We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jamison Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jamison below.
Jamison , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
One thing I learned real fast as a photographer and creative person doing many different gigs from writing to music to now focusing on my photography and visual art is the best laid plans often have unexpected variables you would have never thought possible. I think that is part of the learning process. Absolute disasters and failures shaping your process and preparation, and having the guts to pick yourself up after a huge loss and picking up where you left off. In boxing, it is critical to learn to take a punch as much as it is important to throw a good one. It takes hours of training, working on form, having a coach and someone who can help you succeed, and of course getting out there and doing it. Sometimes as hard as you work, you fall hard, get hit unexpectedly with something, and the metaphorical referee is counting and declaring a knockout. Those rounds are done. It is discouraging and hits hard on the inside when you see things went terribly wrong. A former boss and sales coach once mentioned when I was learning sales, look at what you did right because that helps you to get out of that defeating mindset. You probably did something right, and to be fair, you deserve credit for that. Now, look at what you could do differently. This is key! You must objectively look at what you can do to improve and prepare yourself for future success. If this is a passion, this process is critical to strengthen weak area and honestly assess and improve with an action plan. It is the hardest to look in the mirror and be objective and honest. Sometimes it means you take a bit of time to process and come back to this evaluation when it is less emotional. Sometimes we just need to be angry and sad a bit, but we don’t get to victory being there long. You have to make a decision to get back up and keep fighting for your goals and dreams. Sometimes that means evaluating and changing strategy if that makes sense, or sticking the course and knowing it will pay off with hard work and determination building on your skills. A lot of the battle is inside with yourself.
For me, well, this happens all the time. It is the hardest part about being a creative person. It is hard for me to tell myself when I did something right because it is easy to tear myself down. For some, it is ego and pride, but we don’t get better unless we have some objective honesty. It is helpful to have people you trust and know that can be that sound board and support. Some people simply aren’t qualified. For example, sometimes I set up an event and expect my raffle will attract people, and I get zero interest. Or I place an ad, and I get zero clicks or responses. I have to remind myself as a neurodivergent/adhd person that I need to be patient and objective. Sometimes just holding on a little longer for me is the answer to see results and a breakthrough. It could be your website is missing your email to get responses in your inbox, or maybe you need to tweak a few things in an ad, or have a better demographic targeted, or just give it a bit more time. Maybe everyone is downtown playing and they aren’t seeing your ad until they get home. You don’t always know the reality. It is sometimes best to come from a place of optimism and give things a chance. For others, it is knowing when to regroup and getting out before you lose all your bankroll to restrategize. Some of this is intuitive. Some of it is more scientific and objective, but a master has been there. Whether it is fishing or any other sporting thing or activity, they know the fish, they know what they eat, their habits, what they will do, know how to respond in every situation to maximize their chances. Our clients aren’t to be caught, but they are someone to get to know and to learn how they think and what they want. You have to learn how to appeal to people and what gets you both to a win win situation. You have to care about your craft and the person you are working with. You also have to have some professional distance and know when to wear the professional person hat and have appropriate boundaries. It is a dance. I mess up all the time, but I say, I could have said less here. I could have texted them less, and I should say what day and times are best for a phone call. Would 1pm tomorrow work? Sometimes less is more. I probably should made this sharing with you shorter, but you can see me wanting to help you through the words and my passion for helping others. I hope you feel inspired to take some action for yourself.
Jamison , 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?
