Meet Karin Doolin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karin Doolin.

Hi Karin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a wedding photographer from the St. Louis area (Illinois side) and in an effort to give back with my talents, in 2013 my husband and I created a nonprofit whose mission is to give an honest picture of the realities that exist around the world by means of photography.

We put cameras in the hands of vulnerable individuals living in impoverished countries throughout the world – enabling them to then take cameras into their environment and tell their story through the lens of photography. For the first time, their stories were told from their own perspective rather than a first-world’s point of view which often focuses on pity.

Throughout our projects on 4 different continents, we saw how the lifeblood of families and their economic well-being was their ability to attain dignified employment. There are entire villages of people who are crafting unique pieces of art using ancient traditions and techniques passed down from generation to generation who have the talent and drive, but no outlet to have their craftsmanship seen on an international stage.

We put the pieces together that the most powerful source of impact and the road to empowerment at the highest level comes from the economic security of work, along with the need for an opportunity to sell meaningful pieces that tell the stories of their heritage.

We shifted our focus from the traditional nonprofit model to a sustainable marketplace where our efforts to make a difference can have a lasting impact on a broader scale. With our fair trade shop, consumers are able to break the cycle of poverty by purchasing goods that empower the individuals who make them through sustainable employment and fair wages.

Put simply, every purchase supports the dreams of individuals across the globe.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have certainly been struggles along this road for us. The biggest one is our realization of the pitfalls of nonprofit work.

We came to a place where we realized our efforts to “do good” were merely a projection of our own solutions to problems that we can’t fully grasp.

Nonprofit work is complex, heavy work, that most often left us feeling defeated. When we alleviated our own ego in the equation and got a better grasp of ways to make a real impact is when things started to come together, but we are still constantly critiquing and questioning if we are doing it right.

Our other biggest struggle is awareness. Helping the customer see why fair trade goods have more value, and why it’s important has been one of the biggest challenges.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a photographer for a living and specialize in weddings and brand photography. My husband and I do this together and have been in business since 2005.

We’ve never paid for advertising and all of our work has been based solely on word of mouth referrals. We also run our nonprofit and fair trade store together. We are a team in every aspect, and that’s what I am most proud of.

For our fair trade shop, we have an ADORABLE 1960 Shasta camper that Roger (my husband) renovated into a mobile shop. She has a floral print and bright interior and is a source of happiness for everyone who sees her.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
(I love this question). Oprah says “true luck is when preparation and opportunity meet”.

Another great quote is by Thomas Jefferson: “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” “Luck” seems to leave it up to chance, but I think there’s more to it than that when it comes to success.

We are fortunate that opportunities have come into our path at the right times, but there were choices along the way that set those opportunities into motion.

Contact Info:

• Website: ooakgoods.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ooakgoods/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ooakgoods/
• Other: nonprofit: https://ooakgoods.com/pages/nonprofitphotography business: www.tensixteenphoto.com

Image Credits
1221 Photography – Zach Adams and Brian Munoz