We were lucky to catch up with Brook Hewitt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brook, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.

I have been an educator for over 30 years. I currently work in a STEAM charter school. A change I would make in the education system is to integrate more STEM into all schools, making sure to include the A for art, which is sometimes excluded. I believe now more than ever, fostering and supporting creativity in schools is vital. Learning how to adapt to modern-day curve balls has become crucial. Adaptation is most effective when students learn to think outside the box and flex creative muscles, which is why I always say, “Creativity is. survival skill. ” I am profoundly dyslexic; this was a painful affliction as a child and student, as there were few resources available to me at the time, I struggled to the point of tears and often giving up. I realized as I grew up and continued my education that my dyslexia and naturally creative nature worked symbiotically to help me overcome obstacles and strengthen my creative security. I have learned that hard doesn’t mean impossible.

Brook, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I sort of fell into teaching as a teenage babysitter. I have never enjoyed “sitting,” so I would create lessons and activities that would become the foundation of a lifelong education career. I had been teaching. variety of art and science classes when, completely out of the blue, I was laid off during the 2009 recession. I was a newly minted single mom and terrified of not being able to provide for my children, so I took a huge leap of faith and started a photography business. I bought a used camera from a former student’s father and opened a shop. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was sink or swim! I learned how to hustle and make a name for myself, photographing professional wrestling and rock concerts as Rose Riot Photography, a huge career change from my time in the classroom.

I was growing my success, but I seriously missed the classroom, my comfort zone. One day, out of sheer frustration with the stresses of being a full-time lance photographer juggling mom duties, I decided I just wanted to teach photography to kids. I figured all I needed to do was find a local kids’ photography school/class and send them my resume, they would hire me, and life would be great! Imagine my surprise when my extensive internet search for the imagined photography school/class for kids did not exist! I was seriously shocked! I had always loved photography, I got my first camera when I was 10. I just assumed all kids loved photography as much as me so naturally, there would be educational programs available for children. It became clear to me that if I wanted to settle into teaching photography to kids, I was going to have to start my own program, so I did! In 2012, I started Camera Class for Kids. Atlants’s first photography program exclusively for kids that provided all photography gear.

I have been running both Rose Riot Photography and Camera Class simultaneously. Both weathered the storm of lockdown and COVID-19, a time when we all learned firsthand the importance of creativity and adaptability. I got to experience teaching around the world and did a staggering amount of front-yard portraits. It was also during this time that I decided to take advantage of a rare lull in my personal and professional schedule and go back to school to achieve a teaching degree and certification finally. The thing is, even though I had been an educator for many years, this was because of good reputation, connections and luck, I had dropped out of school to start. a family with a prolonged promise to return someday. At the age of 49, I made good on that promise to myself and embarked on a crazy online post-secondary education journey. At the age of 51, I finally graduated with a degree in elementary education and became a certified teacher, and on June 23, 2024, I will graduate with a master’s degree in STEM Education with a focus on Photography. Hard doesn’t mean impossible.

Meanwhile, a few other notable things happened. My husband and I started doing vintage fashion photoshoots for fun and started modeling as “Fools In Love.” using, mostly my Rose Riot Photography Instagram account to share images that have been appreciated by many internet fans. Everything seemed to be coming up “roses” for Rose Riot Photography and Camera Class when my world was rocked by a natural disaster. On July 10, 2022, a HUGE oak tree fell straight through the middle of my tiny house, nearly crushing me and my husband. The house was almost completely demolished, and we lost almost everything…but we were alive. For 15 months, my husband and I were displaced from our beloved home. We lived in a hotel and rental house and spent 7 months living in a tiny camper without any utilities, parked in the front yard for my broken home while it was being reconstructed.

Four days after the tree crushed my house, I was approached by an innovative STEAM charter school and asked to bring my unique photography program to their school. This was a dream come true that couldn’t have come at a worse time! I had always envisioned my program being integrated into the school system, but my life had literally been turned upside down, and I had just lost all of my teaching supplies due to a natural disaster!
I put one foot in front of the other, picked up the pieces of my life (some days literally!), and embarked on a new and exciting leg of my teaching expedition. I continued my college courses and started a brand new career, living out of boxes. This was the most difficult time I have ever experienced.

I sit here today, in my beautiful, newly renovated, and repaired home, two months shy of a huge academic accomplishment because creativity is a survival skill, and hard definitely does not mean impossible.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being 100% unique! Also, not being afraid to try new things. Also, seeing and embracing “unicorns” in business.

How did you build your audience on social media?

This goes back to being 100% unique. I had relatively few followers, and they are mostly local, but I have amazing authentic engagement. To me, that’s all that matters. There was a time when I thought I wanted to be “internet famous” and set goals to have an impressive number of followers, but now I care way less about that. Am I having fun making content? Are people enjoying my content? This is all I care about. Even though I have relatively low numbers, I stay booked with fun gigs; I am doing something right! lol

Contact Info:

• Website: www.roseriotphotography.com
• Instagram: roseriotphotography / cameraclassforkids
• Facebook: kristene brook hewitt moore
• Youtube: camera class for kids

Image Credits
Rose Riot Photography Camera Class for Kids