Today, we’d like to introduce you to Emily Miller.
Hi Emily, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The majority of my life has been involved with art in one way or another, which eventually blossomed into my love of painting, photography, and cinematography.
Growing up, my brothers and I primarily had just a few toys, but on the days we weren’t playing outside for hours, we’d be inside playing instruments, drawing, and working with crafts. We were able to let our creativity flow in those early years of our lives.
Having that allowed me to find a particular happiness and strength in art. I started drawing more consistently, trying to challenge myself each time I picked up a pencil. I found a liking for drawing horses, as I had found the serenity of the animal was reflected in me while I drew them. Once I became more confident with the drawing process, I branched out and dabbled with portraits of people and pets – challenging myself with a new variety of mediums like colored pencil, ink, charcoal, and eventually paint.
Drawing and painting forces you to stop and observe and replicate how light affects a subject in real life. After doing that for enough hours, weeks, and years, knowing how to find light and how to make it starts to become more of a reflex during the process.
Which ultimately led me to my next art form… photography.
I primarily stuck to drawing until about 4th grade, when I was in a mandatory art class that I rarely got inspired by. Aside from some fun calligraphy and pottery, my other creative interests weren’t in that class. But one day, they had a guest speaker come in who brought some dslr cameras for us to use.
They tasked us to go outside and find 5-10 unique things to photograph. It was my first hands-on experience with a legitimate digital camera, and the moment that camera was in my hands, something clicked. It was a marriage between drawing and photography. It was just me and the camera and whatever subject I thought was enticing enough to capture.
With drawings, paintings, and film cameras, I’d have to wait hours or weeks to observe the final product, but with a camera like that, I could express that artistic satisfaction with a click of my finger (and subsequently see my mistakes in a quicker fashion, haha).
Having those 15+ years of practice and experimenting under my belt served as a stepping stone to the business I own today. I don’t label myself as an “all-knowing” expert (as there’s no way to know everything about everything), but I’m confident in saying I know my strengths and capabilities.
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?
I wish it was a smooth road, haha. It’s been a bumpy ride thus far, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Every challenge, hurdle, and pothole I’ve tripped over has made me a better artist. It would have taken all the fun out of the journey if any of it had been easy. And it still isn’t. I still occasionally stumble with my art, but with the outlook of hope and intrigue as to where it’ll lead me next in this artistic journey.
Of the various struggles I’ve encountered over the years, there are two that I keep as a reminder of where I’ve come from and where I still have yet to go.
1 – There’s no point in trying to change what you can’t change. I’ve had my own struggle with understanding and maneuvering through life with my dyslexia, but I’ve come to realize it’s an additional tool of leverage in my art. Dyslexia’s involvement in my life has let me notice and capture the world in the way that makes my art stand out and speak for itself.
2—Keep your friends close and your enemies close— No, just keep your friends close. It’s healthier. At various points throughout my life, and some over the past year, there’ve been people that I’ve had to cut out of my life to keep my own well-being protected. I try to keep positive and supportive people in my life. That’s been the biggest learning curve for me. I am so thankful for the friends and family I have in my day-to-day life.
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.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Since starting my business, I have been providing three forms of art services: painting, photography, and videography/cinematography (DP).
In terms of paintings, I offer:
– Paintings of pets or family (including memorial pieces)
– Favorite Animals/Dinosaurs/etc.,
– Personalized Clock Faces,
– and sometimes a complimentary video of the painting process.
As for photography, I currently offer:
– Pet Photography
– Professional Headshots
– Real Estate Photos
– Graduation Photos
– Holiday Photos
– Family Portraits
– Anniversary photos
– Engagement Photos
I specialize in both pet paintings and pet photography, but I’ve painted many other types of portraits and have done plenty of photoshoots for professional and family needs.
Videography/DP work with Editing services:
I also shoot and edit videos for businesses, whether it’s
– Promotional videos
– Real Estate videos
– Interviews
– Questionnaires
– Social Media
– Youtube videos
We’d love to hear about your fond memories from growing up.
Time for a Christmas story in June, haha.
Back when my family lived in Illinois, I remember there was one winter that was one of the hardest winters for my mom, brothers, and myself. It was during the roughest part of my parent’s divorce, as it had been delaying us from moving out to AZ for almost two years, and we had hit rock bottom.
My mom had to take up working full time at the local grocery store back when the divorce started, and the store workers knew of the bad situation we were in with my father. They were a group of wonderful people that were like a second family for us, seeing that we had gotten to know each other for about 2 years at that point.
A couple days before Christmas, my mom got notice that she was getting called in to work on Christmas Eve. We all were heartbroken, as we were hoping to have the day together.
Christmas Eve morning came, and she went off to work. Since it started snowing again, my brothers and I went out to shovel the driveway while she was away. We were looking for any way to kill time since she wasn’t able to be there with us. Relaxing inside that day wasn’t the same without her.
About 10 minutes passed after she had left, and to our surprise, our mom came driving back up the driveway.
She was wiping away tears as she got out of the car and was trying to tell us what happened… then she opened the trunk to show us. All her coworkers had worked together to fill two shopping carts of food and toys for us. Her getting “called into work” was all a ruse to surprise us all with a stress-free, love-filled holiday.
It’s something that has always kept a special place in my heart and even gets me choked up when I write about it 15 years later. But it has served as a constant reminder to pay it forward and never take kindness for granted. I will be forever grateful for those wonderful jewel workers. Good people who blessed our lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: millart4you.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilymiller_millart4you/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@emilymiller_Millart4You/featured
