Today we’d like to introduce you to Meg Joye.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story starts back in college. I went to the University of Montevallo, which is a small liberal arts college in Alabama. My first year was spent trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I knew I loved art but I also loved other things. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a living, but I knew I enjoyed art. I took a few photography classes and fell in love.
While in college, I worked on what would be my “thing” what would set me apart from other photographers. I found it when I had a photo assignment where I needed to use models. The assignment was easy and straightforward but I was painfully shy so I tried to find a way around having to use models. I stumbled upon some little figures at the craft store that were meant for model trains. My professor loved the idea and I used them for the project.
Fast forward a few years and I’m living +600 miles away in Illinois. I’m working part-time with a company taking photos of newborns at the local hospital. However, even though the babies were always super cute I still didn’t like my job. I didn’t have much creative freedom and taking the same dozen photos day in and day out, it was starting to make me not enjoy photography anymore. I only picked up my camera when it was for work and it was no longer my preferred creative outlet like it had been. I started to look for something I could do to try to rediscover my love for photography.
Around this time, I started exploring the downtown area and some of the shops. There was a small model train shop and I remembered the figures I used back in college. I went in to check it out and suddenly felt a rush of new photo ideas that I was actually excited about after seeing the figures in the model train display. I bought a few sets that day and over the years I lived there I was his best costumer. I now have hundreds of sets of these miniature figures.
I started posting a few shots with the figures to my personal Instagram account. I got a good reaction from them and found a new interest in not only photography but also social media. I read everything I could find on the best tips and tricks for social media and marketing. In March of 2016, I turned my personal Instagram account into one that was just for my artwork with the miniature figures. When I moved to the Atlanta area I got a job part-time doing social media and photos for a small tech company and started doing a little freelancing and consultant work as well. This allowed me a bit more creative freedom and my inner introvert was happy to not have to bother new moms minutes after they’ve just given birth anymore. I was able to grow my account from about 3,000 followers to 11,000 in a little less than two years. My artwork is mostly still on Instagram but I’m branching out and starting to post on my Facebook group and running a Patron where I put exclusive photos, outtakes and behind the scenes shots and videos. The Patreon is also where I just started to sell prints of my work.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There’s rarely a completely smooth road for starting something new. My main issues have just been from the whole idea people seem to have that they can pay an artist in “exposure” or that our job is easy. The businesses offering only to pay in exposure don’t seem to think that our work is work just like their job is. My job isn’t just to point the camera and press a button. There are hours of prep and editing that goes into it. I’m always surprised still when I get someone that is mad when I ask to be paid for work I did. My advice to women is to know your worth and stick to it.
We’d love to hear more about your artwork.
My work is an ongoing photo series where I use miniature figures interacting with everyday objects, mostly food. The figures I use are model train figures about the size of someone’s thumbnail. So far, I have over 1,800 photos from the series posted to my Instagram account, Meg Joye. The goal of the series to make a world where the figures are real and usually help me with day to day activities. However, because they are so small they find interesting ways to help out in a world that is a bit too big for them, like getting a construction crew to help make a sandwich. Sometimes they’re just having fun and get a bit in the way, like riding a canoe down the syrup on my pancakes. I’m proud of the fact that I have been able to stick to posting a new photo nearly every day for the past few years and now have over 1,800 photos posted.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Most of my content comes from YouTube. I follow a bunch of other photographers, social media specialists and even a few model builders to get ideas of things to do with social media and my photography. My favorite YouTuber for Social Media content is Vanessa Lau. My favorite YouTuber for Photography is TheBiteShot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/megjoye/
- Email: megan@miniaturethings.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megjoye/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miniaturethingsphoto
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/megjoye
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/megjoye
Image Credit:
Photos by Meg Joye
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