Meet Joshua Goode | Counselor & Photographer

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

Hi Joshua, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
My father introduced me to a quote by Bruce Lee that says, “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend”. Life consistently entangles us in a revolving door of change. There’s no escaping it. We can either embrace the flow of life or we can go against it creating a more difficult path for ourselves. Everyday I challenge myself to choose positive reactions to the unexpected and expected occurrences of everyday life. It’s a skill that is needed in any field of work, but I find it most useful in the creative world because It’s what curates new ideas and opportunities.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
School Counselor by day. Photographer by…every other hour that is not the work day. Photography has truly opened doors that I never knew existed and has been a gift from God that I have utilized to intertwine with my passion for helping others to facilitate change in my community. I always envisioned myself as a photographer who traveled the world with notable musicians, documenting their tour life, and capturing beautiful portraits along the way. God gave me a swift “NO!”, which now after all that has come out about the industry lately, he made a good decision. Now I do it as a means of expression to empower others and cement precious moments into history.

My journey with the camera began in 2010. While I did not go to school for photography, I like to refer to my photography education as “community taught” instead of “self taught”. Everyone from my father to my late friend Justin Smith played a part in my growth as a photographer. For them, and the other photography homies in my circle, I am eternally grateful. I never planned on making photography a full time business. I always loved just taking pictures for my own personal collection. Unfortunately, life comes with bills, and boy let me tell you the life of an educator is not enough. As I began to take on more clients, I began to feel like it was rinse and repeat, and my love for the craft dwindled. I took a step back from the business side and felt I wanted to do something more impactful.

In 2022, I curated an exhibition called “Omnipresent” that honed in on the relationship between the Black father and their children while exploring the cultural myth that Black fathers are not present in their children’s lives. In the end, I raised over $4000 for two non-profits in the Phoenix Area (Black American Dad & Fathers Are Needed) whose main focus is fatherhood. In addition, a short film documentary about my show and the vision behind it was filmed and featured in Phoenix Film Festival. I never received a single dollar from that show, as it all was used for venue costs and the fundraising efforts for those organizations. Sometimes God calls you to do things that are bigger than you without anything in return. While monetary gain was not in the picture, my reward was seeing my love for the art form ignite again through giving back to those doing phenomenal things in the community, which I will continue to do.

Next steps are to complete the development of the non-profit I have been working on to provide inner city youth with more opportunities for growth through a variety of extra curricular activities such as sports, leadership, and art. All 3 are activities that changed the course of my life, and I want to pay it forward to a community that made me who I am today.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a Phoenician, I have always looked at my city as a melting pot of cultures. Phoenix tends to be a landing spot for people all over our country, especially those escaping the cold winter months or as we call them “snowbirds”. Therefore, our restaurants, bars, entertainment, etc. can be a bit of a smorgasbord of places throughout the country. You want Mexican food you could hit up Testal. You want Italian, check out Forno 301. For the vegans, we got Earth and Green New American Vegetarian. Or if you are in the mood for some some pizza, sandwiches, acai bowls, or the most fire teriyaki plates ever with some good outdoor vibes? You could get it all at the Churchill. There’s so many more awesome places to frequent and eat like Global Ambassador Hotel, Bacanora, Carcara, Valleybar, Bad Jimmy’s, Ocotillo, and so much more.

Arizona as a whole is a beautiful state and while Phoenix is the landing spot, there are some beautiful cities 1.5 to 2 hours out like Sedona, Flagstaff, Tucson, etc. that are filled with hiking trails, outdoor activities, and gorgeous landscapes. I have grown to love my home state and the wandering southwest spirit it fosters.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to God, my loving wife & children, my family, and all the young people in my city looking to elevate themselves to new heights. All of which I am the most motivated, and inspired, by on an everyday basis.

Website: https://www.joshua-goode.com

Instagram: @hometownjg (personal) @shootthatjg (photography)

Twitter: @hometownjg

Image Credits
James Nwobu
Joshua Goode