[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f2jk1m6lvb0gga":3},{"_createdAt":4,"_id":5,"_updatedAt":6,"authors":7,"charactercount":20,"content":21,"featuredimage":242,"published":245,"slug":246,"subtitle":249,"tag":250,"title":251,"contentHtml":252,"featuredimageUrl":253},"2026-09-23T07:13:39Z","aaca42ec-9e19-48b5-8353-4b5c69735dff","2026-09-28T07:54:19Z",[8],{"_id":9,"avatar":10,"instagram":15,"linkedin":16,"name":17,"role":18,"twitter":15,"avatarUrl":19},"7aa08034-ee12-4896-8ab2-25cd716879b0",{"_type":11,"asset":12},"image",{"_ref":13,"_type":14},"image-9c0a2bae8de9d0cab108aa92ee9c64c1a3b2312b-2369x2369-jpg","reference",null,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fsarah-cluver-289857162\u002F","Sarah Schwegmann","Growth","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.sanity.io\u002Fimages\u002F59aqi1lf\u002Fproduction\u002F9c0a2bae8de9d0cab108aa92ee9c64c1a3b2312b-2369x2369.jpg?w=128&h=128",2633,[22,33,41,50,58,68,76,80,88,96,104,112,116,124,132,140,148,152,160,168,176,184,215,223],{"_key":23,"_type":24,"children":25,"markDefs":31,"style":32},"8ec2aff7bb2a","block",[26],{"_key":27,"_type":28,"marks":29,"text":30},"7d36706db23e","span",[],"Daniel Storm Smith always knew the office life wasn't for him. Today he runs Storm Creativity, a photography and video business in Cape Town, and he can finally see where his money goes.",[],"normal",{"_key":34,"_type":24,"children":35,"markDefs":40,"style":32},"5196db87d483",[36],{"_key":37,"_type":28,"marks":38,"text":39},"74da581c5da7",[],"Some people end up in creative work by accident. Daniel didn't.",[],{"_key":42,"_type":24,"children":43,"markDefs":48,"style":49},"d2d88cd70aee",[44],{"_key":45,"_type":28,"marks":46,"text":47},"3236720f3bba",[],"\"The creative thing was always within me and I knew I wasn't going into a full-time corporate job. I always knew and trusted myself in the creative scene. Just go all or nothing. I love growing my business.\"",[],"blockquote",{"_key":51,"_type":24,"children":52,"markDefs":57,"style":32},"afcec1203917",[53],{"_key":54,"_type":28,"marks":55,"text":56},"3c069355cc0a",[],"So he went all in. Through the lens (and often from a drone in the sky), Daniel shoots events, concerts, brands, travel, portraits and lifestyle work. It's the kind of mix that keeps a creative excited, and it keeps his books very busy.",[],{"_key":59,"_type":24,"children":60,"markDefs":66,"style":67},"91bd8c099377",[61],{"_key":62,"_type":28,"marks":63,"text":65},"2054eed22be4",[64],"strong","Big names, big stages",[],"h3",{"_key":69,"_type":24,"children":70,"markDefs":75,"style":32},"127c4bb79a8e",[71],{"_key":72,"_type":28,"marks":73,"text":74},"d7a903ea2a62",[],"Daniel's portfolio covers a lot of ground. He's created content for Heineken, SAB and Castle Lite, and he's worked with musicians and artists both on stage and off. That can mean catching a crowd at the exact moment the beat drops, or shooting a portrait that shows who an artist really is. Add drone footage a camera on a tripod could never get, and you have a creative who can handle almost any brief. It's this range that keeps clients coming back.",[],{"_key":77,"_type":11,"asset":78},"7eca402fd883",{"_ref":79,"_type":14},"image-ca1d57fd99287c855f0aef63ef8608be33993130-1681x936-jpg",{"_key":81,"_type":24,"children":82,"markDefs":87,"style":67},"9aeedd4a990e",[83],{"_key":84,"_type":28,"marks":85,"text":86},"39b9c4cdc4da",[64],"The chaotic part",[],{"_key":89,"_type":24,"children":90,"markDefs":95,"style":32},"a3bf8d36905d",[91],{"_key":92,"_type":28,"marks":93,"text":94},"846792ba4ec9",[],"Lots of clients and lots of shoots means lots of invoices. For a while, that side of the business didn't get the same attention as the work.",[],{"_key":97,"_type":24,"children":98,"markDefs":103,"style":49},"cafe36ed4220",[99],{"_key":100,"_type":28,"marks":101,"text":102},"cce5489eabe0",[],"\"I had no clue how much money I was making or who owed me money. It was very chaotic and unorganised.