We were lucky to catch up with Lewis Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lewis, thanks for joining us today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

This is a question I think about often and have explored in my work, the idea of heroes or having a hero. Personally I am a sponge for media and engaging storytelling so I could probably list a hero per discipline! In movies the director Tarsem (The Cell, The Fall) has been a beacon of creativity to me, in animation I like to single out Rebecca Sugar (creator of Steven Universe), in music I always return to Maxwell! All of these artists have completely different takes, methods and obviously work in different disciplines but the thing that ties them together for me is emersive storytelling and strong feelings/emotions. I look up to their works for inspiration and as a reminder that real story can still be made and marketed among the many dull projects floating around in media. But there’s a rub to having heroes as an artist- the chance that you become a visual derivative of the person(s) you look up to. I never want to be likened to someone’s work in that way, you know. After all I’m an entirely different artist with my own experiences, influences and interpretation. That should show in the work and for me, I think it does.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into art in general at an early age and honestly never stopped doing it. In grade school I was always getting in trouble for blowing off assignments so that I could draw. It took direction in those days to channel my drive- my Art teachers throughout high school did an excellent job of that and that is how I first learned Photography (film). After college I literally just kept doing that but looking and asking around for people looking for my kind of work. Eventually you can build clients and some reputation and just keep doing that. That’s about it- there is no secret, just keep doing what you’re good at and pick up things along the way if they’re not already established.

This is also what I offer for perspective clients- MY work. In my workflow I’m not out here competing with anyone but myself. I’m not offering photography work that looks like whatever is the trend and I’m not offering art that doesn’t look like my art. I’m specific to me and if you enjoy what I do, then I’m specific to you. That’s craft, that’s art, and that’s something that keeps me focused on doing my best work.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I began with art drawing, drawing is my first love and where I gained all my initial skills and perspective. I learned Photography first with film, and found that what I was doing in drawing could translate into photography as well, so I’ve always had that base learning. Later in life I returned to Photography and found a job at a Photo company as an Editor. I wasn’t even shooting at that point just working behind the scenes fixing photos. After moving on from that job I wanted to get behind the camera instead so I returned to Photography and grew my skills. After some time I began focusing on portraits and began to take on clients, so my side gig turned into more regular work for me.

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

In short, satisfaction. I read and watch and am a fan of many works and I love fiction, but not all of it turns out as you expect. I feel like this is where business and art clash, or rather, where business disrespects art. And we see this all the time, the book is better than the movie, show etc. I see that and feel, agitated, especially as I’m spending money and time. I personally want to skip all of that and completely explore an idea to completion and beyond to really wrap my head around a story I want to tell. The freedom to be as creative as I need to be to fulfil a story or idea without limits is the answer.

Contact Info:

• Website: ljonesink.com
• Instagram: @ljonesink
• Facebook: ljonesink.com