We were lucky to catch up with Wes Milton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Wes, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

That’s a loaded question! My wife and I moved to Atlanta in 2018 to pursue our “big break” in the ATL film scene. Having worked regional theatre consistently around the Eastern Coast and networked with hundreds of individuals we thought ATL was our best option for a permanent home base. We did the typical background work to break in, and I quickly discovered it wasn’t for me. I had already been thinking about taking a break from acting, but I needed something else to do with my creative mind. My wife asked me, “What would you do if you didn’t do theatre? Or film? Acting, any of it?” My response was pretty quick, as I said, “I’ve always wanted to learn photography.” She responded with a quick witted, “That’s expensive…but let’s make that happen for you.” From then on I went back to school. I attended classes everyday for months before we could save up on a first camera and lens. While sitting in my underwear attending YouTube University I soaked in knowledge of camera basics, lighting, composition, terminology, etc. I asked around fellow artists for recommendations on a first camera or lens. After some months of saving, and with some help from her grandmother, we bought my first camera and lens.

My initial intention was to do abstract and landscapes. Fast forward to present day and I rarely ever take photos of that. I found out pretty quickly I really enjoyed capturing people and their energy/emotion. For about two years I started taking up donations for free headshot appointments with my fellow actor friends. Eventually I gained the courage to charge. Then charge more. Then charge just a bit more.

I always felt a connection to Ravens. Such misunderstood birds. The Creative Raven kind of just fit. It felt right. When I started this as a hobby, I never really saw it becoming a business. I never saw myself quitting my day job. I never thought of myself as a pro. It was an easy tool and fun thing to do to keep myself not only sober, but to combat boredom. Good news is I fully believe it played a part in how I stayed sober this long. It’s opened me up to learning new communication skills. I’ve made new friendships. And I still get to do theatre which is also great.

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

I’m Wes, owner of The Creative Raven, LLC, a photography and video production company out of Atlanta, GA. I specialize in headshots, boudoir, and events, while also shooting anything from music videos to commercials.

I come from the land theatre and the performing arts where I have worked as an actor, director, choreographer, SFX coordinator. I’ve always been involved in art in some way or another. When my wife and I moved to Atlanta, I was just recently sober from a long dreadful spiral with alcohol. My anxiety and mental health were not exactly in the best place so I really needed a break as an actor. After my wife asked me what I would do without theatre, a lot of doors started opening. This photography world felt new and exciting. I felt super creative. It also kept my mind off booze. I think my theatre background helped me with general storytelling within photographs. What is this person thinking? What’s the composition telling you? That sort of thing, along with themes, tones, and everything else you learn from literature class.

For photography, my area focus is portraiture. While I shoot headshots, boudoir, and events, I just like focusing on the human condition. I want my actors to book gigs. I want my boudoir clients to feel fully empowered. But each one of my photographs tells its own story, even if the only intention is to capture your wedding day. My biggest strength and biggest weakness is attention to detail. I’m a perfectionist. I want your photos to be as perfect and unique as possible. The same goes for video work. I work with a lot of theatres. One of my favorite things is not just taking photos or video of live performances, but providing them with great quality work for advertising their shows.

I try my best to provide an affordable experience without going to ‘cheap.’ My hope is that people can see my work and look at the price and know that it won’t completely break the bank. I feel comfortable that I am also not ripping myself off as well. This line of work, as creative as it is, is symbiotic. I truly enjoy the concepts my clients bring to me, and how we can bounce ideas off each other freely and then make some beautiful art.

The Creative Raven, LLC is a LGBTQ+ friendly company. We welcome all people. We want to work with all people. You are human, and you deserve to look and feel fabulous. Let’s create a Pinterest board and get to work!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Alcohol almost killed me. A tiny hotel room drowning. I plead. I cried. I lived. I made amends with myself. The past 6 1/2 years have been an insane journey since my last sip. Recovery and detox taught me to value my own life. Showing up to a meeting is the easy part. The journey can be rough. But it’s doable. You just have to want to. You have to kind of restructure or retrain your brain to think a certain way. I am still in therapy to this day working on myself. Some days I wake up and just want to lay there for hours or get up and drive to a liquor store. There should be no shame in either. Feelings are feelings. So if you need to lay there an extra hour to avoid relapsing, its ok. If you need to take a step back to help yourself, do it. Treat yourself with respect. Love yourself. If you are out there struggling, know that you have this! You can do this. Tomorrow may seem forever away, but it’s only a few hours.

I think art is therapy. My work is therapy to me. You don’t have to make it a business, but I would encourage anyone to just go do more art.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I can wake up everyday knowing I am the BOSS. It’s challenging. If I oversleep, that’s on me. But I also don’t have anyone breathing down my neck. Knowing that I am keeping myself accountable. I am doing this with my life is beautiful. How many people are fortunate to say that they are their own boss? I’m blessed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.creativeravenmedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.creative.raven/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativeravenmedia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAucEuJcmPHimAnGYE03lsQ

Image Credits
The Creative Raven, Tina Neese