Scott Kresan Tilbe is an office administrator, photographer, and web designer based in Barrie, Ontario. His career reflects a mix of organization, technology, visual creativity, and a willingness to keep learning.
Scott was born in Goderich, Ontario, and later grew up in Barrie. His parents were both physicians, and he was introduced early to the importance of education, discipline, and helping others. As a teenager, he played saxophone and placed second in the Kiwanis Music Festival. He also played in a steel band and earned a black belt in karate.
His interests eventually moved toward photography and digital media. After high school, Scott studied media before completing programs in digital photography and web design at Georgian College. He later studied computer science at Laurentian University and film and television at Canadore College.
Scott has worked as an independent photographer and web designer and held photography roles with organizations including Auction House Barrie and Edge Imaging. He also gained customer service and sales experience through jobs at Toys “R” Us and RONA.
For the past several years, Scott has worked as an office administrator at a gastroenterology clinic in Barrie. The role allows him to use the organizational skills he has developed alongside his creative background.
Outside of work, Scott enjoys photography, reading about history and science, painting miniature figures, building models, cooking, fitness, and travel. He has visited Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States and continues to search for new subjects, ideas, and perspectives to explore.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My workday usually starts with checking what needs immediate attention and organizing tasks by priority. Working in an office environment means unexpected things can come up, so I try to create structure without assuming the day will go exactly as planned.
I use lists and schedules to keep myself focused. I like being able to see what has been completed and what still needs attention. Outside of work, I usually make time for the gym, photography, reading, or one of my creative projects.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I usually start visually. That comes from photography and web design. I picture what I want the finished result to look like and then work backward.
With photography, I might think about the location, lighting, angle, and subject before taking the photograph. With web design, I think about how someone will actually use the site, not just how it looks. Even when I build models or paint figures, I tend to research the subject before I begin.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m interested in how photography, digital design, and technology are becoming more connected. People can now create, edit, organize, and publish visual work using tools that were much harder to access when I first studied photography.
I still think the person behind the tool matters more than the tool itself. Technology can help with the process, but having an eye for detail is still important.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I schedule my activities based on urgency and give myself a clear order to follow. Because I can have several things competing for my attention at once, I’ve learned that structure makes a big difference. I keep a running list, but I don’t treat every task as equally important. I separate what needs to be completed immediately from what can wait.
I also review the list as I go instead of only looking at it at the beginning of the day. That helps me see whether I’m actually making progress or getting distracted by something less important. I use the same approach with creative projects. Whether I’m working on photography, web design, or painting a model, I break the project into smaller stages and focus on finishing one part properly before moving to the next.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell myself not to worry so much about having one perfectly defined career path. I studied photography, web design, computer science, and film because I was interested in all of them.
At the time, having several interests could sometimes feel like I was moving in different directions. Now I can see that those experiences developed different skills that I still use.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I think having a small number of dependable friends is better than having a very large social circle.
People often measure social success by how many friends or connections they have. I value knowing that a few people will actually show up when things become difficult. Reliability matters more to me than numbers.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Keep learning about subjects outside your profession. I read a lot about history and science even though neither is my main career.
Those subjects still influence how I think. History gives context. Science teaches you to question assumptions and look for evidence. Learning something simply because you’re interested in it can eventually become useful in unexpected ways.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I try to change environments or activities for a while. Physical activity helps, especially going to the gym. I also use relaxation techniques and sometimes read about a subject that has nothing to do with whatever is causing the stress.
Giving my attention to history, science, photography, or a model-building project can help me reset and return to the problem with a clearer mind.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Being willing to develop skills in different areas has helped me. Photography taught me observation. Web design taught me to think about how people interact with information. Retail work taught me customer service. Administrative work requires organization, patience, and attention to detail.
I don’t see those as completely separate experiences. Each one has added something useful to the next role.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
In college, there were a couple of courses that I struggled with. It was frustrating because I wanted to do well, but some of the material took more time for me to understand.
Instead of assuming I couldn’t do it, I got additional help and spent more time working through the material. I eventually completed my diploma with honours.
That experience taught me that needing extra help does not mean you are incapable of succeeding. Sometimes you simply need a different approach, more practice, or more time.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A visual history service for families and local organizations. It could combine photography, scanning old photographs, short written histories, and simple websites.
A lot of families, clubs, and small organizations have photographs and stories stored in boxes or on different computers. Someone could organize those materials into a digital archive that is easy to share and preserve.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use calendar and scheduling tools constantly. They are simple, but they help me organize work, appointments, and personal projects.
I also like keeping digital notes because I can separate ideas by subject, whether it is something I want to photograph, a historical topic I want to research, or a task that needs to be completed.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I tend to read history and science books rather than follow one specific author. I especially enjoy books that explain historical events from several perspectives instead of presenting everything as a simple story.
I like discovering why people made certain decisions based on what they knew at the time. That way of thinking is useful outside history because it reminds you that context matters.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I enjoy historical documentaries and series that put effort into getting the details right. Even when something is dramatized, I usually end up researching the real event afterward.
For me, that is part of the enjoyment. A movie or series might introduce the subject, but I want to know what actually happened, what was changed, and what the people involved experienced.
Key learnings
- A career does not have to follow one straight path. Skills from creative, technical, customer service, and administrative roles can strengthen one another.
- Breaking large responsibilities into prioritized lists can make busy or unpredictable days easier to manage.
- Asking for help and changing the way a problem is approached can turn academic or professional struggles into progress.
- Interests outside of work, including history, science, art, and fitness, can provide both perspective and a productive way to reset.
- A small group of reliable relationships can be more meaningful than having a large number of surface-level connections.