Meet Andrew Lewis

We recently connected with Andrew Lewis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I think my purpose was hidden from me and revealed over time. I came back to photography after I was laid off from my job after over 20 years with the same company in the telecom industry. I had survived many rounds of surplus layoffs, and it was apparently my turn. This would end up being a blessing in disguise.
As I continue down my path, it seems like the things that have happened to me occurred for a reason, and I maybe didn’t realize I was being steered in a particular direction. Rather than start over with another employer, I returned to a passion from childhood and began to pursue an education in photography. I had worked with cameras in junior and senior high school and my first job was a portrait photographer with a national retail chain. I had the interest and a background, and I decided to work on that part of my life. I enrolled in photography classes at a local community college. The faculty and students I met soon began to shape my journey. I was being introduced to related opportunities and activities, opening up more doors as I progressed. Not only was I strengthening my knowledge and skills, but I was finding so many ways to help others and give back to an art form and the related community. In 2019 an instructor at the college introduced me to an organization and I volunteered to be a student volunteer at their annual convention. I have volunteered at every convention since and am working with various other organizations. I serve on the boards of art/photography organizations from the national to local levels, I was active in the photography club on campus and continue to seek other ways to give back to the community that has given me such joy.
As time goes on, I realize that my career coming to an abrupt end was actually the best thing that ever happened to me. It has allowed me to develop skills and learn things that enrich me personally, but I am also able to participate in the various organizations that attract people with similar passions and I can help them grow their skills and pursue what makes them happy.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

In no particular order, I am the secretary of my state professional photographers’ association, state councilor to a national professional photographers’ association, vice president of my local camera club, and member of various local photography associations and arts councils.
I perform various administrative tasks for my groups. I lead trips, give presentations, volunteer at events, assist with art shows, judge competitions, represent my organizations at conferences, assist with educational events, and various other tasks. I also pursue my own craft, taking classes, attending workshops. and explore and expand the boundaries of my own interests. I am currently working on certifications from national and state photography organizations. The certifications are earned through achievement, education, and service. They signify an overall commitment to the craft. I have already earned a certification as a professional photographer and a master photographer certification, but I would like to continue to add education and experience to my artistic resume.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I feel that the steps of my journey are connected. We may not realize why we are headed down a path while we’re on it, but sometimes we can look back and see why we were led down the route.
I think the time I spent in the corporate world developed interpersonal skills that I rely heavily upon now. As much as we become a society that is reliant upon technology, I think that anyone who has strong people skills have an advantage that helps them deal with a wider variety of situations.
My educational path has been non traditional. I started at a state university but I really didn’t want to be there. I then took some classes at a community college, but ran into the same lack of motivation. I then began my professional career. I held various jobs with the telephone company, from entry level to lower level management. Throughout my different roles, I came across various people who helped me look at the world differently every day. Once I left the corporate environment, I returned to community college. With increased maturity and a different way of looking at the world, I was more receptive to the education being offered to me. My grades reflected that, and I learned a lot more.
The benefits of a wide variety of experiences and acquaintances reveal themselves as I get older. I guess the point I’m trying to make is to trust in the journey and the process of trying things a different way or looking at a situation from different angles. The things that life throws at us prepare us for the future by giving us different tools to work with in processing our environment. Take the problems in our algebra classes. We really don’t care how long it will take the train that left Cleveland at 8:30 PM and is travelling at 50 MPH to reach Indianapolis if our train left Boston at noon. We were learning how to take partial pieces of information and put them together into a real world solution that helps with a current situation.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

Is it cheating to answer with “both”? I’m not a fan of all or nothing scenarios. There need to be areas that are absolute strengths for a person, but I believe people need to be able to be at least competent in a wide range of areas. If a person concentrates too much on a narrow range of skills or capabilities, it severely limits the person’s opportunities. It is beneficial to have an area or two where a person is an expert, but not at the expense of having no other skills to offer.
In my career with the telephone company, I was given world-class customer service training. I also took technical classes that broadened my knowledge base. I passed technical and engineering tests that opened other doors to me that allowed me to advance my career, Since I have been gone, my former employer has reached out to me multiple times to return to the company. Having both the technical education and interpersonal experience makes me valuable.
These skills are also benefiting me in my photographic endeavors. I am able to learn more technical concepts that improves my craft, but the personal skills I have picked up along the way has allowed me to fulfill other roles, further enriching my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://andrewslewis72e25c.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alewisphoto72/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067173407512

Image Credits

Images of me, credit Kathy Newman and David Emenheiser