We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aaron Grayson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aaron below.
Aaron , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work in my current role- Creative Services Manager at Tennessee State University. However, it definitely wasn’t like that from day one.
When I was 17, my mom noticed that I had an eye for visuals and was always creating something. She got me my first camera after seeing how passionate I was. I wasn’t thinking about a business then—I just knew I wanted to create. The year before,, I actually made my own high school yearbook because the official ones were too expensive and didn’t reflect the people or moments that mattered to me. I shot all the photos with my 3 megapixel point & shoot, laid everything out, and printed it for all my friends to sign.
I started college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham studying music education as I loved to sing and played the saxophone, but something kept pulling me back to photography and design. I eventually transferred to the Art Institute of Atlanta to study photographic imaging, which felt like the right fit creatively—but unfortunately, the school lost its accreditation before I could finish.
Even then, I never stopped working. I freelanced as a photographer, taking on everything from real estate photography to portraits, and slowly built a portfolio. Over time, my technical skills improved, but more importantly, I learned how to communicate visually, tell stories, and manage a business. I really enjoyed working as a food photographer with Waitr delivery app. That job kept my creativity sharp, and my waistline full!
Now, I work full-time as the Creative Services Manager at Tennessee State University. I handle everything from photography and videography to graphic design, PR materials, and branding strategy. It’s a demanding role, but I get to use every part of my creative toolbox daily. Including singing at the staff Christmas events!
Looking back, there are definitely things I could’ve done to speed up the process—like being more focused on a niche early on, or skipping over the years of bartending—but I also believe the trial-and-error helped me discover what I really enjoy. The years of freelancing, pivoting, and learning the hard way gave me a depth of experience I now rely on every day.
Aaron , 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 Aaron Frank Grayson—a creative director, photographer, designer, and storyteller. I’m currently the Creative Services Manager at Tennessee State University, where I oversee photography, videography, graphic design, branding, marketing collateral, and visual storytelling for both internal departments and public-facing campaigns. But before I held this role, I was just a teenager with a camera and a need to create something meaningful.
Today, whether I’m producing a full PR campaign, directing a commercial shoot, designing event branding, or capturing candid moments on campus, my focus is always the same: to make people feel something and to help organizations tell their story with clarity and impact. I specialize in translating ideas into visual experiences—whether that’s helping a brand define its identity, giving a university a consistent visual language, or simply capturing a moment in time that would’ve otherwise been forgotten.
What sets me apart is the way I make people feel. My experience in food & beverage, and my faith-based upbringing allows me to create a warm and comfortable environment for clients. I’m not just creating for the sake of visuals—I’m creating to connect, inform, inspire, and elevate. My technical background in photography and design is solid, but it’s my ability to listen, interpret, and execute under pressure that really makes the work meaningful.
One of the things I’m most proud of is being a one-person creative department for a major university. It’s demanding, but I’ve managed to produce high-level work across mediums—without a full team—because I care about the outcome and the impact. I’ve also begun mentoring student interns, hoping to pass on what I’ve learned.
If you’re reading this, what I want you to know is: I care deeply about authenticity, intentionality, and the power of creativity to shape perception. Whether you’re a university, a small business, or a fellow creative, I want to help you bring your story to life in a way that feels true, bold, and unforgettable.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
One of the most defining moments in my journey both personally and creatively was when I lost my mother.
At the time, I was living in Atlanta, bartending, after not being able to finish Art Institute. Things were going well on the surface, but I kept feeling this pull from God to move back home to Birmingham. I ignored it for about nine months. I thought I knew what was best for me. But as time went on, things started falling apart—doors were closing, opportunities dried up, and nothing seemed to stick. Eventually, I was forced to return home, even though I didn’t understand why at the time.
Shortly after moving back, I tried to pick up where I left off and got a job at a restaurant. But the version of me that thrived behind the bar in Atlanta just wasn’t showing up in Birmingham. I wasn’t the same. I didn’t have the same energy or connection to that kind of work anymore—and I realize now, it was a season that had ended.
Then I got a job as a photographer with Waitr. It was the first time I really felt like I was working in my creative field and moving in alignment with my purpose. My mom was incredibly proud of me. She saw me doing what I loved and thriving in it. What I didn’t know then was that our time together was limited—just over a year later, she passed away.
In the midst of grief, I kept going. I leaned into what she believed about me and the seeds she had planted early on—like buying me my first camera when I was 17 and encouraging my creativity. I channeled that love and pain into my work, and step by step, God began to establish me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Not just as an artist, but as a man walking in his calling.
Her loss could’ve made me stop. Instead, it lit a fire in me to honor her and the gift she helped me discover. And even now, as I continue to grow in my creative career, I carry her with me in every frame, every design, every story I help tell.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
So I basically just continued to build my portfolio, and God created the path. I have a habit of always saying, “Everything works out for me.” That mantra proves true for me daily especially when I look back at how my side hustle evolved into a full-time creative career.
My career started as a whisper and escalated into an opera. I didn’t always shout about what I was doing, but as long as I whispered to the right people, they sang my praises from the mountaintops. Every opportunity led to another. Word of mouth became my biggest marketing tool. One client turned into two, then ten. It wasn’t always fast, but it was steady.
When I took multimedia design in 6th grade, I didn’t think of it as a career. I was just having fun. Over time, my passion became income. I freelanced for years, doing everything from portraits to food to real estate. Each job sharpened my eye and taught me something new.
A major turning point was landing a role with Waitr as a photographer, which validated that I could actually make sustainable money doing what I love. That role led me to more consistent creative work, and eventually, I was offered the position I have now. It’s a full-circle moment: I started off building content for small brands and now I manage visual strategy for a major institution.
What scaled my side hustle into a career wasn’t just talent. It was me being true to myself. I couldn’t see myself not creating for a living. I knew that when I was bartending or working retail at Saloncentric and it didn’t all make sense yet,… it was working. Looking back, the milestones weren’t just the big jobs, but they were the little moments of staying ready and doing good work even when nobody was watching.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aaronfrankphoto.com
- Instagram: @aaronfrankphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaronfrankphoto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronfrankgrayson
