Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Marie Jenkins.
Hi Karen, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a retired university professor of Developmental English and a College Administrator at Northern Kentucky University for 18 years. I have also taught on the college level at Miami University-Oxford and Middletown branches, Xavier University, and Union Institute in Ohio. I have an Associate’s degree in Fashion Merchandising, a Bachelor’s degree in Arts in Afro-American Studies and History, and a Master of Arts in Humanities.
For the past six years, I have been a practicing entrepreneurial creative with a specialty as a Personal Brand Photographer, a Fashion Ambassador for Macy’s, and most recently art philanthropy.
I’ve been creative since grade school with my mother igniting my creative spirit when I was about nine years old. It started in the latter part of the 1960s when my parents moved from an inner-city neighborhood in Cincinnati, where I went to school with kids who looked like me ( dark skin black girls) to the suburbs of Cincinnati where they predominately did not. It was a cultural shock. My mother noticed that my free-spirited nature was quickly declining and so was my self-esteem; she introduced me to art to uplift my spirit. At the age of nine, she began supplying me with art supplies: colored pencils, how-to-draw figure books, and sketchbooks. I learned to draw fashionable female bodies and make paper dolls. She further propelled my interest in fashion by sending me to a sewing class at Sears. I absolutely adored that class and vividly remember the outfit I made, a knee-length teal color tunic vest outfit with a silk white lining. My mother’s love for my spirit led to my passion and skill for fashion illustration designing my own dresses, and outfits in my sketchbooks. I aspired to go to college at Parson’s School of Design for fashion design in NY, but that dream was dashed….it was not considered a real job option…
My early introduction to creativity led to my lifelong love for the arts and creativity, especially for fashion and later photography. My interest in photography began with taking lots of pictures of high school friends and special times using my ‘polaroid’ and ‘Kodak’ camera.
In my twenties, my dad gave me his 35mm camera which taught me how to use a manual focus. I took loads of pictures documenting all aspects of my life including my life as a mother to my only child, Treye who died in a car crash in Nov of 2021. With covid (2021) and the death of my son, art became a refuge and creative therapy. Shortly after his death, I used his art for his art memorial which was set up like a gallery exhibit. Art again became therapy for me. Months later, I started an art foundation in his name Treye Jenkins Smith. This past spring (2022), we gave $500.00 to an African American art student at his alma mater. I nurtured the spirit of art in my son just as my mother did for me, exposing him to local artists, and taking him to numerous classes and art gallery events. A month before his death, dealing with the isolation of covid I briefly returned to my childhood love of fashion illustration and began drawing outfits. Shortly after, I found myself sewing again after over 45 years.
As for my photography business, it began in about 2014. It is a boutique-style photography business that specializes in Personal Brand Photography. I started this business during my career as an English Professor and administrator at Northern Kentucky University. I started by doing free tween fashion shoots built around a particular theme, I soon began doing shoots for female entrepreneurs after being asked to.
My love for this brand of photography began taking over my workdays at NKU where I had worked since 1998. In October of 2015, my plan was to retire in seven years and pursue my dream of brand photography. It’s funny how things can change. As I worked endlessly on my newfound craft at work, I knew it was time to pivot. In March of 2016, I took a bold and sudden early retirement. I loved my career as a professor and administrator, but my creative side was taking over as I worked endlessly on editing images, and researching how to capture powerful and authentic images of women. I became more restless in my career, along with finally being transparent about my own issues with confidence and low self-esteem. Many were surprised because I covered it up too well…
Facing my own issues during a coaching session, in October of 2015, I had an epiphany that led me to go back to my beginning of creativity: my childhood, to embrace my artistic creativity. I re-named my budding business Our Spirit and Soul Photography to Karen Marie Images & Branding to mark a new beginning of reinventing my life as a Personal Brand Photographer. In 2016, at the seasoned age of 59, I made a dramatic life-changing decision to reinvent myself by not only resigning from my 18+ career, but also relocating to Atlanta, Ga to pursue my passion project as a Personal Brand Photographer, but little did I know that two short years later this move would lead to another dramatic change.
We all face challenges but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, life hasn’t been easy, but I was always taught to keep pushing, work hard and stay focused. During this seasoned time of my life, I keep my mother’s saying “don’t go out the world backward” at the forefront of my mind. I, truly love that saying because it means so much to me at this juncture. In context, it means don’t begin making foolish and costly mistakes that can adversely affect you at an older age. You’ve gotten through most of your life don’t make foolish mistakes. “Don’t go out the world backward. After leaving my ‘good’ career little did I know it would get very hard for me in Atlanta so much so that I was afraid I was going to get economically trapped with no way out. I’m used to life’s struggles and living in other big cities, but after a year and a half, this move to Atlanta began to feel like too much of a financial strain.
I moved to Atlanta in March of 2016, with a well-thought-out six-month plan for housing, jobs, networking, organizations to join, social aspects, and a six-month backup budget to live on while finding suitable part-time employment along with my yearly retirement. My goal was to find a part-time job to supplement pursuing my brand photography business. While in Atlanta for two short years, to my surprise and delight I was featured in Voyage to Atl and Shoutout Atl for my photography business. I even met and went to the studio of Atlanta Housewives photographer Derrick Blanks for an internship I applied for. I didn’t get the internship, but I received great feedback and a great opportunity to meet him up close.
I was doing okay in Atlanta, but the dream of living permanently and financially sustaining myself began to give way to some serious economic realities. The money I was making was not stretching far, it was far less than what I was accustomed to, and my purpose in relocating was not to get a full-time job, but to secure a part-time job to aid me in following my dreams.
