We were lucky to catch up with Emilia Joy recently and have shared our conversation below.
Emilia , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My parent instilled a good work ethic in me from a very young age. I am one of 10 children in my family and I have been involved in yard work, landscaping and all sorts of other types of work since I was about 5 years old. I remember the first time I got to push mow the yard, at the age of 7, I was THRILLED, I finally was old enough to make a few dollars doing the big kids work. The foundation that my parents laid for me from the beginning has been so helpful as I have become an adult. My family is full of entrepeneurs and I grew up working for dad in his business, I always loved the way that owning your own business gives you a lot more freedom with your time and schedule.
When I got older I worked for my brother and then when he moved on to another job I took over his lawn maintenance business. Photography has always been a passion of mine and something I have loved since I was very little. As I watched other people in my family build their own business I decided that I wanted to start a photography business. I began the process of building my photography business during the same time that I owned the lawn business. I knew it was going to be hard work, but I knew that I could do it since I had seen so many others do it.
A huge aspect of developing my work ethic is from my faith. As I have grown older I have learned more and more of what it means to work for the glory of God. I believe that God created work as a good thing, it is a huge gift and blessing to be able to build and create, God has given us resources and we get to be incredibly creative with those resources. I believe that work is not just a means to the end of having money. The work is itself a gift. I also believe that because we have been given gifts we have a huge responsibility according to the gifts we’ve been given. Because of the Lord Jesus Christ we have incredible purpose in our work. Almost every type of work that we do involves other people and when we are working for, or with, other people we are doing things that are impactful through eternity. There’ no better reason to find joy and purpose in your work than that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My current business is photography, I am a wedding, family and senior portrait photographer. My goal as a photographer is to preserve legacy and memories for my clients. Every family, couple and individual has a different story, personality and background. I love to capture the stories of each of my clients, I love finding out what makes them laugh and learning what’s made them who they are. My style of photography is very candid and joyful. I laugh a lot with my clients and I let them play games and make memories with each other.
Everyone loves digging through their parents and grandparents boxes full of old photos. Photos are a way of preserving history, a way of reliving the past. Photos hold memories and have the power of relaying the value of relationships, emotions and a simple life. When it comes down to it, it’s the people who’s lives you’ve impacted that really matter in the end. There’s something about a photo that can make you see that and feel that.
I also do a little bit of art as a side business. I do art mostly just for the fun of it, and it’s a bonus if I can make a few dollars while I’m at it. Lately, I’ve focused on doing watercolor paintings, I prefer to paint anything that’s in nature, flowers are my speciality. Being an artist has helped me a lot with my photography, when you draw and photograph things it changes the way that you see the world. In my art and photography my goal is to preserve the beauty of what things actually looked like. I don’t warp or change things from what they really were, I try to preserve the colors in my paintings and in my photos. I want to take photos and make art that will never go out of style.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Perseverance is a huge character quality that every business owner, and honestly ever person should develop. Building a business is hard work, it harder than I thought it would be. It takes perseverance to keep you going when the odds seem against you. It’s super easy to get discouraged when things are taking longer to pick up than you thought. Sometimes the only thing that gets you through is just the mindset to keep pressing on.
Another huge thing for me was learning to be willing to make sacrifices. This is something I had to do often starting out my business. If you are building a business that provides a service for someone, change your mindset and starting using the opportunity to bless people. Do things for free if you are able and you’ll find that your sacrifices are working for you. Blessing others will also bless you.
I think the third biggest thing I’ve learned is that the way you treat people is going to have the biggest impact on the way your business grows. The experience of working with you and your business is just as important as the services you offer. People are impacted by people more than by the service you do. Do your work to the best of your ability but make sure you’re making those sacrifices of time and energy to pour into the people that your business is serving.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The book that has most impacted my life is definitely the Bible. Its so jammed packed full of wisdom for every area of life. The principles that are found in the bible are tried and true. As a Christian the word of God governs everything that I do. It’s what give purpose to my work and to the whole of my life. Having a purposeful life means a JOY filled life. Because of Jesus my purpose is not found in my work. I love photography but I if my business ultimately fails I still have hope and joy and purpose because of my faith.
My biggest piece of advice is this: if you are living for yourself check your heart and your motives and look to Jesus, the One who made you and then turn your eyes outward to bless other people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emiliajoyphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emiliajoy_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emiliajoyPhotography/
Image Credits
All the images were taking by me Emilia Joy Photography
