We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kayla Davis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kayla below.

Kayla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

As a photographer in Texas the hardest part is turning your skill into profit. A lot of the time you have to sacrifice what you want as an artist in order to achieve the imagery of what the brand wants. Another huge thing is that I don’t think Texas or most southern states have caught up in terms of respecting creatives and paying them what they deserve. Like a lot of brands here use imagery for every aspect of their brand or product but do not see the value in paying creatives for the amount of work that they put in to create that imagery. Personally as a photographer I have found that in order to be profitable you have to do jobs on a weekly basis that may or may not fulfill you creatively; yet it is essential in building your craft so that later down the line you can do jobs that satisfy you as an artist.

Kayla, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have always been extremely creative my entire life and it is something that never goes away. Growing up I always wanted to do something creative as a job but it was more of a matter of proving that it can be done and something I can sustain myself to live on. I’ve always said that I would rather make less money as long as I was able to be creative and free to live as unconventionally as possible. At the end of the day photography is my main source of income but I love being surrounded by nature and art as much as possible and I am always doing something creative. As a company I provide services such as photography, creative direction, set styling and prop cultivation. I tend to work mainly with fashion and products because those are the two categories that fuel my passion for photography. I also try to align myself with other brands who are moving towards sustainability and care about what they are putting out into the world. As a photographer I try to lead by actions and I lean more towards brands who are inclusive to all races, identities, vibes and sizes-and I think you can see this in the imagery I put out in the world.

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

The artistic process is something that I think non-creatives will never be able to comprehend because it is something that only creative people understand or experience. It is very hard to shed light on a process that I myself am still learning and trying to form it into words. I think a lot of non-creative people believe that we do not work or that there is not a lot of time put into creating art. The best way I can describe the artistic process would be that in order for us to create we have to live and it is not something that can be forced. Art has to come in the moment and right in that moment when we feel inspired. Another hard thing to understand is that in order for us to have these moments of creativity we have to go out into the world and live and experience and observe. Lastly I think another hard thing to explain is how random the process is and you can’t control when it happens.

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

Overall I just want my photography to help others. Whether that be to make someone feel beautiful or shed light on hard issues I want my imagery to matter and not be superficial. I don’t want to just take pictures just because. I want my photos to have meaning and push others to do the same thing with their art.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: davis.photo
• Other: @davis.photo on TikTok

Image Credits
Sugar Doh, Brittany Gilpin + Jillian Colin, Clay + The Braided Life, Coach + Elsa Hosk, August, Naked Eye Studio + Maggie Deaver + Alyssa