Meet JoAnna Duke | Photographer and Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with JoAnna Duke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi JoAnna, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I chose to pursue a creative career because I see things in an artistic way, even when staring off in thought and looking at my textured walls, I see art- almost like when seeing the clouds make different shapes. Creativity gives me a sense of fulfillment. I am somewhat of a shy person but when I am in my creative zone, the walls and barriers I may have go away. I love the excitement that photography, graphic design, fashion, and other creative avenues bring me! Nature is often my inspiration. I’m also inspired by many incredibly talented artists and my goal has become to impact and inspire others with my words, art, designs, etc.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My brand is called Envisions World, a photography and graphic design brand. I offer beauty, fashion, branding, and product photography, along with other photography styles like food, real-estate, and lifestyle, if requested. The graphic design services I offer include logo design, web design, t-shirt design, book design, social media content, email content and complete branding or rebranding. What gets me most excited is collaborating with my clients, because it’s their vision and my job is to make it a reality. I encourage clients to give me any thoughts or ideas they may have because we can definitely build on that! Seeing tangible results from what was once “just a thought” is such a rich feeling! My tagline is “Create the world you envision.” I am currently taking my own advice and being intentional this year about getting to the place I’ve envisioned. I truly love seeing other people’s dreams come true! I want to help out in anyway I can, whether it’s taking photos for up-and-coming models, creating a website for a company to expand their reach, or helping a start up company with their design and brand identity. Seeing my client’s visions come to life is amazing and I am grateful that I can be a part of it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
That’s a good question! I’ve lived in the DFW area for over 10 years and I still haven’t done everything I wanted to! There are so many cute shop and dine spots that we’d go to. We can start at the Legacy West in Plano and do some shopping, then choose from one of their many eateries, get a couple of drinks, and head to the patio to hang out. Next, we’d go to the Dallas Museum of Art (of course) and then get dinner and a ton of pictures at Lexy’s at the Trinity Groves and get some fresh air outside at the Art Park afterwards. I’d make sure that a musician or comedian we like will be in town the same week and we could catch a show at The Majestic Theatre, then we could get some amazing Jamaican food at Jamaica Gates in Arlington! We’d go to do more shopping (or window shopping) at Highland Park Village and then stop by one of my favorite bakeries over there, BIRD bakery. On a day with nice weather, we’d visit The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and get another sweet treat at Tiff’s Treats! Because it’s such an experience, we’d definitely have to go to The Boiling Crab- very messy, but very good. When Sunday comes, we’d go to The Potter’s House & listen to Bishop T.D. Jakes then find a brunch spot at the Mandalay Canal Walk in Las Colinas and burn some calories walking by the water after all of that eating.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I absolutely have to shoutout God. There was a time when I accepted that my dreams were too big and would not happen in real life. I quit using my camera and hardly did any designs. I was going to suppress the passion I felt for anything creative. When I wanted to give up, God sent so many people and messages my way to instill in me that I should keep going after it. “Never give up,” “keep going after your dreams,” “it’s all you think about and it’s for a reason,” I decided to go all in! It’s been so hard, but I know it will pay off and help many others. I am also blessed to have the parents that I have, ones that push me to keep going, even when I had zero clients, they would give me a helping hand or a word of encouragement and I think that kind of fortification is rare. I am truly grateful for them. I definitely have to shoutout my supporters- friends, family, and clients who trusted me with their vision. I am overjoyed that they helped me build the foundation of my brand, Envisions World.

Website: www.envisionsworld.com

Other: linktr.ee/envisionsworld

Image Credits
Tierra Palmer Photography