Thomas Slatin Talks Creatives And The Importance Of Sharing Your Work Flow

As a published photographer and writer, and a social media influencer who has gained hundreds of thousands followers organically throughout the years, Thomas W.P. Slatin knows the importance of making social media a crucial part of one's workflow, especially when working as a creative, whether it be as an artist, photographer, talent in the TV/Film industry, or as an entrepreneur.

Slatin states, "My photographs are posted to Instagram and Flickr as soon as they are produced. A new blog post is added to my blog at www.tomslatin.com every single day at the same time, 9 a.m. EST. Continuing, "as soon as a post is added to my blog, I then discipline myself to promote this link through all of my social media channels, to include Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn." Consistency is essential to success. "My father used to tell me that with determination, and perseverance literally anything is achievable in life. Slatin concluding, "this is most definitely true, as I have experienced it firsthand with my photography and writing work."

Thomas Slatin often discusses publicly that he pursues work that he loves to do, and has done so since childhood. He picked up a camera as a young child and began photographing everything that was of interest to him. He loves to explore, so he explored as a child and continues to do so. Writing was a creative outlet for him as a child and that is also prevalent today for Slatin, as he is a published writer. It is no surprise that he focuses on urban exploration photography, nature photography, and he photographs locomotives too. "This is what interests me, and I have honored the young child I was once and who is still a part of me today, by pursuing work I love, to create a viable profession doing work I love. It is quite simply something for which I am deeply thankful. He advocates to others, "do what you love, and work hard, do not give up."

Discussing Slatin's success in a recent interview, he provides some encouraging insight for others who may be in the earlier stages of their careers as writers or photographers. His advice may also be of benefit to those who know they love to write, paint pictures, photograph images or for those who also work in creative capacities such as, actors, dancers and musicians, "share your work, uplift and encourage others through doing so. It is how I have been able to make writing and photography a career."

According to Thomas Slatin, he created his first website in high school, on which he began to showcase his photography work. "I sold my first 8 x 10 print in the later part of 1998, when I was in my first year of college." At that time, the internet was "coming of age" so there were not many e-commerce options for photographers to the extent of what is available today. "So, states Slatin, I had to personally place the orders for the prints and have the prints framed according to the wishes of each customer. Of course, this was a bit of a logistical challenge, doing all of this myself, especially for a full time college student. Yet, I persevered and it has certainly paid off, as hard work always does." Today, Slatin does the great majority of sharing and selling much of his photography work through e-commerce solutions. "Now it is simple to showcase my work utilizing various platforms, and yes, making social media an integral part of my workflow. Through e-commerce solutions, I can provide the customer exactly what they want, down to the very last detail regarding matting and framing in a very cost efficient and pleasant manner." The photography work of Thomas W.P. Slatin is licensed through websites such as Canva.com and 500px.com. "Canva is where I have sold many of my photographs, on a very frequent basis."

When Slatin was in high school he won a poetry contest for a poem entitled, "The Misunderstood Child." He read this poem during high school commencement. "Always sharing my work, states Slatin, even in high school, it's just as important to share your work, so people can learn of your talents. Continuing, "it's great to hear feedback, yet also, one's work can often inspire others to find their gifts and talents." Shortly after Thomas Slatin graduated from high school in Upstate New York, he was contacted by the publishers of the "Big Tree Register" for the State of Indiana. The publishers requested his permission to feature one of his poems in the "Big Tree Register." The featured poem that was selected and published is entitled, "The Tree of Life." Additionally, author Stephen Silverman had found Slatin's photographs online as Silverman was writing, "The Catskills: Its History and How It Changed America." This book was published by Stephen Silverman in 2015. Stephen Silverman published Thomas Slatin's photograph entitled, "The Red Apple Rest" in this book. Silverman learned of Slatin's work through photography research online. As summarized by Slatin, "again, the importance of sharing one's work and talents is just as important as having talents in the first place. This is part of how one can make a career out of photography and writing, "share your good work. Stay true, pursue work you love with determination, perseverance and most importantly joy to be able to do the work you love to do, this is quite simply a gift in life to be able to do work one loves."