Meet Joshua Dailey | Photographer & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Dailey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, why did you pursue a creative career?
Growing up as the youngest in my family, I was constantly surrounded by inspiring examples of entrepreneurship. Witnessing my father build multiple businesses from scratch taught me the value of ownership and the potential to create a fulfilling life based on my passions, regardless of the challenges we face in life. Observing my older siblings pursue their early careers in music and my mother’s devotion to writing and teaching reinforced my belief in pursuing the gifts I received without fear of acceptance or doubt.

At the age of 12, I started my creative journey by developing graphics for my first YouTube channel. I aimed to curate a community around the creative process and inspire others to pursue their passions. This led me to share my work on various social platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Dribbble attracting attention from smaller businesses looking to build their brand identity and other creatives eager for collaborations. I’m grateful for my parents’ recognition of my talent and their investment in better equipment, which ultimately grew my dedication to design and photography.

Witnessing the impact of my work at a young age affirmed my commitment to a creative career continuously improving the skills I developed. Transitioning from homeschooling to career school in my Junior year of high school proved to be a pivotal moment for me. I spent my free time in class teaching classmates advanced tools and techniques, sparking a desire to create a platform focused on inspiring the next generation of talent.
Thanks to my family’s support and understanding of my purpose, I continued to aim toward strengthening our community of young creatives and developing a world full of diverse, vibrant identities true to those establishing them.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Constantly looking at the bigger picture for brands and businesses, my direction work became heavily influenced by my focus on the design process, Finding a balance of functional use and visually captivating sequences to tell compelling stories. I believe in capturing unique perspectives and bringing thoughts and ideas not typically explored to life while representing the experiences that define us.

The road to where I am today hasn’t always been smooth. I’ve faced challenges in finding like-minded individuals that would continue to strengthen me as a creative, and balancing personal sacrifice at an early age to achieve the goals I set out for myself. This process often led to feelings of not belonging, struggling to relate to peers and the overall fear of missing what could have been a regular life for most. The challenges I faced up until now, have been a driving force for me personally to build a community around shared passions and create a platform that resonates with others looking for self-expression.

Today, I find myself empowering individuals to embrace their uniqueness and provide resources for creative exploration and mentorship. I want to inspire others to create environments that reflect their true selves and find peace in their creative careers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Here in Columbus, you often have access to a little bit of everything. I enjoy spending time surrounded by nature often visiting parks near the general downtown area such as Schiller Park, or even enjoying hikes at Rising Park, just 30 minutes south of Columbus.

There are plenty of mom-and-pop restaurants and boutiques found in smaller neighborhoods. Often taking friends to enjoy local Thai spots such as Bangkok Grocery/Restaurant and Jiu Thai Asian Cafe.

I love going to Parable Cafe where I can experience live music on Thursdays and Sundays accompanied by great beverages and refreshments. As I get older I strive to create fun with friends, hosting events as well as spinning some tracks out on the streets of Short North or the general downtown area.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Coming from a smaller city of creatives, It took me a while to find a small team of individuals I trust to encourage me, strengthen ideas, and execute concepts. Throughout this journey, I’ve had several collaborators who completely shifted my mindset of creating visuals. I credit a lot of my attention to fine details, coloring, and overall emotion displayed through my images to one of my close collaborators, Logan St. Hillaire.

Without the help of Logan my first few passion projects would have fallen flat from expectations and our ability to bounce ideas to create impactful conversations through visuals is one of the main reasons I continue to collaborate and work with creatives today.

Logan/Moodie: https://www.instagram.com/user_moodie/

Instagram: Instagram.com/Jawnsh

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-dailey-b60248186/

Other: Dribbble.com/JoshuaDailey

Image Credits
All photos provided are shot, directed, and edited by me!