Jodie Brim, owner, and lead photographer of Jodie Brim Creative, photographs the world through a lens of positivity. Wife, mother, daughter, business leader, and entrepreneur, Jodie’s interactions with everyone in her life develop from a lens of love, empathy, honesty, and creativity. Watching and emulating her mother, Jodie took to heart her saying, “The world is not just one of anything.” This open-minded view of life and of people have helped guide Jodie throughout a ten-year journey from corporate America to leading a successful business team in Winston-Salem.
Growing up in Winston-Salem and graduating from West Forsyth High School, Jodie had big-city dreams of working for the US Government as an interpreter (or owning a nail salon, depending on the year you asked). Jodie worked toward her dreams by graduating from North Carolina A&T University with a degree in psychology and then from High Point University with a master’s degree in public administration with a focus in nonprofit management. She held corporate jobs in Atlanta, Knoxville, Washington DC, and Chicago. While working in higher education, Jodie waschallenged with improving operations of an institution to make it profitable. She was promoted in just 11 months to Director of Operations, one of the youngest Black females (only 25 years old at the time) to achieve so much in such a brief time there. Despite the doubts about her leadership credentials based on her gender and race, Jodie remained positive and relied on her faith, parents, and worldview to see beyond people’s first impressions. Rather than judging those who doubted her, she considered them with respect and kindness.
Jodie shares advice for new business owners, especially women of color, to be genuine and proud of where they come from. Staying positive about business opportunities includes being brave about marketing that “shows the real you.” This type of vulnerability in advertising will attract customers who value quality and who are open-minded to diverse cultures and different views of the world.
Jodie is a self-taught photographer and combines her business savvy with the art of seeing the world through her unique lens. With the world taking pictures of every moment with their smartphone, Jodie uses her artistic skills to create a photographic product that captures real emotions and personalities, both in portrait and branding photography. She urges business owners to get the “business side right first, then develop the skill set.” To be successful, photographers need to master both components. As a young girl, Jodie was not exposed to other Black photographers who could be role models or mentors in this field. With this in mind, Jodie has partnered with a non-profit group called LEAD girls, which provides underserved preteen girls with leadership development and career education. She hopes to give back to the community by teaching young girls about the value and opportunities in the art and business of professional photography. “Viewing the world through a camera lens is much different than seeing it through a smartphone!” she says.
Jodie’s focus is making time for a client-centered business, as well as giving back to the community she loves. Her lens is looking very clear!
You can read more details about Jodie and her company, Jodie Brim Creative, Brand Photography and Videography, at www.jodiebrim.com (email: info@jodiebrim.com).
