Transcript
Speaker: Hello everyone, and welcome to Convos with Jordan, the podcast where I, Jordan Keith, interview and introduce you to people pursuing their dreams, living authentically, and self-actualizing to their true selves.
Speaker: Guests discuss their unique experiences, trials, and tribulations that they have overcome, shape them into who they are today, and where they are headed next on their life's journey.
Speaker: On our solo episodes, I'll draw upon personal experiences from my own life, concepts from the self-improvement community, and topics revolving around success and inspirational ideas so that you can become the person you want to be.
Speaker: Thanks for tuning in on this journey.
Speaker: Capturing a life worth living.
Speaker: That's the statement you'll find on this episode's guest's Instagram account.
Speaker: Bree, who runs at Photos by Bree on Instagram, is a digital creator and freelance photographer currently based in Dallas, Texas.
Speaker: In this episode, Bree and I discuss how pursuing photography adds a lens on observing collectivist and individualistic cultures, how it enables one to connect with others, and the objectivity and subjectivity that is captured in the artwork of photography.
Speaker: Bree details how growing up as a child of diplomats has colored her life's perspective, spontaneously moving to Egypt on a whim, and how she's created her own opportunities as an outgoing individual.
Speaker: You can follow and book Bree through at Photos by Bree, where she will party with you and be your personal paparazzi for an event and take your engagement, birthday, headshot, or dating app pics.
Speaker: Follow us at Convos with Jordan on Instagram,
Speaker: and enjoy this week's episode.
Speaker: Hey everyone, welcome back to the podcast, episode five of Convos with Jordan.
Speaker: Today, my guest, I have Brie, photos by Brie.
Speaker: We recently just met, and it's funny, I met at an event, and I'm like, oh, this is someone who would be a great guest on this podcast.
Speaker: So welcome to Convos with Jordan, Brie.
Speaker: Thank you.
Speaker: Really nice to have you.
Speaker: Saw you interviewing at that
Speaker: event that was or whatever that was from jigsaw so why don't you tell um our guests a little bit about yourself you seem like you like to document and kind of capture the moment of whatever's going on oh man if i don't capture anything honestly i would probably forget i did it i mean every time someone asks me they're just like oh what'd you do last summer what'd you do last weekend i'm like i've done so much let me check my let me check my album like my camera roll real quick
Speaker: But that's what I do.
Speaker: I mean, right now I'm just doing photography.
Speaker: I'm actually pursuing something that's not really, you know, I guess it's my dream, something that's not really kind of like corporate job or something like that.
Speaker: But yeah, a little bit about myself.
Speaker: I mean, I'm a photographer, content creator.
Speaker: I love capturing the moment, whether it's taking videos or photos or making people feel special or look good.
Speaker: I love when people look back at the videos and photos and they're laughing or they're like, wow, I forgot about that or damn, I look good.
Speaker: And I just it makes me feel good about like my work myself and like the skill that I don't know who gave me, but thank God I have it, honestly.
Speaker: Yeah, I think so too.
Speaker: And I think that's incredible.
Speaker: I mean, like I looked through your Instagram and noticed that so people pay you to follow them, capture different nights or high moments.
Speaker: Well, it all started in College Station, Texas.
Speaker: I mean, actually in 2015, my parents gave me a digital camera Canon and we went on like a trip for a summer.
Speaker: We went like all around the world.
Speaker: We went to Dubai, Italy, France, Thailand.
Speaker: And then I just kind of was like taking pictures of everything.
Speaker: And I was like, wow,
Speaker: I like this.
Speaker: And then I kind of put it away, went to university and then I finished school and then I went to College Station and I was like, hmm, I want to pursue photography here.
Speaker: And then I kind of just started going out.
Speaker: My brother actually was the one who said, hey, my friends, they own like a party group.
Speaker: Why don't you come out to one of their events, Latino Night?
Speaker: And shout out Tamo Activo.
Speaker: and why don't you take pictures like of the event and post it like you know and you could party and you know get paid for it i was like that's a really good idea so i started doing that i started taking pictures of people and posting and they would love it because like no one was really doing that back in um 2020 yeah like after like after the pandemic this is in august and people loved it people loved it so i just started going out taking pictures of people and i was just posting and tagging and that's how i kind of got clout
Speaker: But then I was like, I need to make money off this.
Speaker: Like, so I started kind of like selling the pictures to people or, you know, like the, they would hire me to photograph like their event.
Speaker: And then I would just like give them whatever they wanted, get the photos, get the money.
Speaker: But it just kind of started from there.
Speaker: So yeah, but now I just kind of go around, take pictures of people, get their Instagram, tag them, they tag me.
Speaker: And then whenever they ask, what do you do?
Speaker: I'm like, well, I'm a photographer.
Speaker: I could take headshots, Tinder pictures, hinge, jigsaw.
Speaker: all that whatever you need engagement like I could do anything and everything so just trying to dabble into that kind of life creator lifestyle yeah that creator um you know freelance type lifestyle and capturing events in the moment too right that seems a lot of it because um that seemed what you were doing you're documenting at that um jigsaw like single happy hour kind of thing yeah I I don't know I just I got a mini microphone recently yeah I love that
Speaker: Yeah, and it's, it's, I've seen a lot of people do interviews and it's just the funniest thing ever.
Speaker: And I'm a pretty like outgoing, bubbly individual.
Speaker: So I just kind of was going up to random people and I was like, why are you single?
Speaker: Why are you here?
Speaker: Like, and it just, I just thought it was really funny.
Speaker: So I did too.
Speaker: I think it caught some people by surprise.
Speaker: And so other people were super receptive to it.
Speaker: Like when I saw you doing like, oh, this is someone I need to go and talk to because they have the kind of energy that I like and want to, um,
Speaker: and be late you know yeah you your interview was pretty funny too honestly I mean like I made you move and I was like wait the wind or this and that and you're like I have a podcast I know what I know what you're talking about yeah and I was like no way and then that's kind of like how we connected and that's why we're here today so thanks it's yeah pretty awesome I think so too I'm really curious you know you mentioned that in 2015 you know you were given this camera then you traveled around the world um is that
Speaker: like due to your parents' job or was that more like personal travel or what was going on there?
Speaker: Because it seems like you hit a lot of places and
Speaker: So I've been to 31 countries.
Speaker: I've lived in like 10, I believe.
Speaker: My parents are diplomats, so they work for the State Department.
Speaker: So ever since I was a kid, after I was born in New York, three months later, I moved to Honduras, where my dad's from.
Speaker: And then three years later, we moved to Mexico and then Guatemala.
Speaker: So every three years we were moving around.
Speaker: So I mean, back in 2015, my dad was into photography.
Speaker: And I think my sister got a camera and then like I got one because I was like, I liked it.
Speaker: And then my parents just during the summer, they were like, we're going to have a summer vacation.
Speaker: Let's pick like three or four countries.
Speaker: And where do you guys want to go?
Speaker: Let's do like a big family outing.
Speaker: And we just chose a couple of countries and we just toured kind of like a mini world little tour.
Speaker: So it was really cool.
Speaker: So now they're in China.
Speaker: My brother's in College Station, me and my sister here in Dallas, Texas.
Speaker: So.
Speaker: So it's really, do you guys have like some sort of ties to Texas originally or did you just some kind of draw to Texas?
Speaker: That's a good question.
Speaker: My dad was an Aggie.
Speaker: So like my whole entire like Latin side of the family, they were all Aggies.
Speaker: So like kind of just following that little tradition and my dad has in-state tuition.
Speaker: So he was like, either you go to Texas or my mom has in-state tuition in Florida.
Speaker: So we kind of chose Texas and then we all kind of just loved, we loved it here.
Speaker: I mean, it's, everything's better in Texas.
Speaker: Honestly, it's awesome.
Speaker: It's really cool.
Speaker: Yeah, it is.
Speaker: And I moved here a couple of years ago from New York.
Speaker: I think maybe I mentioned that to you.
Speaker: And I've been to Miami.
Speaker: I was last year.
Speaker: One of my best friends is in Miami.
Speaker: He's in the Coast Guard.
Speaker: I used to be in the Coast Guard.
Speaker: But I'm like, wow, this is like New York for like Latin culture.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: 100% I'm actually going in December and bringing my camera and seeing whatever I can capture there but Miami is like its own little Latino US New York I mean I don't know but New York scares me I mean I've thought about moving over there there's a lot of content creators and and the fashion and just kind of like the vibe over there is just different but I feel like did you have FOMO when you were there because there's so much going on like the city's huge
Speaker: I mean, like, how would you even plan a night out?
