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

Ruth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always wanted to do a project visualizing the presence of God which is love according to 1 John 4:16 in the Bible. This desire was rooted from multiple encounters with Christ and feeling the love of God for myself.

I wanted to get this message across in a unique yet accurate way. One evening I walked past a restaurant on H street in DC that had ASL (American Sign Language) printed on the side of its building. This form of sign language is used by over half a million people and most people I know, know little about it.

The exposure to sign that day inspired me to translate the love of God through sign language. I thought it was good way to educate those around me on the lack of representation within the deaf and hard hearing community while also being able to visually share the meaning of love in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-9.

Ruth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a photographer/videographer who has been working with cameras since 2012. I was introduced to videography and editing by a teacher in high school then later started taking photos in college. I love capturing life moments through my lens, and being able to provide people with piece of history in their life. My mission while a camera is in my hand is to transcribe truth and relay reality. With that foundation I’ve done my best to capture the community’s emotions when the world shifts. For example, interviewing people on their election reactions once Joe Biden became President to photographing #endSARS protests which pushed back against the police brutality in Nigeria.

To any clients, collaborators, or brands I may work with in the future all I would need them to know is; my camera is here to seize moments in reality, not to manipulate them.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There is a TED talk titled “30 is not the new 20”. This TED talk single handedly lead a shift in my behavior. My habits became something I wanted to refine instead of accept. There isn’t much or any entrepreneurial advice in that talk, but the lessons I learned have shaped me into a better person making me a better entrepreneur.

Aside from that video, the Bible has been my favorite book to consult about money management and customer service. There are a lot of gems in there if you’re interested to find them.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that being “booked and busy” was the way to live. Don’t get me wrong having a lot of clients and consistent cash flow is great however there’s a price you pay as well. I had to unlearn that the money isn’t everything after taking high paying jobs but it resulting in a lot of anxiety. Not every paying job is a good one, and every unpaid opportunity isn’t a waste of time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.channelonenine.com
• Instagram: @channelonenine
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCPA_NT7-aNnqCW4fxNVI6Tg

Image Credits
Ruth Addisu