\"",[],{"_key":105,"_type":24,"children":106,"markDefs":111,"style":32},"98633cd6aa16",[107],{"_key":108,"_type":28,"marks":109,"text":110},"eeb439fabe0b",[],"Plenty of freelancers will know the feeling. The shoot goes brilliantly, the client loves the edit, and then the payment disappears somewhere between a WhatsApp thread and a spreadsheet you last opened in March.",[],{"_key":113,"_type":11,"asset":114},"acb80c7d83ff",{"_ref":115,"_type":14},"image-109d5618797bca797565553262b81b6dc9c18a77-1681x936-jpg",{"_key":117,"_type":24,"children":118,"markDefs":123,"style":67},"6df77c9c1ceb",[119],{"_key":120,"_type":28,"marks":121,"text":122},"cd09579973ef",[64],"The calm part",[],{"_key":125,"_type":24,"children":126,"markDefs":131,"style":32},"0c54d08aa9aa",[127],{"_key":128,"_type":28,"marks":129,"text":130},"91b190f6891f",[],"Then Daniel found stub.",[],{"_key":133,"_type":24,"children":134,"markDefs":139,"style":49},"d447a020c1cf",[135],{"_key":136,"_type":28,"marks":137,"text":138},"12e17e3a3017",[],"\"Life with stub is great. I can see who owes me money and send the invoices instantly. Quick and easy. I love how everything is integrated in one thing. I can also track my profit and loss.\"",[],{"_key":141,"_type":24,"children":142,"markDefs":147,"style":32},"e9f90663bdc9",[143],{"_key":144,"_type":28,"marks":145,"text":146},"bb50c5ae2459",[],"Invoices go out as soon as the job's done. Outstanding payments sit where he can see them. His profit and loss is there whenever he wants to check how the business is really doing, not just how it feels. And it's all in one place, so there's less admin and more time behind the camera.",[],{"_key":149,"_type":11,"asset":150},"e94ae05afbaf",{"_ref":151,"_type":14},"image-ff65e90c0b90857a94d15cd31022a07e6e70e4bb-1681x936-jpg",{"_key":153,"_type":24,"children":154,"markDefs":159,"style":67},"1cf89cc6df1b",[155],{"_key":156,"_type":28,"marks":157,"text":158},"b014bceccd93",[64],"The best bit",[],{"_key":161,"_type":24,"children":162,"markDefs":167,"style":32},"8674270727e4",[163],{"_key":164,"_type":28,"marks":165,"text":166},"3d7f0bd0ae49",[],"Ask Daniel what he loves about running his own business and he doesn't hesitate:",[],{"_key":169,"_type":24,"children":170,"markDefs":175,"style":49},"338e73804651",[171],{"_key":172,"_type":28,"marks":173,"text":174},"261a38a589e8",[],"\"My favourite part of entrepreneurship is the freedom.\"",[],{"_key":177,"_type":24,"children":178,"markDefs":183,"style":32},"84a1f063ae24",[179],{"_key":180,"_type":28,"marks":181,"text":182},"95bb1be40086",[],"Freedom to pick your projects, set your own hours and chase the shot. With stub looking after the money side, Daniel gets more of that freedom back.",[],{"_key":185,"_type":24,"children":186,"markDefs":209,"style":32},"e0144a58269c",[187,191,196,200,205],{"_key":188,"_type":28,"marks":189,"text":190},"69e8edf19a83",[],"📷 See Daniel's work on Instagram: ",{"_key":192,"_type":28,"marks":193,"text":195},"26c27c47c06a",[194],"db616750ccfc","@photographer_guy05",{"_key":197,"_type":28,"marks":198,"text":199},"1d4a503e13d6",[]," and on ",{"_key":201,"_type":28,"marks":202,"text":204},"8e08c9d00ae1",[203],"5eb173dc0866","his website",{"_key":206,"_type":28,"marks":207,"text":208},"c4c38a18e420",[],".",[210,213],{"_key":194,"_type":211,"href":212},"link","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fphotographer_guy05\u002F",{"_key":203,"_type":211,"href":214},"https:\u002F\u002Fdanielstormsmith27.wixsite.com\u002Fwebsite",{"_key":216,"_type":24,"children":217,"markDefs":222,"style":32},"f13dea444605",[218],{"_key":219,"_type":28,"marks":220,"text":221},"32ee16b4c5c2",[],"",[],{"_key":224,"_type":24,"children":225,"markDefs":239,"style":32},"9b2393b59df9",[226,230,235],{"_key":227,"_type":28,"marks":228,"text":229},"e9ae0b2991ff",[64],"Running a creative business? ",{"_key":231,"_type":28,"marks":232,"text":234},"cc6f074e64e0",[64,233],"86b5660c6209","Start with stub for free",{"_key":236,"_type":28,"marks":237,"text":238},"7cd2e66ec58a",[64]," and see who owes you money.",[240],{"_key":233,"_type":211,"href":241},"https:\u002F\u002Fstub.africa\u002Fsign-up",{"_type":11,"asset":243},{"_ref":244,"_type":14},"image-fe18ef89977f61c884604364deff867d01ac24b3-1681x936-jpg","2026-09-23",{"_type":247,"current":248},"slug","storm-creativity-from-chaos-to-calm","How a Cape Town creative who shoots for musicians and brands got his money as organised as his shots.","The Hustle","Storm Creativity: from chaos to calm","\u003Cp>Daniel Storm Smith always knew the office life wasn't for him. Today he runs Storm Creativity, a photography and video business in Cape Town, and he can finally see where his money goes.