the jessica of all trades
Photographer, designer, baker, crafter; creative mom of one human and 2 bulldogs.
I started drawing with my dad as soon as I could hold a crayon. Ever since then the arts have been a huge part of my life. The long and short of it is this: I have always had a lot of different interests - I tend to go wherever my curiosity leads me. Through high school and up to the point when I chose to go back to college to earn my masters degree, I consistently held at least 2 (and up to 4) jobs at a time, ranging from soloist singer at local churches to business owner. I've never been good at sitting still, so I found and scheduled plenty of work for myself that provided a rich and greatly varied set of skills I carry into my work. Many people told me that when you go into business for yourself you need to have laser-focus that allows you to do one thing, and only that one thing well. With that in mind, I tried to ignore my other passions to focus solely on lifestyle photography - only working other jobs to support myself while I grew my business. I followed that advice until I graduated with my Master of Arts in Mass Communication and realized I was boxing myself into a corner that should not exist. I do not advocate spreading yourself too thin or wedging yourself into fields where you are not suited for the work. HOWEVER, I do wish someone had told me earlier that it is okay to be passionate, deeply, intensely passionate, about more than one thing. And it is okay to purse your passions as long as you go into every endeavor with eyes wide open and a great (but flexible) plan. Dear creatives of the internet: IT IS OKAY TO BE MORE THAN ONE THING. None of us are "just" anything. Once I realized this, I began working on a plan to bring more of my passions to life. I had been growing my lifestyle brand, Memories by JMF, allowing it to evolve for about 6 years when I decided I was ready to add a second brand focused just on wedding photography: Weddings by JMF . I have, in one way or another, been a member of the wedding industry since I was in 7th grade. But it was my experience as a bride that helped me realize how I could use my skills to help document love stories for other couples. Please use the form below to get in touch if I can help you with any of your creative needs. Cheers! JMF |
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Are you working on a new brand? Want to reach a broader or different target audience?
Looking to build a photo library or need refreshed images? Send me a note :) |