Hi Gabi! Our interview today is centered around the creative process as a Christian, and I am so thrilled to have the pleasure of interviewing you today!

Hi! I’m so excited to be here! :)

1. As a photographer, what does your creative process look like? How does it unfold?

A lot of my process depends on what my clients want. It's a collaboration of what they see in their head and what I can do to make that a reality. It’s a lot of taking notes and visualizing, creating ideas off of Pinterest, it could be collecting props or looking at fabrics, even color tones as well, to see if they want a specific feel.

So, like bringing their vision to life?

Exactly, that’s kind of where it starts. My personal work is more conceptual. I do a lot of research, journaling, and problem solving when planning a shoot. Listening to music, different kinds depending on the shoot, really helps me to get in the mood for the shoot and helps me when I’m editing. When I’m doing post production, I have to take a lot of breaks to stand and move around because I sit so much. So, after I’ve edited for a couple hours, I'll, for example, take my dog on a short walk or wash dishes. It helps reset my eyes and brain after staring at a screen for so long.

2. When did you know photography was your passion? How long have you been taking photos?

I really fell in love with it in high school. Music has always been my love, but I eventually grew into photography. I started off doing them together and I used to do little photoshoots here and there on my iPod with a friend and everything and it just kind of morphed! I got my first camera in high school, it was a Canon Rebel T5, and when it came to school, photography won. I took an AP art class with photography, and I just really loved it.

How long have you been taking photos now?

Since high school, it’s probably been about 9 years. But really taking my business seriously? Like 3 years.

3. When did it turn from a hobby you love to do into a wholehearted pursuit for God’s Kingdom?

Definitely in college. I went to Citrus College in California for photography and that really kind of made me fall in love with it even more. Learning all the lighting techniques, and the business side, it was just so in depth, and I loved it. So, it was definitely in college when I wanted to dive into it more.

4. Philosophically speaking, the inspiration phase is the first stage of the creative process; what inspires you most?

Anything can inspire me really; I am inspired by SO much! First and foremost, though is my relationship with Jesus and the deeper meanings I’m learning in His Word. So, if I have a specific theme that I am looking at like light, or the sparrow (more behind the sparrow story can be found here.) and learning not to be afraid, letting Him provide and not be anxious about anything, it was a huge theme for months actually. Besides that, I am also very inspired by early Twentieth Century cinematic movies and aesthetics such as an old Vogue poster or black and white noir mystery movies where the angles and shots are cinematically amazing, such as “Murder, my Sweet,” it could be music as well (genres of all kinds). For my conceptual work., 1930-1950’s aesthetic and movies which has inspired the way I use light, film, and black and white shots. I did that for the “My Love in Noir” photoshoot with @luisenrique (website: https://www.luienrique.com/) which was so so fun. Even things like colors inspire me!

5. There is so much to be inspired by, isn’t there? How does it strike you, become real? Do you ever have an epiphany where you are like “I just had an idea!”?

Yes! A lot of the time it comes like that, like I will be thinking of something and then BOOM, there is an idea I just have to do, or I will save it for like a year later and then I’ll actually do that idea. I definitely archive a lot of ideas that just come to me, but sometimes there is an actual idea that will grow and morph, usually I will think about it in my spirit, or I will talk about it with you or with other people and it will turn into something real. I think sometimes random inspiration is the best way because it's literally like a lightning bolt. When you have an idea that is so powerful, it feels like that!

6. Living as a Christian creative in this world, what do you find is the easiest thing about being a creative and the hardest thing?

The easiest thing is to just have ideas, to just let it flow. To feel, create, and have intuition. To be myself in creating whatever I am doing. I have found that I am very intuitive not only with the arts but with relationships too, feeling it comes with other parts of life. The hardest thing(s) are self-discipline and pushing past what other people will think of me. Especially after graduating recently, I really need to home in on what I want and what I like to do without letting people think what photography is guide where I am supposed to go; I have to find my own way in that. Sometimes people have a certain look in their mind when they think of photographers, thinking they must do family shoots and it has to look a certain way, but thankfully now a lot of people are pushing past that and people are making work that is much more nostalgic feeling and much more not commercialized, so I think that breaking past those stereotypes is really helping people.

7. The community of Christian creatives has exponentially grown in the past two years, especially after Covid. Why do you think this is?

Ok one, I love this question because it is so relevant. I think COVID woke a lot of people up. It shook the foundations of our reality and a lot of Christians really realized there is something going on and the world is not the same, we are not as comfortable as we used to be. When Jesus talks about the beginnings of birth pains in the last times…yeah. He’s coming soon.

