How did you first start to build a following on Instagram?
My Instagram journey has been quite a ride, but I really started to get noticed when I moved to Los Angeles. At the time, I was just sharing my day to day adventures at local coffee shops and meeting up with other creative people to take colorful photos. Quickly, Instagram noticed me and started sharing me on their main page and added me to their suggested users list! I was so excited. From there, my audience has just grown organically.
What drove you to move from Kansas to Los Angeles?
I was at a place in my life where I was feeling stuck creatively. I had been working in ad agencies in Kansas City since graduating college and was really wanting to do more than just be at my desk. LA seemed like the perfect place to escape to and take a chance with freelance! It was the best decision I’ve ever made.
How do your skills as a graphic designer and photographer overlap?
As creative beings we are always evolving and I think we go through many stages in our careers. Graphic design was my very first passion but when I moved to Los Angeles I just wanted to get out and away from the screen, feel the earth with my hands and live through my lens. What’s been great is how you can have multiple paths as an artist! While I love my adventures with photography, I also love coming home to edit and design around what I captured with my camera.
What projects have you worked on in the past that you are most proud of?
There have been a few times in my career where companies I’ve been inspired by have reached out to work with me, which is always a nice feeling: To know that they appreciate my work like I do theirs! Currently, I’m working with Apple on a project to spotlight their products I use every day as a photographer and I’m really proud of how it’s turning out. It’s always exciting to work on something you fully believe in.
How does a brand collaboration typically work for you? What guides you along that process?
One of the most exciting things for me is that initial contact with a new brand and the relationship that follows. Often times, when a company reaches out to work with me, they are already familiar with my photography and because of that are very trusting to let me run free creatively, which is always the dream! From there, I try to really put myself in the shoes of their audience and ask myself what I think they’d like to see, which always really helps guide me. Plus, it’s a fun challenge!
Do you have a spot in Los Angeles that is your favorite for photography?
While my style has evolved over the years, I’ll forever have the greatest memories of my shoots at all of LA’s colorful walls. While it’s hard to believe now, there was a time when the pink wall on Melrose wasn’t well known and I look back on photos I took there and smile.
You’ve worked with brands from Chevy, Michael Kors to Airbnb and Mercedes. Do you have a collaboration that stood out to you as the most exciting?
The one collaboration that jumps out to me instantly is my work with Disney and Pixar. They brought me in to help with the initial release of ‘Inside Out’ and ‘The Good Dinosaur’ and it was a very special experience. That first time I stepped into the Pixar Animation Studios outside of San Francisco I had to pinch myself – I was surrounded by some of the most creative people in the world!
You have a very colorful Instagram page. How do you make the colors pop in your design and photography?
Color is the heart and soul of everything I do, and to a degree I’m obsessive about how color works together in my Instagram grid. One of my goals is to try to find subtle ways to connect things even if no one else will notice. Visually we are very drawn to color and I think it’s always a great way to get people to stop and connect with your content.
What travel tips would you give someone visiting Los Angeles for the first time?
Los Angeles is an incredibly diverse and inspiring city – there is an energy here that I really have’t felt anywhere else. Often when people come for the first time, they want to see what they know from TV and the movies, which can of course be lots of fun, but there is so much more! I would highly recommend our museums, from the new Academy Museum in West Hollywood to the Getty Villa in Malibu. We have such an appreciation in LA for the arts of all kinds. I’d also recommend asking locals at your morning coffee shop for their favorite spots to eat – it’s always the secret neighborhood spots that have the best food. And don’t forget your camera!
What advice would you give to someone looking to follow in your career footsteps?
Never let rejection or being told “no” make you feel like you’re on the wrong path. Keep pushing through! If you wake up every morning excited for what you do, you will get to where you want to be so embrace it. Also – collaborate! Reach out to people that inspire you and ask questions or ask for advice. It’s flattering and you’ll typically find that people love to help one another. Even though social media has changed in the past years, at the core is still our need to connect with one another and that’s a beautiful thing.
