We recently connected with Bill Miles and have shared our conversation below.
Bill, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Definitely, my optimism comes from my father. He was a dreamer, always recanting his mantra, “If you can think it, you can thing it.” I’ve always felt that anything is possible for myself…but also that I’ll have to do the work to achieve it.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I was supposed to be an engineer.
I was supposed to take over the family business selling machine tools in a now rusty small town in Michigan. Fortunately, I was saved by a camera, given to me in my teens by my father. I immediately fell in love. I stopped cleaning those machine tools and began photographing them for summer work. In time, my father, with a hand-written letter, ‘released’ me from what had been his unfortunate trajectory of not following his own artistic instincts, and I raced off to California to study photography at Art Center College of Design.
The love affair has continued for my entire career as a photographer and director, which has been shaped by my values of optimism, compassion and collaboration. I’ve been fortunate to work on wonderful campaigns with companies including American Airlines, American Express, Lexus, BMW, Samsung, Estée Lauder and many other top brands.
What I love most is the opportunity to tell a story with my camera…and if that can include travel and a message of social good, it’s the perfect assignment!
I live in Woodstock NY, in the Catskill Mountains near New York City and above my desk hangs that letter from Dad — a daily reminder to follow my heart.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Believe in yourself. No one else can do it for you. Truly…you can achieve anything if you believe you can.
2. “Mistakes” are opportunities to learn, to grow, to course-correct. I’ve made them and you will too…the key is to be accountable (even when it hurts), and move forward.
3. You have a choice every day to change your life — to let go of what’s not working and pivot to a new direction. It can be a small habit you want to shift or a large life goal you want to pursue — just know that every day is a gift and an opportunity.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents guided me to be independent — to think independently and believe that I was enough. It wasn’t always an easy lesson — I spent a lot of my childhood fending for myself, figuring life out for myself in ways big and small — but these are the experiences that shape us. As a result, I’m comfortable in nature, in the city, in a group, or in silence. I can problem-solve. I have big goals…but I also take joy in simple pleasures.
My father was always reading philosophy and books on the edge of conventional wisdom. He was reading Deepak Chopra before anyone had heard of him. At the dinner table, he’d toss out a few big words…if he saw me or my sisters looking quizzically, he’d direct us to look up the word in the dictionary right then and there. He wanted us to always think bigger than the container we were in at any moment.
As a father, this is a legacy I hope to pass on to my children.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://billmiles.com
- Instagram: @billmilesproductions
Image Credits
© 2025 Bill Miles
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