Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaret Phipps.
Hi Margaret, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I grew up very fortunate to have a family with a travel bug. As a kid, I would hear stories of my family’s travel adventures or be on one myself. I have always wanted to travel the world but have yet to learn how. As I grew up and went to college, I decided to be an actor. (Stay with me here) Film has always been a big passion of mine, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was fully prepared for the odd jobs to make ends meet and was looking forward to putting in the work, so I made myself a 1, 5, and 10-year plan to becoming a successful actor and supporting myself along the way financially. But just as everything was starting, Covid-19 made its way to the US, and everything shut down. I could no longer work and had just graduated college, so I moved home like most people did and started to think of a plan to pass the time until I could act and work again. One day I was talking to a friend who also loved to travel, and we were reminiscing over photos of our study abroad trips from college. She said, “those are good. Why don’t you sell some of them?” I said, “yeah, maybe,” and never really thought about it again. I didn’t know how to get started, if it would even work, or, to be honest, if people would even be interested. After some time, planning, and brainstorming, I realized if I hunkered down and planned it out (as my type A brain loves to do), I could edit photos from a makeup chair, work on my website during breaks, and be able to meld together my two biggest passions.
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial brain, and I knew I wanted to be my own boss from a young age. I’ve always needed to fit the corporate expectation that many people dive into after college. I’ve always been more creative and I have learned that I do not fit into one specific model. That’s why I love acting and photography so much. Through acting, I’m constantly meeting new people and trying new things, whether through a specific character, learning the behind-the-scenes aspects, or seeing how far I can push myself physically or emotionally. Photography not only gives me another creative outlet, but I have also learned much about technology. From building a website to learning how to navigate editing software or learning how to read analytics, it gives me space to constantly learn and improve my skills through this medium and as technology advances. I can continue to grow with it.
Over the last year, I built A Traveler’s Lens. I am so excited to share the moments of travel that took my breath away and reach an audience with the same passion for travel that I do. One day, I would love to step foot on every continent and go to all 50 states. I want to learn languages from all over the world and learn about new cultures as often as I can and be able to share that with others. I love that I have found something I can do alongside my acting work and that both can feed each other. I have been fortunate to have both of these businesses in my life, and I’m a business owner at 25 years old. I hope that the joy I feel capturing each of my photos comes through because I genuinely love what I do and am excited to be able to share it.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
It was a more complex transition. I had a full-blown plan to move to New York after college and be an actor. Apartment tours were set up, finances. Covid hit two months before my graduation from college, so everything changed. My five-year plan was right back to zero. I worked in a daycare during Covid in Houston but decided to be a nanny, so I interacted with fewer people due to personal health compromises and not wanting to get sick. This was all I did outside of auditioning virtually with the help of my mom for one local acting job a month because everything was completely shut down. I lived at home in Houston for about a year before having to move somewhere. I was going to go to LA after that, but it was too expensive, so I went to Austin. It was not the original plan, but I needed to move. It allowed me to start working again and stay close to family, but I was working a full-time nanny job on top of trying to create A Traveler’s Lens and auditioning for acting work. So, I worked practically 12-14 hours a day during the week and then for at least 6 hours a day on the weekends, trying to get everything started and not making enough to make ends meet. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It was exhausting. I almost gave up a handful of times. I probably wouldn’t have stuck with it if it wasn’t for the support of my mentors and friends, so I’m grateful for them.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an actor and photographer specializing in film/tv acting and landscape photography.
One day, I will be known for being a good storyteller and a good mentor to someone else one day and for helping people just as they’ve helped me.
I am proud of building a business and calling myself a business owner at a young age. It was hard, the technology learning curve was steep, but I’m proud to call this business mine. This ties into the struggle question as well, but outside of help from a website designer named Audrianna Jacques to teach me how to do the website and to help me with coding (and I will give credit where credit is due, she’s amazing and I could not have finished my website without her), the rest of the work I’ve done happened on my own. Starting a business is hard, and although I got emotional support along the way from some people, I also got a lot of discouragement. A large part of starting a business, whether it’s wanting to be an actor or starting a small company, store, or otherwise, there will be people that will not recognize the work you did behind the scenes that they didn’t see. That’s when you push forward and keep going. So I’m proud that I believed in myself and did it.
PT 1: I will always put in the work. I know how to battle multiple jobs, push past my comfort zone, and climb each obstacle. I like to challenge myself. I want to push further, expand my horizons, and never settle for something “easy.” That constant challenge drives me forward, and I hope to continue to challenge myself and learn for as long as possible.
PT 2: I genuinely love what I do. I feel like a lot of people are in industries or jobs for fame or money or comfort, and I feel that I am doing the jobs that I love and that even if those things don’t happen for me, I can continue to do this for the rest of my life, and I know I will be happy.
Networking and finding a mentor can positively impact one’s life and career. Any advice?
I am immensely grateful for my mentors. Sara and Lisa Alavi, John and Johnathan Calton. These four people have guided me over the last 5 years, and I would not be where I am without them. I met Sara and Lisa in an acting class when I was 20, and we instantly clicked. I met John and Johnathan a few years later at a convention, and the same thing happened. But I have also made amazing connections with people I have just followed over social media and reached out to them. Many people these days are afraid of being annoying or bothering people, but if I admire someone’s work and want to learn more, I always reach out. The worst that can happen is that they don’t respond, and most of the time, they do respond and are willing to give advice; you just can’t be afraid to ask! Networking is about reaching out to people, finding events, and putting yourself out there. I naturally am highly introverted, so this was hard for me at first and still is sometimes, but luckily my mentors took me under their wings and introduced me to people at events to break the ice, and I would take it from there. The more you do it, the better you get at it!
Contact Info:
- Website: atravelerslens.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atravelerslensphotography/?hl=en