One weekend, I came home to Cincinnati for a short trip. I was with a friend in their car and my phone rang. When I got off the phone, he could tell my mood had just dropped. He asked what was wrong…” I said I can’t believe it. That was the temp service, and they said the Concierge job at a luxury condo, had let me go. Poof…just like that. No warning, no sit-down talk nothing. I had entered that zone of going out the world backward at 61. I didn’t stop trying to find jobs, but the jobs I found could not sustain me. It was such a strange thing for me to experience. I eventually had to take on Uber driving to secure a more self-employment financial grounding. Ironically, many of my ride customers were experiencing the same thing losing a job without any notice and being left with rent unpaid, and other bills. I made very good money driving for four hours a day, but after about six months that even got rocky. Apparently, something shifted in Atl as I noticed the money I typically earned started getting less and less. At the same time, I began to observe that people were driving their luxury cars for Uber. One day, I had $30.00 for four hours of driving, and it declined many days to nothing. To top it off, I literally had nothing in my refrigerator but ice. One Saturday morning, I went to the grocery store with $1.00 and bought some .18 cents off-brand ramen noodles. How could this be happening? That was mid-July 2018. I had a couple of thousand dollars left in savings, but that was for rent and an emergency. This was an emergency! At that point, I made the decision to stop the financial bleed.
The very next day after the faithful grocery store run, I took my trusty jeep back out to do Uber. It was about 7 am on a Sunday morning. I had cried the night before, but I had to get back at it. Funny, never once did I ever say Karen, you shouldn’t have left your good job. Not once. I got an Uber rider in front of a well-known club in Atlanta. Unbeknownst to me, he was a co-owner. This is how God works. He didn’t want to drive anywhere, he just needed to talk. As he talked, I began to feel sorry for him because he talked about how he felt financially trapped but this line of work was all he knew. He started out giving me $40.00, then $100.00, then after about an hour of just talking and me interjecting he gave me $180.00 and got out of the car and said “thank you so much. You really helped me.” Little did he know the day before I had zero food in my refrigerator, and that his story further confirmed that it was time for me to leave Atlanta. In a flash of three weeks, I paid for a U-Haul Pod, packed the remaining stuff in my car, and moved back to Cincy in August of 2018. I have never looked back nor regretted returning home. And still at this point never regretted leaving my cushy university job.
But I’m grateful I listened to God because another unforeseen indication was the sudden and tragic death of my son, who died in a car crash near Cincinnati. What if I had not listened to God and had not pivoted when I needed to be back home to spend his last days with him and his children. I can’t imagine where I would be today mentally and emotionally. No, that leg of my journey wasn’t easy, but it is a journey like Maya Angelou wrote, “I wouldn’t take anything for my journey.”
We all have stories, but sometimes you must know when and how to pivot.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have multiple sources of income including my Personal Brand Photography business, my part-time online luxury fashion furniture sales for Macy’s and Bloomingdales, and as a Fashion Ambassador for Macy’s. Each of these sources involves my passion for photography, art, and fashion.
Karen Marie Images & Branding is my boutique-style photography business. It is driven by my love for capturing beautiful, boss women and creatives who love unique, story-telling images. My passion and mission are to create a photoshoot environment that encourages my clients to stand in their power, authenticity, and truth so that candid and authentic images capture their true essence in action without apology.
This is so important because far too often we, as women acquiescent to other ways of being vs embracing our true selves even if that means breaking ranks with the status quo and relationships. I value my client’s individuality of being uniquely who they are and as such, each client has pictures that look uniquely different from other clients from poses to backdrops, to small features like the gentle movement of their hand. I take the time with my clients to thoroughly get to know them, who they are, and their mannerisms. I engage all aspects of my client.
The basis of my shoots is heavily based on the planning process that involves multiple consulting sessions. My approach to planning is collaborative and connected to my experiences as an English professor. The planning starts with an extensive questionnaire, a vision, and other secrets that enable me to tell and highlight various aspects of their story. This process allows me to get to know my client and help them define sub-topics that again connect to their overall vision. Finally, we align their vibe with their brand colors, fashion, accessories, and background(s) needed to narrate their story.
Over the years, I’ve stayed stay true to my personal style of photography, my love for contemporary fashion, high luxury furniture, and backdrops that I use in telling my high-power female client’s story. This is a major part of my brand. In addition, living in Atlanta even for that short period with its nod to fashion and flare, I perfected my style and process for capturing authentic shots that focus on my client’s story. I am most proud of the clients I have worked with and the images we have produced.
Any big plans?
Yes, my big plans and changes are movement into art philanthropy in my son’s name, investing time and practice into fashion and sewing, and keeping my photography business as it is with my target market of high-power female clients with a boutique feel. I want to continue to find beautiful spaces to use as my client’s photography backdrop and continue to empower them as confident women.
I’m looking forward to collaborating with my and my son’s high school alma mater in raising and giving out funds from the Treye Jenkins Smith art fund. There are plans for fundraising opportunities with Princeton High School in Cincinnati.
Arts have clearly been important to me and my son’s life, lifestyle, and peace of mind. With this fund, we want to bless other college-bound black art students. There is a financial need, and we hope to bless others through my son’s name and gift for art.
I also look forward to investing more time and practice into learning and perfecting my beginning sewing venture. Travel to see other local fashion designers and shows. I hope to design at least one outfit from one of my fashion illustrations. That would be a huge accomplishment for me to come full circle from my high school dream and desire to become a fashion designer. If I could accomplish that it would be so meaningful to me, and I wouldn’t be going out the world backward, but still moving forward with my dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.karenmarieimages.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenmarieimages/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenmarieimagesandbranding/?ref=settings
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenMJenkins
- Other: http://www.karenmarieimages.com/treyejenkinssmithart.com.html
Image Credits
Karen Marie Images & Branding
