Meet Jessie Treadway

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessie Treadway a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessie, 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?

This is such an interesting question to think about, because it makes you question yourself to levels that you aren’t usually comfortable with. For many years I have gone through the motions and done the things that I was “supposed” to do. I went to high school, got good grades, was extremely involved, played sports, and held a job. Then I went to college where I graduated with honors and a year early, while working full-time. Then, as quickly as it started, it was done and reality kind of set in. Here I was, a graduate, an adult, and with no idea what I wanted to do in this world. For a few years, I threw around going to further my Anthropology degree, working different jobs, and I even taught high school for a short period of time. However, I always felt the same, like I could be doing more for myself. I was filling all the cups around me, but leaving my half full.

At the end of 2023, I was hit by the very sudden loss of my Nana, and it was like a punch to the stomach and head at the same time. Just like everyone says, loss makes you wake up and realize that life is too short. A month after losing her, I was having a rough time through the Holidays and just needed a break. I unpacked this basically new Canon camera that I had actually bought for somebody else years prior, and decided to just go take pictures to clear my head. I hopped in the car and started driving through the city towards the Lake. As we got closer, I saw this massive bird flying around, and I all but jumped out of the car to chase this guy down. However, again, this is my first time ever using this camera and I have absolutely no experience with it, nor do I even know how to work it. I know the camera is in Automatic mode, and I am basically just taking pictures with my fingers crossed that this camera is capturing this massively beautiful bird.

At this point, I was standing alone off the road, at the top of a small cliff, overlooking the lake. In the midst of these pictures I began to notice a loud hum almost. Enough so that it snapped me out of my focus on this bird and made me look around. What I saw I can only really describe as the clearest, loudest message that was never spoken to me. There were hundreds of birds all around and in the water: ducks, geese, seagulls, sparrows, and more. It made my breath catch in my throat because they weren’t there minutes prior. At this point, I heard a very clear call and I looked to my left and there was one lone cardinal in the bushes about 7 feet from me. Before this, I was not a person who would have noticed this nor would it have meant anything to me. However, at that moment, looking at this cardinal, a sense of warmth came over me and I started to cry. Everything felt so perfect, it was as if time stood still.

After what seemed like forever, my attention snapped back to the “hawk” and I noticed it was staring at me. I grabbed my camera, focused it on him, and just like that he leaped off the branch. I was so inexperienced, I was basically just wildly snapping pictures and hoping they were in focus. Capturing a flying bird, zoomed in with automatic focus, proves extremely difficult. When I got home, I looked at the pictures, and they basically turned out exactly as you would expect, terrible. They were dark, blurry, and just very clear a beginner took them, except one. I was able to capture this beautiful picture of this juvenile eagle that I had been mistaking for a hawk. Which made this experience even more special. One single photo, and I knew to my core this was what I should be doing.

It wasn’t the path that I started out on, and I don’t know if it’s the path I’ll end on, but I do know that it’s the path for me right now. Photography makes me feel like I am not alone, like me and my subject are sharing this special moment that the rest of the world doesn’t get to see. Every picture is like a secret that only you get to truly experience. The world is a big place and when we lose the few people who make it not seem so big it’s hard to reground yourself. I am lucky enough that I found something that brings such beauty out of a place of such pain. Photography has given me so much already, and I love sharing that with others.

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?

As I mentioned earlier, I have a degree in Anthropology, but what that really means is I love people. Every aspect of people: culture, language, biology, history, all of it. Since I was very, very young, I have had this deep pull inside to see and experience the world. The incredible stories of others danced through my head and provided a path for me to follow. I knew I always saw things a little bit differently, but now I realize that is a blessing.

When I was 5, while other people wanted to be astronauts, princesses, the president, or doctors, I wanted to be an Archaeologist. I spent my time digging outside and just being in nature absolutely obsessed with finding things. This really fortified my observation skills and helped me develop a deeper connection with my surroundings. I became entranced with the beauty of the world.

I am a creative photographer that really has not picked my niche, and I kinda love that. A lot of the time, especially in photography, people get put into boxes. You really only get to be one type of photographer. If I love nature, then I do landscapes or animals. If I love people and money, I do portraits or weddings, etc. However, I don’t really fit into a box and never have. I love to photograph whatever catches my eye. Sometimes, that’s people, sometimes it’s birds, or landscapes. I notice the little things, always, and that, to me, is an advantage. I see the beauty of every part of this world, no matter how big or small, and I love that I get to share that with people. I can show them something they would never have taken a second to look at. I show that there is beauty everywhere if you look. Sometimes you just need somebody to point it out.

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

The skills that got me to where I am today would be my resilience, determination, and creativity. I don’t have a cookie-cutter life story to give you, but I am also not going to sit here and let my shortcomings rule my life. The truth is, the minute you let yourself sink, it becomes so easy to drown. I have had to be tough and overcome obstacles that have brought me to my knees repeatedly, but I don’t ever give up. When I put my mind to something, it is happening. Because one thing I learned is, if you don’t do it for you yourself, nobody will.

My best advice to someone just starting out is to let go. Whatever perception you have in your head; let it go. Whatever your background is; let it go. Whatever those people said to you; let it go. Whatever bar you’re creating in your head for yourself; let it go. There are no rules, and you don’t need to be any specific thing. Take it from someone who spent most of their life trying to “fit in” or do what I was told. Don’t be that, you’re worth more than that. Take a deep breath and just go. You are already further than you think. Trust yourself.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

The biggest thing I did in the past 12 months was pick up a camera and put myself out there. I started this journey a short 8 months ago and the progress I have made almost seems unreal. To start, I was in a dark place, as many of us have been, and wasn’t sure what to do with my life. It took the courage to step out of my comfort zone and learn something new. I spent hours watching videos on my specific camera and learning lighting settings and editing because it wasn’t my background and I didn’t know a single thing but to press the button. I failed over and over and over again. It took me 3 months to learn how to successfully shoot in manual mode and I still have a lot more to learn.

The second, arguably the scariest part, was putting myself out there. As a person who wasn’t big on social media before, I didn’t love the idea of posting pictures I took for others to see. In fact, it took me months to post anything where people I knew could see it. However, after a lot of build-up, I finally did it. I put myself out there. Amazingly, the minute I let go and just threw myself completely into it, I saw the results. Since January, I have accumulated over 10,000 followers across my accounts, which still seems a little unreal. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it, and I am so proud of myself. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it comes in baby steps, and I am enjoying the journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @wyld.mami
• Facebook: Jessie Treadway
• Other: Threads: @jessie.treadway