Speaker: Like, or in general, like, did you do a lot?
Speaker: Or were you just kind of like, let's take it day by day?
Speaker: I feel like for me, I did a lot when I was in New York, but you find your pace and you find kind of your cadence and your people.
Speaker: And I lived in Manhattan.
Speaker: I lived on the Lower East Side for a couple of years, Upper East Side for a year after I'd gotten out of the Coast Guard.
Speaker: But you kind of find your people.
Speaker: And that's what I love about that city, though.
Speaker: And if you go, I guess you were born there, too.
Speaker: Your parents probably worked oftentimes at the UN, for all I know, you know, over on the 50th Street.
Speaker: No, no.
Speaker: My parents, they work for like the State Department.
Speaker: So like overseas, like they're the, what you call it, the headquarters in Washington, DC.
Speaker: So we would kind of like go there if we needed anything, but UN, wow.
Speaker: That's what I wanted to do or be president of the United States of America.
Speaker: But here we are shooting photography and doing podcasts with Jordan.
Speaker: So yeah, but I mean, I think photography is super cool because you get to capture those moments and it's like, you're more of an observer of these types of cultural things and you get to see a lot and capture a moment.
Speaker: maybe expressions of how people are feeling at certain events or you know if they're happy or if they're oh yeah not so happy i've done yeah i've i've done a lot i think my favorite like place to capture i went to like this music festival and in egypt it was called a shorelines festival man like people are it's like on it's actually on the beach so you have like the water right there you have cabanas you have the bar here you have the the main stage there and everyone's like
Speaker: it was just so much fun.
Speaker: You could see people having fun.
Speaker: You could see people going swimming.
Speaker: You could see people drinking.
Speaker: You could see people dancing on the stage.
Speaker: So it's definitely fun capturing the different vibes like and that you can get at like a party, a festival or anything.
Speaker: But I think people are more receptive in the US than they are overseas, like taking pictures because a lot of places in Egypt, they'd be I'd bring my camera and they'd be like,
Speaker: no you have to keep it with management or pay a fee and stuff like that and i'm like why and they're just like because we don't want to photograph this but here it's like everyone's like they want to be captured because it's fun and right i guess you know clout i guess i don't know but but people are people are people are freaking awesome here so yeah and a lot of fun yeah i agree and texas and u.s in general because you'd mentioned that how long were you in egypt for before you
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So I was in Egypt.
Speaker: I lived there for a year.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I was there from April, 2020, 2021 until recently, August, I just left.
Speaker: I've been in Dallas, Texas for two, two or three months now.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So, but yeah.
Speaker: And it's like, what brought you out to Egypt versus like, because your parents seem like they're in China.
Speaker: Were they living there?
Speaker: So right now they're stationed in China.
Speaker: So they're living there.
Speaker: They have like another like a year before they have to like choose another country.
Speaker: They bid and then they go and do work over there.
Speaker: But it's funny because the literal reason I went to Egypt was because of a video of like a TikTok.
Speaker: Oh, really?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So I met an Egyptian in my study abroad in Prague in Czech Republic in 2019.
Speaker: If you get the chance to study abroad or leave the country, do it.
Speaker: Oh, my God, this is your sign.
Speaker: But yeah, we like were friends and whatever.
Speaker: And then I graduated university.
Speaker: I know I didn't want to stay in the U.S. Not like my vibe, not my pace.
Speaker: um randomly one day he just like posted a video on his instagram story it's like what egypt looks like to locals and versus foreigners so the foreigners was like the pyramids and sand and desert and camels and what yeah and then it was like versus what it looks like to locals and it was like you could beach parties like
Speaker: the restaurants, the vibe, Ramadan, their culture, their Muslim culture is just so rich.
Speaker: And I was just like, I swiped up and I was like, how do I move to your country?
Speaker: And he was like, what?
Speaker: Why?
Speaker: You're in the US.
Speaker: Of course you're not gonna wanna come to Egypt.
Speaker: Why Egypt?
Speaker: And I was like, have you been like anything?
Speaker: Anything?
Speaker: Like I am a risk taker.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And I was just like, I like content creation, marketing kind of thing.
Speaker: I was like, if you know somebody like make help me make it happen.
Speaker: And then two months later, I was I booked a
Speaker: flight and then i was one way yeah actually i was there for two months it was like before summer um just like a test run kind of thing so i was like all right let's let's go for two months april may and then i'll come back you know have summer here um and then i just went back i honestly went on a whim i knew one person there he picked me up from the airport i had his picture
Speaker: Waiting it like I was where I told him I was like, hey, I'm wearing like a tie dye, like two piece set, like a jumper and like some sweatpants that are tie dye and I have a black hat with like fur on top.
Speaker: He's like, OK, I'll find you.
Speaker: And then we picked me up and went to work the next day and did some marketing over there and then met people, friends and kind of just lived my life over there while working.
Speaker: That's wild and that is a big risk.
Speaker: But do you feel like growing up the way you did, constantly moving, exposure to different cultures must have had some interplay with that, right?
Speaker: Oh, 100%.
Speaker: I mean, I wouldn't take back my upbringing or my childhood for anything.
Speaker: I mean, when I was young, I would be like, why do we have to move?
Speaker: Like, I love, like, my friends are here and all this stuff.
Speaker: But then I was like, I got to be different people.
Speaker: I got to meet different people.
Speaker: I got to see experience.
Speaker: Like, I'm ahead of the game, you know?
Speaker: um so yeah I definitely played a huge role I have like an itch that I need to scratch and it's just I mean it's it's bittersweet it's good and bad because like it's good because it's like you're exposed and you're out there and you're you know you're kind of like this risk taker and um you just want to go and you just kind of are bubbly and eccentric but then it's also kind of like sad because you have to leave people behind or it's like you really like a place but it's like you need to go because your body's telling you and
Speaker: there's so much to see and so much to do, but thanks to my parents, that's the way that I am now.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: How many, like, where have you traveled to?
Speaker: Like, where's the farthest place you've gone?
Speaker: So furthest place I've gone, I've been to Greece, which I don't know if that's geographically the furthest.
Speaker: I've been all throughout Latin America back when I was in the Coast Guard.
Speaker: I've sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a boat, the Coast Guard Academy, where I went to college.
Speaker: I actually have a couple of friends who are in the State Department now, too.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Do they like it?
Speaker: Yeah, they do.
Speaker: One of my friends, his parents were missionaries over in Jordan, or as we call the country Jordan.
Speaker: That's how we say, you know, like, you know, that's how we pronounce it because he had a little bit of an accent.
Speaker: You know, he's American born and all that American citizen.
Speaker: But he met his wife in Jerusalem.
Speaker: So I think they live.
Speaker: I'm trying to remember where they live right now.
Speaker: But over in the Middle East, I don't know if he's shifting country soon.
Speaker: But for him, you know, that's like home pretty much.
Speaker: That's where he grew up.
Speaker: Wow.
Speaker: Yeah, it's crazy, like, the definition of home, honestly.
Speaker: I mean, people say it's, like, four walls, but people say it's a place.
Speaker: People say it's, like, a person, people.
Speaker: I don't have one.
Speaker: I mean, I'm living in my sister's home.
Speaker: My brother has his home.
Speaker: My parents have their home.
Speaker: Egypt was my home, but it just wasn't working out, so now it's time to find a new one, I guess.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Do you feel like, too, were there big cultural differences, I imagine, living in Egypt?
Speaker: Ooh, yes.
Speaker: Because you've been around a lot of different cultures, but was it any type of culture shock?
Speaker: No.
Speaker: I think the biggest culture shock I've ever had was in the United States.
Speaker: Really?
Speaker: So I used to live in Bangladesh, like right next to India.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Like my majority of my high school and I graduated like high school there.
Speaker: And then I moved to Texas and Bangladesh is like a Muslim country.
Speaker: I mean, it's very like compact.
Speaker: It's very like rustic.
Speaker: And like it's very the U.S. is like individualistic.
Speaker: And over there, it's like collectivist.
Speaker: So everyone's kind of like a community there.
Speaker: And the traditions that they do have in the Muslim religion, it's very, like in Islam, it's very like, you have Ramadan, you have, or you fast for a month.
