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

Hi Cynthia, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I chose a creative career for myself because nothing else worked. When I say I have tried everything, I really did. I’ve worked at a fast food restaurant, been a teller at a bank, I worked at famous theme parks, worked retail at department stores, I was even a freelance makeup artist. I occasionally worked in flower delivery and I worked as an Uber driver for exactly one day. Oh, I’m also an unintentional college drop out. Now this is over the span of 15 years but, I literally have been there and done that. Throughout the years, I was desperately trying to find what my passion was.

As a child I didn’t really have the chance to explore my creative side until I became an adult. I discovered YouTube like so many in 2010. I discovered makeup through regular people sharing how they did simple makeup looks. I immersed myself in learning everything I needed to become a makeup artist. After I gained confidence in my craft through practicing, I started taking on gigs that eventually led me to doing bridal makeup. While I was the one making sure everyone felt beautiful, I also was interested in what the photographer was doing that was capturing my work. Once again, I found YouTube tutorials to take in as much knowledge about everything I needed to know about photography. I purchased my camera and started shooting friends whenever I could until I could do it full-time. I found a job working as a graduation and school photographer. I loved every minute of it because I was finally utilizing my creative side. It never felt like work to me and that is honestly what I’ve been searching for. I finally realized I am not a “9-5er” I’m a creative. It was clear to me that as long as I am doing this, I feel fulfilled.

My recent endeavor is being more present on social media and telling deeper parts of my story, in hopes it will help someone else. I now get to marry my makeup skills and photography knowledge to create content on social media. I love that I get to show up as myself everyday on Instagram and shine a little light on my followers and people who stumble on my page.

If you’re reading this and you know that you are not a “9-5er”, you dream of using your imagination and/or hands as your income source and want to make that your reality, then I encourage you to take steps in pursuing those creative talents. It will be worth it when you do! Promise!

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 can answer this question in two parts. I love my corporate photography career and I also love my freelance photography gigs. They’re  both very different and yet similar. I love that my corporate photography job allows me to connect with so many people, since I shoot anywhere from 150 to 200 students per day.  I try to make small connections with each interaction, even if it’s only for two minutes and that makes their day special. I also get to travel to different cities and site see.

What I love about freelance photography is collaborating with my clients. The fun part is finding locations that speak to the creative direction that my client and I are going for. My best work is natural light and outdoor portraits. I feel people look their absolute best in the natural light.

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.
I would definitely start with dinner at Deep Ellum in Dallas, there’s so much to eat, especially Terry Blacks BBQ. It’s the best I’ve ever had. Saturday morning we would take a ride into Frisco and visit the best coffee shop in my personal opinion, Summer Moon Coffee. Their oak roasted coffee is everything, and my favorite drink is the Wintermoon. We definitely would hit The Shops at Legacy for some light shopping and people watching. By Sunday, we’re definitely going to have brunch at the Yardbird in Uptown. They have the biggest cinnamon bun I have ever seen and their fried chicken is made to perfection . If we are still full and want something sweet to eat we would definitely have to make a stop at the Cookie Society, literally the best cookies I’ve ever tasted!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I want to give a huge shoutout to my husband Shawn Hume who has invested in me and believed in me even when I couldn’t believe in myself.  Also to my closest bff Mariah B, whose has been so supportive and even been my muse, helping me with my crazy photography ideas.  A big shoutout goes to my dad Gabriel who also had a gift for photography, I feel in some way he passed his love of taking pictures on to me and I’m so grateful for that. Shoutout to my dear friends and family for all of their support. Love you all!

Instagram: hey__cyn

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTIjMkbDV8tzYJ2GOo9T9NQ

Other: Pintrest: https://pin.it/1ERZlHe

Image Credits
JMarie Photography + Design

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