Foreign.

Welcome back to another episode of Getting Real with Bossy, the podcast that shows you what it's actually like to be a business owner in 2026.

Oh, I like that.

Yeah.

We are your hosts, Kelly Bush and Kelly Metrus.

One of us is on pain meds.

Oh, yeah.

I am five, six days out from.

From ankle fusion surgery and staying at my mom's.

So grateful to have the opportunity to be out here and tackling the challenges as they come.

Yes.

I feel like that'll be our next episode.

First of all, I just hope that the entire time that you're taking the pain meds, we get songbirds.

Because I like it.

Yeah.

But second of all, is as hard as it can be to accept support as a small business owner or as a business owner in general, it really like we are as strong as our team.

Yes.

Yeah.

Whether that is the person that's willing to let you come out to their house and take care of you when you're injured, or the team that's taking care of the business while you're not able to be there, or the spouse that's helping you take care of the business.

Yep.

Yeah.

It's definitely, you know, as hands on as I like to be.

It's been.

It's been good to have this last week because I really.

I have to have my foot up 23 hours a day.

Like, that is, for the first two weeks, 23 hours above my heart so I can do some work.

But it's just, it.

It laying around is exhausting, which is bizarre.

Um, and, you know, they're.

Everybody's doing such a great job with communicating just enough.

You know, it's too much that I'm like, I need to be there.

But.

But they've been.

I don't know, they've just.

It's been really great.

Everybody's been doing a really good job making me feel like I'm still needed, because I do.

Cause I still feel like they miss me and need me, but, you know, letting me know that they've got it handled and giving me the appropriate information to make me feel like I don't need to worry.

So it's been.

It's been.

It's been very good.

And probably a good thing for me to let go a little bit.

And once I'm.

Yeah.

And then, you know, next week or so, once I get my full cast on, then I can be a little bit more mobile and.

And do a little bit more work.

But just relaxing has probably been necessary.

And it's important to stop which is so hard for us to do.

Yeah.

And we joke about it.

Like, we joke about how we're going to get time off together, and it's not great.

Great ways always, but no.

And you decided to have your surgery on Escape Day, which my kids are like.

What's Escape Day like?

Nothing.

No offense.

It's not the day Kelly and I dream of escaping to Mexico and not telling anybody every year.

No.

Oh.

Anyway.

But answering emails is not a break.

No, not at all.

It's important to stop.

And it's been this insane weather.

Freezing, snowing everywhere.

So I'm not mad that I don't have to do all that shoveling.

Right.

Oh, my God.

You're going to be so happy.

So cold.

And not support the people that are not in Rochester.

But I'm pretty sure it's cold everywhere.

Yeah, I saw that it was like, snowing in Florida.

But the going in and out, like, I literally am, like, planning my day to try to leave the house and car the minimal amount of time as possible, because the car is, like, immediately cold once you get out of it.

So you have to start over every time, right?

No, I don't want to.

So.

But break it up today, right?

We're going to talk to Adam Eaton.

A lighter note.

Get.

See what I did better.

A lighter note.

Nice.

I love what Adam does.

He's a local photographer, an artist, and he's releasing or released a book of his photographs and other things.

And I just am obsessed with his photos because he does things I didn't know were possible with a camera.

Yeah.

I'm excited to hear his story.

I don't know much about him other than what I, you know, his artwork that I see and his use of light and just these bare images that are just so provocative.

Wonderful.

I can't wait to hear how he got started.

And, you know, it's.

It's so.

Art is so important.

We've talked about it many times, you know, in our work at Hillside and just the.

The.

It's so personal and other artists that we've talked to.

It just.

It's always such a great conversation.

So I'm excited to hear it.

And I need.

I need a little bit of that right now.

Yeah.

So enjoy this episode, and we're going to interview Adam.

Enjoy.

Welcome back to another episode of Getting Real with Bossy.

We are your host, Kelly Bush and Kelly Metrus.

Today's guest is Adam Eaton, entrepreneur, artist, and author of Black is Beautiful.

We're talking about what it really costs to build creative Life, what you earn when you refuse to compromise your values, and how art, identity and entrepreneurship collide in the real world.

Adam's work and his new book, Black is Beautiful, challenge us to stay honest, stay bold, and build something that actually means something.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Adam.

Thank you for having me.

I know, I feel we've tried to have you on once before, so I'm very, very excited to have this conversation today.

And it's a perfect time to.

Because your new book is out, so it's a perfect, perfect.

Thank you.

Love that you made a book because I have been admiring your photography for ages from afar.

And when I saw that you made a book, I was like, that makes complete sense because you have such great work.

So to put it all in one place and not just sharing it with, you know, people like me on Instagram.

But how, how long have you been doing?

Like, you today, you're.

