We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Cornell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alexis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

When it comes to being successful, it truly does involve an immense belief in yourself. No matter who may support you, no matter how much easier it would be to quit, or how difficult the end goal may be to reach— success is all about how much dedication you have to yourself and your vision. Recently I was speaking to a family member about the different struggles I was experiencing as a freelance artist, she’s an entrepreneur herself so she knows all about the grind that comes with reaching success. She told me, “one thing I’ve noticed about successful people and what’s sets them apart from the rest is their ability to pivot. When hardships arise— they pivot.” Those words have stuck with me ever since then because I truly have found that as long as you can pivot, you can attain success.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a freelance photographer (aka Wildheart Photography) and I’ve been shooting for about 7 years now. Unlike some who may have been into cameras and all things photography since they were young, photography is something that I stumbled into. Growing up, I was an avid sports fan— don’t get me wrong, I still know my sports— but over the years things changed. Once I got hurt playing basketball toward the end of my high school playing career, I never really came back to the game in the same way. I spent a lot of my time sulking in the anger of not getting picked up by scouts and just being lost. For a while, I really didn’t know what direction I was going in life and what my next passion would be. So when I say I stumbled into photography, I mean I quite literally did. I didn’t start taking photos until 2015 when I came across an old Sony a100 that my grandmother had left at my crib a little while before after finishing up a class. I knew the camera was there but nothing really brought me to pick it up and actually start taking photos but when I did? I couldn’t stop! It’s something rich about being able to show people the world from your perspective and actually having people that love you for it. When I first started out, I was taking pictures of landscapes, outdoors, and just any and everything they caught my eye. After I started getting comfortable, I had my folks help me purchase my first camera and my work transitioned into taking photos of people. Unlike a lot of photographers that specialize in studio settings and lighting, I had a love for natural lighting and honestly, that’s still my comfort today. I take pride in photographing in natural settings because that’s not something that everyone can do. I’m thankful for those early times when I first started out taking pictures outdoors because that really allowed me to perfect my unique craft today.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Since COVID-19 struck back in 2020, I feel that it is becoming more and more common for creatives to learn how to pivot. The extra money and time people once had to put towards capturing photos is just not there like it once was. With everyone facing different financial hardships, maintaining clientele has been difficult. However, for me personally, I’ve had to find innovative ways to keep myself going. I’ve found myself having to dig deep and really tap back into why and what got me to start doing this in the first place. Ironically, all roads led me to the beginning which was to take pictures of any and everything again rather than being so focused on my next booking. I’d be lying if I say it has been an easy journey but just like anything else in my life, I’ve tried to remain dedicated to pivoting so that when things are fully back to “normalcy”, I’ll be ready!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I know it sounds cliche when people say “pictures are worth a thousand words” but it is true. It is something riveting about capturing moments of people’s lives that they can hold on to forever. I think back to all the photoshoots I’ve done over the years and I’m in awe. From newborns to 100 year olds, I’ve truly captured so much and I’m just to blessed to have those moments on camera. Moments like that are beyond rewarding, that’s the type of stuff that keeps me going as a creative. It is my hope to continue capturing moments for as long as I can.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shotbywildheart.weebly.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/wilddheartedd

Image Credits
Alexis Cornell