Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Miller-Fitzgibbons.
Hi Emily, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Aw, thank you. It’s an honor to be back!
Long story short, I started my art business back in 2017, but I have been invested in the visual arts for over 10 years now. I absolutely love sharing my art with others. Art has always been a joy of mine, and ever since I picked up my first art pencil, I’ve never let it go.
I do a wide range of art, spanning from paintings, to photography, and cinematography for local families and businesses in Arizona. I’m happy to say my business has evolved a lot since I was last interviewed here in 2018.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Hahaaaa, nope. It’s been a long winding road of potholes but in the best way.
I think it would have taken all the fun out of the journey if it had been easy. And it still isn’t; I’m still stumbling my way through my art, but with the outlook of hope and intrigue as to where it’ll lead me.
My grandpa always said a phrase to me growing up, but I’ll paraphrase it here:
In life, there’s good, better, and best. You don’t want to be “good,” since that means you wouldn’t be trying hard enough. You don’t want to be the “best” because that leaves you no room for growth. Strive to be “better”, as it will always serve as a reminder of where you came and where you still have yet to go.
My goodness, I have never held words so close to my heart than those.
Among many struggles, including learning the nuances of the various fields of art that I cover and finding confidence as an artist, I find myself still growing and aspiring to do better. My paintings still have their “ugly” phase, my photography still has its awkward stages, and my cinematography still has its amateur moments (ahem, like leaving the lens cap on or forgetting to press record)… BUT, all jokes aside, I’m doing better each time I pick up a brush and camera. And, at the end of the day, that’s the best thing I could hope for. Mistakes are what make us human, but embracing and growing from them is what really matters.
I look forward to the stumbles I still have yet to do. Progress is still progress.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ll start by saying I’m a “visual artist”. As I briefly mentioned, I started my business back in 2017. Since then, I’ve been commissioned for paintings, photography, and cinematography work.
In regards to paintings, I do portraits of both people and pets on various-sized canvases. Over the years, the style of my drawings and paintings has grown to be fairly stylized, where as I like to make it semi-realistic with some cartoon-like aspects. They’re not 100% cartoony, but I never want my paintings to look like someone simply took a picture and had it printed on a canvas. Adding a “cartoony” style to some realistic elements makes me feel like I’m taking a photoshop project out of a computer and bringing it to a new organic reality…if that makes sense.
As for my photography, I do a range of genres and services. I do nature photography for canvas prints, headshots, pet photography, and family photography. In the scope of what I’m most proud of in the things I photograph, I have to say I get the most joy from pet photography. So much personality is shared by both the pets and their owners, which makes the photoshoots quite memorable. Don’t get me wrong, I love my human clients too, but I also love being able to freeze and enhance a moment of time with the four-legged members of our families! That, and I get to pet cute fluffy doggos all day.
And the cinematography is a fun one to talk about. Whether it’s narrative work or promotional videos for local businesses, I love to make someone’s vision a reality. It’s invigorating when you see words on a page come to life in a camera.
I believe each facet of my business supports one another; they teach me how to look at my skill sets differently, and see how I can apply the different elements to one another. In other words, it broadens my approach and makes me respect each art form I offer with a unique perspective. Not only that, but it’s taught me patience behind the process, and how it can make me a better artist and person.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I actually just recently took a class in college where we learned how to network in the film industry. The instructor was amazing, and by the end of the semester, the main takeaway for me was: to appreciate the people you get to meet.
I love the individuals I get to meet, work, and interact with on a day-to-day basis, but some of the more widespread or blanketed networking can sometimes feel a little artificial to me. Almost like a transaction instead of an interaction. It’s the one-on-one networking that I cherish the most and seems to last the longest. It’s the people I enjoy spending my time with that make it all worthwhile.
Mentorships are another thing that I think is very personalized given one’s situation. I have found my former professors, peers, and clients become mentors/friends that I didn’t outwardly search for in that way, but rather naturally met and truly respected. It all started with a question.
I don’t think it needs to be narrowed down to one method or person in order to ask for guidance. We all have something to learn from one another. I enjoy spending time with them, so it’s the best of both worlds if I get to learn from them too.
Whether this is “the way” to do it or not, the best thing I can recommend is to be yourself. Take advice when it’s given to you, and appreciate that someone was comfortable enough to be honest with you. You don’t have to agree on everything, but I know the biggest reward I could ever ask for or receive is honesty.
A cinematographer who I’ve looked up to in the film industry has been a constant reminder of that, and I couldn’t be more grateful. She and I have chatted very briefly from time to time on social media, but I have a quote from an old interview of hers that sums it up quite well…
“The moral of the story is, you need to work your butt off and build good relationships with people because, in the end, it pays off. Be polite, do a good job, and people will remember you.” ~ Karina Silva
If “working your butt off” means asking questions or spending time with people, then don’t be afraid to. Be polite about it of course, but that one question can make a connection, impression, or lifelong friendship, and pave your way to somewhere you never thought you’d get to go. After all, we don’t know what we don’t know.
I only hope the impression I’ve left on my mentors and friends is as impactful to them as they are to me. I couldn’t ask for better people in my life.
Pricing:
- Paintings ($100-$800) – varies with size choice and shipping
- Photoshoots ($200-$450) – varies with package choice and customizable add-ons
- Promotional videos ($350-$900) – varies with package choice and customizable add-ons
Contact Info:
- Website: millart4you.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilymiller_millart4you/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-miller-fitzgibbons-863432185
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkeb_d-7PVB6WogWtndrmXg
Image Credits
Jonathan F. and Emily Miller-Fitzgibbons (Millart4You)