You're this amazing artist that has a book.

But when did you start doing photography?

So I started my art journey in 2019 after, like, many years of depression, anxiety, suicidal feelings.

I knew that I needed to do something creative and I knew that I needed to pursue an art practice.

I think I've always been like, a creative person, but I never knew exactly, like, how to express that.

So in 2019, I made like, like a big decision.

Like, this is what I'm gonna do if I'm gonna change my life.

I wanna try this before I die, really.

So in 2019, I decided that I'm gonna take up a creative practice, start art.

And then I took a course at the Flower City Arts.

I was actually supposed to be in the ceramics class, but that class was sold out.

So I took their photography course.

Wow, that's perfect.

I'm glad you did.

So did you, when you decided to do that, were you working somewhere else?

Like, did you have a career in place or were you just looking for the next thing to do?

Yes.

For a few years I've been working at the Monroe Community College in the registration and records office.

And so I was on track to be like, secretary of work, office assistant type work, which I really love.

And I love, like, being part of an office community and working with others.

So art was really just going to be like, after my 9 to 5, I was going to learn a creative practice, start doing some art courses and just adding creativity to my life.

It sounds like it was something you were definitely called to do for sure.

And it's so important.

I think that there's, I think that, you know, the past couple or five or six years, even though your struggle happened before that, I think there's a lot more people struggling over the course, or more outwardly struggling, I should say, over the course of the past six years.

And I think that that's a great step to take, like the creative outlet.

And just sometimes you just need to make something right, like make something beautiful out of your own head so that you can focus on the light.

That was a great choice, obviously, for you.

Yes.

I really believe that creativity is something.

And art is something that everyone should add to their lives.

I believe that art is so powerful and has the ability to really transform your life inside and out and also connect you to community.

So through my art and learning about art and learning about the art community, I've been able to just draw closer to my local Rochester city and find a, like, bigger and better appreciation for Rochester and the people of Rochester.

And a lot of times before I started my creative journey, I used to think of Rochester as just a small place that didn't have a lot of opportunities and a lot of growth for me as a person.

But through art, I've seen that there's so much connection and so much joy here and so many opportunities.

I just wasn't looking in the right places to find them.

Oh, that's beautiful.

It sounds like this.

I mean, Kelly.

I don't know if you know her, Kelly.

And my background is in mental health work.

We worked at Hillside together, art therapy.

Art is just so therapeutic.

And so we just.

We definitely understand the strength behind that.

So what a great move to make in 2019, knowing what comes next.

2020, you're going on this new journey.

How did the pandemic affect you?

Were you able to kind of continue with that or how did that affect your job or what went on when March of 2020 happened?

I really believe that having art really saved me through the pandemic.

Having a creative practice and being able to connect with people helped me to get through the pandemic and deal with a lot of the emotional challenges that happened during that time.

Covid was very difficult and very isolating.

But because I had art in my life, I was actually able to connect with people because that was, like, around the first few years that I was learning about photography, actually was able to have a community member help me with a small studio space, and I was messaging people, like, on social media to, like, help me practice and learn about portrait photography at the time and learn about lighting.

So really, the pandemic was actually an optimal time for me because Art was there to help me through all the difficulties.

Oh, that's beautiful.

That's our shirt.

We like to make shirts every episode.

It's just such a wonderful, wonderful.

We talked to so many business owners and going through the pandemic was such a traumatic time.

And not to say it wasn't traumatic, but you really got a beautiful side effect of that.

And it's wonderful.

Art is so powerful.

I love a lot of what you just said because one of the things that is the most eye catching about your work that I know of.

I'm sure there's tons of other work that you do, but the work that I know of is your use of light.

And it's.

It seems very metaphoric that, you know, you talk about it being there for you in dark times and helping you through the pandemic and having that and, you know, using light and whether it's light or dark, because you even use shadows in some of your work and you just make people look angelic.

I don't even know, like, there's no background, right?

It's focused on the person and their body and where they are.

And it's just.

You can't not look like.

It's just gorgeous.

Thank you.

I've always been drawn to the idea of light.

I think growing up, I actually was always very sensitive to light and I didn't necessarily know why, but I now see it as a gift.

Like, I can see light actually has different color and different.

Like you can change light, you can change the shape of light, change the texture of light.

And so through my journey of learning photography, I've been able to understand light better and understand the qualities of light and understand how it affects people's skin.

So on lighter skin, light bounces off, but on darker skin, light is absorbed into the skin.

So through photography, I've been able to learn about light, learn about the practice of how to really focus light and help to shape it to make the subjects really shine.

And on a side note, for all of us that may not have grown up around people or taken photos of people with different skin tones, people should glance at your work and just see the difference.

