Embracing Creativity through Adversity
With Grad season upon us, I have had the privilege of being able to reflect on the gratitude I feel towards how far Create Joy Life has come, since its beginnings in 2020. What started as a hobby, and spark of hope in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, has developed into a thriving small business, that has captured hundreds of priceless moments over the past four years. Today, I want to take you on a journey through the foundation and evolution of Create Joy Life, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic both personally, as a business owner, and throughout my business as a whole.
Create Joy Life’s origin story traces back to a Spring Break trip to Utah with my grandfather, Don Brown, in early March of 2020. During the trip, we were able to explore Zion National Park, Horseshoe Bend, the Arizona National Forest, and a beautiful canyon in Arizona, with the Colorado River flowing through it. Between the hues of orange rock, caps of snow, and fresh air, I changed my business name to Create Joy Life, and even though I had dabbled in my photography business since 2017, I decided to “officially” start shooting clients and marketing myself during that time. As a high school senior, I had no idea what a saving grace Create Joy would be with March 2020 upcoming. A nationwide shutdown was declared a few short days after arriving back in Texas, and I will forever be grateful for the creativity-inspiring landscapes, beautiful sights, and time of reflection during that fateful trip. Create Joy provided senior sessions during this time, and our graduating class was able to celebrate while keeping a safe distance of 6 feet apart. My business was able to adapt and thrive amid adversity, and offered a glimmer of celebration, in a time of trial.
Now four years later, Create Joy has come full circle and is celebrating college graduation for 2024 Seniors. This has allowed me to reflect on the growth and the many challenges overcome.
The journey from March 2020 to May 2024 has been marked by resilience, personal development, and entrepreneurial growth. Growing from capturing solely high school seniors to families, then to couples, events, headshots, engagements, and even a few weddings has been incredible. The clients I have been able to meet along the way are part of my “why” to Create Joy and building the interpersonal relationships I have been privileged to build, makes me fall even more in love with photography, and being a business owner. With an emphasis on documentary storytelling, and favor towards capturing love stories, finding my niche and purpose has grown Create Joy across the board. I have found a home in true-to-color editing, and love a good grainy black-and-white photo, oozing with emotion. Growing confidence in my clients, and showing them their inner beauty is one of the most important parts of the business to me, and I hope to continue to do that daily.
I have had incredible mentors along the way, including a good friend, Elizabeth Fitzhugh, and a former boss, Lauren Hembree. Elizabeth laid the foundation for me in manual and technical setting training, back in my freshman year of college, by allowing me to come alongside her and second shoot weddings. Throughout college, we have ventured out on creative trips, such as a trip to Prada, Marfa, the Monahan Sand Dunes, and Galveston. Elizabeth has been a God send, since the beginning of my journey with Create Joy Life, and always is a constant source of encouragement. Lauren Hembree, my former boss at raeRAY Designs, a company focusing on wedding coordinating and design, has taught me so much about being a small business owner, including social media marketing, Squarespace website design, and professionalism. These amazing women, alongside the support of friends, family, and the clients that keep Create Joy Life alive, have truly made an impact on this business and my life. With a commitment to growth, authenticity, and purpose behind Create Joy, I am excited to continue to uplift and inspire, one photograph at a time.
