I live in Color...
I wouldn't be keeping it real if I didn't tell you all where I started. Since I am the face behind my brand, I want all of my reader's to be able to connect with me and understand who I am as a person. I believe art is such a personal thing to share; you are literally showing the world a visual of how you view it. I want you all to know me so that it can help you understand why I view the world the way I do. So, with that being said.....Let's back allllll the way up!
I was born in Brooklyn, NY July 23, 1990. My parents divorced when I was a little over 1 years old, we struggled for a bit until shortly after; my Mother was remarried to my now "bonus father". We quickly became a blended family, that consisted of 6 children; we had stability and a whole lot of love. As a child, I loved to draw, paint, sketch, YOU NAME IT! I was doing it. My parent's nurtured my gift and supplied me with all the tools I would need to be successful. I spent Summer's in South Carolina with my Grandfather and he would invest so much into my art gear as well. It was there that I saw a different lifestyle. It was so quiet, the birds chirped, the stars were visible at night. It was different than what I was used to. We caught frogs, fire flies, had crab broils, road in the back of the pickup truck and played outside with no supervision from sun up to sun down. My Grandfather was my hero! He spoke so much life into me as a child, that I still remember his exact words now as an adult. He'd always sit me down and look me straight in my eye's and say "Erika, you can be anything you want" and I knew he meant it and so I believed it!
Everyone who knew me, knew I had a gift and whenever I was asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I would always reply "An Artist!
I had auditioned and gotten accepted to an art school in NY. That was the same Summer that my parent's had had enough; My parent's both have that NY drive and hustle and wanted more for themselves and their family. They stacked their money, sacrificed a ton and made smart investment decisions. After 14 years of knowing nothing but the city life, those awesome decisions moved us out of NY, and into my parent's dream home in Atlanta, GA.
It was up from there! I started high school and was sure to add art to my curriculum. Having that same hustler's mentality as my parent's, I knew I couldn't work until I was 15 (14 at the time); I decided to find a way to make money with my art. I drew and painted characters on some of my jeans and my favorite Jeans Jacket. I knew once everyone in school saw it, they'd ask who made it.
& I was right!
I started getting orders in from all over the school, all grade levels and some from other schools as well. I charged $20-$30 an item; and these kids paid it without a problem. This was my first experience as a business owner lol, and I was loving it!
I noticed my love for drawing started to fade during the summer of 2015. I was into boys now heavily and art became more of a job than a hobby. I spent more time being out with friends and put my projects on the back burner. In all honesty, "I broke up with art".
Moving forward, I married my high school sweetheart in October of 2011. My husband Isiah, had joined the U.S. Navy right out of high school; we had already had our first born son Zahkye and were ready to grow our family even bigger. We welcomed our second born son on May 7, 2012 "Zayden Amir John". Zayden was with us for two beautiful months before he passed away from SIDS.
I was devastated!
All the color in my world was gone.
I cried...
& cried some more....
mourned my sweet boy day in and day out.
My breast were engorged, my alarms were telling me to log my feeds and diaper changes, I still looked pregnant and when people would ask; I'd cry all over again. I stayed away from my pregnant friends; I wanted nothing more than the feeling to go away.
So I did what I knew best...... and I PRAYED! I prayed so hard for God to bring me comfort and restore me; I still had my oldest son who needed his Mommy and a husband who needed his wife. Ya'll, they say be careful what you pray for because sure enough; God healed my heart and he blessed our family with a baby girl 6 months later. My rainbow baby! Isabella Marie brought all the color back to my life with her first breath.
Isabella was born with microcephaly (her brain does not develop at the same pace as the average child her age).
What does that mean to me? I will get to enjoy her as my baby a little bit longer.
For my 25th birthday, Isiah brought me my first DSLR camera. My phone had zero storage because all I did was take photos of my babies all day. I will admit, its much easier to use a camera phone lol. I was intimidated by my DSLR camera and barely ever took it out of the bag. Every time I used it, I would keep it in the "Auto" setting. I had no idea what I was doing but I didn't want to admit to my husband that he may have wasted his money lol. I'm a visual learner, so although the manual was right in front of me; I have always learned better when things are done "hands on".
