Our Story
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to elevate the stories inside movement - capturing the heart, grit, and humanity behind every moment - and helping brands build deeper connection, belonging, and purpose through creative storytelling.
(SINCE 2023)
MEET SHAWN & LAUREN
Hi, we're Shawn and Lauren - the humans behind the brand.
We met in February 2020 (eek) at a University of Cincinnati basketball game where we were both shooting content. Shawn slid into the DMs and the rest is history (partners in life AND in work!)
Before launching Flow State Creative in 2023, we both worked at major ad tech and creative companies - learned a ton, and then jumped ship to build something of our own.
We care deeply about building real relationships and making content that actually means something. The internet is full of fluff. We want to cut through it - with work that feels human, that stops the scroll, and that makes people feel something real.
(BEHIND THE NAME)
Why 'Flow State'
If you've ever played a sport at a high level, you know the feeling. Everything slows down. Your mind goes quiet. You stop thinking and start doing. Athletes call it being in the zone - we call it flow state.
When you retire from sport, that feeling is one of the first things you grieve. You spend years chasing it everywhere else: in your career, your hobbies, your relationships. We were lucky. We found it again behind a camera. Photography and production demand the same presence that sport does. You can't be somewhere else mentally and make something great. You have to be fully in it - reading the light, the energy, the moment - and ready to capture it before it's gone.
That's what we named this company after. Not just a state of mind, but a way of working. We bring that same focus, intention, and aliveness to every project we take on and we think you can feel it in the work.
(OUR PHILOSOPHY)
HOW WE WORK
We're not a big agency and we don't want to be. We're a small, tight core team with a deep network of photographers, directors, editors, producers, and creatives we've worked with and trust completely. We build the right team around each project - so you get exactly who the job needs, not whoever happens to be available.
We specialize in photo and video production. That's our lane and we own it. From the first creative conversation through final delivery, we handle the moving pieces so you don't have to. Pre-production, shoot days, post - we're with you the whole way. We scale to what the job needs. Two shooters and a producer, or a full crew with lighting, styling, and direction. Either way you get the same level of care and intention.
What we care about most is the relationship. We want working with us to feel easy. Like you have a creative partner in your corner who's invested, communicative, and genuinely excited about what you're building together.
