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

Hello and Aloha! I’m Hadley Gustafson. I moved to LA in January 2023 (after living in the Hawaiian Islands for nine years) to move in with my sweetheart from undergraduate school, who owns a house in WeHo.

Hadley Gustafson

Honeycomb Media LLC

Hadley Gustafson Fine Art Photography

https://honeycombmediamaui.com

https://hadleygustafson.com (photography)

Sole Proprietor of a Web and Graphic Design company, Honeycomb Media LLC; Fine Art and Events Photographer; and Motion (Video + Animation) Producer.

Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?

I am a creative and an entrepreneur: a dedicated fine artist (with technical acumen) practically from birth (a “lifer,” lol,) with the will and the means to feed both the soul and the belly. I was intuitively compelled to pursue an artistic or creative career as “THE path with heart” (as espoused by Don Juan to Carlos Casteneda.)

Today I am the Sole Proprietor of a web and graphic design company, Honeycomb Media LLC, a one-woman show with devotion to collaboration. I am also a fine art and events photographer and motion producer.

Tell us about a book you’ve read and why you like it/ what impact it had on you.

Web design that prioritizes user gratification by offering fewer clicks to access the desired content has been central to my process, inspired by learning the seminal UX tome “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug, originally published in 2000.

What is the most important factor behind your success/ the success of your brand?

One of the most important factors behind my success/ the success of my brand is that I seek to empower my clients by offering them access, training, and skills to update their own websites if that is what they need.

This benefits both the DIY-savvy client and those who just want to update their workshop information or add a new blog post, for example, with the most ease.

This aspect of my business model informs my design choices: I make mostly simple, brochure-style websites, (each with a custom color palette and look-and-feel,) using anchors that link menu items to jump directly to content on the same single landing/only page, instead of linking menu items to load other pages. So there are fewer clicks to get to the desired content (fewer “licks to get to the center of the Tootsie Pop”) and no waiting for new pages to load, which is a bonus anywhere, especially in areas with less internet connectivity.

When the time is right during the web design project, I offer the client in-person or video chat sessions (with screen sharing) to teach them as much as they need to learn to effectively maintain and update their site themselves. I make a video or written instructions for review after the sessions. I give them their own login. (I back up the site; if they have an “oops” moment in figuring things out, they can always call me to put things back in place.)

I’m available for troubleshooting consultations for extant DIY sites too.

My egalitarian approach is a shift from the model I observed while “serving time” in the advertising industry. After my initial formal design education, I worked in-house at several big and small advertising agencies for several years. The agency business model often involves what one might call “holding the work hostage,” in a sense, in that the company is the only one who can access the files, which are created in software that only the company owns and knows how to use. With that financial-profit-driven model, the client has to pay again and again to make updates or changes to the designs. I prefer to keep my overhead low to afford a more synergistic approach, where the value is in the sharing.

Of course, if someone feels more comfortable having me create and maintain the site without their needing to learn how to do it, that’s fine. And if they want a more traditional site with multiple pages or “bells-and-whistles,” that is fine, too. (I’m constantly, voraciously studying, absorbing the latest technology skills.)

My clients are often my friends or we become friends through working together. I value connection in everything I do, from meditation to portraiture. My niche is working with healers of many different milieus and modalities. There is attunement to the healer archetype. The mission is to heal the client-designer relationship by prioritizing co-creating a positive experience that fulfills shared needs. Love wins.

For example, today Liza E. offered: “Hadley and I did a garden portrait session together several years ago, and the resulting photo she made of me is so beautiful it will probably be my business picture forever more! The reason it came out so well is that she and I connected on a deep level before she even opened her camera bag, and so my peaceful state of mind shines through in that photo. It was such a lovely experience and the resulting image reflects that!”

Liza continued, “More recently, Hadley revamped my old website. Once again, my expectations were exceeded! Not only did she make the new site absolutely beautiful and customized to my preferences, but she also took the time to show me how to update it myself. Plus, she gave me a template and site builder with ‘automagic’ lifetime updates. I feel empowered and so grateful for Hadley’s excellent service!”

I’ve also been a Professional Fine Art, Wedding/Event, and Portrait Photographer for 13 years now.

As a fine art photographer, I value empathy, inclusion, connection, attunement, collaboration, and honesty. I find joy and inspiration in nature; beautiful liminal light; ritual; and the dance of anticipating a key gesture or definitive moment. I am grateful for being invited into the intimacy of people between each other and with the built or natural environment. (https://hadleygustafson.com)

I am currently curating my first mini photo book, “HOME,” for self-publication. It’s portraits of different types of people in their homes. The people are all of different ages, cultures, and backgrounds. The homes vary greatly, from the elegant “treasure museum” to the off-grid jungle shack. One of the other overarching themes is that Earth is ultimately home for all of us. I recently produced the first two sample copies of the book for a gallery opening in Honolulu (see photos #12 and #13, attached.) (I’ve also included #14, one of the actual photos from the book, my dear friend from the Seattle 1990s, Camille, in her lovely family home here in LA in K-town. Camille is also one of my nominees, below.)

If I could photograph anyone in LA in their spaces, it would be Mark Mothersbaugh at his Mutato Muzika Studio. I’ve been a huge fan of his performance and orchestrating work for decades, and I’ve heard the Sunset Strip space is amazing. (https://mutato.com/)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Don Juan via Carlos Casteneda

Steve Krug

Cindy Sherman

Botticelli

*******

And also:

My Family by Blood and my Family by Choice (and those who are both!) including fur- and feather-babies

My Teachers, Mentors, Students, Clients, and Employers

Annie Liebovitz, Vivian Maier, Nan Goldin, Diane Arbus, Barbara Peacock, Saul Bass, Stefan Sagmeister, Luba Lukova, Werner Herzog, and Errol Morris

*The Amazing Creative Vibe of LA!*

Website: https://honeycombmediamaui.com, https://hadleygustafson.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hadleygusphoto/, https://www.instagram.com/honeycombmediamaui/, https://www.instagram.com/hadleygus_fineartphoto

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hadleyg/

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

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hadley-gustafson-photography-maui

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HadleyGustafson

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/hadleyg23/

Photo Descriptions and Links

Photos of Me, Company Logo, and Photo Work:

  • “01_HadleyHeadshot_withColorPalette”
  • “02_HadleyBySarahHodges”
  • “03_2021_02_26_SelfPortrait_FilmStill_PhotoIllustration,” which showed in the juried exhibition “A he Mano ke Kuana’ike / A Thousand Words” at the Hui No’eau Gallery in Makawao, Maui, Hawaii, Spring 2022 and was inspired by both Cindy Sherman and Botticelli

Web Design Examples:

My Photo Book, Photo Work, and Video Work:

  • “12_Gustafson_2023_06_02_DAC_ZINES_HOME-26,” Small self-published photo book, “HOME,” exhibited on ‘zine table at
    Documentary Photography 2023 Juried Exhibition First Friday Opening Reception at Downtown Arts Center (DAC) Honolulu, Hawai’i June 2, 2023 (Me holding the book at ‘zine table)
  • “13_2023_06_02_DAC_ZINES_HOME-28,” see above, me holding the book
  • “14_Gustafson_2023_04_21_Camille_HOME-15,” a photo from the book, above, Camille, nominated above, in her lovely family home here in LA in K-town
  • “15_MakingMusicVideo_RubelCastle_Glendora_web,” described in Camille’s nomination, above
  • “16_2023_06_02_DAC_ZINES_HOME-3,” book mentioned above
  • “17_2023_06_02_DAC_ZINES_HOME-6,” book mentioned above
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.