We sat down with photographer Keti Chikhladze in the afternoon hours of a late October day. We discussed her journey from a little girl born in Georgia, to her now thriving photography business in Washington state. Keti shares with us her love for the cannabis plant, art, and photography, and how she managed to combine them all into one successful business.
What is your professional background? I was a student who studied for an arts degree at the Art Institute of Seattle and I proceeded with my photography career right after. I had to pick up many different jobs on the way, before I started running my photography business full-time. I entered the cannabis industry as a budtender & volunteer for festivals like “Terpestival.”
Why did you choose to start your business, or did it choose you? Photography chose me, I think. The first camera I used came into my life when I was 12, because my dad went to work in Moscow and bought his first DSLR camera. He let me borrow it and I always took pictures of my friends.
What were your first objectives when you started your business? I was really fascinated with the cannabis industry, especially because herbs changed my life in many ways. Combining my passion for the plant and love for photography was something that I was interested in. It also brought some great clients my way that I completed a lot of projects for. Also, the growing need for quality, representation of products, legality of CBD, and so many accessory brands sprouting up, my content was something that the cannabis industry actually really needed.
How many people work for your business? I run the business myself, but constantly hire models and other collaborators for photoshoots. I also hire other people to manage clients’ accounts.
What products or services do you offer? Photography, videography, social media management, creative consultation.
What methods do you use to promote your business? My clients are 50% from social media and 50% come from word of mouth.
What are your business goals? Increasing and expanding my clientele, which would allow me to hire more people for projects. My other creative business goals are to have art shows and present my work in other states and countries as the legality of cannabis is changing in more and more places.
Why did you choose to start a business in the cannabis industry? To be honest, once I decided to go out on my own and work full-time as a cannabis photographer, I became depressed and worried as many first time business owners can get when they go “all in” on a business without a parachute. Using cannabis helped to relieve my depression and anxiety. It was soon after when I attended an event and met a few amazing women who were also in the photography/cannabis industry. They helped by guiding me, supporting me, and encouraged me to go forward with my business. I’m glad I listened. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some awesome companies and met some wonderful people who I’ve now known for years. This is why I decided to stick with this community and continue to work with new innovative brands that excite me because of my love for this plant and the businesses in this industry.
What is your greatest struggle as a business owner? Since running a business is still pretty new for me, the comfort of not having that guaranteed salary from a 9 to 5 job can get stressful. Especially since I’m not just earning for myself, but also helping my family in Georgia with living expenses. Having people depend on me and running a business is one thing that gets stressful, even though I absolutely love what I do.
How does your business give back to the community? Being able to hire people in my local community is my favorite part. For example, I don’t look for professional models to use for my lifestyle shoots; instead, I pick different characters that actually love the plant and enjoy trying out quality products, new smoking accessories, and sharing their experience with others.
What makes your company unique from its competitors? Choosing the right people to work with is what makes my business successful. When you see someone enjoying herbs in one of my photoshoots, you get the vibe right away that this person is actually enjoying the product. I always get compliments from my clients that they love the smoke shots that I captured, which is impossible if a model doesn’t enjoy the process. Having real cannabis lovers all around is what makes this all great!
How many hours per day do you spend working on your business? I love to treat my work as a full-time job. But sometimes it doesn’t end in the evenings. Staying up late and working on projects is pretty usual for me when I feel creative.
How would you characterize your business’s success thus far? For the short amount of time that I’ve been in business, the progress has been amazing so far. I have built amazing relationships with consistent clients. Also, with possible legalization on the federal level, it is extremely exciting to think about all the possibilities that can happen!
What’s next on the horizon for you and your company? I don’t really like talking about my projects before they are done, since showing the results to my audience is the best part about this work; but keep an eye out on my Instagram page and I will be sharing news soon!
What’s your advice for other women who want to enter into the cannabis industry? Go for it! We absolutely need more women in the cannabis industry. There is huge potential for creating all sorts of brands and switching from plastic and toxic textiles to sustainable hemp and cannabis. This is just the start!
How do you see your business expanding in the next five years? I see my business expanding from being a one person business, to a creative team that will help cannabis businesses create professional images which will reflect inclusion and increased representation across their websites and all other media channels.
How do you see women in the cannabis industry growing in the upcoming years? At first the industry was extremely male dominated, it still is, but I do get to meet more and more absolutely bad-ass women in the industry! I think with the help of platforms and magazines that feature women, like Miss Marijuana Magazine, I think more females will be encouraged to enter the industry. Women have their own way of understanding this plant, especially when new reports show that just as many women consume cannabis as men, we need equal representation in the industry.
To book a consultation with Keti, visit her at www.ketimages.com