Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Jones.
Hi Erin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Austin, TX, and some people say that makes me a Unicorn. I happily embrace the title 🦄 I’ve always been drawn to the creative side of things through painting, sculpture and hamming it up in front of mom and dad’s videotape recorder (yes, I’m an eighties baby) with choreographed dances starring my sister and friends. It was in high school that I really started to gravitate towards a passion in photography. I was inspired to take a photography course twice, just to explore the craft more. I created my own darkroom at home, falling in love with the developing process. My passion grew stronger every year as I tried to keep up with the latest photography equipment as soon as it was released to keep pushing my skills and development.
I was in awe of the study of shadows, light and movement. I was so captivated I once again created a tiny, cramped darkroom in my closet in college. Back then, I didn’t think of the possibility of photography as a career, so after I was accepted into the UT Business School, I pursued a degree in Business Marketing. While it wasn’t altogether that creative, it did open many doors early on in my career. I moved to San Francisco the weekend after I graduated and immediately found myself in roles that were more business-oriented.
I first stepped into a position in Advertising Sales at Time, Inc. Magazines, fully immersed in the corporate world. After a short time, I was promoted as the youngest Magazine Ad Sales Manager at that time, and I could hardly believe I had my own window office with a view from the 19th floor of the Embarcadero Center in downtown San Francisco at 25 years old. But that was when everything changed from print ads to digital, so I pivoted to sales for an online city guide in the Bay Area (equivalent of Austin’s Do512.com). Around this time, a trip to Europe for six weeks seemed more compelling – so I left the corporate world and purchased the first generation SLR Canon camera and put it to great use on that trip. At the time, I didn’t think I’d do anything more than street and landscape photography. During my travels, I fell in love with my camera and we developed a real relationship. We understood each other, and we loved exploring together. It was my baby and continued to be for ten years until I upgraded. She now rests peacefully along with my old darkroom supplies.
After that trip, I began diving into web page building for various clients, designing flyers and brochures for business people who weren’t intuitively creative themselves. When I returned to ATX, it was to be the Director of Marketing for Swift Solutions, a Conference and Expo planning business. For one of our largest events, the Halloween & Party Expo, I often doubled as a photographer, so I could capture the most necessary photos for our future marketing needs. That’s the moment I truly recognized the value of my work for business purposes. Seeing many of my images blown up larger than life at the entrance to a football field-sized Expo was one of those ah-hah moments like “hell yes.” That’s me. I captured that. And, I can do more of that.
I then had an opportunity to fly to Cambodia to capture my first wedding for a friend. I still cherish that trip and the trust my friend had in me to capture such a unique and special event. Once the wedding celebrations were complete, my plan was to work an odd job at Yellowstone National Park while getting a graphic design business up and running. Instead, I decided to remain in Southeast Asia and learn about their culture and Buddhism. I realized then that I could pursue my interests in spirituality while learning how to work on my graphic design business from anywhere. So, that’s what I did for an entire year, by myself. A. Life. Changing. Experience.
During that year abroad, I completed courses in Reiki Healing I & II with Crystal Healing in Thailand, and since then my spiritual path has continued to open me up to the Universe’s possibilities in a subtle, energetic way that I cannot deny. I am drawn to moving energy, capturing energy, releasing energy, healing energy. There’s no doubt in my mind that we have the ability to tap into the flow of Source energy, and I try to bring that confidence and that connection with me through everything that I do, especially photography.
When I returned home to Austin, I began working for Lyn Graft, a Video Producer and Storyteller Coach for Entrepreneurs as well as the lead producer for Empowering A Billion Women Network. After being privy to some really exciting events, including a very intimate session with Brene Brown and the top 30 CEO’s of Conscious Capitalism, I realized then that I could do what the team photographers were doing around me. While I began working on my business plan as a photographer, I kept up with my side hustle of developing websites.
Which leads me to today… a now full-time photographer with a passion in supporting Solopreneurs and a passion in supporting women’s empowerment.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Even with a degree in Business Marketing, I was not fully prepared for all the facets that owning your own business would require. I knew I was capable, but I didn’t always know where to look for business advice. I only knew where to find the creative advice through teachers and healers that I surrounded myself with. I didn’t always know my value, so my patterns led me to a workaholic attitude. I think this is also why I am so interested in the Solopreneur market for my business because I know what it’s like to want to focus on the parts you do best, and sometimes that means other parts get left unattended and that can hurt. Especially when it comes to businesses that very much rely on sharing your personality behind the brand.
My path has definitely had many obstacles and points of pivot. I registered the business name Prana Creations in 2012, knowing that I wanted to help people who were helping people or the environment. I always knew I wanted to do something for the holistic healing community. I wanted to create marketing materials via graphic design and websites, so they could help more people…now I’m just using a different medium than I ever thought: Photography. It has taken a long time to now settle into one craft and really hone in on that craft. I’ve always considered myself to be a jack of many trades, but finally I am honing in on being a Master at one: Portrait Photography.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
While I specialize in Photography, the energy work comes through in every event…flowing with the client, pulling from intuition, embracing the beauty in every moment. Clients enjoy my calming yet energetic personality. We have fun – even when clients say they are camera shy. Throughout my career, I have traveled the globe capturing landscapes and images that reflect the true feeling and subtle energy of a time and place, its people and their culture – from my hometown Austin to Southeast Asia to South America, Africa and back again.
I continue to share my gift of working with subtle energies, channeling the universal life force and higher vibrational messages from multi-dimensional realms, for a truly unique experience that can heal traumas, release stuck energies and balance the body, mind and soul through photography, reiki and art.
I am here to help support the Healing Arts and Solopreneurs of the world so that they can help reach more and more people and help continue to raise the vibration and consciousness of all communities worldwide. Hurt people, hurt people, but healed people, heal people.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Lyn Graft introduced me to one of my first mentors Jared Tennant whom I consider to be one of the best photographers in Austin. His drone shots are next level. I’m extremely grateful for the time and insight he shared to help me get up and going. He assisted with equipment and software tips and tricks as well as client management, and he trusted me early on to second assist or take over a job when he was unavailable.
Ben Godkin is another stellar photographer that I now consider a close friend. Working with him is always an inspiration. His knowledge of equipment and reading light is something I try to soak up every time I’m working with him.
Trent Grogan also gave me the confidence to admit I was an artist. Many of my first gigs were working with his team, and he helped me to further trust my instincts and lean into my artistry.
Lastly, I cannot exclude giving credit to my mother, who taught me to believe in myself. She always said I could do anything I set my mind to and that sort of programming really works. She always knew I needed to be creative, and after college she continued to support my higher education in terms of UT extension classes for Photoshop, Illustrator and more. She also taught me that I could be creative with clients, with their expectations and how to go above and beyond to stand out in business. I still apply so much of what she taught me to my everyday client experiences.
Pricing:
- starting from $555 for all portrait and event packages
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@PranaByJonesie.com
- Website: www.PranaByJonesie.com
- Instagram: @PranaByJonesie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pranabyjonesie
- Other: https://linktr.ee/PranaByJonesie
Image Credits
All images by me: Copyright @PranaByJonesie