Speaker: You have, they're also like in India, they have Diwali.
Speaker: So it's like the... Which has just happened too, right?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So they have like, it's just rich.
Speaker: It's just rich in just anything and everything that they come together.
Speaker: And then I think coming to the US was like, coming to Texas where they have like boots and guns and like deers on the wall.
Speaker: I was like, what?
Speaker: but I think like the biggest like differences is kind of like the community for sure I mean yes there's camels you know walking on the street and horses and five cars in like a three lane car road but it's beautiful I mean it's very rustic and it's that it's it feels like home it's like tight and like compact you know it's like I don't know there's buildings everywhere here it's like more spread out you need a car everywhere but over there it's like kind of just like
Speaker: jam-packed in the middle and it just feels like busy like new york i can i can imagine yeah yeah with just dogs and cats all over the place yeah like street street dogs and street cats they're very nice though that's good i i have a friend who's um first generation indians or her parents immigrated from india and she was born here but she's like um she visited back home some relatives and she mentioned that they're like oh watch out for the neighborhood dogs or whatever because they know if you're not from the neighborhood or something yeah they know they
Speaker: They're very smart.
Speaker: I mean, one time, there's the funniest story ever.
Speaker: Like one time, me and my friend were walking around like my neighborhood in Egypt and like dogs are nice.
Speaker: Like one of them came up to us and was like just following us around.
Speaker: And all of a sudden we enter like a different, not territory, but like dog territory, quote unquote.
Speaker: It was like four or five streets down.
Speaker: And like all the like all those street dogs were like growling at that dog because it was from a different neighborhood.
Speaker: And my friend goes, yeah, he he probably was using us as a shield just so he can like venture out to see like if he wants to like move from his his neighborhood.
Speaker: I was like, what?
Speaker: But they're very sweet.
Speaker: yeah that's crazy they're very intellectual yeah animals they are animals yeah i mean they got to get by and it's really funny like down south you know and uh different places i've been throughout the caribbean you always see island dogs you know wherever you're in puerto rico or like you know on rotan oh yeah but it's crazy because like people take care of them like they're street dogs but it's like they are loved they're fed they're all this stuff but here it's like i saw a street dog and i was like
Speaker: oh my god I want to take it home like poor thing you know then I was like I don't I can't afford a dog right now like I think I think it'll be okay I mean I guess you can call like an animal shelter but I'm not really sure familiar how it works here yeah so yeah there are like Dallas Animal Services that's a different
Speaker: story and I can tell you later but I found a dog that had been essentially abandoned a German Shepherd I'll show you a picture of him after we record this but he was this awesome dog um co-worker of mine came down and adopted him from Kansas City since he a dog that big needs a yard but there are places that'll take him that are no kill shelters if you run into any dogs but I mean it's true
Speaker: Is that something you notice observing in American culture?
Speaker: Do you think it's a little bit cooler than it is abroad, you know, in terms of like community?
Speaker: Because we're more individualistic here.
Speaker: Do you notice that?
Speaker: A hundred percent.
Speaker: I mean, kind of like me going day by day.
Speaker: I mean, for example, like even at the smallest things, like we were out eating.
Speaker: I mean, living here is quite expensive, not going to lie.
Speaker: But in Egypt, it was like very inexpensive, honestly, like with...
Speaker: Okay, so they have like Egyptian pounds, like 200 Egyptian pounds is like $10, but like you can't go on like a boat ride.
Speaker: You can buy dinner, you could buy lunch, you could buy flowers, you could buy like Coca-Cola and chips and you can have like a whole day with like $10 in here.
Speaker: It's like...
Speaker: You need $50 for like a whole, even a hundred.
Speaker: But like the smallest thing I was out eating with my friends and we had like avocado toast or whatever.
Speaker: And they had asked me, Oh, is it good?
Speaker: I'm like, here, try it.
Speaker: Like take some, like have like, and I gave them like a chunk of it and they're like, Oh my God.
Speaker: And I'm like,
Speaker: there you go like eat it or even just in general like it's very here it's kind of like it's not a bad thing at all I mean it's definitely culture but coming from a place where it's very collective and kind of yeah just collective coming to like an individualistic place it's hard because people are just they don't take advantage of your niceness but like they can but also like people are very skeptical like if you ask for something of their drink or whatever it is they're like well what can I get in return and you're just like
Speaker: smile I mean I don't know you can watch me drink it I mean I don't know but I mean it's it is what it is but yeah I think I identify more as like a collectivist individual and I think bringing that back here with like my friends it's definitely been a culture shock for them but but yeah I mean I don't know do you think the individualistic culture like have you been to a collectivist culture
Speaker: So, I mean, not living in a significant period of time, I would say in somewhat having been in the military, there's more of a collectivist culture there versus an individual one out in general American society.
Speaker: Do you like with photography, is that part of the appeal to to capture, you know, these kind of cultural trends?
Speaker: Like, do you see collectivism in these events like group unity?
Speaker: Is that something or individuality?
Speaker: Ooh, okay.
Speaker: That's a really good question.
Speaker: Cause like I was actually talking to, like I was actually out the other day, um, at like Millie's and I, everyone was like dancing and like their like little group puddle.
Speaker: And I was just like dancing whenever you're in Egypt, like, or I mean predominantly Egypt, cause that's like kind of where I used to live.
Speaker: you go out and like you bring your friends, but like you dance towards the DJ, like you're there for them.
Speaker: And like taking pictures there, it's like everyone's a crowd.
Speaker: Taking pictures here, it's like everyone's a group.
Speaker: And I was just kind of like with like my photography, I've been going up to people and just being like, oh my God, smile and like bringing people together.
Speaker: And then like I remember I noticed that Millie's at the beginning of the night, everyone was dancing in their little like groups.
Speaker: And at the end of the night, everyone was dancing like towards the DJ.
Speaker: We're all kind of like a huge vibe.
Speaker: And it was just incredible that I could, I did like, I mean, I don't,
Speaker: I'm going to give myself the credit.
Speaker: But yeah, I was crazy with like just a camera and like just a pair of sunglasses.
Speaker: I always have sunglasses.
Speaker: That's like my signature.
Speaker: So I always like just hand out my glasses and I'm like, smile.
Speaker: Like that's kind of like the icebreaker.
Speaker: But I definitely feel like if I don't go out with my camera,
Speaker: I get like a little more introverted.
Speaker: I get a little more like, yeah, I don't know why.
Speaker: Like, I feel like my camera is like not my personality when I'm out, but it's a really big icebreaker.
Speaker: And I feel like bringing out my camera, I can like go up to different people and not have to have like a reason or something like that.
Speaker: It's more of like a smile, like take a picture, you know, it's kind of granted, you know, they're going to open up, you know, with the camera.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Like you said, it's an icebreaker.
Speaker: Also, I feel like that's where you feel in your element, perhaps when you're doing that.
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: Well, how does it feel?
Speaker: Like, I wonder, like, from the opposite end, like, when I went up to you, like, how does that like, how did that make you feel when I was just like, are you single?
Speaker: Or like, whatever I asked you, if I could interview you?
Speaker: Yeah, no, I was totally fine with it.
Speaker: But maybe for me, I'm someone who can talk to other people easily.
Speaker: And I have I love talking.
Speaker: I love
Speaker: That's why like when I saw you, you were going up to one of the bartenders or whatever and you were interviewing him.
Speaker: And I, you know, I don't even like drink alcohol.
Speaker: I stopped drinking like a year ago.
Speaker: Variety health reasons, performance reasons, all of that.
Speaker: But, you know, I was just getting like a Topo Chico or whatever.
Speaker: And, you know, I was just like, oh, I'm going to have to like swing back around and talk to this person, you know, because I like what they have going on.
Speaker: Thanks.
Speaker: Yeah, it's I love it.
Speaker: I love it.
Speaker: It's just so much fun.
Speaker: I also like making people feel uncomfortable with like these interviews.
Speaker: Like I like I have a therapist and like sometimes she told me she was like sitting with that like awkwardness is how you grow as individuals.
Speaker: So like, I mean, maybe I do it out of spite.
Speaker: I mean, I don't know, but I'll ask like a.
Speaker: uncomfortable like question kind of just to see people like squirm and be like oh wait what because instead of asking like for example when i was at like the single uh jigsaw event i was like instead of asking what's a red flag that you see like in someone or like your red flag i was like what is you as a person what's your red flag that you project on other people and they were like what
Speaker: oh, what?
