Meet William E. Ricks

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful William E. Ricks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

William E., we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from different sources. The primary source is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What He had to endure — beating beaten, spat on, disrespected, humiliated — all for something He didn’t do, but it meant the freedom for endless generations…that’s the epitome of resilience. So whenever I get discouraged, frustrated, upset, I just think about the resilience Jesus had — to take the beating and die on the cross for us. That fuels me to be continue pushing, even when I don’t want to. Because I know that as my Lord Jesus Lives, and as long as I follow Him, He will provide and I will always be victorious!

The resilience I have also comes from my upbringing. I was raised to be a mentally tough individual, not letting circumstances, obstacles or people deter me from my goals. My family has always encouraged me to be mentally tough and spiritually secure in Christ. Because of this being instilled in me since birth, I have been able to overcome so much. My father always told me “never let a situation define you” which in my opinion, is exactly what resilience is. Resilience gives you the opportunity to define the situation, and not letting the situation define you! My background playing football has also helped, as you have to be resilient mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. in order to survive on gridiron.

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 am William E. Ricks. I have experience in journalism and artificial intelligence, but my love is art and creative content. I specialize in photography, videography, music, and light graphic design work. My business, Squilliam Content Creations, offers these services for customers, but we also post photos, videos, and more content for casual consumption across our social media pages.

For photography, I venture into many genres, but I specialize in portraits, nature, and street photography. My work stands out for its striking details and beautiful skies. I have coined my own editing term, “Modern Nostalgia”, which gives photos a vintage feel while still keeping the colors vibrant. I’ve been blessed to have my work featured in many online publications over the years because of my outstanding work. I also sell many of my images through my online print shop so people can have awesome photos to view in their home!

My videos are also wide-ranging. I create Bible scripture videos, helping all understand and get closer to God and His Word. I also make gaming videos, capturing my best, funniest — and worst moments playing RPGs, shooters, fighting games, sports games, and more! Additionally, I make exploration videos of our travels, whether it be through sunflower fields or scenic aquariums. There is so much to view on our YouTube page (@squilliamcreations) that anyone will find something to enjoy!

Musically, I make beats and instrumentals. I have release several songs and projects across streaming services already, our latest being “Squill Sessions Vol. 2” (go listen now, available everywhere)! I’ve made tunes across various genres like gospel, hip-hop, funk, R&B, Rock, Lofi, Afrobeats, and more! I actually have a NEW album coming out later this year, and I am SUPER EXCITED about it! It’s my best work to date, GUARENTEED! More information on the album details are coming very soon but here’s a hint: T.L.R (can you guess what the acronym stands for?).

One thing I’d love everyone to know about our brand is that I love Jesus and I love art. And my goal is to help merge those two things together so people who view my content can enjoy the awesome art, but also get fed spiritually with the truth, love, and power of God and His Word. I want everyone to feel welcomed, loved, and enjoy the content we create. And if you need any of the services we offer, please contact me (shotsbysquill@gmail.com), I’d love to collaborate! As our Lord Jesus lives, so will my phenomenal content! Amen!

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?

So the three most important things that are most impactful on my journey:

Patience – This is so important! Early in my career, I lacked patience. I always wanted to be the first one done, the first one to break the news, the quickest to complete something, etc. And while I thought that was good, I didn’t learn the patience needed to review my work, to clean up my work, to really take time to make my work the best it could be. So I had to go through some trials to understand that the Lord is trying to teach me patience. I don’t need to be first, I need to take my time so when it’s done, it will reflect my skills properly. And truth is, I am still learning patience, ahaha! I still fight myself on wanting to be done quickly, or wanting to be fast. But I have to pray and ask God to slow me down, and even reveal to me why I need to slow down. So if you have patience issues, take a deep breath, take a step back, and realize you are not in a race. Quality is more important than speed. And ask God to give you the patience you need to persevere.

Photography – This may seem so trivial, but I am so thankful for my photography class I took at Penn State (shout out the Nittany Lions, WE ARE!). I was able to gain so much knowledge about photography I did not know before (aperture, F-stops, framing, editing, etc.) Just that class alone really helped me find my editing style (Modern Nostalgia) and also challenged me to explore more angles, framing techniques, creative ideas in my photos. The result has been my work having more meaning, and overall looking better, which is a huge blessing. That class (and my experience in photography) has taught me that anybody can take a photo, but not everyone can be a photographer (and yes, there is a difference, ahaha).

Customer Service/People Skills – Coming from someone who enjoys being alone and out of the way, this is HUGE. Having great people/customer service skills is crucial. You have to step outside yourself and think from the customers perspective (even if you may not agree with it). You have to communicate in a way that ensures they receive the information properly, even if it may mean changing your delivery a bit. You have to show grace and understanding in moments where you may want to flip your lid. But when you realize that they are just like us — humans who are doing their best to get it right — God allows you enter any situation with love, peace, and understanding. And those three things I believe are crucial to fostering great customer service. Love the customer, bring them peace through the service you offer, and understand their perspective to give them the best product for them!

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The challenge I am currently facing is…myself and my expectations. I am a person who sets high goals for myself, and when I don’t reach them, I can beat myself up and be overly self-critical, which leads to me feeling like I have to do more, which eventually leads to me being burnt out.

I have to remind myself daily that this content creation thing is a marathon, not a sprint. Even when I don’t meet the goal(s) I set for myself, I need to find the blessings God provides me through the journey. It could be me realizing a faster editing technique. It might be God revealing another content avenue I can take advantage of. God may just need me to realize that He is in control of my business, and my expectations aren’t currently aligned with His purpose for my company. So when I am wrestling with myself and my expectations, I am making the effort to seek God more, rather than trying to do it my own way. It is a daily battle, but I need to make the choice to seek God’s will, and avoid doing my own will .

Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.”

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All images taken and edited by William E. Ricks of Squilliam Content Creations

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