LL 016: Steven Li – From Engineer to Photographer

In the 16th episode of the Live Limitless podcast I chat with Steven Li of www.stevenliphotography.com and FreeLifeExperiment.com. Steven is a friend of mine from Edmonton, Canada. I wanted to interview Steven because he ditched his engineering career to become a professional photographer. Ditching a career in engineering to take the path of an entrepreneur/freelancer is no easy task. He didn’t go back to school to study photography. He didn’t go to business school. He simply started practicing photography on his own time, found a welcoming group of inspiring people to be around, and slowly got his first few wins.

This is also a very special episode for the Live Limitless podcast because it’s the 1st episode after a long two-year hiatus. While I travelled the world with my wife, I decided to put a pause on the podcast as I was not yet prepared to operate from a backpack. Now I am back and re-launching the podcast in a much bigger way! We have some incredible guests lined up and there will be a new episode every Monday! In addition, I’ll be hosting workshop episodes as well where we do a live “case study”. For example, in episode 19, I’ll be going over a book marketing plan and launch strategy with Tom Morkes.

Please note: This was my first interview after two years so when I listen to it, I can tell I’m a little “shaky”. There’s still some gold in there though so I wanted to publish anyways. Can’t always be perfect!

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Steven made the leap from engineer to photographer,
• His first big win,
• Why you should start on the side and surround yourself with good people,
• His first steps towards becoming a photographer,
• His daily/morning habits,
• His advice for anyone wanting to get into photography,
• and much, much more…

I really hope you enjoy this episode. Please leave any comments for Steven or myself below and leave a review in iTunes. Please, Please, Please! If you like the show, leave a quick review. It would mean a lot to me!

You can also find the podcast by clicking here.

If you’re running short on time;

(01:20): What Steven is up to right now with photography,

(02:40): What Steven was doing before he got into photography,

(03:50): Why he continued down the path of photography and not mechanical engineering,

(07:30): His first win,

(08:06): His first steps towards becoming a photographer,

(09:30): How he promotion his photography ,

(10:30): Whether Steven ever had moments of doubt,

(13:23): His daily / morning rituals,

(18:25): His mentors/idols,

(26:00): His favourite books / podcasts / movies,

(29:07): Advice for others looking to make a big change in their life or to follow a dream

(33:45): Advice for getting into photography.

Mentioned in this episode

• Facebook
• The 5-Minute Journal
• Kijiji
• Meetup.com
• Chris Guillebeau
• Michael Legge Photography
• Renee Robyn Photography
• 4-Hour Work Week
• Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn
• Digital Photography School
• Secrets of a millionaire mind
• The 10X Rule
• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• The One Thing

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