From Classroom to Client: How Dynamo Students Turned Creative Skills into Real Business
What happens when you give young people access to professional creative skills, a little encouragement, and room to run? For a group of students at Chattanooga Preparatory School and one quietly determined young photographer inspired by their example, the answer came quickly: they built something real.
Within just one semester of joining Dynamo Studios’ in-school program, five students — Anatacio, Edgar, Oliver, Julian, and Brayden — had already moved beyond the classroom. Together, they launched OBJ Photography, a student-run media company offering photography services to clients across the Chattanooga area.
A Business Built from Scratch
The OBJ team didn’t wait for permission. They worked for it — literally. Some held jobs at Wendy’s. Others at Home Depot. They even launched a GoFundMe to close the gap. Between their combined efforts, Anatacio, Edgar, Oliver, Julian, and Brayden raised $1,500 to purchase a camera and lens, and they got to work.
The investment has paid off. Since launching OBJ, the team has earned nearly $5,000 taking on paid projects: covering sporting events, photographing book covers, capturing baby showers and family milestones. Real clients. Real work. Real income.
Their teacher, Chaysen Patrick, has watched it unfold from the front of the classroom.
“The young men at Chattanooga Preparatory School have truly impressed me with their commitment to taking what we’ve taught them and applying it beyond the classroom to earn income. I believe this experience has given these young men something meaningful to believe in and pursue. Studies show that young men benefit from having a healthy sense of competition and purpose in their lives.”
The Dynamo program didn’t manufacture that drive. It gave it somewhere to go.
Inspired to Follow
In that same classroom, something else was happening quietly.
Jaden, a Vietnamese student who Patrick describes as “typically very quiet,” watched OBJ take shape and decided he wanted something like that for himself. He purchased his own camera and lens, dove into every master class available through the Songbirds program, and has been sharpening his skills ever since.
His goal is focused and specific: to learn as much as possible from his Songbirds instructor so he can pursue professional street photography in Vietnam. He’s not waiting to be discovered. He’s building toward something, one project at a time.
As Patrick put it, OBJ’s success “inspired other students to step outside of their comfort zone.” That ripple effect — one group of students lighting a path for another — is exactly what Dynamo was designed to create.
What This Looks Like Beyond the Camera
For teachers, the impact of Dynamo’s programs extends well beyond technical skills. Students who participate show up differently in their core classes too — more engaged, more focused, and more willing to collaborate. Creative learning doesn’t compete with academic attention. It builds it.
When students have something they care about, they bring that energy everywhere.
The Bigger Picture
OBJ Photography. Jaden and his lens pointed toward Vietnam. These aren’t outliers — they’re what becomes possible when creative education is done right.
Dynamo Studios was built on the belief that creative skills are workforce skills, and that young people given real tools and real instruction will do real things with them. These students didn’t need to be told that creative careers were possible. They just needed access.
That’s what Songbirds is here to provide.
Interested in bringing Dynamo Studios into your school or community organization? Get in touch.