My husband and I moved to San Diego in 2015 after he came home from a 9 month deployment. We had welcomed our fourth child together earlier that year in February, Isiah Jr; and they had a lot of bonding and catching up to do. Isiah Jr would be turning 1 in two months and we honestly could not afford to pay a professional photographer for photos.
Well.....Hello DIY!
I invested in a backdrop stand that came with a white backdrop. That was my blank canvas and surely I could feel my creativity start to take over. Etsy was and still is my best friend when it comes to props. I found an inspiration piece on there and came up with a theme for Jr's cake smash. I still had no clue how to work my settings, so I kept my settings in Auto to be safe. I ordered a smash cake from another military SAHM in the neighborhood and an outfit; I then set up my backdrop in our garage and used some sunlight and my on camera flash (Im cringing right now from the OCF)! Here's how they turned out:
......ok they're terrible lol.
Well nobody couldn't tell me nothing back then ya'll! I just knew I was doing something. Present day Erika would have gladly "humbled" past Erika because I can see all the mistakes clear as day now. The funny thing is, they were minor mistakes that I still see a lot of "professional" photographers make today (That's a different post for a different time lol).
I showed my friends Jr's pictures and they hyped me up so bad, I started thinking "maybe I am cut out for this". I mean, I had the creative eye right? and since I can draw, then maybe this will be a piece of cake........ wrong!
I finally had to learn how to work my camera if I was going to start charging for sessions. So I ran to Pinterest, my favorite DIY app (saved a bunch of pins that never got used). I then thought to myself, "I'm in one of the most beautiful cities in the country; there is art all around me". I started with still life because flowers and plants wouldn't judge me if I messes up lol. My favorite place to take pictures was the Botanical Building in Balboa Park, located downtown San Diego. I still had no idea what I was doing, I would just play with my settings until my lighting was right ; but had no clear understanding of how i made it happen.
I finally met up with a local photographer at a coffee shop one day. I brought a notepad with me and she took the time to explain the basics to me. I brought my camera, so she was able to show me what all of my settings meant. Some were fool proof and some were a bit more technical. I had written down all of my questions in advance and asked her everything I could think of. She was so polite and patient and there was no judgment at all; she set me up for success and gave me the push to pursue photography as a career.
I used all of my notes and practiced for months. I learned lighting, composition and angles. I practiced on my kids, my friends kids, animals, nature, and everything else. I was ready!
I booked my first session shortly after and never looked back.
I had my last two children in 2018 and 2020; Avery and Luca. I am honored to be a military family; I've had the opportunity to capture so many different families with many beautiful sceneries. The lifestyle is so different on the West Coast than living on the East Coast; but it showed me a new way of life. It broadened my views on everything and allowed me to unapologetically walk in my purpose. I have no doubt that God had a hand in my journey; my then and my now. My testimony is that I took a huge loss in life, but the gain has been so much greater. I specifically specialize in Newborn, Children and Family Photography because it is so dear to my heart. Every newborn or young child that I have the pleasure of working with are so very loved and cherished in my studio. They are my reminders that life is fragile, it should be handled with care in all aspects.
I'm passionate about my career because it's deeply personal to me; I know what it feels like to have nothing but a handful of photos left. The thought beats me up everyday about how I should have taken more. It's the photos that bring me back to his time hear with us. I can feel our bond, remember his scent and feel the moods going on in the photo. Those have now become my goals when capturing clients. I post often to remind my client's because sometimes life can be so busy; we can easily get caught up in the chaos and forget to cherish the things that matter most.
I put down my drawing tools in exchange for my camera; My blank canvas is all around me. God designed me with eyes to see beauty in all things! My only hope is that you'll allow me to help you see that beauty too.
In Loving Memory of "Zayden Amir John" 5/7/2012 - 7/6/2012
