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

Dionna Sharay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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 dollar earned as a creative was for photography. I remember buying my first camera, a Canon T2i, not knowing how to work it, but in my head, this tool would make me rich. It’s funny to think about now because I was ecstatic. After purchasing the camera, YouTube became my best friend. I would watch every video I could about this camera or what makes a great photograph. When I graduated from Youtube University, nobody couldn’t tell me anything. Dionna Sharay Smith was a professional photographer.

I made business cards for Fake Los Angeles Photography. That was my first company. I would pass these cards around my town and post about my photography via Facebook. Surprisingly people began calling and messaging. I’m laughing while remembering all of this because most of the jobs I did were free or ranged from $50 to $100. I was excitedly making money for something I enjoyed felt good.

Dionna Sharay, 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?

Reflecting on where I am today and how it all started is a long journey. It all began with purchasing my first camera, a Canon T2i, in 2012. Now that I think about it, it’s wild that I financed that camera with a credit card because I didn’t have the money for a $900 photographic tool. On the contrary, it didn’t matter because my passion for photography was strong enough to take the risk and invest in myself.

After that, I started a photography company named Fake Los Angeles Photography and collections of t-shirts to promote the brand. Fake Los Angeles began to catch on amongst my hometown community, Compton, CA, and neighboring cities. Local businesses, brands, and rappers began hiring me for photography services. While running Fake Los Angeles Photography, a long-time friend, Eric Daniels, was doing videography and creating t-shirts and hoodies to promote their brand LVL HEADZ. I noticed that the clients around the town I was working with needed video services. Eric and I started a company named UNDRGRND MVMNT, where we collaborated on projects and created posters and stickers to market our brand. Fake Los Angeles and UNDRGRND MVMNT lasted for a few years until 2016.

In 2016 something inside me felt like there could be more like I was hitting a glass ceiling. At that moment, I decided to expand my knowledge as a self-taught photographer into a trained professional. I enrolled in the commercial photography program at The Arts Institutes of California Orange County. During my time there, I learned new techniques and business skills. After two years, I completed the program and graduated with an associate’s degree in photography. Thirsty for knowledge at the time, I enrolled in the bachelor’s program. Unfortunately, before completing the bachelor’s program, The Art Institutes of California shut down in my last year due to mishandling of funds. I was devastated and did know what to do from there.

While thinking of my next move, I realized that I could not let that stop me from achieving and began searching for another art school to finish my bachelor’s degree. In Fall 2019, I started at Otis College of Art and Design, majoring in Fine Arts with an entrepreneurship minor.

I’m a 2022 graduate, working artist, and business owner. Fast-forward to now. I graduated from Otis College of Art and Design spring of 2022. It is 2023. I am running a creative consulting business, Thee Smithington, while maintaining an art practice. Thee Smithington focuses on local companies providing them with content creation, social media marketing, branding, and design services.

All in all, the foundation of it is my art practice of photography.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

PAY THE CREATIVES! STOP WANTING FREE!

Creativity is the holy grail of how the world is created, and it’s not valued enough. It takes a lot psychologically and physically to generate things that don’t exist. That said, artists need more appreciation and grace for the miracles we create in bringing what’s not to fruition.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book that instantly comes to mind is Mastery by Robert Greene. That book changed my life’s creativity and psychology. It’s a roadmap to greatness in anything you desire to accomplish on a high level.

My entrepreneurial thinking recommendation is Alex Hormazi’s podcast, where he directs and explains entrepreneurial concepts. His philosophies are so simple you can’t help but implement what is relevant to you.

Also, for inspiration, I like to watch YouTube videos or Art21 documentaries of artists in the studio talking about their processes or creative entrepreneur interviews.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dionnasharaysmith.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theephotosmith/