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

Joy, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I was in first grade, our teacher wrote an assignment on the blackboard: “What do you want to be when you grow up? Why?” That was the easiest assignment ever, and I quickly wrote “I want to be an artist because my mother is.” I handed in my paper while everyone else was still scribbling away, and she had no choice but to give me an A. After all, as brief as it was, I had answered her two questions.

Decades later, the answer is a little more complicated. I’ve always been an artist, because I grew up in a family that loved and lived the arts. My mother was a professional painter, exhibiting at arts & crafts shows throughout New England. In summertime, she taught art classes to kids in our backyard, and year-round, she taught oil painting classes to adults in a large studio in our basement. My father also painted, although not professionally.

The underlying message in our home was always this: Art is important. My parents never said it, because they didn’t have to. It was an integral part of our daily lives. At birthdays and holidays, I’d receive my favorite presents: art supplies. Brand-new sketchpads, a fresh box of crayons, paints, markers. I could spend hours alone in my room, drawing intricate stories. When I was seven, my parents bought me my first camera: A Kodak Instamatic Pocket 20. Of course I didn’t know it at the time, but that was one of the defining moments of my life, because today, I’m a professional photographer. I’ve got my parents to thank for it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In my “life before kids,” I was a creative director in the advertising industry. But once I had my first child, I knew that I wanted to do something more personally meaningful to me, and something that I could do from home while raising a family. In the summer of 2012, I launched my blog, JoyfullyGreen.com. It began as a blog about eco-friendly living, but the thing that was getting the most attention on the blog was my photography. So, in spring 2014, I launched my first online photography course, “How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You.” I now offer seven online photography courses via JoyfullyGreen.com. Although I still offer online photography courses, they are now self-paced, meaning that students can take them at any time — and that has freed up my own time for other creative pursuits.

In December 2020, I launched my first magazine, called Catch Light: Creative Inspiration for Photographers & Visual Artists. In November 2024, I published the eighth issue of Catch Light. All of the issues can be ordered in print and digital format through my Instagram @joy_sussman or via my JoyfullyGreen.com site. One of my main goals in creating the magazine was to establish a supportive community of artists supporting other artists. In each issue, I have exclusive interviews with four artists from around the world — people who have personally inspired me — and I also have feature articles to showcase even more creative people. One of my favorite features in the magazine is the annual “Art from the Heart Gift Guide,” where I choose 24 handmade gifts from artists & craftspeople around the world. I’m all about giving artists a platform to show their work, and to introduce artists to each other.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My particular goal is two-fold: to keep on creating visually interesting and inspiring things, and to give support to other artists on their creative journeys. With my Catch Light magazine, I’m able to do both of those things.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, is always inspiring. I can open it to any page and get the boost I need, and I’ve also listened to the audiobook version in the car. He’s a master of ideas and innovative thinking.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joyfullygreen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joy_sussman
• Other: Photography print shop: https://joy-sussman.pixels.com/

  Catch Light magazine issues: https://www.blurb.com/b/12214399-catch-light-issue-eight

Image Credits

All images by Joy Sussman