Today we’d like to introduce you to Billy Hawk.
Hi Billy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m 24 now. My journey with photography began when I was about 17. I was in a place many at that age find themselves, my grades in school were suffering, I had dreams of being able to make it big with some career – but it felt unrealistic. About that time, my sister, Maybell lent her camera to me. I began taking photos of the things I thought were beautiful – Mostly flowers, trees, birds, and other natural beauties in my hometown. I was 18 when I took my first-ever trip out of state, I went to LA alone to visit an old family friend. His name is James and he had his life more figured out than I did. He was a photographer that was able to make a living in a big city, which was a success. He had a dream, he pursued it, and he was doing great for himself. Upon visiting James, he gave me valuable advice about life and photography that I still carry in my heart today. One of the many things he recommended was to take photos of people, find a beautiful friend and start there. So I did. That was the seed of my journey, the on-a-whim trip to L.A., visiting someone who had more years and insight than I did. Since that trip, I had decided that I need to work every day toward my dream, which was simply to make meaningful art- whether that be through the lens of a camera, or any other medium that caught my attention. I stayed persistent and would drive hours to meet with strangers to photograph them for about one year before I began making any sort of money off my work. I had a small plethora of people that believed in me and that motivated me. I began to see my visions come to life and that encouraged me to continue. I don’t know that photography will always be my medium of choice for creating art, but at this time in my life, it feels right.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been many struggles in my journey, and many of those can be equated to learning experiences- clients not showing up or paying, photoshoots that I didn’t resonate with, and work that I was unhappy with. The hardest times were when I didn’t feel inspired, which led me -oftentimes- to not believe in myself or my work. Another piece of advice I received from James was the phrase, “When you feel yourself hitting a wall, push until you break through it.” This advice resonated with me, every wall I hit, I kept trying until I had a breakthrough and can finally see the other side. There were many other road bumps in my career, including nearly being decapitated in a car crash, dropping out of college, and having my car stolen, among many other things. These instances were, somehow easier for me to get through, as they were external struggles, rather than internal self-sabotage. When things happen around me I can trust that they are a part of my journey, simply character building. Whereas when I am going through something in my own head, my whole world feels shaken.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work primarily consists of what I like to call, timeless portraiture. I make all sorts of art inspired by dreams, emotions, memories, music, and film. I like the world “timeless’ for my work because I want the people of the future to be able to see my work one day and still find it to be beautiful art, still relevant in their day. I make my art for others, but also for myself, I find great joy when I take a photo I love. I feel that this is what makes my photography different than others, It’s meant to be different, it’s meant for you and me.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important thing that photography has taught me… This is a hard question to answer, it has taught me more about myself than anything. There’s an inner child in all of us, and creating something will nurture that child. Photography has taught me more than I can fit onto a page, but maybe most importantly, it has taught me how to create something I love, and I am grateful for that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.willixmhxwk.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willixmhxwk/