8. What is your favorite thing about creating for Christ? When you capture that golden photo, how do you feel?

One it's like, I’m aligned with my Creator! He is the best creator and the most creative and when I am creating, I am doing what He does best. It’s so mind blowing to know and create with the Creator Himself. To think that He cares about art and mastery even more than I do is so beyond words. I think of Exodus when God gives instructions on how to build the Ark of the Covenant and the temple, He says that it should be the work of a skilled craftsman. He cares about beauty, mastery of a craft, and a standard of excellence. Man, it feels amazing when I get THE shot. I shoot things that I know need to be documented and it just thrills me that I get to do that.

9. Are there any creative projects you're working on right now that you're excited about?

Some with you! We have a shoot coming up called Free as a Feather, and the theme is lightness, sky, freedom, and weightlessness. So, there’s that, and I have been working on a blog post for a while, it is called “Abide,” and it is kind of tied into “The Sparrow” that I did but it is much more along the lines of taking imagery from the garden, like the produce and preparing the soil, and it ties into Jesus’s parables and all of the imagery with gardening in the Bible, telling a story. The central theme is abiding in Christ as the branch must abide in the vine to live, just like fruit can live on the vine if it's connected to the vine. The words are just Scripture that has been arranged to tell a narrative. So, I’ve included verses that have imagery of gardening, plowing, planting, watering, and growth. It’s been really cool because I garden. It’s been life changing to dwell on this subject for so long and physically have examples before me on what growing, and pruning looks like. I’ve also shot the imagery, but I just have to choose which images to use and finalize some other details. I am looking forward to finishing that!

10. What's the story behind Chasing Horizons Photography? How did it get its name, what were its beginnings?

I think with doing photography you kind of already know you are going to have to start your own business. Not everyone does it, but for me I wanted to do my own thing. I always wanted my business name to have a deeper meaning of reflecting Christ and while lying in light. In my high school economics class, I named my photography Full Moon Photography, and the connection was: as the moon reflects the sun, I would reflect the SON. It was alright, but I started thinking about it more and honestly it didn’t sit all the way right with me…. And so, a couple years ago, I was thinking about the horizon and the sun again and it just kind of hit me — one of those lightning bulb moments — Pirates of the Caribbean was also a big contributor, HAHA. I’ve always loved it when Jack Sparrow says, “now, give me that horizon” at the end of the movie. So, Chasing Horizons mixed my love for exploring and spirituality together. It also gives the idea that this world isn’t it. There is the horizon of eternity I am aiming for!

11. What is your advice for those just starting out as creatives who love the Lord?

I wrote down a verse actually:

“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. So, you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. — Proverbs 3:3-8

I think it just ties in all the good ideas: Be kind, have truth in your heart, don’t go away from your principles, lean on God for everything because it keeps you away from the love of money, and it lets Him guide your story, it lets Him be the provider, of your money or ideas, whatever it is. Apart from that, I would say push past self-consciousness because if you stay there you’re not going to move, really hone in on your craft, make it the best you can be, create more than you scroll, have a go getter attitude because you’re not entitled to anything ( you can’t just sit there and wait for things to come to you, and if something doesn’t work out you can’t just sit there and pout, you have to keep going) don’t compromise your values (trust me there IS work out there for you), and like the verse says: Lean on God for everything, even His provision for you.

12. Your artistic visuals have been the backbone for Vessels of Light, what has it been like partnering with this literary journal?

I love it so much, it's AMAZING because you and I can create for so long, we can create all day! It’s been such a creative outlet for me that has been so freeing to have that connection as a Christian but also connection of that passion to create something more, so it's been so cool. Our shoots together let me just be. We flow so well that I don’t have to worry about you, and you don’t have to worry about me in what we bring to the table. It’s a mutual adventure that leads us into this realm called “art” all the while giving homage to the King.

13. Last but not least, You are recently graduated, congrats! How are you feeling out of that, and what are your prospective plans now that you are moving out of the college world?

I think I’m starting to feel a little bit of freedom, and it's hitting me slowly, so I am starting to feel a little bit like, “Wow, I don’t have a zoom class in the middle of the day,” and that has been very nice and refreshing! As of right now, I’m ready to enjoy the holidays with friends and family, and I am just diving headfirst into my business and booking a lot of more shoots while looking exactly at what I’m going to target in marketing, but God will help me do that! I like variety so I’m not sure if I can stay in one specific area, so we’ll see! Jumping full force into creating and getting more work basically!

Thank you for your time, my friend! Your work is truly making the world a better, brighter place.

Gabrielle Johnson is a professional portrait and event photographer working mainly in the Inland Empire, Southern California. She has always had an affinity for journaling and has recently taken up writing blog posts along with her photography projects.

The Sparrow was inspired by a real life experience and to read more about it, you can go to her blog post here:

https://www.chasinghorizonsphoto.com/blog/the-sparrow/

Visit her personal website here :

https://www.chasinghorizonsphoto.com

Inside the Creative Mind : An Interview with Chasing Horizons

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