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

Tariq , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Every industry is so different and requires varied attributes to achieve a version of success. However, I believe there are skills that are needed no matter the path, no matter the industry. First, I believe a strong sense of self is required to be successful. Self awareness will allow you to be decisive and trust your gut instincts and often times I feel this is how my best work is created. Secondly, an endless need to expand your knowledge. If you’re never satisfied with the knowledge you have you’ll be ever learning and ever expanding. To be ever expanding is to continually adapt and adaption is so necessary on the path to success. Lastly, an attention to health and wellness. Often times people feel as though they must sacrifice their health and wellness to achieve success, I do not believe this to be true. When your focus is to perform at the highest possible level your mind and body must be sharp. To do this requires a focus on your health. For me, that’s a strict diet of clean eating, daily exercise and self care. The path to success is riddled with insecurities, failures and worst of all, the unknown. I believe if you’re prioritizing these attributes that the pathway will ultimately be a smoother one.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I started capturing images in 2018 when I became impatient with my life as a painter. I yearned for a new form of self expression. An old camera had been gathering dust on my shelf and curiosity struck, I began wondering about taking photos. I started to make my way across San Diego, photographing everything from buildings to people on the streets. This new art form quickly became a passion. I began dipping my toes in every form of photography. I interned under a commercial wedding photographer, I photographed real estate, fine art architecture and captured headshots, all within a year. I needed to find my niche within photography if I was to make this my career. I realized I loved photographing people and had a strong sense of fashion, so I set my sights on the industry that housed the most interesting people, wearing the most amazing clothing, the fashion industry. 4 years later I’m living a successful career as a fashion and portrait photographer. My brand is built around my need for quality. I feel that within the world of imagery, quality is taking a dive in exchange for quick ideas. This is, in my opinion, to match the constant culture changes brought on by social media. To separate myself, I’ve made sure to put a strong emphasis on the quality of my work but also the quick delivery to match fast paced social media and marketing needs. Interestingly, what sets me apart from others is also what I’m most proud of, which is my obsession with quality. I’ve always had a strong sense of pride when it comes to never compromising the quality of my work, I believe it’s so valuable as an artist to protect your vision and taste. I’m extremely proud to have remained strong in my pursuit of quality. Right now my brand is in a state of change. I’m changing and growing as an artist and that will be reflected in my body of work. I’m so excited for fans and clients to experience my new work.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is freedom. Freedom of expression, freedom of voice and freedom of soul. However, life as a creative is a double edged sword. There are so many starving artists in the world, people who fell pray to the pitfalls of being a creative. It’s a tough road to walk and it requires grit, passion and talent. Often times the weight of those needs will crush you. On the opposite end, if you walk the path as a creative and trudge forward with endless passion and dedication, the reward is so much richer. The career that follows can be one of freedom, a career that is fulfilling and meaningful and I strongly believe that’s a bet I’m willing to make.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I’ve actually recently had a talk about this subject with my girlfriend. She works in corporate as an executive assistant. I’m a fashion photographer. Our careers paths are entirely different and require different skillsets to be successful. However, we realized that there is much to be learned from our opposing careers. As an artist, I found that my business at times lacked the necessary structure to operate at the highest level and it wasn’t until speaking to my corporate girlfriend that I realized I was lacking the skillset that she had. Conversley, I found that she was missing the more spontaneous and creative skillset required to look at things from an impulsive point of view. I think non creatives often struggle with trusting their instincts. So much of my work is built on gut feelings and hunches. For those that aren’t creatives, I find that performing from that place of uncertainty is a difficult and scary position to leap from. If you trust your instincts and act from within, I believe the accomplishments that stem from those gut decisions will be so much more fulfilling than if you were to act from a purely structural place.

Contact Info:

• Website: tariqjphotos.com
• Instagram: @itstariqjohnson