Hi, I’m Nick.
I’ve spent the last six-plus years working full-time as a photographer and videographer, delivering thousands of projects across real estate, small businesses, and independent creators. Creative work has always come naturally to me. Running the business around it did not.
I learned early that talent alone isn’t enough to build a sustainable creative career. Being scared straight by missed texts, deadlines, and invoices showed me how quickly a reputation can suffer — and how important it is to protect the one you’re building.
Figuring out how to do this full-time wasn’t easy. I definitely wouldn’t say I’ve “arrived” — in fact, I’m skeptical of anyone who says they have. But I am in the middle of living it, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
If you’re just starting out — or right in the middle of figuring it out alongside me — I think you’ll like being part of the CreativeBase community.
Growing up creative
Patrick is my older brother and co-founder of CreativeBase. Growing up, we were always making things — backyard projects, little films, you name it. Creativity wasn’t something we scheduled. It was just how we thought.
As adults, we took different paths. I went all-in on photography and video, learning the creative business the long way. Patrick spent over 15 years in professional web and software development, building large-scale platforms and complex systems for companies that couldn’t afford failure (ex: healthcare.gov).
Eventually, our worlds started to overlap.
I kept describing the same problems — creatives naturally struggle running their own business. Patrick understood immediately. Not just the problem, but how solvable it actually was.
What started as conversations turned into sketches. Then whiteboards. Then the realization that we could build something together that neither of us could’ve built alone.
What experience teaches you
Over the years, I’ve worked on thousands of projects across photography and video. That volume teaches lessons fast.
The biggest one is simple: professionalism isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being dependable:
- Showing up when you say you will.
- Delivering what you promise.
- Communicating clearly, especially when things go wrong.
I didn’t learn that from theory. I learned it by falling short, fixing the problem, and putting a system in place so it wouldn’t happen again. Every real step forward came after I stopped relying on willpower and started building support around my weaknesses.
That pattern — struggle, reflection, structure, growth — is what has allowed me to stay in business.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This book helped me create systems and habits that boosted my confidence. I highly recommend getting yourself a copy if you haven't read it!
Why CreativeBase exists
CreativeBase exists so creatives don’t have to learn systems the hard way — the way I did.
A creative business comes with its own challenges, and too often people are left to figure them out alone. Our goal is to make that experience easier by building a place where:
- Questions about running a creative business get answered
- Learning happens through shared experience
- Tools that not only manage work but teach and guide
We want to build systems that lead creatives toward sustainability, not rigidity. Tools that make professionalism easier to grow into over time. Support that helps people keep doing creative work as much — or as long — as they want to. CreativeBase is still becoming what it’s meant to be. But the vision is clear: we want a more reliable, more trusted, more supportive creative industry.
If that's something you're up for, you’re in the right place.
✦
Nick Wolfert
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