We recently connected with Juliette Mansour and have shared our conversation below.

Juliette, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned photography not by getting a degree in photographic art, but by following a tiny light, shining from under a large door that held prisoner another version of myself. Let me explain:

It was 2005 and I was at the height of my career in the freelance advertising, focusing on just the business and technology side at this point. I was surrounded by so many creative people at work and in my personal life, secretly lusting after what they were able to do with their skills.

That spring of ’05, I went to New York with a good friend of mine. It was my first trip since I was a child and I wanted to take a camera with me. I decided to take a few rolls of color film on that trip and I was on my way. When I got back to Atlanta, I was so excited when I got my negatives and prints back. New York and its people burned in my brain in a whole different way.

That was my “calling”, if you will. It opened the door to a world I kept locked away from myself for decades and I reconnected to where I left off from childhood. I loved three things as a child: I loved our family’s little Kodak film camera, I loved singing to Olivia Newton John, and I loved drawing. At some point though, all of that love got stowed away and I don’t remember how.

That trip to New York and those prints threw me head first into digital photography. I attended as many classes as possible, joined lots of photography clubs, sought lots of advice, and travelled as much as possible, shooting mostly candid street scenes. I had started on a path of accelerated and relentless photographic discovery. I was making up for lost time at high speeds and at the same time, nothing could be done to speed up my learning. I came to understand that the timing was what it was and as it should be. Had I learned photography at a younger age, maybe I’d could claim to be more seasoned now, at this age, but would I love it as passionately?

In 2009, I made the decision to join the full-time work force because I knew that photographic fever was here to stay and I wanted a strong financial foundation to support this new love. I knew my creativity was unleashed late in life and I wanted to to protect the love I have for art and let it run free, with my only obstacle being time. Looking back, it was a good choice,

It was a good choice because I was able to take on some freelance jobs that taught me a lot – not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I was able to create the Atlanta Street Photography group which thrived for many years and where I met some amazing photographers who I can now call friends and mentors. I was able to sell my images in a few shows, get published in online magazines and learn to expand to other genres besides street photography. My choices have also allowed me to expand in other areas of art. In addition to building darkroom in my home so I can develop and print my own film, I started writing a book and added a mini recording studio alongside my darkroom for my other longstanding love – music.

I believe that above all skills, the most important skill is the ability to connect with your heart from a deep and quiet place. You could be the most skilled artist in the world, but if you don’t cultivate an honest and continuous connection with your highest self on a regular basis, your entire life’s trajectory can get stalled often.

Now, my only obstacle is time to keep up with all the creative things I love to do every day!

Juliette, 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?

[please refer to my last section about “how I got into the discipline].

My primary love is street photography, which is about the practice of shooting candid photos of people in public places, attempting to tell a story in a compelling way. Most of my portfolio reflects street scenes from cities around the different countries I’ve visited. Social media used to form a big part of my “coming out” as a street photographer. Today, I spend less time on the web and more time in my darkroom and seeking to publish in more online magazines like Canvas Rebel!

My skillset is fairly broad. I’ve meandered in many industries, from adult education to internet technology, to web design, to project management and communication strategy.

I went to graduate school to learn how to teach English as a Second Language to immigrants partly because as generation American, I knew that understanding the importance of good communication was vital in my household. My parents didn’t share the same native language and English was their second language, so the opportunities to build effective communication skills were ripe for me! I brought that knowledge and understanding into each of the professional roles I played, including with my photography clients. I spent a good bit of time leveraging my professional history to provide a clarity and thoroughness to my photography events and felt proud of the accolades I received after every shoot, even though I was juggling a day job the entire time.

In 2016, I put aside my freelance photography work completely to focus on my full-time job and being primary caregiver for my mother for a few years. To me, the time I spent caring for and photographing that time with my mom was the most important, gratifying and stressful work I’ve done in my life. And the rewards keep coming. Since I spent time photographing my mother those last few years, I have started to work on developing the proper creative form to share that time, which was so precious to me.

Today, I spend most of my time continuing to shoot as often as I can and have begun opening back up to paid work, though I am more focused on looking forward to publishing and collaborating with other creatives interested in publishing.

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

When we are stuck in our thinking mind, we can forget that we are creative beings with many different stories to tell. When an artist or creative is deep into their process, time stands still and we are able to expand our awareness. Anyone can do this, actually. You don’t have to call yourself an artist to experience the “light bulb” moment. You just have to be willing to give into the moment – any moment that doesn’t involve that thinking mind. The reward for me is that the more moments I can allow for the process, the more my heart and mind open and the more I grow in my skills. It’s pure magic!

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

I’ve had to pivot professionally so many times that if you saw my resume, your head would spin! I think this is the hardest thing to understand for those who “specialize” in their field. Years ago, we were taught that you should go to school, get a degree, and specialize in your craft for years until you retire. It took me several years to embrace the fact that I’m a “scanner”, professionally-speaking. The author Barbara Sher (Refuse to Choose!: A Revolutionary Program for Doing Everything That You Love) coined this term, “scanner”. A scanner is someone who is passionate about multiple disciplines and the idea of doing only one thing for the rest of our lives is a nightmare. The book for me was what one reader called, “an exhilarating permission slip to be wholly and unashamedly yourself”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juliettemansour.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casadresden
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casadresden
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliettemansour
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/casadresden

Image Credits
Juliette Mansour Photography, CasaDresden LLC.