Today we’d like to introduce you to Jae House.
Jae, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m originally from the tiny, but Illustrious community “Sweetwater”, located in the small town of Bristol, Fl. I’ve spent most of my life in the beautiful rural areas of North West, FL being raised by relatives who were interested in film, music, dance, styling, poetry, acting, and modeling, but didn’t really have the opportunities to get to do those things.
I moved to Orlando my junior year of high school in an effort to be someone who got the chance to do those things. I moved in with my Uncle and his wife, the owners of LandieLou Productions. They introduced me to the arts and helped me develop my craft by placing me in stage plays and musicals. I graduated from Olympia High School in 2011. Shoutout OT!! I joined their award-winning choir, led by Daniel Jackson. I met my dear friend and first band-mate José Ortiz, an incredible musician, vocalist, and composer! We created a music duo, I won’t say the name, but just know it was the tea! I also began choreographing for events, talent shows, and local artists.
After graduating, I attended Chipola College on Theatre and Music scholarships. I met my best friend, Danté Tyler, a designer and fellow creative who was also studying theatre with a focus on costume and design. In 2012, he put a Sony Digital camera in my hand and would have me film or take photos of his garments for fashion videos and look books. That was the first time I picked up a camera for real.
I lost my father in 2014 and suffered from alcoholism and depression for a while. I stopped working on my music and choreography for about two years, so in efforts to express myself again, I decided to take to photography. It was a therapeutic tool that allowed me to express each avenue I grew up interested in and studied throughout my adolescence. It allowed me to put everything that I’ve learned into making what I felt visible. What started out as healing for me is now something that I use to help others. #FromthisHouse is now a creative brand aiding in content creation, creative direction, photography, styling, and so much more to those in the Central and Northwest Florida areas.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
After losing my father, things weren’t really clear for a while. I was angry, confused, scared, and so many other feelings. My dad was my number one fan, someone who loved me like no one else, and I had lost that. I couldn’t hear any music for months. I didn’t feel the need to write or to eat, or to do anything. It seemed so dark for what felt like forever. It has become a lot smoother over the years. I went to therapy for a little, and they helped me realize that me creating art also helped me cope. It always has.
The business side of things merging with my expression has been a little interesting. It took me a little while to realize that becoming a service through my sense of therapy could get a little complex at times. I think those learning curves come along with anyone in entrepreneurship. Trying to find that balance between self-care and work. Unfortunately, I don’t believe most of us are taught the difference between caring for our well-being versus solely surviving, so that definitely was a struggle. Deciding when to say no to projects to protect my mental health, rather than saying yes to make a quick buck.
From This House – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
From This House is an original content creating service which specializes in bringing forth authenticity and originality with an editorial and emotive focus. I am most proud of understanding that showing the world myself, my soul, and my vulnerability has placed me in a position to give to and help so many people, more importantly, people who look like me. Representation is so important to my brand. I like my work to showcase black people in realms we aren’t regularly seen in, but we definitely exist in. I think the passion I have for letting my subjects, whatever shade they are, be seen is what sets me apart. I love making sure they know how important their freedom to express themselves is. It is important to understand they are completely free to be, think, feel, and express themselves in the space in front of my lens. They can be as authentic as they truly desire in the moments we share together during our session.
Do you feel like there are certain traits that increase the likelihood of success?
Freedom and authenticity. Remaining in the space of freedom allowed me to see everything so differently. I no longer have to consider what others think, which allowed room for so many more beautiful and inspiring thoughts of my own. Those aren’t spaces I allowed myself to be in growing up, so when I decided that’s how I wanted to shape my existence that’s when everything began to change. That’s what most of my clients also seem to aspire towards. They want to see themselves or want to tell their story through pictures. It’s so humbling knowing that people trust me enough to allow me to be the conduit to conveying such beautiful journeys from even more beautiful people.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: JaeHouse
- Facebook: Jae House
Image Credit:
@Kingchachii, @jaehouse, @tieshaelesse
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