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Some people end up in creative work by accident. Daniel didn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>"The creative thing was always within me and I knew I wasn't going into a full-time corporate job. I always knew and trusted myself in the creative scene. Just go all or nothing. I love growing my business."\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>So he went all in. Through the lens (and often from a drone in the sky), Daniel shoots events, concerts, brands, travel, portraits and lifestyle work. It's the kind of mix that keeps a creative excited, and it keeps his books very busy.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>Big names, big stages\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>Daniel's portfolio covers a lot of ground. He's created content for Heineken, SAB and Castle Lite, and he's worked with musicians and artists both on stage and off. That can mean catching a crowd at the exact moment the beat drops, or shooting a portrait that shows who an artist really is. Add drone footage a camera on a tripod could never get, and you have a creative who can handle almost any brief. It's this range that keeps clients coming back.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.sanity.io\u002Fimages\u002F59aqi1lf\u002Fproduction\u002Fca1d57fd99287c855f0aef63ef8608be33993130-1681x936.jpg?w=1396&fit=crop&auto=format\" \u002F>\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>The chaotic part\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>Lots of clients and lots of shoots means lots of invoices. For a while, that side of the business didn't get the same attention as the work.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>"I had no clue how much money I was making or who owed me money. It was very chaotic and unorganised."\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>Plenty of freelancers will know the feeling. The shoot goes brilliantly, the client loves the edit, and then the payment disappears somewhere between a WhatsApp thread and a spreadsheet you last opened in March.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.sanity.io\u002Fimages\u002F59aqi1lf\u002Fproduction\u002F109d5618797bca797565553262b81b6dc9c18a77-1681x936.jpg?w=1396&fit=crop&auto=format\" \u002F>\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>The calm part\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>Then Daniel found stub.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>"Life with stub is great. I can see who owes me money and send the invoices instantly. Quick and easy. I love how everything is integrated in one thing. I can also track my profit and loss."\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>Invoices go out as soon as the job's done. Outstanding payments sit where he can see them. His profit and loss is there whenever he wants to check how the business is really doing, not just how it feels. And it's all in one place, so there's less admin and more time behind the camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.sanity.io\u002Fimages\u002F59aqi1lf\u002Fproduction\u002Fff65e90c0b90857a94d15cd31022a07e6e70e4bb-1681x936.jpg?w=1396&fit=crop&auto=format\" \u002F>\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>The best bit\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>Ask Daniel what he loves about running his own business and he doesn't hesitate:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>"My favourite part of entrepreneurship is the freedom."\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>Freedom to pick your projects, set your own hours and chase the shot. With stub looking after the money side, Daniel gets more of that freedom back.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>📷 See Daniel's work on Instagram: \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fphotographer_guy05\u002F\">@photographer_guy05\u003C\u002Fa> and on \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdanielstormsmith27.wixsite.com\u002Fwebsite\">his website\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Running a creative business? \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstub.africa\u002Fsign-up\">Start with stub for free\u003C\u002Fa> and see who owes you money.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.sanity.io\u002Fimages\u002F59aqi1lf\u002Fproduction\u002Ffe18ef89977f61c884604364deff867d01ac24b3-1681x936.jpg?w=1280"]