Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Bowden
Joy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi! My name is Joy and I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in a very close family. As a little girl, I had dreams of becoming a model & an actress! I was blessed to have been on billboards, print ads & a few local commercials, but I wanted more! I decided to move across the country to LA and chase my dreams. I didn’t know anyone there, so it was scary, but my drive outweighed my fears! I auditioned for an exclusive acting class & got in ! It didn’t take long until I booked my first regional commercial which got me my SAG-AFTRA card! Boy, how I thought I had made it! Little did I know how tough it was to be able to get a theatrical agent! You had to have a résumé that showed your work on TV and Films to get an agent, but you needed an agent to get you the auditions to book TV and film! It was a catch -22 that many aspiring actors never figure out!
I put myself out there to try & get booked for background work to familiarize myself with being on the sets of soap operas, TV, and film ( and also in hopes of being seen!) This worked out quickly and I was lucky enough to get booked consistently and oftentimes was paid extra to be featured on the shows! There is no better feeling to me than being on set! It was such an adrenaline rush! My dreams were finally coming true!
I also worked as a Fit Model ( for many companies such as Style & Co, Allen Schwartz, and Fredericks of Hollywood, among many others ) to make money in between auditions.
I booked a few more Commercials, Infomercials, and Independent Films, and to this date, I have appeared on over 30 TV shows! I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work alongside Bradley Cooper, Snoop Dog, Jerry O’Connell, and Vanessa Marcil, to name a few. These experiences are unforgettable!
While I lived in LA. I got very involved in the charity scene, as well. I was on the board of a charity called S.H.A.R.E , inc. alongside many inspirational women such as Joan Kardashian ( yes, THAT Kardashian family ) as well as Corinna Tsopei-Fields ( a former Miss Greece)! It was such a joy knowing how many places we, as SHARE members, helped fund facilities to serve children in need. SHARE, inc. puts on a show called Boomtown to raise money to help with the funding and I had the privilege of performing in them. It was such an honor to sing and dance alongside Broadway legend Ben Vereen, in my very first show! I also had the privilege of performing in our shows with many more talents such as Frank Sinatra jr., Hazel Payne, the 5th Dimension, and more.
Since then, I moved to Miami, for family reasons. I once again found myself in a beautiful city, but not knowing a soul! ( luckily this time, I at least had my husband with me and family is close enough to visit ).
As much as I love performing on stage and on set, the world began to change and I decided to transition with it, into influencing and content creation. Like everything in life, it has been a challenge to start over and embark on a new journey, but it’s now proving to be worth it!
When I first moved to Miami I found myself focusing more on the culinary scene. The food and restaurants in Miami are elite, plus I didn’t have to worry about being measured as a fit model anymore lol! I began to enjoy writing about, and tasting the different cultural cuisine and discovering new restaurants. This was fun, but there was still a void. Miami is such a beautiful city with so much to offer, yet it was a struggle to figure out what direction I wanted to move in and how to meet people. I finally decided to look into some local bloggers’ meetups to meet like-minded people and get out in Miami. There was a language barrier, but eventually, I found a great group of friends.
The more I explored Miami the more magic I found here! Although I’m a big foodie, I realized there was more potential out there. I am a licensed cosmetologist and worked as a model for so long, that I figured I should also be blogging about Beauty and Fashion. Here is where my Instagram page began as @Purejoy_lifestyle . I realized it was a whole lifestyle: food, fashion, beauty, and discovering this beautiful magic city of Miami and wanting to share my finds with whoever is interested! Since then I have also created my blog PureJoyLifestyle.com where you can find my recipes, favorite restaurant suggestions, new beauty finds, and lifestyle tips. I also share my experiences during many events, such as Paris, Miami, and New York Fashion Week and Miami Swim Week!
I work hard daily on my content creation and in return, I’ve gotten invited to a lot of events around Miami ( as well as NYC and Paris) where I have since met more interesting, inspiring, and truly good people.
Currently, I am proud to say that I have the opportunity to collaborate with some great companies such as The Fresh Market, Lancôme, Cozy Earth, DSW, Caraway, Laura Geller Beauty, La Crema wines, and many more. My goal is to continue growing my business in the world of influencing and Content Creation as I enjoy sharing products, places, and my latest discoveries ,with all of you! With 8 years here and counting, I am proud to call myself a Miamian! I love helping people , so I’m currently open to exloring charities here in Miami that may be a good fit and can benefit from my help. My God given name is JOY and that’s exactly what I’d like to do … bring more joy into our magic city of Miami!
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?
Moving to a new city is never easy! It was difficult in the beginning to meet people because I knew no one ,as well as the language barrier. English is not the first language here in Miami, as there are so many people from many different cultures who have moved here and speak so many different languages! I felt like I had moved to a foreign country. The minute I was about to try and learn Spanish, I realized that most of the people I was meeting spoke Portuguese! Luckily, I finally found a nice group of friends with common interests who speak English as their second language, well enough!
Driving in Miami can also be a challenge! I used to think traffic in LA was bad, but it is just as bad here in Miami with much worse drivers! Thank goodness for Alto! I also really miss filming and unfortunately, no shows are filming here. But, I’ve recently met some people who are encouraging me to look into some local talent agencies to at least audition for commercials locally.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work as an influencer and content creator sharing all things lifestyle! I love sharing my recipes, favorite restaurants, beauty finds , latest Fashion, wellness tips, travel, discoveries, and events with my followers.
I am known for being genuine.
My passion, work ethic, and being genuine sets me apart from others! You won’t find me pushing a product just for a paycheck! I only work with brands that I believe in!
I am proud of striving to be a better person, daily, the success I was able to accomplish on my own in acting and modeling and being able to successfully move to 2 major cities, change my careers, and continue to succeed!
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I would advise anyone new to a city to join a club, hobby, or group to meet as many people as you can so that you have the chance to connect with like-minded people. You never know who you might meet that may be the connection you didn’t realize you wanted or needed! If you want to become an influencer or content creator, I would suggest going to Miami bloggers and SFL bloggers meet- ups to meet people in the industry and get advice. You can also always follow me on instagram ( @PureJoy_Lifestyle ) and reach out! I know how tough it is to begin something new and I’d love to help!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Purejoylifestyle.com
- Instagram: @purejoy_lifestyle , and @purejoyfoodie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoyJolise ( Joy Bowden )
- Yelp: Joy Bowden
- Other: Other facebook page : PureJoyLifestyle
Image Credits
