I'm Sarah Jay, and this is the story of how I stumbled into, and fell in love with, Photography.
Hungry Artist
I've been taking photos since I was 10, when my parents bought me a Kodak 110 camera. I still have that camera and many of the (less than great) photos I took with it. It was then I began to realize I wanted to capture the beauty of my life through the lens, with my words, however I could relay how amazing, how magical the world around us was. I took photography in high school, spent hours in a darkroom (probably getting kinda high from the chemicals and losing any pigment my pale skin had to offer) and then went to college, for Journalism. Somewhat aligned but certainly not what I wanted. But I was 18, what did I know? My Dad told me I needed a career, and I listened. And I learned so much. I learned that telling stories wasn't all about JUST the picture or JUST the words, but about the human element that every piece conveys. We are all humans, after all. But nothing that made me much money gave me satisfaction. I was HUNGRY for my art, I just didn't know that photography would satisfy me, or at least I wasn't convinced.
In the Downtime
Every time I took a break from "work" my photography came back into play. Self portrait projects came and went, then came again. My deep love for glossy fashion magazines and film weaved in and out of my inspirations. I went to museums (my favorites are the MOMA in New York City and Dia: Beacon) and spent hours reading in the NYPL's Rose Room. I filled my cup for it to run over into more and more creative photographic endeavors. When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit (and quarantine with it) I was re-inspired. With help from family in the design world I dipped my toe into composite photography, unwilling to let the constraints of my two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn stop me from making. But still I was working for someone else, telling their stories and helping them grow. Deep down I knew I had to make a change and prioritize me.
The fear was real
It is so easy to stay put, to collect a paycheck and do your best work for someone else. Going out on your own is SO scary! So when the opportunity presented itself to me to take a chance on me, on that ache that had been tickling me for practically my whole life, I jumped on it. And now look at me! I'm a photographer, working for myself, still learning how to correctly wrangle a C-stand but giving it my ALL! And even on my lowest days I know I'm doing the right thing. Because my heart is filled with love and joy more than fear. And I hope that you'll follow along with me as I learn how to do this. Who knows, maybe one day I can inspire you, dear reader, to take the plunge into doing something that makes your heart sing, even if your bank account is silently judging you.
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