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

Liz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

Honesty and respectful communication from all parties is huge when it comes to the educational system. Not just being aware/making others aware of the needs that can be meet with students, but also making sure that if a student has a need that can’t be met at that school, then everyone needs to communicate whether or not there is a work around or not. The school and parents have a responsibility to that child to make sure they are set up for success from the jump. Actively participating in their education AND discipline at home (parents) and school (teachers and administration), parents and staff being on the same page with their child and asking each other for help if a problem arises, parents volunteering for school events, etc. all of these are ways we can prepare students for a more fulfilling life if it is all proactive. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen students (when I was in grade school and when I was a teaching assistant) in tears because their friends’ parent(s) are volunteering to read to their class or chaperone field trips or run booths at school day events and their parents are not. It heartbreaking to see kids not know their basics coming into school and then watch them constantly have to work harder than everyone else to catch up to where they should be.

In order for students to have a fulfilling life and career they need to be set up for it early on. I don’t mean they need to know who they want to be by the time they graduate high school or get out of college/trade school. I mean they need to be given the tools to make school easier for them (already knowing basics by kindergarten and enforcing learning as they get older) and making sure that they are emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually stable within themselves and with others. As long as we make sure their learning is where it needs to be at all times, and making sure they have values instilled in them and allow them to set their own values as well, then they will be able to have fulfillment in their own life and excel in whatever career choice they choose.

Obviously this is not a one size fits all answer, but I do think it can alleviate a lot of the pressure from all parties. School is hard and it is not for everyone. And that is OKAY. Contrary to popular belief, school will never define a student. Not test scores, not discipline records, not grades. None of that truly matters to society. What matters is how you treat people even when they do everything in their power to tear you down. Knowing your limits and how to communicate your boundaries firmly and respectfully are things that can’t be taught but can be observed .

I guess at the end of the day, I’m saying that for me, setting examples for kids when it comes to different qualities will indirectly make students better at everything else. If a kid comes to school upset and can’t tell their teacher why they are upset, it makes it harder for them to learn and retain anything that they may learn. So allowing them a safe open space to communicate without any type of judgement or discipline for speaking their truth is a good place to start and you can work from there.

Liz, 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?

I found my love for photography and videography in college as a Music Business student at the University of Memphis. From there, it’s kind of taken its own course with obvious ups and downs. I mainly stick to doing concert photography and video work, but also get asked to do weddings and portraits every now and then. Lately, I’ve been working on breaking into the fashion industry a bit more and I’m excited to see where that goes. I’m just another content creator in the sea of creators living life and doing what I love. Does it guarantee a payday? No, but I’ve always loved capturing different sides of people and allowing them to express themselves how they want without judgement through my lens, so it’s always worth it.

One thing that is important that people know about me if that I’m always constantly working and evolving, you won’t get the same Liz year after year. Life happens, work happens and even though some things may slip through the cracks, I’m still the person who aims to give the best content at all times. I don’t really market myself, so everyone that I have worked with so far have been through word of mouth and that’s such a great feeling to know people love my work enough to tell others about me.

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

This is kind of a tough one because my creative journey changes as I continue to discover different avenues. I think the overall goal is to always do what I love without ever getting burned out while also finding good financial stability so that I can do this for a living. The mission that I have in mind for my journey is to create a collective/database of Memphis creatives (tour managers, photographers, video creators, drone pilots, podcasters, audio producers, etc.) and put Memphis on the radar for artists both inside and outside of the city. So many times I’ve met artists who say they don’t know of any videographers who do music work and I’m able to recommend someone if I’m not able to do it. From creating the database, I want to essentially open up a collaborative space for different creatives to come in and work. Whether it end up being a multi-room house that I buy and turn into different rooms (an editing room, podcast/video space for interviews and performances, studio for photographers, etc) or buy commercial property and do the same, I want that to be available and more affordable for those who may not have any footing yet and need a place to start.

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

I think something that may be hard to understand unless you are a creative is the willingness to risk a lot if not everything on the one thing you love and want the most. You hear the stories of people uprooting and moving to LA/New York and being homeless for so long before being discovered and people look at that and think it’s insane. It’s so normalized to have a 9-5 career that when we say we want to go be a movie producer or be on Broadway, there are people who are naysayers, sometimes its your own family, who don’t support you until they see you making it. And that’s depressing to me because you have kids who dream big but are torn down to getting a “normal” job and are unhappy and exhaust themselves working and bending to everyone else for the rest of their lives. I don’t know it’s a long conversation that I think needs to happen in the community and allow non-creatives to see how hard we grind out of the spotlight in order to get into it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lizbotvisuals.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizbotvisuals/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizbotvisuals/