Meet Von Hughes-Stanton | Photographer & Inventory Control Coordinator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Von Hughes-Stanton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Von, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m from Fort Worth. Having grown up in Fort Worth I realized that I lived in a laid back town. Living in such a down to earth place meant that being a creative was a nonstarter. My father taught me that I should be independent. He always said you should to have a job not a hobby. Being a creative back then wasn’t seen as a way to generate income. I’ve had a job since I was 14 through summer work programs.

For escapism during these years I channeled Captain Kirk from Star Trek. He always figure out a way out of figure out of dire situations that had life or death outcomes. The ideas and culture awareness of this show taught be that even on different worlds we as human had to learn to coexist with strangers. This taught me that solving racism had to be done one person at a time. The message from Martin Luther King still resonated in my upbringing but I needed something that was easier to digest.

My first memory of recognizing myself as a creative was the 9th grade.
In my 9th grade year the Fort Worth School district had a district wide art show. My teacher had the classroom create different art projects to enter into the art show. I created a painting of Lynn Swann catching a football against a Dallas Cowboy player in the Super Bowl. My second project was an abstract ink blot of geometric shapes. I loved the Lynn Swann painting for my entry into the classroom contest. I trashed the abstract painting in a trash can by the teacher’s desk. The teacher found the painting and asked who painting was in the trash can. Reluctantly I raised by hand, the art teacher was amazed by the ink blot painting. I was bewildered why the teacher was fascinated by my ink blot painting. Long story short, the ink blot painting was chosen as one of the entries for our school. The painting won Honorable mention for the school district and was hang in the old Fort Worth bank building with other entries.
The lesson I took away from this episode in my life was that I didn’t need to be ashamed to be different. I was afraid the abstract painting would make me seem weird. I was already fighting this image as a red haired, glass wearing green eyed African American nerd carrying a briefcase. It seems I had all of the base covered for being an outsider The Lynn Swann painting was a logical choice that I thought would make me more acceptable. I figured out through soul searching that being creative means your thoughts are independent of some norms and that you have to accept labels even if they don’t apply to you.

At this time in my life I’m an event photographer. This helps me stay creative. Photography is a great outlet for left and right thinkers. With photography there are enough rules, technology and artistically needs to satisfy my needs for new endeavors. One day you can be an event photographer and the next a portrait photographer. To take this further I embraced YouTube to teach the new generation that you have to grow as a person to create new neuro path way in your brain.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
At this moment in my life I work as an Inventory Coordinator for Michaels Stores. I worked for Michaels for 21 years. My part time endeavor is Event Photographer. The thing that makes be proud about my career path is my tenacity for calming people in chaotic situations. Having lived around racism, isolationism and narcissist’s behavior I realized that this conditioning had made me adept at being a pseudo Project Manager. I learned that in order to counter negative behavior in the work place you have to realize the underlying factors. The lesson I learned was that the fear of failing was the root cause of most problems at work and life. No one wants to be labeled a failure. My approach is to provide leadership and show others that we are all are flawed as individuals. I discuss my own failure and ways I overcame them in my business ventures. Being a natural risk taker, I accept my success and study my failures. I learned through history that Steve Jobs, Bill Gates failed early in life but kept reanalyzing why they failed.

The one thing I want everyone to know about my brand is to know my brand evolves constantly to stay relevant. Through creative means I want my brand to find a niche for all those that want something that is honest and straight to the point. Being a focused person I need to consume information and make a rationale decision from several sources. This is what I want my brand to be an accumulation of different creative ideas from multiple views.

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.
If I had a friend in town I would take them to areas in Fort Worth’s cultural district surrounding the Montgomery Wards area. One day they can eat Tex Mex at Chuys. Then grab a bite at Iinn and Out Burger. The cool thing about this area are there are multiple restaurant to discover with walking distant. There is Trinity park to take a romantic walk.

Also in the cultural district you can take in a play at Casa Manana the first night. Go to Dickies arena the second night for an concert. In between you stay you can visit the Kimbell Art Museum. On the third day you can visit the Fort Worth Museum of Science. On the fourth day you can ride on rented bikes to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. At night you can watch a movie at the Movie Grill.

To round out one of your days you can visit the local clothing boutiques in the area. If you tire of this area then the Fort Worth Stockyards are 15 minutes away. There you can visit the Cattlemen’s Steakhouse or visit the Historic White Elephant Saloon feature in the Paramount series 1883.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to Shoutout for my mother being a equal rights and women rights pioneer. My mother was the treasurer for the Post Office Local Union in Fort Worth during the 70’s before she died in 1974. She taught me that you had to do your homework to make it in life. Also she showed me that being creative was a way to help you through challenging situations,

Next Id like to thank my late father for the teaching me that life rewards those make their own way. As a teenager I had a job at Safeway to pay for my first car by saving my checks and not blowing them on frivolous things. That might explain why my wife says “I’m tight with a dollar.”

I wanted to give my grandmother Roxie Peavy a big Shoutout for working multiple jobs to take care of her family. She also provided shelter for people outside of family. The thing about her that makes me smile is her straight forward personality. She taught me me to be honest and tell people how you feel, even if they don’t agree with you.

Finally I would like to thanks my wife of 33 years for being there for me through my countless endeavors. She doesn’t always understand my creative side. My children are an extension of us both. They share my creative side. My oldest son loves Cosplay, this was akin to being in drama class in my times. My daughter is a online gamer, she uses a mechanical keyboard for moves. An my youngest son is the athlete that I wanted to be in school.

Website: www.vhs.phtography

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