We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Breonn Lyons a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Breonn, thanks for joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

My first paid photoshoot was a few summers ago with these two girls I went to high school with. We did it at my mom’s place in the dining area, with a simple black sheet from Target as the backdrop. I did the makeup for the girls, sprayed their hair down with water, trying to create a mood. I was using my camera’s flash with all the lights off and was having my mom stand by the light switch to flick them on every time I had to adjust the sheet or one of the girls. The shoot took about two hours. I remember editing the photos over and over because at the time I didn’t know the proper way to make them black and white, but I kept to my method and did about 15 photos. In the end, I only charged the girls $15. I was happy, because even though it wasn’t much, and I didn’t realize why at the time, that $15 showed me that my skills were profitable.

Breonn, 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?

Yes! My name is Breonn Lyons, I am an actress currently finishing up my last year at NYU. I run my own photography business as well, with a focus in portraits and editorial. I got into photography when I was 17, mainly capturing sunsets. Then, when we were all in quarantine, I started building sets in my room and photographing myself, and with the confidence I got from doing shoots of myself over and over, I finally decided to create my business at 19. My biggest goal with my photography is to highlight and experiment with the sides of my subjects that they don’t get to embrace on a normal every day basis. I want them to feel free and empowered. With my creative shoots, I can envision concepts for people based on the parts of them that stand out to me. We then exchange ideas for concepts, and then we execute. I believe the way in which I allow the creative process to be a collaborative one is what sets me apart from other photographers, whether it’s having my subjects share a story with me as I shoot that makes them feel a specific emotion, or just having them move around the space with their favorite song playing in the background. I like to work with what’s organic. My biggest value is making my subjects feel comfortable, so that those vulnerable feelings can shine through without any restraint or fear. My mission is to creatively capture the most authentic parts of people, and if there was anything I would want readers to know about my work, it’s that.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m often asked how I’m able to do different avenues of art and I honestly don’t even know. But I believe it’s more so of an intuitive element that I just allow to flow through me. Self expression is and always will be my driving force, but in that I want to empower others with my journey to do the same. It sounds simple, but vulnerability is so powerful yet it scares a lot of people, but with my journey, I’d want to encourage people to explore and embrace that within themselves. I was put here to do that.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I did a midterm paper on the production of Beyonce’s B-Day album, and it was right after I watched Kanye’s documentary. Both artists really made me want to go even harder. I value the type of work ethic and drive that Beyonce and Kanye both have, as well as their close attention to detail.

As far as my philosophy, I would encourage any artist to watch any interview of Marina Abramovic. Even some of her performance pieces. I can’t explain them, one would have to just watch for themselves, and if they’re in the space to receive, they’ll walk away with so much food for thought. I recommend “Marina Abramovic speaks about Art and the Potential of the Mind” on Youtube.

Contact Info:

• Website: lyonsmedia.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/breonnspov Photo: instagram.com/lyons.media
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/breonn-lyons

Image Credits
Breonn Lyons