Speaker: And I was like, yeah, what's your problem?
Speaker: You know, and they were kind of just like, I don't know.
Speaker: And I was like, oh, so you're perfect.
Speaker: And they're like, no, no, no.
Speaker: And like, I was just like, just kind of like a joke and be funny.
Speaker: But yeah, I think, I think that's great personality, like a trait that I have.
Speaker: Yeah, to try and be open with people.
Speaker: And I go to therapy too.
Speaker: I've been going to therapy for over a year.
Speaker: And I always tell people too, especially I'm a guy, I tell men, you go to the gym.
Speaker: Well, that's also for mental health, I feel for me.
Speaker: But it's like you go to the gym to work on your body.
Speaker: It's the same thing for your mind and your emotional regulation and everything, right?
Speaker: I feel so much better every time I come out of that door.
Speaker: You just feel like...
Speaker: unbiased like opinion judgment like someone who knows like what they're talking about and knows like what like how to help you and how to like talk to you in a way that's very like you're figuring it out for yourself instead of like a friend where like they're giving their opinions and like just seeing what's best for you through their eyes so they don't yeah so
Speaker: And there's that therapists are objective, whereas like every friend has kind of non-objectivity to them, right?
Speaker: Do you feel like in your photography you capture more subjectivity or objectivity?
Speaker: Oh.
Speaker: Oh.
Speaker: Wait, okay, okay, okay, so what's objectivity again?
Speaker: So I would say objectivity would be something like where you just see something and, you know, it's there for someone to observe unbiased, whereas subjectivity, is there more of an influence there?
Speaker: Is there more of an angle?
Speaker: Is there more of a story that you're trying to tell in that particular moment?
Speaker: I feel like there's definitely a bit of both.
Speaker: Because like when I first started photography, it would just be objectivity.
Speaker: Like I would just take pictures of like, for example, like pipes or like a building or like things that like no one would like bat an eye to because it's like not, not that it's not beautiful, but it's just like regular thing, you know, like, like cracking the road or, or like a window.
Speaker: But like, I'll be like, oh, that's pretty.
Speaker: And I would angle it like a certain way and be like that.
Speaker: has meaning like look at it and then i would like edit it with like a filter i would like change like the settings or whatever and and everyone would be like oh wow that's really nice like like that's that looks really great and i'm like yeah and they're like i never would have looked at something like that you know but i also kind of like like to go out and capture like people and be like you like this is how i see you this is how this is what you project onto everybody else and then
Speaker: whenever I post and they're like, oh my God, I didn't know like I look like that or oh my God, I didn't know that like you're taking a picture of me like I love it.
Speaker: Oh my gosh.
Speaker: So it's like I think it's a little bit of both.
Speaker: Honestly, I think maybe it's my mood or how I feel that day or the event I'm at or what I'm doing.
Speaker: But photography is very powerful.
Speaker: It's honestly very powerful.
Speaker: And I have like 30,000 photos on my phone.
Speaker: I have so much content.
Speaker: But like after you stare at it for so long, you're just kind of like, it's ugly.
Speaker: I hate it.
Speaker: So you just I just don't do a lot with that content.
Speaker: But I think now kind of like the wave and not a trend, but like, I think the wave definitely is more of a digital, like creative world.
Speaker: So I think people are just posting, like to post and put things out there and be like, this is like what I see my life and stuff like that.
Speaker: So yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Because obviously dominated by Instagram and then TikTok, as we're seeing a lot.
Speaker: And what are your thoughts about that?
Speaker: Like photography versus videography in terms of I'm seeing like a shift in this movement or that's what I'm observing.
Speaker: Do you notice that too?
Speaker: Like less still stuff and even Instagram's algorithm to compete with TikTok is more like reels and videos.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, ooh.
Speaker: I feel like photography is... I started off with photography and taking pictures and being just still images because it's powerful within itself.
Speaker: But with videos, I think it's more of a story being told.
Speaker: And you can have kind of like, for example, you can make a reel with just nightlife and you can do different nightlife in different countries.
Speaker: That could be the content you're creating.
Speaker: And you can do that with images, but I feel like with videos, it's like...
Speaker: our attention span needs like something moving, needs something more kind of like fast.
Speaker: Cause that's kind of what we've developed into.
Speaker: Um, but I, yeah, but I definitely, um, I'm starting to do more video content.
Speaker: Um, but I mean, it's, it's good.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I like the trend.
Speaker: I like the videos.
Speaker: I like whatever's trending.
Speaker: I like, I think it makes sense kind of like our community, what, like what's out there in the world.
Speaker: Um, but yeah, like as someone like, you're not a photographer, are you?
Speaker: No, I mean, very amateur.
Speaker: I've been an Instagram boyfriend before, so I know how that works, right?
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: You're a well-trained Instagram boyfriend?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: I'm taking, you know.
Speaker: I'm taking a couple of good pics.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, that's so funny you say that because there's a lot of videos where it's like the content is just like taking my well-trained boyfriend to like a dinner or like a boat or vacation and they take like some bomb pictures.
Speaker: But yeah, it's all about projecting kind of like that life that you want.
Speaker: I feel like if you photograph the life that you want and like what you're doing, I feel like with that, you kind of like enter that life.
Speaker: And I can see how people are posting and how it could be deceiving to the eye.
Speaker: And it's like you're not really living that life.
Speaker: So I talked to my therapist about this.
Speaker: That's why I posted something about kind of like...
Speaker: I was on a boat and I was like, yeah, I'm on a boat and I'm happy and I'm healthy.
Speaker: But like, honestly, sometimes some days suck.
Speaker: Some days are not good.
Speaker: Like, you know, like whatever people project on social media is like the life that they want to live and they will eventually live that life.
Speaker: But sometimes people still struggle and, you know, you can't really capture that on like photography, but they do have like, oh, I don't know what it's called.
Speaker: I wanted to get into it.
Speaker: It's like where you take photos, but like you document kind of like culture and life that I wanted my photos to be on a textbook.
Speaker: But I do party a lot.
Speaker: So I take a lot of those party pictures with me.
Speaker: So it's been kind of hard to kind of like go out and capture like the culture of Dallas or, you know, Egypt and stuff.
Speaker: But and what would you say about the culture of Dallas and so far?
Speaker: Because it seems like you've been going to different events and documenting Dallas.
Speaker: Have you made any firm observations?
Speaker: You've been here for a few months now, you mentioned.
Speaker: Yeah, some firm observations about Dallas.
Speaker: I'm so bad with this.
Speaker: I feel like because I just, not that I live in my own world, but like I do have my own bubble.
Speaker: And I feel like whenever I go out and meet new people and do all these things, I feel like they're entering my world because I have my camera because I have my personality that kind of like
Speaker: It does sometimes overpower other people and I've noticed that.
Speaker: But at the same time, I think that people are very like, it's a working place.
Speaker: Like Dallas is like very city and very kind of like not corporate, but their lifestyle is like work and then happy hour and then go home and then work and then gym and all this stuff.
Speaker: So it's been hard to kind of like integrate into here, especially when like photography, when kind of like the days are dead in Dallas, a deep element and everything.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But I think the culture here is definitely like people are super open.
Speaker: People are super fun.
Speaker: People are like willing to talk to you.
Speaker: And I met so many different people from like all walks of life, all parts of the world.
Speaker: I'm enjoying my time here, honestly.
Speaker: My sister's been here for two years now, I think, I believe.
Speaker: And I came here two months ago and she's telling me I'm more popular than her.
Speaker: And I'm like, girl.
Speaker: You gotta put yourself out there.
Speaker: I mean, you gotta see what there is.
Speaker: So I take her everywhere with me and I do a lot of things solo.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I feel like you can get far when, like when you're alone, honestly.
Speaker: But, um, but I do like Deep Ellum.
Speaker: It's beautiful.
Speaker: I mean, it's like, I don't know.
Speaker: It's like my favorite place to like photograph because it's so much things to see.
Speaker: It's, but you also have like little po- in Dallas, you have like little pockets.
Speaker: Like where do you hang out mostly?
Speaker: Cause they have like Lower Greenville.
Speaker: They have like downtown, they have Deep Ellum, they have like the South.
Speaker: It's where do you hang out usually?
