We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nehemiah Brent. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nehemiah below.

Nehemiah, appreciate you joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I desire my legacy to be a life of love, determination, wisdom, and endurance. I want people to remember more for how I tried to give back to my community more than anything else. This creative journey of mine has been a rollercoaster. I’ve been blessed with great opportunities, and I’m very grateful for them. I’m still early in my journey, and I know I’ll achieve so much more.

What I really care about in the long run is how I can help the next generation of artists. I want to show them that they can make a living off art if they want to. Also, I want to talk with them about the reality of choosing this path. I want to let them know that they will have many ups and downs, but as long as they really love what they’re doing, that’s what really really matters.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I first started photography while I was in college, but as a hobby. I was originally studying Kinesiology with the end goal of being a physical therapist. I would shoot with my friends and other students on campus as a way to connect with more people. I photographed school events and concerts as well.

During my last two years of undergrad I would take trips to New York, and connect with some photographers that really inspired me. Their bodies of work really made me rethink where I wanted to take my photography. I graduated with a bachelors in Kinesiology, but I knew that I would end up pursuing photography.

I moved to New York from Massachusetts in July 2020 during the pandemic. It was a crazy move, but the opportunity presented itself and I had to take it. Ever since then I’ve just been creating some of the best bodies of work in my life. I’ve been able to network a lot, and it’s helped me get opportunities I never thought I would get. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really amazing people. I’m very happy with how my journey is going, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn that I can’t compare my journey to my peers. I really struggled with that during the first two years living in New York. New York is saturated with photographers, and a lot of the time I would see people get opportunities that I thought I deserved more. I would say things like “my work is just as good as theirs why don’t I get that opportunity” or “how are they this young and they’re at that level. I had really bad imposter syndrome.

Overtime I came to the realization that everyone’s journey is different and I’m right where I’m supposed to be. There’s no rush to success. It really is about enjoying the journey, and not worrying about the destination.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is posting my work on multiple media platforms. I think it’s very important to share your work across multiple platforms because that’s how you can meet a variety of new clients. Personally, I like to share my work on LinkedIn, and Instagram. At the moment, LinkedIn has been my favorite place to share my work because I’ve been able to get really great clients from there. For example, I had the opportunity to work with Netflix in 2022 because someone found my LinkedIn profile.

I always ask clients how they found me because it helps me understand their expectations, and why they chose me. I think this has helped me build strong relationships with my clients. A lot of the time clients find me through referrals from old clients, followers or friends who are always looking out for me. You never know who’s watching you, and trying to put you on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nehemiahbrent.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planetnehemiah/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehemiahbrent/