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

Glory, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish I had started my creative career sooner! I’ve always loved photography however, I wasn’t in the right environment/networks to nurture my passion for it. I believe society’s view of success makes it difficult to explore careers in the arts. It’s often not respected as a “real career” path, but once I connected with other creatives, I realized all the amazing opportunities available in this field.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Since my teen years, I’ve been passionate about capturing special moments and everyday life. I realized the importance of this after losing loved ones and only having pictures to remember them by.

It wasn’t until the pandemic that I realized my skill had potential to grow into a business. Due to the closings of studios and being that I’d always taken photos as a hobby, several people reached out for their photography needs. I was overwhelmed with requests, and it’s when my husband suggested I charge for my time. This was the very first time I realized people were willing to pay me. Since then, I’ve grown both in my skillset as well as a business owner.

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

As you can imagine, during a pandemic was not the best time to master a new skill that required relationship building. I had no clue where to start. One day, I came across an online course that I believe was God sent! I invested my time and money to begin learning about professional photography. This came with many challenges as I learned best in-person and there were many questions arising not only about photography but also how to run a business. I reached out to local resources but was faced with the reality there was little support for photographers. Although later on I did find amazing people to help me push through, it was a very discouraging season for me.

There’s one particular moment of resiliency that sticks out to me the most. I purchased lighting that I couldn’t get to work. No one could help me, I kept getting the runaround, not even YouTube was helpful! Fast forward a year later, I decided to try a local photography shop one last time before giving up. Although the woman on the other line was rude and just as annoyed with me, I was able to advocate for myself and get the answers I needed.

The moment I finally got my lights to work is a day I’ll never forget! It made me realize that if I wanted to continue pursuing this path, it would take much resiliency and advocating for myself.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew there are wonderful Facebook groups available for like minded creatives and not just focusing on local resources. As time went on, I connected with organizations outside my area that support artists.

On the business side of things, I am so grateful for the organization SCORE. They provide high quality workshops, mentoring, and business resources at no cost.

I’d also say, don’t give up on those around you. I’m grateful for photographers that did come along later in my journey who provide support when needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: gloriousimages.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glorious.images?igsh=Y2VkeHNlbHk1Y29m&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554010006842&mibextid=opq0tG