Speaker: I feel like for me personally, I live in like kind of uptown Victory Park area.
Speaker: So I walk on the Kitty Trail a lot.
Speaker: You know, I have a dog, so I walk him.
Speaker: But I do go out like Deep Ellum, I think is good.
Speaker: I'm more of like an early evening Deep Ellum guy.
Speaker: If you haven't gone, Jenny's Ice Cream is pretty good.
Speaker: They're pretty inventive.
Speaker: You know, and Deep Elm, you'll see all sorts of different people.
Speaker: I like hanging out at music places, you know, seeing live music and everything.
Speaker: It's a big variety.
Speaker: I like Knox Henderson, too.
Speaker: You know, that's a good little area to walk around to access the Katy Trail.
Speaker: I think what I personally enjoy about Dallas is it's really diverse.
Speaker: And you wouldn't think that necessarily because you think Texas, right?
Speaker: Mm hmm.
Speaker: that's true it is it is you have a lot of different people i mean everyone has it's crazy entering into different like coming from already my own community back in egypt for being there for a year and like making it my home coming to a place where i kind of always rejected the us i don't know why like i mean i never really lived in the us apart from like going to university at texas state yeah and even then like i told you i had like the biggest culture shock coming here
Speaker: So like coming back here and like re-Americanizing, reacculturating to kind of like who I'm supposed to be and where I was born has also been something very difficult.
Speaker: Hence me bringing out my camera, hence me bringing things out that I can kind of like protect myself just in case like people don't like to be approached and take photos.
Speaker: I'm just like, oh, okay, I'll delete it.
Speaker: Or like, oh, hi, like just give me my sunglasses back.
Speaker: You know, I feel like I definitely have kind of like a big wall up in Dallas because I've heard so many things about Dallas and like my friends,
Speaker: All the people that I've met are like, I'm leaving Dallas.
Speaker: I'm going everywhere else.
Speaker: People hate it.
Speaker: People love it.
Speaker: I mean, it definitely depends on your community.
Speaker: It depends on your vibe.
Speaker: But Dallas is diverse.
Speaker: And finding your people is, it's kind of tough nowadays, honestly, with like work and everyone living their own lives.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I mean, it was so much easier, obviously, in high school and college.
Speaker: And because everyone's like in the same boat.
Speaker: But here you have people from Dallas.
Speaker: different like starting out their career ending their career like retiring like working trying to figure it out like freelancing this and that so it's been i love you dallas though i love you it's been fun oh yeah it's been cool
Speaker: Yeah, I like Bishop Arts too.
Speaker: I love that area.
Speaker: I don't think I've been.
Speaker: Yeah, you should totally go.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Did you go to Wynwood in Miami?
Speaker: No.
Speaker: It looks like a mini Austin.
Speaker: I haven't been to Wynwood.
Speaker: That's what I'm imagining Bishop Arts.
Speaker: It's kind of what Deep Ellum is.
Speaker: It's like Austin, like an Austin vibe.
Speaker: You have the graffiti and you have the murals and you have the people.
Speaker: But I feel like Austin now is not as weird anymore.
Speaker: It's kind of like getting a little more serious.
Speaker: Thank you, Tesla.
Speaker: Yeah, a little more corporate.
Speaker: And the first time I went to Austin was in 2019.
Speaker: And I've even noticed a shift three years from now.
Speaker: And I'm sure if you've gone previously, and I've heard people say Austin's not quote unquote weird anymore.
Speaker: It's just different, less artists and more like tech coming in and...
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know, corporate, right?
Speaker: I mean, yeah.
Speaker: I mean, I just went recently.
Speaker: My one of my best friends actually moved there.
Speaker: She's living right on Rainey.
Speaker: I mean, it's still like the weird, it's still like the eccentric, fun Austin.
Speaker: It used to be like I went back in 2017 and I would go there a lot.
Speaker: Sixth Street, whenever I was in like university, West, kind of just going there for the trails and everything.
Speaker: It definitely still has that Austin weirdness and that little spice to it.
Speaker: But it has kind of like developed into something more
Speaker: more of this age and like the tech and kind of like where corporate is kind of going in the U.S. is kind of like trying to go because it's the capital of Texas.
Speaker: I mean, it has to kind of, I don't know, keep up.
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: Shift in some way.
Speaker: Yeah, exactly.
Speaker: It's a good way to put it.
Speaker: And do you notice yourself shifting a lot?
Speaker: Because, like, I'm guessing maybe, you know, you're in your mid-20s.
Speaker: I'm guessing you're shifting, you know, to a new country.
Speaker: And then in photography, are you trying to capture anything particularly that, you know, resonates with any shift that you're feeling?
Speaker: that's a good question because the shift is weird like coming from a uh oh I feel like I'm trying not to shift into corporate quote-unquote like corporate America because like I am a content creator like I am kind of like trying to pursue a career that
Speaker: doesn't have a 401k doesn't have dental insurance doesn't have medical insurance and trying to live in like a a country that is quote unquote like a business is tough because in egypt for example if like i got sick i could just pay a doctor and just get it done i didn't have to have insurance so coming here but i feel like with my photography trying to capture the american culture has been more of like party scene
Speaker: Because I do like to party.
Speaker: And I feel like people are more their more authentic self whenever they do have that liquid courage.
Speaker: Whenever they do have that like ambiance that allows them to be weird, allows them to kind of like explore kind of what they want to do.
Speaker: Because like alcohol does have an effect on people 100% of the time.
Speaker: So whenever I'm out and capturing kind of like the culture of the US, especially Texas, I feel like it's more...
Speaker: in like the nightlife because people are tend to be 100% more themselves whenever they're out because you get different outfits different fashion choices people are wearing weird things like now a trend is like wearing your sunglasses out so I've been bringing like a pairs of sunglasses and writing stuff on them or even just kind of like
Speaker: giving it to people and being like put these on and like maybe even starting a trend you know i feel like i've shifted into someone who wants to be a trendsetter rather than like follow trends and so through my photography and videography i hope that people would see my like photos by brie my account and be like oh like that's cool i want to do a video like that or i want to go out and do the same thing even jigsaw like i mean they messaged me saying can you send me yeah that's awesome yeah they like sent me they sent me my um
Speaker: my video and they were like, well, you know, we love, we love what you did.
Speaker: Like, can you send us like the actual original content?
Speaker: Um, so we can like make more things like this.
Speaker: And I was like, as long as I can make, make the content, I mean, I would love to send you that stuff, you know?
Speaker: And, uh, they were very open and receptive.
Speaker: They were like, yeah, like we'll send you an email if we want to work with you and stuff like that.
Speaker: that's like what I love doing I just love I mean I want to start my own business with photography and do kind of like but it's tough because it's like so it's not tangible I mean it's I don't know if that's the right word but it's something that it's like I'm creating my own path and that's something that I'm trying to like shift into uh creating my own path and doing things that I think is good for me and myself instead of like following like
Speaker: something that's already established if that makes sense so like telling my parents hey i'm gonna pursue content creation and be be a digital nomad they're like well well well okay like but but but retirement but but like uh buying a house but what about health insurance or what about if you get sick or what and i'm just like you're so right like 100 you're so right i will figure it out when i get there when i get sick
Speaker: I will figure it out then, you know what I mean?
Speaker: But I think, I don't know, I love photography and I really hope that like it pays off with all like the effort that I'm putting into it.
Speaker: But I feel like it comes so natural to me.
Speaker: So whenever I charge people for like a photo shoot,
Speaker: I like undersell myself or under rate myself or under budget like charge them less because I'm just like yeah because I'm like it comes so natural to me and it's just so like fun and it's like I want them to like come back and enjoy and have a good time and feel like confident in like the photos that I took of them and then after like I tell my friends oh yeah I charge them like 200 for like three hours shoot whatever they're like girl if you google that it's like $600 and I'm just like I'll keep that in mind you know
Speaker: So now I'm trying to like up the business part of it.
Speaker: Cause before it was just like for fun.
Speaker: It was just me going out, doing it on my own.
Speaker: But now it's like, all right, I'm going to charge people.
Speaker: Cause I need to make a living, you know, like I don't, I'm unemployed.
Speaker: I'm 24.
Speaker: Like, come on.
Speaker: Well, you deserve that too.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: You know, you should be compensated fairly, fairly for your skills.
