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

Ally, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I started working a retail full time job at B&H Photo Video straight out of College. There, I worked in various departments, gaining technical skills and learning about gear over the next few years. In 2018 I was going through a personal transition in my life, and my long time friend, who was able to make a full time living for himself creatively, offered me the opportunity to B Cam with him on a job, after I expressed interest in actually doing video work for clients. It was that day that I decided I wanted to pursue videography more seriously, and create a career out of it. At my retail job, I had felt like I was hitting a wall in making my life the best it could be, because my job did not give me joy. I put all my determination in managing to then work my full time retail job, and commit to gigs after work hours to build my skills and clientele. Two years later when COVID hit in 2020, I was temporarily laid off by my retail job, and mentally prepared myself to rely on videography to support myself. After two months of not working either job, a client reached out to me for a shoot, and one after another, bookings picked right back up for me. My retail job also called me back, but I was starting to see and gain more confidence that I could financially manage myself on bookings alone. I decided to give my retail job one last chance to keep me, by applying to a creative position there on their social media team. I felt so prepared, and that I had more than enough proof via my side work to show I was qualified for the role. I interviewed… and got ghosted. A few months went by with no acceptance for the position, and that was when I decided to make my own creative future for myself. I finally made the leap to trust in myself and my talents and moved forward with having my own business as a freelancer, full time. The moment I left that job, the studio I currently work alongside with, Uptown Shots, offered me an in house content creative position as well, which to me was a sign from the universe that I had made the right decision, and new, great opportunities would come my way when they were meant to come!

Ally, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Ally, owner of my own creative media business ALLYVISUALS, based in NYC. My primary niche for the past 5 years has been working with professional dancers, and recently has also expanded to working with photo/video tech brands and music artists. I primarily create video work, but have a love for stylistic photo work as well. I grew a passion to make a brand for myself when I felt frustrated over being “just another employee” at my previous job; I wanted to share a skill that people would remember me for, and respect me as a minority female. I’m proud of myself for committing to my goals of making a happier, more creative life for myself, getting to work on opportunities that keep me on my toes and allow me to have a far better work/life balance than I did back when I worked a 9-7. I want to inspire others who have a passion for photo/video to just go for it, bring your personality to the table and allow others to see you shine through your work.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

So many of my clients have shared with me what they love most about working with me, and at the end of the day, it largely comes down to two halves, how you treat your business, and how you treat people. While working retail definitely gave me a lot of firsthand customer experience, I, on numerous occasions, faced sexism from the “customers” I would interact with at my job. Because the photo industry is so predominantly male owned, it always seemed like I had to prove myself and my knowledge to be taken seriously. I’ve literally had people directly ask me if they could be helped by a male instead, because they didn’t trust that I, as a female, knew what I was talking about. I would be questioned if I even worked there, or was “just a model”. Companies tend to largely side with customers over employees, so I consistently felt uncomfortable and belittled at work. But when working for myself, my experience has largely been the opposite. Being female, I present myself as a safe space for other females to work with, especially dancers. A lot of my clients have personal, vulnerable stories to tell, and I want my visuals to authentically represent them. I respect myself as a business, by being organized and on time to my shoots. Clients frequently share with me their appreciation of my energy when working with them. Simply put, treat people like people who matter, and they will return to you and refer you to others out of their appreciation of being in your presence.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing to me is freedom, and making others happy. It literally makes my day when someone shares with me how happy they are with their service and final media. It brings me joy that people put their trust in me. I feel accomplished when I hear a client say, “that’s EXACTLY what I pictured in my head!”. Spreading joy by making beautiful art with beautiful people has been an incredible journey for me, and it brings me excitement to have a life where I am looking forward to what’s next. I’m happy for myself for pushing myself to make this life possible, and have gratitude in how much I’ve grown as a person because of my freelance life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyvisuals/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3saQ-eEY8W6_9Mq_D-uZAw

Image Credits
AllyVisuals, Uptown Shots