Meet Constance Avey-Byers | Graphic Designer & Concert Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Constance Avey-Byers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Constance, why did you pursue a creative career?
I don’t really think it was something I necessarily “chose,” technically. I am constantly overly passionate about learning new things. There isn’t a single day where I’m not working with my hands, designing, building, painting, making something. I’ve been that way for as long as I can remember. Creative outlets weren’t always financially available for me in my childhood, so I made do, and learned how to make everything from nothing. I think creativity, and a creative career, wasn’t an option that I chose, per se, it has always been a persistent drive, internally, that I’m fueled by. There isn’t really another option but to feed that fire.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve had some some of camera permanently attached to my hand since I was around nine years old. The first was this tiny square Vivitar I got from someone after going through countless rolls of film. Hundreds of polaroids and a desktop computer hard-drive full of photos later, I eventually upgraded to a Nikon N75 with a Sigma 28-80mm lens. I took it everywhere. Boxes and boxes of film began to overtake my bedroom, and there wasn’t a single day I missed developing film and photos in the darkroom at my school; if the doors were open, I was in it. I can still smell the way the black and white raw film stings my nose in the developing solution. Senior year of high school, the latch on that camera’s door busted; I still have it sitting on my shelf because one day, one day I will have it repaired. At the time though, there wasn’t any money to do that, I had moved high schools so I no longer had access to a dark room, and I had to give up photography for a long time. About ten years ago, I saved up all my extra money and bought a Canon T6i. I shot landscapes, wildlife, weddings, boudoir, lifestyle, and family portraits; really anything I could possibly shoot I volunteered for. I upgraded lenses with every available bit of extra money I could scrape together, and for almost ten years, that camera did everything I needed… until it didn’t. I took everything I had in savings, sold everything I could, and with what I wasn’t paying my divorce lawyer with, I bought a Canon R5. Growing up with very little money and lots of trauma, you learn to live in survival mode. You don’t buy yourself things because the bottom always falls out and the money is always needed. I took a literal leap of faith and dove headfirst into that purchase. I didn’t even have the ability at the time to purchase an RF lens and could barely afford the adapter and the camera. Through everything in my life, every bad ordeal with family, a horrifically abusive marriage, moving four hours from home to leave that life and that marriage, this was the one thing I kept that was just and only mine, and I was going to figure out how to logically make that purchase make sense when we had to sell so much else. When I moved to the Fort Worth area so I could finish my graduate degree, I had a friend who let me come to one of his concerts and photograph. Instantaneously, I knew, there was no looking back. I contacted everyone I could think of to get more work for my portfolio.
This field is saturated with amazing photographers, so it’s very difficult to get work. It was really important for me to make my brand and my style available to artists because I shoot in a very peculiar and interesting way. I use a lot of lighting and color to achieve an almost cinematic effect in the shots. It’s what I feel makes my work so unique, and maybe slightly outlandish or otherworldly. I think my most proud moments were shooting at Trees with Norma Jean and Fire from the Gods, and recently shooting at the Granada with Van Full of Nuns; both shows were overly challenging and such a great experience for me to grow as an artist. Photography is always evolving, and it’s important to always be growing as an individual as well as creator. Growth is painful, difficult, trying… but nothing ever comes from living in stagnation, and the struggle should never be embarrassing to admit.
Through this process, I also started Maxxd Media, an online magazine for concert reviews, interviews, and releases. It was really important to me to showcase smaller, sometimes unknown, artists alongside major bands, and that’s what I went into that idea with. The idea that my growth can be reciprocated by helping others grow. To leave a legacy not just a footprint. And that’s what photography is, a legacy of this time. We are the preservationists, the recorders, the archivists of this digital era. Famous or unknown, we owe it to the future generations to put as much documentation out there as possible, and leave that legacy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
DFW is such a gigantic area. There are always new pop ups, restaurants, events… it’s all so difficult to keep track of, and there is always a never ending supply of places to try and things to do. A week long trip would include a lot a places to eat and events to go to. Wabi House off 8th avenue in Fort Worth has ramen you could pass out over. I’m allergic to gluten and dairy, and they have a really good vegetable version I just nix the noodles on and order extra vegetables, but the menu options are all to die for. The Truck Yard has an amazing variety of foods and entertainment; it’s a super neat place for a date night and lots of variety. Moontower Pizza Bar in Burleson has massive and fantastic pizzas, and honestly some of the best chips and salsa I’ve ever eaten.
Activity wise, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is a favorite of mine. They have lots of specialize events, date nights, volunteer opportunities, and I’ve never been disappointed when I’ve gone. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is always a favorite to take any of my friends to, whether it’s just us or with children. The Museum of Illusions is fantastic as well.
GeekOut in Burleson has amazing options if you like Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, or anything card related. Cidercade has massive amounts of old arcade games you can play and is so fun during just adult hours. My absolute favorite museum is the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, right next to TrainTopia (Museum of the American Railroad, also super fantastic). It has every video game ever invented, all playable, and we spend hours in there every time we go.
Entertainment wise, the options are endless. The Railclub, Granada, Big Rob’s, the Factory, the Echo, T’s Bar and Grill, Ridglea Theater, Tannahill’s Tavern, Trees, Haltom Theater… the list is really almost infinite because there are shows and events everywhere, in every genre, all week.
Honestly, DFW has so many neat options, I am still constantly discovering new things all the time, so when my friends do come in, I normally check local instagram pages to see anything new or exciting that’s available.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Most of my life was really difficult to get through, and it felt like things would never be stable or secure because everything was constantly going up in flames. Money was always scarce, family was always unstable and chaotic, and it seemed like no one every really could deal with as much baggage, chaos and unpredictability that I came with. Over the past few years I was able to finally build a village that supported me mentally and emotionally. Without them, I’m really not sure how I would’ve made it through everything that was thrown at me to even be able to attempt what I’m able to do now. Alora sat on my kitchen floor with me while I ate couponed macaroni and cheese out of the pot in tears over how I was going to pay for lawyers. Jasmine picked up the phone any time I just needed to find some sort of mental support for school, lesson plans, or just needed Dunkin’ coffee to help me through work. Michael listened to every single breakdown and supported me to go after every crazy idea creatively that I came up with. Cory was a rock in helping me with my kids and literally holding me up when I had no idea what to do next. Seth shoved me headfirst into pursuing anything I was ever passionate about, cheering me on even when I was beyond frustrated and felt less than mediocre. David and Andy were always a phone call away and my own personal hype-men…

I wasn’t born into a village, I had to build it brick by brick. You may only ever see my work, but this village was the mortar that built me, and I don’t know where I would be, mentally, emotionally, or creatively, without them.

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