Speaker: And I, what I'm hearing is a certain kind of coexistence with like, for instance, Jigsaw is a company, but you can work with them, but not be under the corporate gray confines of,
Speaker: Oh yeah, yeah, like freelance, yeah freelance, that's what I'm kind of like starting to do, but it's scary because it's like you're hustling for your money, which valid, I mean, yeah, everyone would be kind of feeling scared at times if you can make rent, if you can afford food.
Speaker: But at the same time, I feel like I'm living such a good life.
Speaker: And I see kind of like other people in the corporate America and I see them, you know, doing things that I can't do, like affording like a trip or a vacation or like getting an apartment on like downtown.
Speaker: And I'm like, so happy for them.
Speaker: And I'm like, is that ever going to happen to me if I'm not following, you know, that kind of like path of like thing that's normalized now?
Speaker: Um, but living in Egypt definitely changed that perspective.
Speaker: People are like more kind of like having three jobs over there because like they want to, because over there, I feel like in different countries and especially Egypt, cause I was there for so long.
Speaker: I feel like people, they work to like live, they work, work, work, work.
Speaker: And then they live and live and do, but here people are like kind of living to work.
Speaker: Nothing wrong with that.
Speaker: Nothing wrong with that.
Speaker: But that's something that's like,
Speaker: That's something that the U.S. I've been so rejected.
Speaker: Like I've been rejecting the U.S. because I don't want to shift into that.
Speaker: You know, because like at the end of the day, like I need to pay rent.
Speaker: I need to afford groceries.
Speaker: I need to do all that.
Speaker: And like with the life I'm living now with photography, it's like it's hard to kind of like it kicks off in a while.
Speaker: You have to kind of grow into that.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: You know, it takes.
Speaker: Time to really time.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Well, I mean, I would say, too, aside from, you know, maybe you were underselling yourself a little bit, but now you have more work that you can show and now charge higher rates for.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: So is that something to make money?
Speaker: That's like every time I like.
Speaker: Not every time I don't charge every time I'm like, I'll do it like whatever.
Speaker: I'm like, well, that's how I like justified in my head.
Speaker: I'm like, you got to spend money to make money.
Speaker: And so now I think it's going to start paying off because like I'm going out and I'm putting myself out there before I was just like posting and I wasn't really like tagging people.
Speaker: I wasn't really like doing kind of like the most in order to get the most like clout for it.
Speaker: But now it's like, all right, like I'm going to find if I'm going to like a ice cream shop, I'm going to be like, hey, I took this video.
Speaker: Look at it.
Speaker: Like we can work together, you know, kind of like.
Speaker: get my name out there and show people what I can do.
Speaker: And then ultimately, I think it will definitely pay off and I will have to start valuing myself at a higher rate.
Speaker: And I think you definitely deserve that and you can do that.
Speaker: And I feel like there's like so many things, businesses, you know, for like doing that, like maybe working with Jigsaw if that continues or other things like you might be, they do another one of those events.
Speaker: You might be like, they might hand you a t-shirt and want you to like work the event as like a contractor or whatever.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: That's cool.
Speaker: That's kind of like what I, that's what I was in Egypt because I did, they couldn't, we couldn't get like my work visa.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Cause like working overseas is, it's, it's,
Speaker: You have to have a plan.
Speaker: I didn't have a plan I just had someone who said yes to me and I went and then I got like another job Through friends and kind of like wanting to get like my work visa and like actually establish a life get a bank account and everything But it wasn't working out.
Speaker: So they kind of like Quarck contracted me So they didn't have to pay like extra taxes on like an American because it's very expensive over there.
Speaker: Yeah So yeah, that's why I'm back here kind of like just
Speaker: Get get myself because like I under I know the language here.
Speaker: I know kind of like how everything works.
Speaker: So yeah family Yeah family well a sister and my brother's like in College Station, but I do have like my community here that is supporting me and You know can help me because like they're also doing different things.
Speaker: So yeah, so Putting my name out there.
Speaker: We'll see
Speaker: Yeah, no, I think you'll probably continue to grow too.
Speaker: And you know, like, it seems like so my, my second episode, my guest Rob, he runs a YouTube channel called the Lost Boys.
Speaker: So he and I went to college together.
Speaker: He booked a one way flight ticket to backpack the world and he ended up in Indonesia.
Speaker: And he was, you know, some of the and for you guys who you probably listened to that episode.
Speaker: But, you know, he commented on the kind of difference between individualistic and collectivist culture, as well as this aspect of in the U.S. it's like, hey, go to college, whatever, training, work, get married, buy a house, have kids.
Speaker: Yeah, retire 401k.
Speaker: Yeah, it's it's weird.
Speaker: Like, we're not the only one that does that.
Speaker: I mean, of course, there's like other countries that have the different kind of path they need to take.
Speaker: But having that outsider's perspective and coming back to the US, it's like, I feel like we're living twisted a little bit.
Speaker: Like it's, it makes sense because it's like what works and it's a conservative system where it's like it's been working for so long.
Speaker: But at the same time, like, I think I have like a little extra like oomph to my like step and like trying to convince, not convince, but like trying to live the life like with my siblings who followed that
Speaker: path is very difficult and it's it's it's been interesting to kind of like keep relationships and just see how people live um but i don't know are you taking that path or are you carving your own
Speaker: Well, I think for me, it's a mixture of both, you know, like starting this out, this is my own thing to put out that creative outlet and to connect with others.
Speaker: I do, you know, I work a corporate job.
Speaker: I work as a cybersecurity engineer.
Speaker: I work remotely right now.
Speaker: So it's kind of that balance.
Speaker: But, you know, I want to get more onto the creative path for sure, because I was always like choosing security.
Speaker: I had really good options for myself coming out of high school.
Speaker: I went to a military academy.
Speaker: They covered my college.
Speaker: And there's a lot of stability in that.
Speaker: But I chose to leave.
Speaker: I left the military for a little bit more stable.
Speaker: But your parents are diplomats.
Speaker: And you know the government work is very stable.
Speaker: And there's nothing wrong with it.
Speaker: Some people love the stability.
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: But they get that adventure.
Speaker: And I feel like you, I think growing up as a child and, you know, that type of circumstance, like you probably don't want to stagnate and you feel sitting in the same spot is stagnating.
Speaker: Oh yeah.
Speaker: Oh yeah.
Speaker: There's definitely like an itch I need to like scratch because of like my lifestyle, but teach their own, you know?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I mean like there's...
Speaker: I've always always just like you know what let me just get a remote job so I can like support myself you know with doing this creative stuff which is what you're doing and it's something that's so great because like you can have you know you can definitely multitask and have kind of like the best of both worlds now and then once this does launch off and you know kind of get to where you want to be and where you need to be.
Speaker: say bye-bye cybersecurity and like do your own thing you know like it's good that you're following that and like I congratulate you like I salute you so that's really cool I just don't think I'm that kind of person yeah you know and like I just it's it goes down to like personality um like I remember giving like my camera like my to my brother and being like go capture stuff because I wanted a party and I was like I don't want to like have my camera out like people are sweaty and my camera is eternally hung over now I mean the flash doesn't work because it's just been out with me so many times like I've just
Speaker: treated it really good but like it just it's given out on me since 2015 I mean but um I gave my brother my camera and he captures like a completely different vibe and like I love it sometimes I give my camera like my sister my brother like my friends and I'm like go go off and they love it like they capture good bad ugly great like like a different vibe that I would capture and then like I post it on my account and you could tell it's like
Speaker: Someone different, but it's still like, you know, it's still like a cool vibe that I can have like my friend represent photos by Brie.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And kind of like whatever happened at that party, they took that picture, whatever happened at that event, they took this picture.
Speaker: That's something completely different of like what I would capture, you know, and like whenever I do that,
Speaker: And I see the pictures that the other people take.
Speaker: I'm like, oh, wow.
Speaker: And I keep it in mind.
Speaker: And I'm like, OK, like, let's take a picture like that now because it looked good in my eyes and it captured something completely different.
Speaker: And that's how you grow as like an individual.
Speaker: That's how you grow as a creative by like looking at other people and taking those chances of just like giving your camera to someone and just being like, here, capture this, you know.
Speaker: So I find that.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: fascinating because it's almost like a camera is like you know the analogy i'm gonna use here is like a musical instrument and they're creating different types of music like yeah you're so right i never thought of it like that honestly to use it like that i guess what would your genre uh photography slash music be you know what's the kind of vibe or the kind of tone that you typically go for or that people say they see in your photography
Speaker: Ooh, okay.
