Today we’re excited to be connecting with Monika Normand again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.

Monika, thanks for joining us again. Just to level set a bit for folks who may have missed our last interview together, can you briefly introduce yourself?
I am a creative director and professional commercial branding photographer based in Dallas, TX. I own Monika Normand Creative LLC which consists of a team of photographers and videographers who specialize in branding photography, commercial photography and brand videography for individuals/personal brands and commercial brands including service-based and e-commerce businesses, restaurants, and hospitality-based businesses. My photography style is best characterized by bright and vibrant edits while keeping my photos natural and true to life. I aim to capture people and brands in an authentic way, and I enjoy highlighting what makes them unique. I originally operated Monika Normand Creative LLC as a one-woman-show, but I have been fortunate to work alongside a team of 5 talented creatives now for the last few years. I also own Brightside Studios, a natural light photography studio available for rent by other creatives in Dallas as well.
I have been incredibly fortunate to end up in Dallas – this city was never on the “dream” vision board, but I’m so grateful I landed here. Being a branding and commercial photographer in Dallas has opened me up to so many cool experiences and has given me the opportunity to work with some really incredible brands and businesses. I am from a small town in Massachusetts, so these types of opportunities are not exactly happening where I grew up. I’ve now lived in Dallas for 7 years and have been able to grow a thriving client base here for my businesses. The journey has been a learning curve for sure, but I’m excited to see things continue to grow and improve as I learn along the way.

Great, so let’s jump into an update on what you have been up to since we last spoke. What can you share with us?
I think the biggest change since our last interview was opening Brightside Studios! We opened our doors officially to the public in September of 2023, which is just about a year and a half ago. Opening a brick and mortar business has been a huge growth journey/learning process for me. It’s been a challenging process to be honest!
When seeking a space to be the home of Brightside Studios, I was looking for a wide open studio with lots and lots of natural light and ended up landing on the perfect space just outside the Design District in Dallas. When we found it, it was just an empty shell, so we worked to build in a kitchenette, remodel the bathroom, build out a living room space, bring in props, and install light-filtering blinds to control light in the space. We ran into just about every building issue you could think of – leaks, delays, plumbing issues – you name it. I anticipated having some of these issues, but not ALL of these issues (LOL). We worked through these and pushed along to get the space open and have our official launch party event in October of 2023. It was incredibly rewarding to see all the connections I made in the creative community come out to support us and see what we built.
Since then, I’ve been working on various ways to get the word out about the studio and bring more creatives in to rent our space. I’ve worked on website SEO, blog posts, Google reviews, giveaways, content creation, social media posts, ads, and even hosted events to bring people into the studio. We’re slowly building up a client-base of renters and have had a lot of repeat renters and great feedback so far which is awesome! I’m truthfully finding the biggest limitation of owning and operating two businesses is my own time to dedicate to them. Monika Normand Creative LLC takes up the majority of my time and attention, so the studio often doesn’t get what it “deserves” in my opinion. This year, I’m leaning on more help with the space and delegating some of the content creation and in-person work at the studio to my amazing studio manager to alleviate some of my time constraints.

Alright, so let’s do something a bit more fast-paced and lighthearted. We call this our lightning round and we’ll ask you a few quick questions.

Favorite Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean

Favorite Book: Wuthering Heights

Favorite TV Show: Seinfeld

Favorite Band or Artist: Nirvana

Sweet or Savory: Sweet

Mountains or Beach: Beach

Favorite Sport (to watch): Basketball

Favorite Sport (to play): Basketball

Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): Basketball and Softball

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: Marine Biologist

French Fries or Onion Rings: French Fries

Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: I have no idea who these people are LOL

Favorite Cartoon growing up: Spongebob

Favorite Childhood movie: Shrek

Favorite Breakfast Food: Yogurt with Berries, Nuts, and Granola!

What are you most excited about in the coming year?
I am most excited about continuing the journey to build my business, streamline my workflow, have more team projects (not photographing clients myself), and ultimately carve out more time to care for my personal life as a result.
The way I’ve approached business and life for years now has been: work hard now to build the life you want later. So, I tend to be more future-focused than present. I am excited about and proud of the future I am working to build (early retirement/work-optional lifestyle with more time to be present with my loved ones). But, I am often trading that personal time in the present as I work toward this goal. This year, I am very focused on my desire to be present and to enjoy the “now” more. Being your own boss and owning your own business is wildly rewarding, but it has a hefty cost to it too. It’s hard to feel safe, secure, and present when the success of your business (and your livelihood as a result) weighs entirely on you. It’s hard to take days off or say no to work, but it’s an important balance to try to reach because you never really have anything but the present moment you’re in.
I feel confident in who I am and what I’m working toward, and very clear on the life I want to live. This clarity is honestly very exciting and is driving me to do the work I need to this coming year to be more present, operate in a flow-state, and enjoy my life more.

Website: https://monikanormandphoto.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monika_normand_creative

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monika-normand

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monikanormandcreative

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/monika-normand-creative-dallas

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@monikanormandcreativellc

Other: https://brightsidestudiosdallas.com/

Image Credits
Monika Normand Creative LLC

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