We recently had the chance to connect with Jony Tanase and have shared our conversation below.
Jony, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What battle are you avoiding?
Get ready for this.
The battle I am avoiding is creating. Really getting it done. What I mean by that is I have dreams, goals, and passions that I want to make as my full-time gig. (similar to most people probably reading this). The battle is what if I am not good enough? What if I look stupid doing it? Everyone else seems to be miles ahead of me. I don’t have the time to create something… And my favorite… I have zero ideas, yet I feel like I ought to create.
I have been tackling and confronting this battle. I am learning to create for myself. Why did I fall in love with photography in the first place? What does it mean to me? Why do I care what others say or how well a social media post performs? Why not just focus on doing rather than pondering?
Just like Yoda said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” – yeah, a green alien from a movie from over 20 years ago packs more wisdom than any get help book out there. I really believe that the solutions to our problems do not need to be overthought. It isn’t that deep. We inflate our problems and place them on the pedestal of our identity and the way we operate.
I am battling that.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello!
My name is Jony (pronounced like Johnny) and I’m 27, married to my beautiful wife, and have a baby daughter. Life is good in that department. I love music and I’ll listen to almost any genre of music. Hans Zimmer, hard rock, reggae, rap, EDM, Skyrim music, lofi, dark academia, country, I mean, you name it.
Photography has been my passion since I was 15 years old, and I started with a Canon Rebel SL1. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. I felt professional just by holding even that tiny camera, and that was because of the detachable lens. I always try to have each of my photos really have a connection with something in my life. That can be in the moment as I am taking the photo, reminds me of a person or memory, or just a feeling. I know it’s cliché to say that I want you to feel as if you live in the photo, or bring you back to a core memory, but isn’t that what it’s all about? I find that fascinating that we all strive to move people through our work. I am no different.
Big coffee guy … but not a snob. I will drink coffee from the ground. I’ll just become critical when I get charged $10 for a pour over…
I love cinema and the art and science behind it all. I have a lot of favorite movies, but the biggest impact on my life is Hacksaw Ridge. I connect that movie with dad.
I just want to create, and if I can do that and provide for my family, then my dream will come true!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Grace and forgiveness.
We all think we are right. We all think we are the ones deserving of forgiveness (and sometimes we are owed that) and not the other person.
When we forgive, it is an act of love. humility, and real growth. We hear a lot about wanting the world to be kinder, nicer, and more accepting. But no one wants to accept the fact that we need to forgive others.
If we dont extend grace and forgive, we become bitter, prideful, aggressive, abrasive, and stubborn. Forgiving someone actually provides freedom.
When you can show a person who wronged you, demonstrate love that they don’t understand.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I came so close to giving up on photography. Which, for me (my wife pointed this out to me), giving up on that meant I was giving up on myself.
So why did I almost give up? I hated photography. I hated that I made it a business, and about making money and marketing, and sales. My paid gigs were mainly from weddings, and my wife and I were a great team at vetting couples, finding out ideal clients, capturing, and editing. Some of those couples are our close friends today. Making my photography hobby into a business venture slowly made me resent the craft and other creators, and myself. I didn’t hate the creators because they were doing well and creating cool stuff, but I could see right through them and see the lie. The message was, well, you must be happy because you make decent money from it… But it is far from the truth.
So, what did I do? I put my cameras and lenses on the Facebook marketplace. Yeah. However, as long as they were listed, I never actually sold any of my gear.
I am thankful for that.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
You need this product to compete or to complete your vision.
If you don’t work with the latest stuff or use what this creator is using, then are you even a pro?
Gear matters – now this isn’t everywhere, but it’s silently still being spread in the message.
Create just like [insert famous creative person] when you do this! (I don’t want to be them. I want to me)
The biggest lie is that taking your craft to the next level is what matters most. That is not what matters most. What matters most is remaining true to your values, vision, and passion in that craft.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Waste time thinking about the wasted time.
I already regret the time I have wasted… I’m only 27. Imagine when I’m 50! The time is now to make a move and get going.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanase_jonathan/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-tanase-53012b255/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JonathanTanase
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