Speaker: That's... Because I can go like the rustic style.
Speaker: But I feel like with my photos, it's like not dark.
Speaker: I like dark settings.
Speaker: I like it like lights.
Speaker: I like... I think mine would be like pop.
Speaker: Like pop, punk, punk.
Speaker: Just the party never ends kind of vibe like I feel like that's kind of like what I project through my photography But now like I mean what I want to do like where I want to go with photos by brie I mean, I just changed my bio and I said um I was like I will follow you Around like a party or something and i'll be like your entourage.
Speaker: I'll take your photos.
Speaker: I'll take your videos like I want to do I want to be like the person that captures The like the moment the vibe and I feel like
Speaker: the music that I would probably portray would be like rock punk, like lights, like hard, like, yeah, something like that.
Speaker: But I can also do like soft.
Speaker: I'm doing an engagement shoot next week.
Speaker: And I'm just like, all right, I got to switch it up.
Speaker: I got to make it a little light and soft and beautiful and magical, which is something I can definitely do.
Speaker: But I do like, like people sticking their tongue out and capturing them like in the element of like,
Speaker: a party and lights and events, excitement.
Speaker: Like, you know, I feel like that is fun because I'm having fun.
Speaker: They're having fun.
Speaker: But yeah, I want to dabble more into kind of like actual like photo shoots, like portraits, engagements.
Speaker: Concierge.
Speaker: Yeah, something like that, you know, I feel like, or even just like if I want to like do, for example, because like I want to start my own magazine eventually and do like a just like a culture magazine.
Speaker: But I also need to, I haven't done like photo shoots where I like bring people on and I have like a
Speaker: like my own like mood board and I'm like okay you're gonna wear this and we're gonna be in this setting like model do this move your hand this way like stuff like that I want to dabble more into that because I feel like I if I want to do start my own magazine or if I want to work for a magazine I need to kind of know how to throw a photo shoot you know but
Speaker: I definitely like kind of like the crazy ambience and the environment where it's like it's already there for me and I just capture whatever's there.
Speaker: I don't want to be the one like having to create that environment, but I do need to like venture out and that's how you grow as an individual, you know, so.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I think that sounds really wonderful because it sounds like to you're branching out more.
Speaker: You're like, OK, here's my quote unquote more corporate type work where I'm doing these events.
Speaker: I'm doing these photo shoots.
Speaker: But I want to also do and take this and be more creative.
Speaker: So that might be like, hey, this is my, you know, like hotel piano, you know, type photography.
Speaker: But then at the same time, here's where I'm, you know, really riffing and I'm really having a great time improvising and seeing, you know, how creative I can be.
Speaker: Mm hmm.
Speaker: Yeah, that's true.
Speaker: That's cool.
Speaker: That's what, man, do whatever you want, guys.
Speaker: Like, honestly, life is not real.
Speaker: You can do whatever.
Speaker: I feel like after moving to Egypt and, you know, just, I'm so thankful that I actually found like a skill that I'm good at and something that I can actually pursue.
Speaker: It is scary because it's something like I am creating that kind of corporate environment, like that business by myself with the little knowledge I do have.
Speaker: But,
Speaker: But you have control over it, too.
Speaker: And I think that seems like something that seems a little bit important to you.
Speaker: Yeah, definitely.
Speaker: I like having that control.
Speaker: And I feel like, I don't know, maybe being a girl helps a lot because like I can kind of like maneuver my way and be like, hey, like, yeah, like, I don't know.
Speaker: I feel like my personality has taken me everywhere I've needed to go and I've done everything I needed to do.
Speaker: And I think I'm so thankful for that.
Speaker: And now I'm thankful for a camera because I can move to another country.
Speaker: I can go somewhere else.
Speaker: I can kind of use that to my advantage and create a job out of nothing.
Speaker: That's how I got a job at a CBD shop.
Speaker: They weren't even hiring, but like I moved to College Station.
Speaker: I was like, well, I like CBD and I like vaping.
Speaker: Like might as well work in some place where I can, you know, get that for free.
Speaker: So then I went to like a CBD shop right next to my house.
Speaker: And I was like, hey, I'm a social media content creator.
Speaker: I do these videos, I do photos.
Speaker: I can work in store as selling and then I can also create content for your Instagram.
Speaker: I see you have this many followers and dah, dah, dah, dah.
Speaker: And they were like, yeah, when can you start?
Speaker: And I'm like, hell yeah.
Speaker: That's how I started in Egypt.
Speaker: I just went and I was like, I'm good at this, this and this.
Speaker: And it was all through my camera or my phone camera.
Speaker: So I'm glad that I have that because that's something that I can monetize.
Speaker: So I think that's what I'm like, all right, I'm going to be okay because I have this skill that I can monetize and I can make it into something.
Speaker: I just need to get off my ass and freaking work.
Speaker: I just got to do it.
Speaker: I'm just so...
Speaker: not lazy, but I feel like... Pressure?
Speaker: I feel a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure and like opening TikTok and opening Instagram reels.
Speaker: It's like, I want to create all this content, but like, I don't know.
Speaker: I just, I don't know why I don't.
Speaker: I mean, I create all this content, but then I think I watch it too many times.
Speaker: I don't post it.
Speaker: And then I like open up Instagram or TikTok and I'm watching these videos and I'm like, well, I could do that better.
Speaker: Or like, hey, I have a video like this or hey, I could do better than this.
Speaker: And then it's like, okay, then post.
Speaker: And then I'm like, oh, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker: And then like, I'll be like, okay, I'll post tomorrow.
Speaker: And then I'm like, oh.
Speaker: And then I just feel that pressure of like, it's not perfect.
Speaker: And then I show my friends and they're like, it's amazing, post it.
Speaker: And I'm like,
Speaker: okay i guess like i posted that jigsaw and i got like 500 likes and i got like 16 like i got like 15 000 views in like the matter of like an hour and all i tagged was jigsaw and i didn't like i didn't know who else to tag because i was like i don't know if they want to see this i mean i asked for their consent but like i'll just see what happens with like i just see what happened yeah and then you know it was very very successful so that was that was awesome i think you should like mute down that voice you know that is like
Speaker: discouraging and continue to like just release things i think you know and not be your own worst critic right because i but this like i my first episode i recorded like five times yeah yeah you can you can definitely like understand and kind of like see how it's like but um are you still your worst critic or are you just kind of like i'm gonna do it and just shut that little voice off
Speaker: Yeah, definitely that.
Speaker: For me, you know, there's certain types of people, I'll say maximizers, you know, like I want this to be like more of this or I'm more of a hesitator, right?
Speaker: Where it's like, I got to get this perfect in order for it to be ready.
Speaker: But it's like, well, you got to.
Speaker: just take that step and see what happens and improve as you go on right that's true i mean i mean for example like i went to school for international relations like i mean i wanted to be president of the united states of america i mean of course i'm not going to do that now granted but um you know like i kind of didn't and i knew i want i loved photography and videography but like i just never pursued it it just was like a hobby
Speaker: And now I'm kind of like stuck behind where I don't know how to use Adobe Photoshop.
Speaker: I don't know how to use kind of like the after effects or I just do what I know and what I like and what I think looks good for me myself and for that the thing I captured.
Speaker: But it also sets me back because people are saying like, oh, you're not you're not skilled in that area.
Speaker: So like we can't hire you or like if I did want to work for like
Speaker: um like a marketing agency they're like yeah you have so much experience but you don't have like the skills that make somebody a content creator a social media specialist and it's like i will give me a week trial and i'll show you i know like i know what i'm doing but it's something that like i've definitely accepted and something that i want to pursue but i feel like what i'm doing now like it works like i don't need to have all that extra oomph for something to look good and for something to kind of like go viral quote unquote you know so yeah
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: And there's that interplay too, right?
Speaker: And kind of like, I think like millennial, Gen Z type of things, like look at a company like BuzzFeed or now the Try Guys, you know, where they spun off and, you know, it's a mix of that corporate type, like, hey, let's be serious about this and get things produced.
Speaker: But at the same time, let's do creative things.
Speaker: And there is that kind of process, I guess, that comes with it.
Speaker: But numbers speak for themselves too.
Speaker: And I feel like the social media game is
Speaker: Yeah, but yeah, I mean, social media, but it's tough because you think something's so good and you're just like, and I post it and you're like, yeah, this is amazing.
