Check Out Karen Fordos’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Fordos

Hi KAREN, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi everyone. I am an artist, photographer, and a wildlife and portrait artist. As you can see from my biography, I’m passionate about my work. If you are an artist, you know this. In fact, it is my life’s work. I was the owner of a bridal magazine for 18 years. I also teach art at galleries, schools, and my studio. I started selling my work in galleries and at fine arts shows in junior high school. I’ve been working since I was a child. I received a scholarship for College for Creative Studies in Detroit, but my father wanted me to go to Michigan State University, his alma mater. I only attended one year. I was attacked in my dorm. It really affected my life and art. I ended up coming home and graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with Graphic Design and Photography. I taught art at the Midland Community Center, and the Center for the Arts, plus private lessons, off and on, for 30 years. I started teaching so that others wouldn’t feel like my old elementary professor made me feel. I traveled the United States working for an international photographer doing fine art shows. I had my own art openings in Chicago, New York, and Colorado, just to name a few. I was published in Art News, Artist Magazine, Direct Art Buyer, etc. I started the Michigan Wedding Organizer and the Northern Michigan Wedding Organizer in the early 2000s. Even with a business plan, I couldn’t get a loan, and everyone told me that it would fail. I used all my money and went door-to-door to wedding venues and wedding professionals with ads I made myself. I did bridal shows and started doing wedding photography along with the magazine. I retired the magazine during Covid. During Covid, I started doing more art commissions. I’ve done over 400 in six years. I donate my time doing art classes for people who can’t afford it. I photograph families for their last portraits with hospice, and I draw portraits for funerals. My Aunt Viola Forro was my lifelong inspiration. She was a working artist till she was 92 years old in all mediums.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life hasn’t been easy. My childhood really affected me. My dad lost his job when the company he worked for went bankrupt a few months before he was to retire. He lost everything. It was a downward spiral of having everything to having nothing. His health took a nose dive, and he almost died from multiple heart attacks. Mental health issues in my family got worse. We really had to get creative on ways to make money to survive. I believe that from early childhood, I learned that when someone tells me I can’t do something, it only makes me work harder to prove them wrong..

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
With my photography business I travel anywhere in the United States or internationally. I will go anywhere for engagement pictures too. I try to find out what people are interested in and we do it. Sports games, zip lining. Upper Peninsula falls. Even went skydiving. What’s unique about me too is I draw or paint peoples portraits for weddings. It’s the guestbook at the wedding. People sigh the mat. People know me for my art and photography. I really get attached to my clients. they become like family. A lot of my art commissions come from former brides and there families.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Starting my bridal magazine from scratch twenty plus years ago was a major risk that everyone expected me to fail at. And when I also started a photography business at the same time, people were even more sure that I would end up with nothing to show for my effort.

Pricing:

• on photography webiste Karenfordosphotography.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://karenfordosphotography.com
• Facebook: Karen Fordos Photography-Facebook