talk with Melissa about the challenges and courage that go into making a creative career change a little later in life.
But they also discuss the power of education, the importance of continuous learning and how generously sharing our knowledge and creative process can take us far.
Stems & Forks was established in 2017 to showcase all of Betty’s creative musings: recipes, photography and botanical sculptures. After spending nearly twenty years in the floral design business - and then selling the thriving business in 2013 to embrace a balanced lifestyle with more family time and immersion in all things creative - Betty has built a successful multi-faceted brand. Since the shift in career, her photography and video are highly sought-after by brands for her distinct chiaroscuro style and visual storytelling. Her global workshops sell out to prominent artists and content creators around the world.
This Episode Is For…
anyone who is pondering a career change
anyone who has ever wondered if it’s too late to start again
anyone who is thinking about selling a business
anyone who struggles with a scarcity mindset around sharing their knowledge and skills
anyone who is considering teaching the creative skills they have learned in their career
If you just want the links to the resources mentioned in this episode, scroll down to the bottom.
Listen To the Episode
Here’s a direct link to the episode. You can also listen via the player below or on your favourite podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and more). Just search for And She Looked Up!
sometimes courage is pushing into the unknown
In This Episode We Talk About
In this episode we talk about:
Betty’s early creative journey and how she found herself in the floral design business
the emotional challenges of selling and leaving behind a business that has grown to be a part of you
how to know when it’s time to move on and why it’s never too late to make a change or even start again
to not be afraid to recognize that it does take courage to step into the unknown
the importance of knowing what you’re good at, and what needs work
the importance of building in time for learning and education in your business (and how to financially justify it!). Starting fresh in a brand new industry, Betty gave herself 2 years in the early days of her business to improve her skills to the point where they should actually be responsible for earning income for the business. When she decided it was time to learn video, she blocked out two hours a DAY in her workday to spend dedicated to learning video skills.
how mastering the skills of your craft will mean less reliance on an abundance of gear
teaching what you know and how that can become a revenue stream
why it’s important (and ok!) to be generous with your knowledge when you make the decision to teach
not letting a scarcity mindset or a fear of competition get in the way of teaching others your knowledge and why it won’t result in a lot of copycat work from others
Mentioned in this episode
- Stems and Forks
- Stems & Forks on Instagram
- David duChemin (gear is good, vision is better)
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