We were lucky to catch up with Allie Joseph recently and have shared our conversation below.
Allie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I was privileged to grow up encouraged to create. Starting in first grade, my school in Arizona would give us all the assignments in the beginning of the week. I would rush to finish it as quick as possible so I could spend the rest of the week in the art room. The need to create has motivated me consistently since. I grew up around cameras, as my dad loved to buy broken film cameras and fix them as a hobby. I would get in trouble in for constantly drawing during classes. My notebooks were covered. I needed it to process the information around me, and could never just sit still like many around me. When everyone started talking about life after high school, I felt a sudden panic overcome me. I had never let myself realistically think about what I was going to do career-wise because I simply couldn’t imagine doing any of the ‘typical’ careers many choose. I remember having the conversation of “I have no idea what to do” and being asked “what about art?”. Hearing that made it sound so simple and obvious. For some reason, as silly as it sounds, I never really thought that could be my answer. It turned out to be the exact right answer for me.
Allie, 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 Allie Joseph and I am a photographer currently based out of New York City. I was born in Arizona, but spent most my childhood in Florida. I attended Northeastern University where I received a BA in Art. I actually fell in love with drawing as a kid first, then started exploring all different mediums. I pursued many different avenues including serigraphy, painting, metal work, mixed medium, and of course photography.
I have worked across many genres from concerts like the Gorillaz, Post Malone, Tame Impala, etc to sports such as with the Brooklyn Nets and US Open. I shoot events, corporate work, and portraiture too. I’ve found that shooting concerts and portraits have really resonated with me the most. Being able to photograph someone, and allow them to see how someone else sees themselves is moving. Shooting musicians captivates me as I get to capture another artist in their element also.
I spent weeks in a darkroom in a small town on the west coast of Ireland for my thesis. I’ve worked a lot with film and find it helps mirror the unpredictably and dreaminess of the world. To me, it allows better expression of the wonder and distortion of nostalgia. It forces me to slow down in an incredibly fast paced society and take each shot thoughtfully and intentionally. Working with film so much as a kid and in college helped pull that same notion into my shooting regardless of the medium. I found that through photography, I really got to capture my perspective in the most direct way. It’s not what you see, it’s how you see it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think as a creative I have the chance to constantly reinvent myself through my work, and explore different genres which lets me explore different pieces of myself. Oscar Wilde (allegedly) said “If you want to be a grocer, or a general, or a politician, or a judge, you will invariably become it; that is your punishment. If you never know what you want to be, if you live what some might call the dynamic life but what I will call the artistic life, if each day you are unsure of who you are and what you know you will never become anything, and that is your reward.” This resonated a lot with me as I want to live many lives, I don’t want to pick just one. Being a creative has allowed me that grace. I want the freedom to live as many lives as I can. Of course on the flip side it can be terrifying to not always have stability, but has made me a much more resilient person and taught me how much I am capable of. “If you choose to be an artist, your life will look different to everyone else’s. And that is hard and it is also really beautiful. (@inspiredtowrite)”
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Honestly, the resource that has made the biggest impact in regards to those would be the photography community. Mentorship completely opened my eyes to how you truly run a photography business successfully. I was lucky to have two different mentorship experiences that really inspired the way I approach my business. I worked with Eric Levin, from Elevin Studios in Boston, and Jennifer Pottheiser, based in NYC, and they taught me more about the real experience of running a creative business than I could’ve from any book or video. They have influenced me so much, and I truly credit so much of my management and entrepreneurial success to their guidance. Also, connecting with other photographers around me and sharing our experiences has helped further mold my approach. I have found so many kind hearted peers that don’t believe in gate keeping and inspire me with the way they work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alliecjoseph.com
- Instagram: @shotsbyalliej
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisoncjoseph/