Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joshua Mannila. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joshua, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am happy as a creative because it gives me the flexibility and opportunity to do whatever I want with my work. It is fun to collaborate with my models, come up with unique ideas, and bring them to life. I am my own boss, so it is nice to control my schedule and time. I also get to make all of the decisions for my business. I do wonder what it would be like to work a regular job, though. I am only 19 years old and have never worked an hourly job due to my photography career business that has taken off. Most of my friends have an hourly job so it is nice to have a ton of schedule flexibility at my age.

Joshua, 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 got my start in photography in 4th grade, but I turned my passion into a business when I was a freshman in high school. I am a portrait photographer specializing in creative work. Something that sets me apart from other photographers is my age. Most photographers in my area are older, and I find myself shooting with a fresh perspective that resonates more with people my age. I am most proud of how far I have come with my photography in such a few years. I am fully self-taught and always receive fantastic feedback. I have started getting clients from around the country flying to Oregon just to work with me, which is really cool!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Non-creatives struggle to be open-minded in photography. In my experience, I have posted some photos where older generations send me mean messages/comments tearing down my photos because they don’t follow typical “photography guidelines.” They tell me what I should do better, what I did wrong, and how they think the photo should have been presented. It is fun to play around with my art, so it is unfortunate when non-creatives don’t understand that.

How did you build your audience on social media?

To be successful with social media, it takes a ton of persistence, consistency, and effort. Algorithms change, so you need to know what works and what doesn’t for your account. I post on social media every day. I have also made many friends in the photography industry in person and online. Posting on multiple social media platforms, such as Instagram and Tiktok, is beneficial. Some advice I would give to photographers/creatives just starting out would be to stay consistent and try new things to find out what works best for them. Keep your audience engaged too!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joshuamannila.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuamannila/
• Other: Tiktok: @joshuamannila

Image Credits
Joshua Mannila