I am a photographic artist who tends to create premium and luxury framed wall art decor and professional grade prints and albums with a higher degree of service than most photographers. Everything I do is custom to my clients and designed with them in mind. I am a creative person who has a background in journalism/narrative writing/poetry, music/songrwriting, and enjoy doing visual arts with a variety of mediums. I have an AFP Photography degree, BA History/Social Science, and a minor in music. I have done a lot of different jobs and have a lot of skills, but my art has been my passion since I was a small child. I am a district representative and member of Professional Photographers of Washington state as well as the national Professional Photographers of America. I have mentored with some of our fields finest veterans and decorated masters and utilize both film and digital photography mediums with a specialty in infrared photography. I still have a lot I can master and learn, but we are all on a journey. I have been published, won awards, and have been recognized by a variety of organizations, but I am only as good as my best and last photograph or art piece. Having mentors and fellow professionals to run things by as well as just regular objective people helps me get a sense of perception of my work. I also like to study art, design, and anything connected to my craft to be well rounded and have my own voice and style. I enjoy doing abstract art, photographing nature, wildlife, and creative photography concepts as well as art experimentation in different mediums. I think being an artist is like fostering your inner child and just playing. Then you learn to refine your playing much like those who train at the Olympics. It is important for me to fully be myself, to share and serve others, and to make a difference in the world in some way either in a big or small every moment way. I find that more inpsiring than money, but money is a tool that helps me helps more people. Getting paid fairly for my time and effort as an artist or contributor in the workforce is important. It is important to deliver a valuable service and experience to others. My greatest accomplishment is in my own personal world as a husband, as a cat daddy, as a father figure to the kids in my world I embraced like my own, and as a friend and family member taking the time to give love to those I cherish. And also to share of that cup that overflows with others in my community and world. Love is the most important thing. That is where passion, art, creativity, joy, peace, and fulfillment lies. I start my day cultivating abundance, optimism, and get pumped up for the day. It is time for the game of life. It is time to get out there. Every moment is precious and a gift. I owe my success to my wife, my mom, ffriends, family, and colleagues who have been generous and kind giving me opportunities I would have never had in a big way. I hope I inspire you in some way to follow your heart, your passion, and your gifts and share them with the world that is still full of hope, love, and possibilities. We must create this space for a better world. Blessings!
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
We need to create opportunities for our communities, people of all ages and demographics to explore art without worry about how they will meet their daily needs. This includes our poorest, youngest, those without opportunities. We as a society need to start paying for art and valuing it. It is not just a hobby. It is not supposed to be cheap. We are so used to a consumer culture where we can simply task people overseas who work for less to feed our thriving capitalism. So when we expect the same from a local artist who has rent to pay, food to buy, and costs rising for art supplies and all things, it is unrealistic. They are not a Walmart or a Costco or Amazon Prime. They don’t have a huge supply mass produced for cheap and marked up slightly for profit. Artists can’t simply make it up with volume. They will go out of business. Overhead in cities like Seattle, New York, LA, etc are much higher than other areas, so their income needs to be higher just to survive. The whole get a day job scenario takes away all the resources, energy, and time for a creative. At the end of a hard day, sometimes people just need to rest. There are only so many hours in a day. It is like having two jobs when someone is trying to transition from a creative with a job to a full time creative, so it is important that creative people have space to create and work on their art. There are just not enough hours in a day to really do this adequately for many. This is something the average person simply doesn’t understand.
The other thing is artistic and creative people often make art not for profit or a career, but to just feel like themselves. For me, a sign I am not depressed, or sad, or overwhelmed is feeling inspired to create something and play. It is feeding that inner child and not being over burdened and shaken by the hard realities of our world. That is the crusher of souls, dreams, and masterpieces never made. I don’t do art to just make money. I do art to live, to have a soul, to feel normal, to feel alive. This is not just a hobby, it is about survival and life. It is the most precious heart and spirit freely expressed without feeling an obligation to make some goal or to make our bills. This is often why creative people suck with money or suck with art. They either need to tap into their inner child and spirit, or they need to realize that a little structure and self discipline and healthy balance helps us to be able to continue with our art. We have to find a balance with creating and getting paid for our craft, so we can continue the mission. So our society needs to foster this with support, with compensation, with opportunities, and with some empathy and value. Oftentimes artists use art to cope with pain, depression, trauma, every day life’s biggest blows. It helps to distract, to channel, to process, to feel and express. This is why art and therapy are often tied together. And, art is for everyone. You all can create something, make something, express or play. Art is for everyone, so everyone at some level should have more opportunities to do these type of activities in their life to create a harmony, fulfillment, and balance through opportunities and space. It should start young and continue old. Miles Davis started painting to help as a physical and mental therapy later in his career. Creatives often like to play in other mediums and explore.
