We recently had the chance to connect with Amy Marie Lewandowski and have shared our conversation below.
Amy Marie, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The alarm goes off at 6:15 every morning, but I’ve already been awake for 15 or 20 minutes by that point – the joys of having cats, who’s internal alarm clocks never quite sync up to my own. I get up and make my bed, and then head to the kitchen to get breakfast ready for my kitties, *plus* breakfast for my outside feral cat (affectionately called “Girl”). After the cats are all taken care of, I worry about getting myself dressed – wash my face, pick out whatever calls to me to wear that day, and then get my shoes on. By now it’s just about 7am, and I’m hopping in my car to *really* start my day with coffee at my favorite local shop, Cambrian Coffee. I spend about an hour there each morning, letting the latte wake me up and chatting with the regulars and shop’s employees. Once I leave the coffee shop, then that’s when the day actually begins.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Amy! I have always loved art in all it’s forms, but discovered from an early age that photography really stood out to me. Luckily, I had a little talent that I have cultivated, and have been running my own photography business for the last 10 years now. I specialize in portraits & lifestyle sessions as well as live events, but I’m willing to branch out to cover whatever my clients may request or need.
The journey to get to my own business, and believing in my own talent, was definitely not a straight or easy path. There were a lot of people when I was younger who told me I wasn’t good enough, and didn’t have the “eye” for photography. I kept with it, as a hobby, until I had some really wonderful friends drag me into really making a full effort to get a business up and running. Thankfully it worked out! I also had some wonderful experience during the early years of my business working for a celebrity photo op company, and flying all over the country every weekend to work conventions (film, comics, pop culture). The incredibly fast paced environment of photographing celebrities with their fans has made it so easy to be able to capture the right “moment” with my own clients in their sessions.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents have been a very strong influence on my work ethic. They both grew up very poor, as cotton farmers in east Texas. There were no “sick days” on the farm, and there was no skipping your chores or other farm duties. When cotton was ready to harvest, they were out from sun up to sun down in the fields. Once they grew up, and the farms were sold and they moved out to the “big city” of Houston, they continued that work ethic in the next phase of their lives.
So from a very young age, I’ve had the wonderful example of being prepared each and every day to do whatever needs to be done. I wake up and want to make my impression on the world, in whatever manner I can. So if that’s with a photo session, or working a regular old 9 to 5 job – that’s how my mind works. There’s always a drive to get up and do *something*.
My dad made a lot of sacrifices for the family as I grew up, and I’m incredibly grateful to him for that. I am blessed and lucky enough to be able to do whatever I want because of all his hard work. And while he was working 15+ hour days, my mom was at home, making sure I was taken care of – taking me to school, to my after school activities, cooking all the meals, cleaning the house. They’re an incredible set of parents, and I couldn’t have asked for better role models.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would definitely tell myself that it gets better. Even though life can be tough, and things don’t always go the way you want – it still gets better over all. I was a very large personality for a small child – loud, always moving, always wanting to do something (usually creative). I didn’t have a large number of friends growing up, and I often felt like I was never good enough for other people since no one wanted to hang out, or play with me. I thought I would never have friends, or anyone to rely on besides my parents. I thought I needed to change myself – to be more “normal”, more “girly” to be accepted and have friends. But I could never quite be that normal girl growing up.
As I’m now in my 40’s, I have a small circle of very good people I can truly rely on. I learned in my early 20’s to stop trying to please other people, and to simply be myself and be *happy* as myself. And, sure enough, I then found those people who I clicked with – and while I may not have a huge group of friends, I’d rather have my small circle who support me and love me for who I am, and not who others think I should be.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
There is only one me – the public and private versions of me are aboslutely identical. I very strongly believe in being myself, and that everyone should just be who they are at all times. I have a strong faith, and for me, this is how I was created – and that’s how I should act at all times. I should live my life in a way that I don’t have to hide anything from anyone. It definitely took a few years to really grasp that concept, and truly live this way, but it’s absolutely worth it.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
In our society and the world today, there’s definitely a lot of pressure around doing something well enough to be praised for it, to receive awards and accolades, and (especially in a small business) to get good reviews. For me, the whole point of doing my best is that I should *always* be doing my best. If I can’t give something my best effort, I shouldn’t be doing it. It’s not about awards, it’s about doing my best work so I can be proud of my own self. I don’t need to have anyone’s validation outside of my own.
I just want to capture the best moment, the special moment, something that my clients will still be excited to look at in ten or fifteen or twenty years. That’s all that matters to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @amy_in_time
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyintimephotography
Image Credits
Amy Marie Lewandowski
