We were lucky to catch up with Jacob Stewart recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, thanks for 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 was lucky enough to secure a contract with a roofing company straight out of college that I have worked with for the past 5 years. After building a good relationship and increasing my workload with this company, I was able to quit my full-time job and have been a freelancer for a little over three years now. At this point, I am working on securing more business contracts on the videographer side, while exploring opportunities within the film industry as well.

Jacob, 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?

Hello, my name is Jacob Stewart! I am a cinematographer and videographer in Cincinnati Ohio. I first started making videos when I was in middle school. My cousins, brothers and I bought a camera with money we saved and came up with random skits and fun videos we could make. I started working on films and videos professionally in 2019 after I graduated from BGSU with a degree in film production. I started working on reality television as a PA and slowly grew into the camera department on films. In 2020 I started working as a freelance videographer for weddings and businesses which has allowed me to take on more film opportunities without having to worry about scheduling conflict with a full time job.

My main focus in my work is telling stories. Whether it’s capturing the love story of a couple on their wedding night, or helping a business get their product in front of more customers, I am always telling stories. So far in my career, I am most proud that I am still working. Going out on your own and freelancing can be scary. But after three years I am still working and am even in a position to continue growing. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve improved my craft, and I’m still going for it.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think the biggest thing people can do is not forget the small local artists. Yeah Hollywood is fun. Yes watching big budget action films is really cool. But there are plenty of local artists making incredible films. And not just in the film industry, but local bands, painters, writers, all creatives. So go see a self funded play, attend indie film festivals, or even go attend a comedy show put on by your neighbor. There are plenty of creative people in the world and I can guarantee there are plenty of stories being told in your area and not just in big towns like LA.

Additionally right now there seems to be a big push to bring AI into creative industries which kind of defeats the purpose of being creative right? Robots can’t be creative, people are creative. So find ways to push back against this even if that means cancelling your Netflix subscription. Because we want our stories to be told by creative humans, not a system design to tell a story based off of simple inputs and an algorithms.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A big lesson that I am in the process of unlearning is that I am not good enough to achieve my goals. It’s really easy to look at the work of people with more experience than me, or have a different style of me, and think that I can’t be as great as them. This thought has really held me back in the past from taking on new opportunities, especially on films. When in reality, I will never know if I can if I never try. And even if I am not great at it, I will never learn anything in order to be great at it if I never try. So I’ve really made an effort to allow myself to take on bigger projects to prove to myself that I can be great enough to achieve my goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: Jacobstewartfilms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobstewartcinematography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jacobstewartfilm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobstewartfilms/

Image Credits
Picture of me: Michael Ashcraft