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

Jose, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The root of my mission is to connect with people. Connection feeds my soul. So much growth in my life has come from learning the importance of connecting with others and genuinely being curious about their life story. I can imagine that everyone I work with benefits in their own ways from connecting with me as well, and at the end of the day has a great experience to leave with.

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.

In the Spring of 2013 I decided to pick up my first dSLR camera and start learning the fundamentals of photography. Leading up to that, I went through a dark point in my life.. including burnout, depression, weight gain, and eventually losing my job. I realized that there was more to life than what I was doing and decided to make a change. I’ve gone through many evolutions both personally and professionally after over a decade of being a photographer. I love to photograph individuals, couples, maternity and family portraits. I love to work with businesses to enhance their company branding and update their headshots. For the adventurous clients, I love to create intimate boudoir portraits for both individuals and couples. I also love working on creative teams shooting fashion/editorial work. I’ve recently began exploring tabletop/food photography as well. During the planning session, I help clients carefully craft a concept around the vision they have for their session. I believe there’s a wonderful story to tell in everyone I work with. It’s not simply a photo shoot when clients hire me, it’s what I call a portrait experience. I love to sit and talk with my clients, and interpret their stories through my art. My goal is that by the end of their portrait experience they have wonderful memories to take home in the photographs we captured, and hopefully moments of healing as well.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Photography has been a vital part of my healing journey. It has helped me overcome so many obstacles in my mind that stem from a lack of self worth. It has helped me embrace the way I view my reality. Let me remind you that art is everywhere, all around us, at all times. Being an artist through photography has helped me heal, grow, and evolve in so many ways. I am not the same person I was 10 years ago. I have many moments of curious discoveries, endured frustrations, and celebrated accomplishments through photography to thank for much of my growth. I am learning to give back in any way I can to the creative community, and help inspire others to heal themselves through their craft as well.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

The funny thing is, I don’t believe there are non-creatives. Everyone has the capability to be creative. If anyone struggles to understand any part of my creative journey, there’s a possibility that they haven’t tapped into the curiosity about their own creative journey yet. Who knows, they may think I’m crazy for pursuing my creative path. It could be that they’re afraid to pursue their own creative journey, or maybe they have yet to discover it. That’s not to say everyone should pursue their creativity in the form of making a career out of it. Creativity exists in so many ways. In every day things. Like how someone cares for their garden, works on their own vehicles, or cooks the most amazing dishes at home. My hope is that everyone at some point in their life discovers the true power in using their own creativity to heal the world, in small ways or big.

Contact Info:

• Website: josecphotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/josec_photography
• Facebook: facebook.com/josecphotography
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jose-carlos88

Image Credits
Katy DeZellar