Meet My New Intern, Lisa

 Full Name:       Lisa Joy Meyer

 

How old are you?  19 years old. Birthday?  April 29th 

Where do you live?  I live in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. :) 

Pets, siblings?  I have one cat named Smokey. He is full of personality and lets us know everything he is thinking! I have an older sister, Nicole. She has a degree in culinary arts and has been happily married a little over a year now. My younger sister is Isla. She is almost 13 and loves horses and youth group. 

Whats your favorite thing about where you live? I love the diversity and beauty of this area. After a long day, I can take my camera out to catch a sunset. Within a short drive we have rolling farmland, lots of woods, and rivers and lakes all around. I can choose from any number of wonderful locations on a given day. It's so rejuvenating to be out in nature, enjoying the landscape and the wildlife. On another note, major cities like Philly and New York are within a reasonable distance. Cities provide a whole new subject matter for photography.  

You want to be a photographer, why?  Life is full of amazing moments. I love the ability to capture those moments. When I am able to do that effectively; make my subject look its very best and share that with others, that brings me so much joy! 

What excites you about that? Photography is exciting not only to capture what we see, but also what we can't see. When I capture a photo of a bird mid-flight, it takes my breath away to be able to see each individual feather spread. Or to take a macro shot of a Bumble Bee collecting pollen. A flower has thousands of perfect little sacs of pollen on it. The details are so incredible! 

Favorite subject matter…  I love taking photos of anything in nature. From landscape scenes to the little details in leaves. I also love photographing old architecture and setting up still life scenes using some man-made and some natural items. I don't think I can pick a favorite! :)  

Why did you want to intern?  First of all, I wanted to intern because it is a wonderful experience that I know I will learn and grow through. I see the value in learning from someone who has gone before me. She understands where I am at and how to get to where I want to go with my art. Secondly, I wanted the hands on experience. It is one thing to have people tell you how and what you should do with your marketing. But to have someone showing you and then letting you actually do it is a very important part of growing. Lastly, I wanted to do this internship with Mrs. Hahn because she is a fun, patient person who cares about my success and who is extremely successful and gifted herself.  

What do you hope to gain from the experience? knowledge on how to market effectively. The opportunity to work with an experienced, established artist who is able to guide and teach me. I hope to meet people at shows and make some good connections. It's hard to put into words exactly what I want to gain from this experience, because it is the little things as well as the big things. There are so many benefits to being able to see an artist working behind the scenes and having someone to answer any questions that come up. 

What are your strongest assets?   One of my strongest assets is a creative vision. I see the potential in different scenes and am able to compose the subject matter well. I have a thirst for knowledge. I have read as many manuals, photography books/guides, magazines, and online information about photography as I can get my hands on. This has been so valuable in training the way I see and create my art. 

What is your impression so far of the life of a full time artist/creative person?   Fun, busy, demanding. It is so awesome to see someone living out their passion and creating art on a daily basis. The flip side of that, however, is all the work and effort that goes into marketing. Marketing can be exciting and fun. It can also be tedious and time-consuming. So my first impression would be that you have to be passionate about what your doing. If that passion is there, then the life of an artist is a wonderful, fulfilling experience. 

What skills and insights have you gained thus far that you feel you will be able  apply to your future as a photographer?    I am learning that selling art well is as important as making art well. I am learning SO much about how to market effectively. I am also learning about all the important details that save time and thus accomplish more. 

If you won the lottery, would you still choose the artists life? Absolutely! It would just give me more freedom to travel and create more art. 

If you could live in any country, where would it be? why?  To be honest, I'm not attached to any particular area. I love traveling around and would love to visit places all over the world. For me, it is more about appreciating the unique and beautiful qualities about each location.     

 What is the best compliment you've gotten so far about your work?   One of my mentors helped me prepare for a photography trip to the Grand Canyon. We critiqued photos from tons of different photographers to see what worked and what didn't. When I got back from my trip, he critiqued my photos. After looking through all of them, he said that my photos were better and more well composed than all the photos we had previously viewed. 

Do you have a website? what is it?  Yes I do, it is:  lisajoy.zenfolio.com  My website is still in the exciting beginning stages. I will be adding photos often, so be patient with the limited selection. :)  

Anything else you'd like to say?   I am so blessed to be able to live out my dream of being a photographer and to have all these wonderful opportunities like the internship in my life. I am very excited to see what this next year holds for me! 

Welcome Lisa!  I am just as excited to have you working with me!