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

Hi Maria, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

When I look back at what my parents did right in reference to my upbringing from childhood to becoming an adult, I have to smile. I get the warm fuzzies, and I feel grateful. My parents encouraged me from a young age to explore, be curious, ask questions. We moved from the city when I was 3 to a rural area. My dad built a home for us where we could explore nature, feed the curious spirit and be surrounded by beauty. Our home was built on 5 1/2 acres of wooded land that was set back 1000 feet from the main road. The property included a waterfall with a 100′ drop. There was only one other home next to ours, and dad and mom were friends with the people that also built on that land. We were tucked away in a forest of trees! As I grew up on this lush piece of property, I learned much about myself, the Earth and land and how I was interconnected to all that was around me: Trees, birds, plants, animals, water.

How is all of that applicable to what my passions/career are/is today? The land and my home taught me to trust my instincts, to be creative, to listen deeply to my heart, to explore and be open to new experiences, people, places and things, to be self sufficient and adaptable, to flow with the seasons and changing times. Growing up on that land was thee BIGGEST gift my parents could have given me. The icing on the cake is that although my parents home was sold, I still have access to the home next door; I am friends with the people that purchased the home next to my parents.

I am eternally grateful for the connection and ability to re-visit closely to my childhood home/property on a regular basis.

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

I got into photography as a teenager as my best friend had a manual Minolta film camera. We would head out on artist dates and he would photograph me modeling at different nature and commercial sites in the area we grew up in. I would shoot with his camera when I could. I dibble dabbled with a few friends cameras over the years, and my own point and shoots…but I didn’t get into photography seriously until a friend gifted me with a 35mm camera. A Canon Rebel G was my first ‘real’ camera, and from there I was hooked. I took pictures of everything I could mostly nature, family gatherings and live photography i.e. concerts. I put the camera down for some time…ya know, life happens….Fast forward to 12 years ago, and that’s when I picked my camera back up and got back into a regular rhythm of capturing events, people, street photography, and nature.

The services and focus I provide are photographing senior portraits, small weddings, family gatherings, and landscape/street photography. What sets me apart from others is my friendly and easy going personality, the ability to connect with others quickly and easily, deep listening skills, and a professional background of working with people/the public for over 30 years.

Most proud of and what I want potential clients and followers to know: : My art/photography captures moments from a spiritual, joy filled perspective. I thoroughly love being IN the moment, and bringing forth what I ‘see’ to light through the lens, aka. visual storytelling.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the freedom of expression. The ability to capture images and moments in time and to create beautiful images from what I ‘see’ behind the lens, is a blessing. In addition to freedom of expression, I would add freedom to create my own schedule, and to choose to work with clients and collaborators that hold to heart the same visions or values of expression is also a win- win.

It is important to me as an artist to take down time to recharge and refuel my artistic visions and ideas, and that could be anything from an afternoon nap, to a walk in the park, a massage, a getaway, or meeting a friend for coffee. I LOVE meeting new people and learning about what makes them tick. These sometimes impromptu meetings give me the energy and inspiration to move forward in creative process.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first got back into photography, I had doubts about my capabilities and the quality of my work. I began comparing my art/photography to others. That is a definite NO-NO and NO-WIN situation. We all have our own styles and ways of seeing things.

What I came to understand and know through a LOT of hours behind the camera, (patience is a virtue) is that EVERYTHING takes time. It takes time to build your craft and to become proficient in an artistic endeavor or skill, it takes time to build a portfolio, to make connections with people and places. Your craft , just like in life, is a continual learning experience. You can take your life lessons and use them in your crafting experience and vice-versa.

There’s not a day that I’m not out shooting something, practicing, learning, talking and sharing with others my wins and challenges. When we come from a place of openness and wanting to give back, life and “the craft” seems to flow much easier.

Keep moving forward! If you believe in what you’re doing, it all will flow to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mariapumaperme.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariapermephotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariaPermePhotography/following/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-p-4972b130/

Image Credits
Maria Perme Photography