Artist need access to therapy, health care, and need support as a vulnerable population. If you have to choose between your guitar, your art supplies, etc. and eating or going to the doctor, it is hard to continue the artistry. Everyone thrives best with good health, support, and access to addiction and recovery services. I see that society as a whole needs to provide access more. There is even a local group that provides health care to musicians who often are just getting by as a thank you to the community often from doctors and professionals who also are musicians as well. If you are one of these professionals, please look to give back and fund this if you can. We need to look after and take care of each other to bring more love and art to our world that needs healing.
Artist having communion with other artists are important. We can’t all be islands. It is helpful to have access to other artists and creatives, collaborate, and support each other too. The arts community is stronger together!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I can tell you that there are many moments that I have to get back up, decide this is what I want to do, and continue forward. I think my particular background, experiences, and hard wiring as an ADHD person make it easy to experience moods and low moments. The pandemic was a huge test for us all. I honestly feel the world for the first time experienced what it was like to feel how I often do when things are going well for others, but I am having a hard time and others can’t understand or relate. Well, we all went through it at the same time. I felt more understood during this time than in many years. For many businesses and people, this was the last straw and many great businesses and beloved things were lost. Music venues, art centers, restaurants, small businesses, people with dreams all of a sudden gone. How do you plan for a global pandemic? It is one of those things that hits everyone somehow. Those who were social felt alone. I honestly both lost my world and my old life, and also gained a new 0ne with my current wife. We were a pandemic love story who met just prior to the shutdowns and continued on together as a new “pod.” This joy and relationship I would not give up for the world. However, despite the blessing and joy this brings me every day, I also had to process the loss of an entire life. I couldn’t legally photograph people as often, and there were a lot of restrictions. People felt less free and so my client load was very small. Just enough to keep busy, but definitely I wasn’t making a living, so when the pandemic lifted, I felt like I was starting over in a way. I rebranded, made a logo, and even got a coach to get back in the game. Life throws all sorts of things at us. Things change, so we have to adapt, grow, regroup, learn, seek others in the areas we need support. Even people with everything figured out will suddenly realize things have changed and adapt or fail. I have many colleagues that had to quickly adapt to survive more decades as professional photographers. Whether that is technology, demographic, or marketing approach. I mean, if we still just used the yellow pages today, we would be out of business. I had to get back on the horse, take the hits, and decide this was my goal. I planted roots in a great community and focused on this new life, meeting new people, and leaving room for some of the old friends, connections, and the old life, but today is a new day and opportunity. I must stay on task in the present. As a result of laying the groundwork and foundation, I am seeing new life in my business. I have the blessing of a support system and connections I have made by getting out there and not giving up. If the bank account gets low, as a self employment person, we have to find a way to get that money back in there. We have to pay for those new tires, replace the deck at our home, go to the doctor for a sudden illness. We can’t always predict when things will go wrong, or not to plan, or things will change, but we can decide to keep going, deal with it, and have an optimism to get back on our feet. And one thing everyone will experience is grieving. My grief started when my grandfather died, then my father died, and it has not stopped the past 5 years. I was told this sort of thing is normal at my age. That definitely affected my business and my life. It felt like everything was harder than it was before, but what realy helped me back on my feet was just keeping going, keep moving, keeping busy, and processing while moving forward. That is so hard to do when you experience a loss. It also helps you to appreciate life and how precious it is to live each day. It changes how you appreciate the small things and those in your life. Until you are in that space, it is hard to understand. No matter what, I move forward. And as a result, I find more victories and opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://JamisonAJohnson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jajphotoartist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamisonAJohnson
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamisonajohnson
- Twitter: https://www.threads.net/@jajphotoartist
Image Credits
My headshot was done and provided by Andrew Crain and used with his gracious permission
The photograph of our wedding canvas was taken by Mike Nakamura and was developed and processed into wall art decor by me used with his permission, photograph of me with camera in studio was provided by Andrew Crain and used by permission. The other images was taken by myself or my creative team.