Laura June Kirsch, Freelance Photographer / Writer / Author
Laura June Kirsch, Freelance Photographer / Writer / Author
💭 Thoughts on unplugging from the content abyss, how to stay positive as a freelance creative, and “Offair” events.
Thought Enthusiast is an AdHoc Project where we chat with fascinating thought leaders across various facets of music, tech, and culture whose work we admire, simply asking “what’s on your mind?” and “why do you care?” 💭
Laura June Kirsch is a Canon award-winning photographer specializing in branded content, editorial and events. Based in Brooklyn and available for worldwide commissions, her work has appeared in Vogue, Juxtapoz, NY Mag, VICE, Wine Enthusiast, Paper and on Today with Hoda & Jenna. She has worked with brands such as VANS, Showtime, Buzzfeed, Google, TUMBLR & more. Her first monograph, Romantic Lowlife Fantasies: Emerging Adults In The Age of Hope was published in 2021. Most recently she has been on the basketball court shooting for the NBA.
🎯 Current focus
I’ve recently done some shoots for the NBA, which has been great. I love basketball and I've really enjoyed documenting the sport. It’s a totally different environment from any other type of work I've done.
Other than that, continuing to sell my book! That project has been a wild journey since I started photographing it in 2008. It’s been really fun finding new ways to market it. I love connecting with people who are new to the project and who relate to the work, it makes me happy. It’s so close to being sold out, I’m really looking forward to crossing that finish line. The whole project has been a true labor of love.
📵 Unplugging from the content abyss
I’ve been loving spending time unplugged doing things like reading and writing. I’m trying to spend less time on social media / rejecting the pressure to constantly be posting. I feel markedly happier when I use it less and am very tired of feeding the content abyss across the board.
I hope things to trend more towards quality over quantity, there’s way too much content out there. So much of it just feels like noise.
📺 Final season of Curb
I’m incredibly excited for the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. It’s consistently been my favorite show since high school. Larry David is such a genius, he is insanely funny. There are fewer comedy shows being made these days and I hope that changes.
🌤️ How to stay positive as a freelance creative
As a freelance creative, you’re constantly putting yourself out there and for every win there are probably ten losses. It can be hard sometimes to not let that weigh on you - framing how you look at things is so essential to keep on going.
Believing the things that are meant for you are the ones that work out. Letting go of disappointment on the things that don’t work out and looking at it as an opportunity for something better to come along.
🖼️ Access to amazing art is one of NYC’s greatest joys
I still love movies and television shows / long form motion but not a big fan of most short form video content. When it comes to short form videos, there are some creators who do a great job of utilizing the format, especially if they are good at educating. Overall though, I don’t think consuming all this short term video content is good for the mind or creativity. We are staring at a screen way too much!
Of course, visually, I love photography and art in general. I try to hit galleries at least twice a month. The access to amazing art is one of NYC’s greatest joys. I can’t recommend getting out and looking and thinking about art enough.
💪 Social content creators doing it right
Since I've talked a lot about social media, I do want to highlight a few creators who I think are doing it right in that space.
My friend Lori and her husband own a real estate company and I love their content. They utilize short form video in a way that doesn’t feel chaotic and is educational / concise. I enjoy watching their videos and have learned so much about the real estate market from it. They are both great on camera and it’s always incredibly well shot, lit, styled and edited which I appreciate. Check them out here: Brock and Lori.
Another creator I am a fan of is Vivian Tu, a former wall street gal who gives out financial advice. The creators I gravitate towards are professionals / experts who share their knowledge in a way that’s easy to digest. Check her out here: Your Rich BFF.
Any content creator where I feel enriched and not overwhelmed by their material is a plus to me.
🎶 Being present at Versus Creative’s “Offair” events
In terms of clients (and this goes back to my desire of being off the phone) I love working with Versus Creative on their “Offair” events. Again, I can’t express how important it is to unplug and be present, that not everything needs to be recorded. These concerts are always beautiful and intimate and there is no recording allowed / encouraged to put your phones away. As the person photographing the events, it returns some authorship and creative license back to my work as well. Giving an artist control of how an event is captured is so much better IMO. I love a phone free event!
Follow Laura on Instagram & Linkedin and check out her book here.