We were lucky to catch up with Angie Crompton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Angie, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Since I was a child I was really drawn to drawing and painting. I was in boarding school in the Far East growing up as there were no Igh schools on the island so I had to travel by plane as a 10 year old to Singapore.. It was lonely and traumatic to be away from my family for months at a time.. My father gave me a camera for Xmas the one year and I took it to boarding school with me. During the weekends; I would feel really lonely and homesick, I’d go for walks around the school’s vicinity and would take pictures of anything I could. Children in the neighboring areas were my favorites subject as well as animals in the zoo when we made our school field trips. During homework prep sessions I would get so bored that I would draw fellow class mates sitting next to and in front of me.. The kids were amazed that I could shade and draw so well that I figured this was a talent I could cultivate… I joined art classes over the many years and sharpened my camera skills. In my 60’s I became familiar with photography software but thought that photoshop was way above my head and didn’t look at it, it seemed too confusing and complicated.. One evening I was at an annual competition celebration with a local photo club and I won a raffle ticket for a free photoshop class with a well known photoshop teacher. After the 4 week class I got more confident with trying it.. Now in my later years after an over 20 year career as a Registered Nurse I am using all theses talents from drawing, painting, photography to my current career of digital painting and compositing images using photoshop.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I set myself apart from other photographers / creatives in the area of San Diego where I live by offering them uniques pieces of art. I find it impossible to stick to one subject so I offer – Fairy images and mermaids to young girls ages 4 to 11 years. Parents love these and the children do also. Mostly I have found they love the experience of dressing up ( I have dresses and wings for them to try on) I work out of my home studio for these. I also offer digital paintings these are from photographs of people’s dogs they have sent me. I take the photograph into photoshop via emails and turn them into paintings. Recently I did one of a beautiful retriever from a photo of a deceased pet. It brought the owner to tears and she said she feels it is still with her when she sees it hanging on her living room wall. It’s face is watching over her like her guardian.. This is very rewarding for me as an artist.. I find that children’s rooms don’t typically have much real art work on the walls and they love to see themselves swimming like mermaids or dressed as princesses in front of a castle. I think that looking at these images of themselves is great for their self esteem and they feel valued most of all. !!!!!! I love to photograph the regular scenes of families out doors depicting their relationships and bonding. People have cell phones and use them all the time for selfies and family photos. These images typically get stored on the phone or in the cloud and often rarely looked at.. To have unique wall art is a heirloom that lasts for generations. Recently in California we have had floods and I have seen over and over again of these victims even in my neighborhood expressing huge emotions about losing the images and albums in the flood.. As families we need these memories. I put y heart and soul in the creations I make and am very meticulous about the outcome.. My biggest achievement I think was when many years ago I did an oil painting from a photo of the Queen Mother. My father saw it and said that it would make a nice gift for the Queen. A few months later I received a letter from the Queen of Elizabeth’s secretary to thank me for the gift. It was a proud moment for me and my father who recognized that I had a drawing and painting skill in the making.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I worked full time as a Registered nurse. I had a large family with 4 children.. While the children were growing up I would take a few minutes here and there during nap times to paint or draw. I did the same throughout my demanding nursing career taking workshops here and there in photography, attending photo clubs learning and growing step by step. Joining the clubs and posting on social media grew my reputation as an artist. It is still in the growing phases and I am needing to continue to put myself out there networking. Essentially an introvert by nature it is a challenge to network. For anyone interested in pursing a business and stepping out there I would highly recommend joining groups that you can learn from and share with fellow entrepreneurs.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

It is easy to get discouraged when times get tough. When covid hit and everyone had to mask up, there were fewer opportunities to get people in front of the camera. During these times I focused on learning more about what it takes to have a business something artists and photographers. Cost of running a business. I questioned myself many times “is this all worth it really?” What is the point really? Is it just for the money ? How would I feel if I didn’t do it? After asking myself these questions, there was no choice left, I had to do it. We are all here for a reason. What’s your reason.. ? Do you want to leave this life without a trace, no watermark to your existence. Or do you want to make an impression on the lives of those around you? Do you want to offer a service that helps other people value themselves and their loved ones. Do you want to bring smiles and love. I do that thing and it makes me happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.angiecromptonphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angiecromptonphotography.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angie.crompton.7/