Today we’d like to introduce you to Susanne Swing Thompson.
Hi Susanne, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The photography and writing I do today have their roots in my early childhood at our cabin in southern Ohio, walking down the foot-worn path to White Oak Creek. It was there that my mother, brother, and I quietly explored—finding fossil-filled rocks, swimming in the creek, and wandering paths through the woods to make nature bowls. It was there that I learned to see and to be. It was there that I had the freedom and space to imagine. It was also there that experienced a sense of place and watched in wonder as shadows and light played through the large windows of the cabin during different parts of the day. I was fully a child, my eyes wide open to the interconnectedness of the world around me.
Other paths were taken between then and now. I spent ten years on a business track promoting other people’s work, with a few years in France traveling paths of life-changing adventures. There were thirteen years at home raising our three children, followed by over a decade of teaching second-grade students, sharing not only the joy of learning I had gleaned from experiences and some key teachers but also the joys of nature I had shared with my mom. Many of these paths, however, were not walked; they were internally driven.
A friend saw that drive and started giving me art supplies to help me explore my creative side—a side that was mostly being used to “produce” for my work. She saw that I rarely tapped into the simple joy of creating and expressing. One of those supplies was the gift of a camera.
While in a difficult season a few years ago, I walked the same route every day, camera in hand, seeking God in the details and solace in my steps. It had been decades since I’d photographed consistently. Yet what started as a daily habit set me on my current path of photographing nature, people, stories, intricacies—paths to which I’m drawn but that are really just a part of everyday life. Finally, I slowed down again and saw what had been there all along, just like I used to do as a child.
I noticed that people began responding to the photos I posted, some saying that they looked forward to them each day. Late in 2018, an idea came to me so strongly that I couldn’t ignore it. That idea was to create a weekly email called “A Closer Look.” It would simply be one of my nature photos with a short bit of writing; initially, I thought that the “writing” would be poetry and excerpts from books I was reading. Very quickly, however, I discovered my own voice and wanted to share my reflections. These were thoughts gathered from time spent in nature photographing and later editing the images. They were part of the experience. Since that time, almost all the writing is original. I’d always wanted to write, and now I had an outlet.
Meanwhile, some of my photos were juried into local and national shows, and I started a small business (Wren) making cards using my photos; at the time, the cards were hand-made. This was while I was still teaching. Fast forward to the school year of 2019. I’d begun wondering if there might be a way to pursue photography and build a card business full-time; then, along came the COVID-19 epidemic and its subsequent effects. My contemplations about making this a permanent change went from pondering, to pro/con lists, and to prayers. In April, my husband and I hosted a show of my photos in our front yard. One of the people who attended was an acquaintance who worked for a printing company. While looking over my work, she commented, “I think I can help you with your notecards.” Thus began our discussions—and my decision became clear.
Through my business, Wren (www.wren-photos.com), I now create printed notecards and calendars from my photography and continue to write my weekly email “A Closer Look.” As a fine art photographer, I have had my work juried into several national photography shows. My photography focuses on many aspects of nature, as well as the play of light in rural areas and old buildings—all reflections of my childhood. As I’ve sought to enter that place of seeing and being in my daily life, I know that the cabin of my childhood is where it all began. But I now know that it’s not where it ends.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Well, trying to get notecards into stores during a pandemic is not the easiest thing I’ve ever pursued! This is also a new road for me, in terms of pursuing stores and how best to go about it. Another thing I needed to embrace was identifying myself as a photographer and writer. Those seemed like terms for other people with more experience or credentials. My family, friends, and later a coach really spoke into my life.
I am very fortunate that my husband, Jay, is employed full-time, has good insurance, and that we are empty-nesters. This has greatly decreased the risk factor. I am also fortunate to have friends who saw my creative side and encouraged me to pursue it.
What I am thinking through a great deal, however, is how much of my time is to be focused on building the notecard business and how much time is to be focused on my writing and photography. It takes time to see, write, and create…and it takes time to build and run a business—particularly a one-person business. I wear many hats, and I’m laying it all out there at present to sense and research my next steps.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Looking at all aspects of my work, it could be described this way: I create visual narratives of the everyday moments into which I’ve been drawn. Through writing and photography, I begin to see how our communities, our lives, nature, this world around us—it’s all part of a greater story, woven together. As I look through my lens, it helps me to take a closer look and to focus on the details, the beauty, the hardness, the intricacies, the play of light, and the connectedness of everything. Simple moments become significant. The everyday becomes intriguing. The hidden becomes visible. It is from there that the deeper story unfolds for me, and I long to share that with others to encourage them to see more closely as well. In fact, that’s what appears to connect my work with people.
Specifically, here is what I create:
- “A Closer Look” – A short, weekly nature email that is simply one of my nature photos and a bit of original writing. It’s a quiet way to start the weekend and be encouraged to see the intricacies in nature that are all around.
- Wren notecards and calendars – My company is called “Wren,” and I have four lines of cards with my photography: Songbirds, Along the Garden Path, Into the Woods, and Stories Through Time. They are available to retail and wholesale on my website; wholesale through the online marketplace, Abound, and selections of them are available in several stores. (A complete list of retail outlets is on my website.)
- Fine art photographs – My photos have been juried into photography and fine art shows and they are also available for sale. Primarily, my photos explore various aspects of nature or the play of light in rural areas and old buildings.
- Workshops – This fall, I will begin conducting workshops on seeing nature. Details coming soon!
Things I’m excited about in what I do: Seeing something “new” in my everyday surroundings, Inspiring others to look more closely and see the beauty and details around them, Participating in shows and meeting the artists and visitors involved, Having the opportunity to incorporate writing into the art of seeing, Having two of my photos receive honorable mention in the National Wildlife Federation’s “Garden for Life” competition
What I’m contemplating for the future: In addition, I have a children’s book of photos with a fictional story about two owlets. I would love to get it published.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Absolutely!
Blogs/emails: “Weekly Memo, Insights to Help you Honor your Inner Voice” by Constance Rhodes of www.truevoice.co
Coaching and artist development for leaders and creatives: www.truevoice.co – Constance Rhodes
Apps: Merlin Bird ID from the Cornell Lab. Garden Answers (for identifying plants and flowers)
Other resources: Photo printing – www.myphotopipe.com, Printing company for note cards and calendars (and any collaterals) – Mary Lynne Reeves at www.tuckercastleberry.com
Pricing:
- Note cards: $6 retail/ $3 wholesale to stores
- A Closer Look (weekly email): free
Contact Info:
- Email: Susanne@wren-photos.com
- Website: www.wren-photos.com
- Instagram: @wren_nature_photos
- Facebook: Wren page: https://www.facebook.com/Wrennaturephotos My own page: https://www.facebook.com/susanne.thompson.54/
- Youtube: “Amidst” a calming video of my photos taken on my daily walks during the pandemic, put to music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTOtm2SOogs
- Other: Learning to Fly (blog post that I would like to publish as a children’s book): https://www.wren-photos.com/post/learning-to-fly
Image Credits:
Photos of Susanne Swing Thompson: Victoria Bruere Thompson.
