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Meet Moriah Sawtelle of Moriah Brooke Creative in Scottsdale

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Moriah Sawtelle.

Moriah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in New England with an artist mother who taught me how to draw, paint, and look for the art in life. Art and design have been a part of me since I learned to read and write, but I didn’t initially think I’d use them to grow my career. At age 13 I experienced sudden loss, and grief that triggered the autoimmune disease. I subsequently poured myself into more artwork, writing, and creative endeavors, but aimed at working in health and fitness to help others overcome their health issues.

At 16 I stayed up late building my first blog about cooking healthy food and competing as a triathlete with an autoimmune disease. I went to college earlier than most my age where I studied exercise science, and also began working as a group fitness trainer. After two years I realized that I was missing out on using my passion for art and design, and I decided to drop out of school and get a second job while I figured out what the right path was.

At 18 I bought a DSLR camera and a ticket to Europe where I crossed borders, snapped photos, and learned that the world was more overwhelmingly full of people and stories than I had realized. I made a campaign to use bucket lists to raise money for charity, determined to use what I knew about technology and marketing as a force for good. A plane in France eventually brought me back stateside where I knew I needed to make changes and make art.

Two months later, I was in my little red Jetta, driving across the country to Arizona to become the visually-oriented storyteller I am now. ASU taught me design, web development, and all the tools of the trade. I live to make and I learned to make for a living. I graduated and landed a job as an agency website designer where I learned the ins and outs of creative business.

On the side, I started a new blog (now ellefait.com) about cooking paleo food and making the most of being a 20-something with an autoimmune disease. Blogging had become saturated, so I knew I needed to find a way to stand out. I’ve always believed that a commitment to quality is one of the best ways to rise above, so I decided to do my best to learn how to master the food photography on my blog.

Many blog posts, recipes, shoots, and weekends spent editing later, restaurants and food brands starting hiring me to shoot their website and social media photography. I’ve been able to work with some of my favorite Arizona businesses, such as The Early Bird and Fox Restaurant Concepts.

I now work full time for my own business (Moriah Brooke Creative) where I make websites, design marketing collateral, and shoot brand photography for businesses across the US.

Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing about entrepreneurship has been easy, except for my desire to make it work. In the same way that I learned to use my autoimmune disease as a chance to create good things, I’ve learned to embrace the gritty parts of my business venture. It doesn’t help that I started my business in a state where I initially knew virtually no one. It requires much more than 40 hours/week of work, it can be financially stressful at times, and it means facing constant rejection when I pitch myself to clients. It also means having a thick skin to take creative criticism. I’ve also had a lot of scary and difficult health issues to manage while growing my work, which hasn’t made anything easier. But I also know that I am who I am because of what I’ve learned through challenges and that I’m driven to create because it’s a way to highlight all of the good things around me–and there is so much good.

Please tell us about your business.
Moriah Brooke Creative initially started as a food photography business, and that has certainly become my specialty this past year, but it’s not the only thing I do. My background is in website design and website strategy, and I have a knack for marketing that plays a big role in what I do. It’s helpful since I run all of my digital marketing for my business, as well as my blog.

I do roughly 50/50 websites and photography, mostly for food and hospitality brands, but also for a lot of entrepreneurs who have their creative businesses. Many healthy food brands also work with me on recipe development and photography for their products. I’m also releasing an online course this year that teaches creative entrepreneurs how to build their websites. But that’s a secret. 🙂

I’m most proud of my clients, honestly. When you work closely with brands you see the heart of their company: what they stand for, what they value, and what they want their customers to feel when they interact with their marketing and then their services.

I think my process is what sets me apart. I’m always finding ways to become a more thorough photographer and designer who looks at every project from a place of strategic marketing. It’s about asking questions about who the user is who is seeing these items and finding out how to convert them to a customer by speaking to them through great site design or photography. I’m also keen on composing my photography to communicate the environment and personality of a restaurant, as well as highlighting the food.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Phoenix has so much to offer on the culinary scene. It’s been a joy to meet so many talented chefs and shoot for so many unique restaurants! I’m a New Englander at heart, so I’ve had a rough adjustment to both the weather and the culture. It’s much easier to meet people on the East Coast, but maybe that’s because I’m more used to that temperament.

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