Artist Spotlight: Levi Kertesz // Musician

This month we are spotlighting our very own intern's boyfriend, Levi! He is a musician from Brantford, Ontario. We hope you enjoy reading about him! 

Meet Levi, our spotlight of the month, a very very talented musician!

Hi guys! :) Thanks for including me on your spotlight.

I started seriously drumming when I was 12, previous to that I had owned drums but had never sat down with the intent of producing music. I was fortunate enough to receive a drum set when I was very young, my siblings and I all asked for it for Christmas one year and given that my dad was a drummer in his youth, my parents purchased us a kit. Needless to say it got played by the kids maybe 4 times, and soon it was only my dad who ever played them. It wasn't until I was influenced by a few friends of mine who were all starting out playing music that I started to sit down on the drums and begin to figure things out. I don't think I would've started playing music if it weren't for them, and they still to this day are very close friends, and we all still surround ourselves with music. 

After playing all through high school, in local bands, music class, school musicals etc. I realized that there wasn't really anything else I could/would do for a living. Drumming was something I excelled at, and when everyone was asked what they would be doing after high school, my answer was simple, "Music". Though I have my eyes set ahead to a career in music, I'm still quite blind to the future, the industry is ever-changing and intensely difficult to get into. My options are and will always be open, and must remain that way if I ever intend to "make it", and I'm sure all artists can relate to that truth. My ten year goal (when I turn 30) is to not a have given up on myself, to be happy with what I'm doing, and to still hold true to the values of my 20 year old self. 

My inspiration to play the drums comes from many sources. I'm inspired everywhere I go, whether it's looking a photograph taken by my girlfriend that inspires me to put in the amount of passion into my work that she does, or seeing a kid at school finally succeed at something they couldn't even fathom at the beginning of the year. My inspiration comes from seeing perseverance pay off, because that's what I'm waiting for, that little bit of luck mixed with years of hard work that gets me the dream job.

 We've all been deterred from our passions many times in our careers, I can say personally that I've wanted to give up drumming before. Maybe it's not drumming for you, maybe it's photography or web design or maybe it's about personal growth. It doesn't matter what it is, if it's something that we truly love then we owe it to ourselves to pursue that something until we literally can't anymore. 

Thanks,
Levi Kertesz

Saturdays are for Dreaming

In case you missed the memo, we recently moved into a shared creative space with fellow photographer Paul Smith of Photohouse Studio and Christine Shea-the best RMT in Brantford.

We are almost 4 years into our business, and that moment of getting a set of keys to our very own office and a shared studio space was truly a culmination of so many dreams coming true.

We moved in a month ago and the whirlwind that has followed has left little room for processing or reflection of any kind.

But all these weeks later, I find myself alone in our building, coffee in hand and surrounded by quiet. So here goes.

We've both been professional photographers for over a decade, but we started our business with a meager collection: one old camera and an older camera, a free set of decades-old lights, a few acceptable lenses, one decent lens and a mountain of hope. 

For almost four years we sat together day in and day out, in a tiny corner of our 1-bedroom apartment, working our hearts out for this dream.

With almost no business experience or marketing knowledge, we had little idea what commencing upon a path to a successful photography and videography business truly meant.

Starting our own business has been, without a doubt, the headliner in challenging, terrifying (and fulfilling!) things we've done in our lives. Unless you've done something similar, you have no idea the formula of vulnerability and desperation this involves. It's basically like standing up naked in front of a million people every single day asking "Am I good enough?"

That part sucks.

So many people have told us "No."

And that hurts on a level I can't begin to describe with mere words.

But so many others have said, "Yes, a thousand times over, YES." And that's why we're here today.

I'm not bragging when I say that we work as hard as humanly possible. It felt accurate when one of our interns said earlier this week, "You guys work so hard, I'm surprised you're not millionaires by now."

Spoiler alert: we're not.

But we've sweated, bled, cried, laughed, attempted, failed, fallen, soared and worked our asses off for the last four years. We've given it everything, every day, with all we are.

And here we are with a new office, a new season, and an official sign coming soon.

It

feels

good.

It also feels scary-we've signed up for something unknown.

It feels beautiful-a huge risky step in the direction we want to go.

It feels humbling. We've had so many people champion us along the way-people who believed in us, encouraged us, hired us, let us document their lives.

We couldn't have done it without you.

We still get excited every time we get a call/text/email for a booking. We don't take it lightly that you let us into your lives to tell your story.

Thank you to every person who has told their friend about us, who has "liked" our photos or followed our page, who has gone the extra mile to believe in us and our dreams.

We are floored by your love.

In just this past week we've shot video at a wedding, video'd a real estate listing, photographed an engagement shoot. We've edited head shots, an anniversary shoot, and a couple of weddings.

Over the past few years, we have saved our change and our dollars in mason jar after mason jar to purchase the professional photo and video gear we've needed. We have a few more mason jar savings accounts to go, but we're getting there.

We're getting there.

Our photography studio is at 58 Brant Avenue in Brantford so come see us for your headshot or or portrait session. But don't worry. We'll keep documenting weddings in Toronto, Niagara, Oakville and beyond.

We aren't slowing down; we're not even close to being done. But it feels sweet to see the miles we've come.

One of my friends recently told me that it feels as if all the components are ready and in place for our business to really snowball into something Big.

I truly hope so. We've strategized to make it so.

And here we are today. 

Laughing, crying, hoping.

In a new space, with a thousand hopes and dreams and ready to work as creatively as we can to tell your story the way it should be told.

Whatever our own story is, whatever it becomes, I know we've given it our all. And we've been with each other every bloody, beautiful step of the way. For that we are ever grateful, and that in itself is more than enough-I think we're doing just fine.