We recently connected with Jaffa Martin Frye and have shared our conversation below.

Jaffa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started learning basic photography in Spring of 2020 (Age 16), not really knowing much of what to do, but continuously trying and practicing composition. After about 6-months of being stuck at home due to COVID contact restrictions, I was finally able to start going out into the world and practice my skill in real time. I started booking my first clients on a very low scale and understanding not only how to take photos but communicate with others to serve a creative vision. This was very abnormal for me since I am naturally introverted and I was working with clients, their families and people who were signifacntly older at the time.

Knowing what I know now is astonishing to me, how over the past 4-5 years how much I’ve been able to learn and excel. I believe a huge thing that could have helped my process become faster is my networking and marketing skills. If i had knew how to properly market myself at the age I started I believe It would have helped significantly. however, I believe things take time and patience to learn is key to true success.

I believe the biggest skill that stood in my way was my outreach and communication. Being naturally introverted and reserved definitely has hurt me and caused me to miss out on opportunities that I believe I was qualified for but maybe didn’t have the guts to speak up for myself. Stuggling with social anxiety and fear of rejection is something I’ve battled with for many years. Although these scars may resurface from time to time I have found a better sense of how to effectively communicate, speak and network to create more opportunity for myself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Background: My interest in filmmaking was sparked in a pretty unconventional way. In Spring of 2020 (Age: 16, Junior in High School) I was up late at 2:00AM watching youtube and stumbled across an advertisement for a videography webinar for “Full-Time Filmmaker”. I clicked on the ad and it took me to and 1-Hour long webinar that taught very basic lessons of camera operation & settings. I finished the video fell asleep and woke up very inspired by what I learned the night before. From That Spring to summer i saved up $500 to purchase my first DSLR camera a Canon 2000D.

When i was younger I had an extensive background in sports and various hobbies. I played football, basketball, Soccer and many more when I was younger. Even jumping from different hobbies like Dirt Biking, BMX & Scootering, & Even attempting to become and Youtube & Vine creator. I have always enjoyed the thrill of competition and ambitious nature that I get from the various activities.

My junior year of high school I stopped playing sports to focus on building my craft in photography, as I saw it was an outlet of opportunity for doing what I enjoyed doing and being able to monetize it. My senior year I was creating a solid foundation for my brand JMFilms. Building clientele, making a name for myself in the city of Orlando, etc. However, my desire for my first love of sports called. So I answered…I dedicated my senior year to one last victory lap to play sports. I joined the football & track program at Lake Mary High School. For what I thought would be my last time playing sports. Then I received a scholarship to play college Football at Keiser university.

My freshman year the workouts and schedule was tough, but tough is what I enjoy. It had alway been a dream of mine as a kid to play college sports. However my new love for filmmaking and creative media, stole my heart. It was very hard for me to make the decision to move on from sports entirely and focus on this new journey of filmmaking but it’sa sacrifice I was willing to make. I transferred to Valencia College where i got my A.S. in Film Production Technology.

I learned so much in film school that allowed me to take my skills to the next level. Although I am still learning more and more everyday, and striving towards the top of the industry. I am proud of how far I’ve come in just these past 4 years. I have always been a fan of being behind the camera exercising my visual eye.

My ambitious mindset & will to learn more about what I do creatively has opened so many doors that I would have necver imagined. Being able to work with major companies like Coca-Cola, Rolling Loud, and filming content with various music artists, NFL/NBA athletes and even working on feature film. I am truly proud of how far I’ve come, however most excited to see how far i’m able to go.

I may be naturally introverted, but i believe filmmaking is a language that has allowed me to speak to someone, in ways that words cant.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I believe my biggest goal in why i create and do what i do, is for the connection. I not the mst talkative or outgoing buy a camera has allowed me to connect and get t o know so may people ever since I’ve picked it up. I can’t really imagine what i’d be pursuing if I didn’t decide to become a filmmaker/photographer. I believe my purpose in life is to mentor and inspire others to reach their potential. Whether its through my work or by personal connection I am a big fan of seeing others succeed and strive to be more in life. Ambition is what got me to where I am today and where I’m striving to be. So seeing so that same spark and desire in someone’s eyes makes my heart melt, and in return inspires me to work even harder. My mission is to inspire the next generation of creatives to push the limits of what creativity truly is.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I believe the biggest reward n being a creative is the collaborative opportunities you get. As a creative whether in Video, Fashion, Art, Music, Design we are individuals who in some way HAVE to collaborate with other to reach a common goal or create a project. I believe that is one of the most vital things film school taught me in real time. The amount of instances where I had to trust my crew & team to carry out their job efficiently. Collaboration was the biggest difference for me since freelance photography is where I originated. So the only collaboration in that instance was me and a camera. So collaboration & networking has by far been the most rewarding aspect of being a artist/creative.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayfaaaa/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jmfproductions

Image Credits

Donte Thamovagosa
Luis Granados Leon