Daily Inspiration: Meet Maya Jael

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Jael.

Hi Maya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always loved capturing moments. I feel that pictures are able to capture a standstill in time that you’ll never forget, but will always feel present when you look at it. Photography was a hobby for me at first, I found a greater love for it in high school. In my sophomore year, I started taking photography classes. I was able to learn the basics of the film which heightened my interest and gave me a greater appreciation for the hobby.

As I started to move through the class and onto the fundamentals of DSLR cameras and photoshop, I realized I had an even greater interest in capturing portraits. At my school, they had events in the community where they would put the artwork on display to judge within the school district. After winning multiple ribbons and having my art displayed in the Huntsville Museum of Art. I then realized that I should take my hobby to the next level by creating a business. I’ve always been a person to do it myself. I created my own website from scratch and purchased all of the equipment I needed to capture the shots!

After spending most of my life in my small hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. I wanted to move to a different state that had consistently beautiful weather so I could have more opportunities of shooting. May of 2021, I had decided I was ready to create my new life on my own. I packed everything I could and started my journey to Tempe, Arizona. It took two days but it was well worth it. I’ve finally settled in and now I’m ready to explore the photography community and expand my business here in Arizona.

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?
I guess one of my biggest obstacles was creating my website.

Honestly, it took me about three months to get it to a point where I felt like it could be published. It was mentally and physically exhausting working on it myself, but I wanted to create a website/portfolio that represented me. There are times in my journey that I feel like my artwork isn’t adequate enough to post or I get overly critical about it.

I try to keep in mind not everyone is going to like my work, but I must be the one to love it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work at a translation company as a Settlement Administrator. I provide information to individuals who have been affected by legal class actions. This interesting career path gave me an understanding of how the legal system works. We do have certain guidelines we have to stay within. It is definitely challenging, but I like to be on top of my game!

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
One of my favorite apps is Motivation. Whenever I feel stumped by the things going on around me or even if I need an extra boost of encouragement this app has it all. I’m into astrology as well so The Pattern and Co-Star are my other favorites in that aspect.

Contact Info:

• Email: mayashotit@gmail.com
• Website: MayaShotIt.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mayashotit
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MayaShotIt