Meet Mariah Johnson | Photographer

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

Hi Mariah, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
For a long time I didn’t have a balance. I was unemployed for a while. Ever since I started working just a few months ago though I’ve had time to do the things that bring me immense joy on my days off instead of lying in bed all day just daydreaming about the things I want to do. Like spend time with family, go to church to worship God (where I get to enhance my skills and take pictures every Sunday), spend much needed time with my incredibly sweet and supportive boyfriend and my cat who is such a mama’s girl. At work I hang out with co workers who make me laugh, meet all kinds of interesting people. I have a reason to be productive. Some days are harder than others due to seeing the true colors of people, being disrespected, and looked down on. It’s sad being out in the real world to see how many people will go out of their way to ruin your day. But I refuse to let my mental health go downhill. It’s very important to me. The job I have is a blessing from God himself and i’m so thankful because I know He’s got me. So my balance to me is working out just fine. I’m sure it will change over time but in a positive way.

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 look at the world through vibrant and imaginative eyes and edit my photos the way I visualize the world. I haven’t done a photo shoot in quite some time, but I have so many concepts in mind and I can’t wait to get back on it so I can implement them. I took a break for myself to not be on social media as much and read more instead. And I really needed that. It’s a new year, though, so I’m ready to branch out and do more photo shoots. I would also like to make a name for myself and show others what I’m able to do with this gift that God gave me by going to different churches and take pictures of Christians coming together to praise and worship God and show the world what God can do for us once we let Him in. I want to do my part by using God’s joy and honoring Him with my life. He has big plans for me and I’m excited to see where He leads me on my journey as a professional photographer.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Deep Ellum of course! There’s so many beautiful murals that make a nice backdrop for photos together and I love how everything is within walking distance. It’s so inspiring when you bump into lots of cool people with talent, like photographers, models, musicians and artists in the making. I’d take them to this cool spot called Serious Pizza for lunch, stop at another place called Insomnia Cookies for dessert and top the day off driving around Downtown Dallas after dark with music blasting in the background. It would be their choice though since I’m not at all picky when it comes to music.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Well, first I’d like to thank God. I wouldn’t be where I am now without Him. He’s gotten me through a lot and continues to amaze me. The person I’m shouting out, though, is my mom. She has been my biggest supporter all my 23 years of life. Not once did she give up on me, not even when I wanted to give up on myself and I thank her for that. She taught me that I could do anything I put my mind to as long as I believed that I could and to turn to God in times of struggle. When anxious thoughts would attempt to ruin my bond with my camera, my creative thought process, and all the confidence I had in myself to realize my dreams of becoming a professional photographer, I would turn to God, just like she taught me and all my worries would go away. My mom has always protected me. When depression would eat at me to the point where I’d become sucked inside a black hole of negativity and lock myself in my room for months because I’d be afraid to take the next step, she would end up being the beam of light that I needed to help me get out of the darkness. Even today, she is still my light. I appreciate and love my mom so much.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjayyphotos/

Image Credits
EmJay Photography