Speaker: And then it's like four likes and one share and you're just like, and it kind of like you take a hit because it's like, oh, is it not good?
Speaker: And then you kind of like.
Speaker: personally yeah right yeah you're kind of like wait i could have done this better and like now i'm re-watching the jigsaw like why are you like that the interview and i'm like oh my god it's horrible oh it's so boring oh it's this and i'm like nah i got it got the attention it deserved it's it's fine like just get over it like so now whenever i do postings i just look at it a couple times and i just never look at it again
Speaker: Like I won't scroll down on my Instagram.
Speaker: I'm just like, I'm done.
Speaker: Like I, I don't know if you saw, like I have different vibes on my photos by Bri.
Speaker: Cause I am, yeah, I'm kind of experimenting with what works, what I like, what I don't like, what does work, what people like want to see.
Speaker: Um, so I kind of just like now I'm, I think I'm just releasing just because like, I think it's good.
Speaker: And I think it make it,
Speaker: I made something creative and great and people need to see it.
Speaker: And I mean, all I care about is my friends and people telling me that I'm like, you know, skilled.
Speaker: So yeah, that's all I care about.
Speaker: And I think that's awesome.
Speaker: And it seems like you are skilled and you know, I think that speaks for itself because you're going to book more people, you know, that's like maybe your bread and butter type stuff to make it, you know, like, like actors, right?
Speaker: Actors make more money off commercials typically than they do.
Speaker: off of like those big rolls and stuff.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, man.
Speaker: I mean, we'll see.
Speaker: We'll see what happens.
Speaker: I mean, in College Station, if I could make people, I mean, I did used to make people pay me to be on my page because like I would take a ton of pictures.
Speaker: Like I would go out and like take these really cool pictures and they would want to pose.
Speaker: They would want me to move here, move there.
Speaker: And then I'd be like, oh, give me your Instagram.
Speaker: And I'd be like, and then they would send me like the message the next day.
Speaker: And I'd be like, hey, like every time I meet somebody, I'll have them send me something that like happened when we were like photo shooting or something they were wearing or something like to catch my eye.
Speaker: So for example,
Speaker: um one of them was like uh i captured these women in the bathroom like outside of the bathroom and they looked like 30 like like early late 30s and then after i was like oh like um i was like here like give me your instagram like and write like uh something that i can remember you by like how old are y'all like out of the random i said that and they're like oh we're 40s something and i'm like
Speaker: Y'all look like 30.
Speaker: Like y'all look so young.
Speaker: And I was like, text me that.
Speaker: I'd be like the 40 year old beautiful women near the bathroom.
Speaker: And then like, I'll remember.
Speaker: And like, like that is something that like, I feel like people also kind of like, like to work with and like to hear.
Speaker: Cause it's like, I'll be memorable.
Speaker: I'll be memorable.
Speaker: And then they may be like, they'll have something in the future, but you also never know who you're going to meet.
Speaker: That's why I go up to like different people all the time.
Speaker: Cause I'm just like, they might have a business opportunity.
Speaker: They might want to be captured.
Speaker: They might have 89,000 followers on like their Instagram.
Speaker: And if I tag the right person, but I think that that doesn't like kind of, that's why I don't do this, like what I do, but I think it does help like knowing that I'm going to capture something and it's going to be great.
Speaker: Like who knows what's going to happen when I do post that or tag that person or,
Speaker: Go up to that individual, you know.
Speaker: And I think that's something you think is really exciting, right?
Speaker: Versus where maybe a more traditional corporate job, you feel like there aren't those possibilities.
Speaker: There's a set path.
Speaker: And growing up, I understand, too, around parents being government workers, you see like, OK, that's how it is.
Speaker: And you're like, no, I just want to create my own path.
Speaker: I know and especially like coming with like my two siblings who are like amazing they're oh my god they're prodigies like I mean I love them and they have a path that they decided to take down that I don't necessarily understand or don't necessarily like want to pursue um and but I think I definitely like got a heart on whenever my parents would be like yeah my daughter lives in Egypt and I'm just like yeah I don't even know what I'm doing but like I freaking live in Egypt yeah I would be coming home from my uber ride
Speaker: Because I used to work for like an online magazine and be coming home from like events or whatever, hanging out with friends.
Speaker: And I would just be driving windows down.
Speaker: I'd be like, I really live here.
Speaker: Like, wow.
Speaker: Like I couldn't even process it.
Speaker: But I mean, that's like, that's the point of life.
Speaker: I mean, honestly, like, yeah, I want a corporate, like I do want a corporate job.
Speaker: I do want that security.
Speaker: But I...
Speaker: I know it's not for me and I know that I'm gonna like hate myself if I did that.
Speaker: It's nothing wrong with it at all.
Speaker: I mean, honestly, but I just know me myself and I know like what I've done in my life that now I'm like, I can't go like to a corporate job.
Speaker: I gotta like do something eccentric because I've already done the damn thing where I moved out of
Speaker: the u.s to like a random country by myself because i knew one person like imagine like i can't get a corporate job yeah i've heard someone once say um if you're familiar with the store and taylor's where dreams go to die oh my gosh yeah yeah
Speaker: I mean, man, I don't know.
Speaker: And I just, I don't think I'm going to live a long life.
Speaker: So I'm kind of just like, I'm honestly just going to do the most that I can.
Speaker: And I'll just worry about it when I get there.
Speaker: That's kind of my philosophy.
Speaker: Do not follow what I say because it works for me.
Speaker: It doesn't even work for me sometimes, but it's definitely something that helps me, you know, like wake up and get by through the day.
Speaker: So.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And then I think we're approaching our time here, but anything partying or what you're looking forward to next with this process, the journey you're on?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So I don't even consider it a journey.
Speaker: I'm trying to start processing it as a journey because I'm trying to find the destination already.
Speaker: And it's not about that.
Speaker: It's about like creating something where you can look back and be like, wow, like that's kind of like what I've done to get to me to here.
Speaker: But I think like where I'm trying to go at is, you know, just have I just want to capture things, people, places, events.
Speaker: culture, all of that, and have people like what they see and be like, oh, I want to follow her.
Speaker: I want to see what she's doing next, where she's going next.
Speaker: Oh, a company's like, oh, I need a cool video.
Speaker: Let's hit her up because she knows what the hell she's doing, you know?
Speaker: So that's like kind of like the path that I'm trying to take.
Speaker: I hope, I hope it, I hope it pays off, but I'm leaving the country in July.
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: I'm going to get out of here.
Speaker: Where to?
Speaker: I'm thinking Morocco.
Speaker: I love the Middle East.
Speaker: Oh my God.
Speaker: I identify so much with that culture, with the people, the vibe, the aura.
Speaker: But I also have friends in Belgium and Europe is kind of like where I want to end up, Italy or Belgium.
Speaker: So we'll see.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And I'm excited to see where that takes you.
Speaker: Oh man.
Speaker: Like and comment, follow all that stuff.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And you'll definitely see me grow, I hope.
Speaker: And with your podcast too, I mean, definitely gonna want to have to follow this up and see like who else you interview and what else, because you're definitely going to grow a hundred percent.
Speaker: Like who knows what you can do with this, you know?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So are you excited?
Speaker: Oh yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker: Are you excited?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I'm really effing excited.
Speaker: I feel like I'm going to have a great story to tell my kids, my dogs, my cats, whoever I end up with, whatever.
Speaker: I feel like
Speaker: That's kind of like why I do anything for the after photo or for like the story.
Speaker: I do things because it looks good and feels good.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I always say that.
Speaker: I'm like, I do things because I want a picture after it, like the after photo, like, you know, and so we'll see.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: We'll see what happens.
Speaker: But thank you so much for having me here.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I hope you achieve and do everything you want because you're going to have a good life.
Speaker: Likewise.
Speaker: Thanks.
Speaker: And thanks so much for coming on.
Speaker: And for all of our listeners, I'll, you know, photos by Bree on Instagram and I'll get all the rest of your social media so people can follow.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Awesome.
Speaker: Thank you so much.
Speaker: Love you.
Speaker: Thanks for listening to today's episode, everyone.
Speaker: Please follow our Instagram account.
Speaker: at combos with Jordan, where you can receive updates on new episodes and connect with each of our guests and their social media.
Speaker: See y'all in the next one.
