Meet Sky Knox | Photographer & Graphic Designer – Inspired by Creativity. Fueled by Passion.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sky Knox and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sky, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always wanted to build a business of my own. The exact idea of what the services and offers would be has definitely changed drastically over the years; due to consistent learning of new skills and branching out of older ones. However, the overarching factor as to my motivation behind building a business was to be able to operate on my own account. I have applied to job after job; some that I may have been more qualified for than other positions, but there were always restrictions.

Working for others will always keep you pigeon holed in both the amount of money you can make and the things you get to create. By creating my own agency, I am in control of the clients I choose to work with as well as the amount of money I get to make; I am Creating My Own Reality.

Additionally, I get to wake up every day and work on things I am passionate about for clients whom I enjoy working with, on my own schedule. All of these factors put together really drive me to continue to work on growing my own business.

What should our readers know about your business?
What sets me apart from others is wanting to serve the music industry. I don’t want to work with just any artists or even any popular artists. A big part of my mission with my brand is to empower others and help them to beYOUnique. I want to focus on local and independent artists in Los Angeles as well as many of the artists who work with smaller record companies such as Daptone Records.

Having had the opportunity to work with a few artists by shooting their shows and creating graphics for their social medias, I have become more excited to continue on my journey and find more artists to work with.

All of the work and content I have released has been entirely me. I don’t have a team behind me which makes my work uniquely mine. I am hoping that by expressing my creativity genuinely, it will connect with more people and they will want to work with me in the future.

Setting up the business logistically has not been easy. I have been doing a lot of research on all of the legal aspects I need in order to run my business as well as the differences between being a Sole Propritor or an LLC. Without having any formal education in business, I give a lot of credit to Google and YouTube for helping with my research. I feel as though this learning process will continue to evolve as I begin to grow my business into more than it is currently.

I have learned that there is no right or wrong in terms of filing for an LLC or staying as a Sole Propritor. There are different types of business entities and the one which is right for you will differ depending on the size of your company and what services you are providing. I would say no matter what though, do not give up because you think it’s too difficult! If you are passionate about your idea and what you have to share with the world, take the time to put in the research.

The most important thing I want people to know about my brand is my mission to serve others. I want to help lift others up and support them in anyway I can. In terms of my business that would be through concert photography and graphic design, but I want to create an experience with my clients where they feel as though they are getting something special out of it and not just a post for social media. I aim to help people turn their dreams into their reality.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a difficult question! Living in Los Angeles, there are so many spots to see.

One of my favorite spots would have to be Paradise Cove in Malibu, this resturant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is located right on the beah. They have a wide selection on their menu so there is sure to be something for everyone.

Some of my favorite lunch spots would be Monty’s, Crave Cafe, Bagel & Slice, or Plant Power Fast Food.

For drinks, there is a place called El Tejanos that serves huge margaritas at an affordable price and they have endless tortilla chips you can munch on throughout the night.

Places to visit, I would definitely say The Getty Museum, Griffith Observatory, Disneyland or Urban Light.

I feel as though everyday there is a new spot I find out about. I have a LONG list of places I need to try out and visit myself. But the one thing I am sure of, is that you can never run out of things to do in L.A.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This shoutout may seem a bit backwards, but as previously mentioned, a big part of starting my own business was due to the fact that others would never give me a chance. There are plenty of people who don’t believe this journey will amount to anything, and I am aiming to prove those people wrong.

However, there are always a few people who have helped support. Nick Pagan has been an artist I have created quite a few designs for and has always shared my work; for that I am extremely grateful. Megan Weeks, a fellow graphic designer has also been a real inspiration in my journey of ‘solopreneurship.’ Her content is extremely helpful and she never fails to share her knowledge. As far as books go, ‘You Are A Badass,’ by Jen Sincero has to be one of my favorite books of all time and definitely is a motivator for most of the things I do.

Website: http://cyorealitymedia.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cyorealitymedia?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Other: https://linktr.ee/cyorealitymedia

Image Credits
Sky Knox Create Your Own Reality Media