Because, you know, as a white person taking photos, I never really thought, because I'm so pasty, that it didn't matter if it was shadowy, right?

Because it was gonna make me look like I was glowing because it's.

It's so bright.

But really using and making sure that your friends and family are in the best light possible.

So just as A side note, I think that your photos really showcase the difference of what even a small amount of light can do to a person's skin.

And it just, again, you just make them glow.

So are you only doing art right now?

Yes.

I'm currently a full time artist and really I attribute that to the idea of connecting with the Rochester community.

When I first started art, my goal wasn't to become an artist really.

I just knew that I needed to do something creative.

I knew that I needed creativity in my life to feel better.

But connecting with Rochester and the people and the community really like just the idea of people like wanting my work.

When I started posting on social media, like wanting to buy it, those are all like new ideas I had never experienced.

Like, I really only posted to social media just so that I didn't only look at my art on my phone.

Because when I first started photography I started with the iPhone camera and so I just, I needed an medium to see my art just away from the phone.

So when I started posting on social media, Facebook and Instagram and people actually liked it and that was a new idea, that was not something that I even necessarily was looking to do.

Like it was really art was supposed to be my own personal practice.

So having the support of the community and having their like assistance in helping me to grow as a creative person, grow as an artist.

Being able to sell my artwork is really a testament to how creativity can really help a person in their life and help a community.

That's incredible.

Like it's such an intentional start for you, but such an organic path to get you where you are today.

It seems like Rochester needed you and was waiting for you.

I really believe that Rochester has so many artists and so many creatives and artists need more support.

I believe that my story shouldn't be like an anomaly.

My story should be actually an opportunity for more artists and creatives to have opportunities to be full time artists in the city of Roch.

I really believe that the city should increase the budget for creative practices, for people to have access to the arts, for artists to have funding to be able to make art for the community.

I really believe that art has the power to transform Rochester.

And giving the right funding and the right opportunities, artists can really transform our city and our community and people's lives and help them cope with all of the trials and tribulations that happen in our day to day life.

I've always been impressed with the art, like even on the walls, right?

Like you're driving around and you take a turn, you're like, oh, I've never seen that mural before.

And there's.

There's so many things just that pop up depending on where you are, or even things you take it for granted because you drive past them every day.

You know, you don't know why that mural was painted or why this piece of art exists, the sculptures and things like that.

And I've always thought that there should be more done so people can find the art and appreciate the art and the artist.

Right.

Know who did this and why.

So, yeah, I totally agree with you.

And Rochester has a higher entrepreneurial percentage.

I don't know how the best way to word that the higher amount of people that are entrepreneurial per capita than most places.

And they attune it a lot to Kodak shutting, you know, a lot of their departments down.

And they had a lot of creative people that were working on these, you know, new and different projects and innovation.

And they all got let go and kind of started this, this entrepreneurial spiral.

So you see a lot of small businesses here.

I love that Rochester seems to do more than other cities when it comes to supporting small business and artists.

But yes, I think that it really could be the city of the arts.

I think that there is so much possibility for what the city could do to make it a bigger, bigger draw for others to come here.

I actually learned that through my creative process and learning about the city and the budgets and a lot of the political leaders.

Rochester actually does fall behind the idea of supporting the arts.

So most cities normally give about 1% of their budgets to art and creativity or like public art, those ideas supporting artists.

But Rochester actually gives below 1% of their entire budget for the arts.

So it's really been my goal as an artist to advocate for the arts in our city.

We do have.

So a lot of what you see in the arts community is coming from the artists themselves and the creatives and the small art organizations that are in Rochester.

But the city as like an entity, as a local government, actually is falling behind in supporting the arts in our community.

So I really believe that because Rochester does have like a high crime rate, gun violence, those ideas.

If the city leaders gave more in the budget to local artists and local creatives, public works, it would really help to lower a lot of those statistics that are very harmful to our community.

I agree with that completely.

We had a mural go up right outside of Marshall street of our bar and just watching the young people just coming out of school and through the neighborhood, just sitting and watching this installation be created it was like, we need to do more of this.

These kids could be doing so many other things, and they're sitting outside just watching art being created on this enormous wall.

So I completely agree.

And if there's ways that we can help get that word out or there's missions or plans, let us know, because we will definitely share that, because we are both obviously fans of yours, but see the true value in art and how therapeutic it can be.

And I agree with you.

It could solve a lot of problems, and there's no reason that it's not getting the same attention as other cities are silent.

True.

I really believe that opportunities like this are great ways to let local leaders, let local government know how powerful the arts are and how we have such a great opportunity to be able to transform Rochester and get community involvement, get youth involvement, give them opportunities to be able to have positive activities through the arts.

And so it's important to be able to use opportunities like this to spread the message that art is powerful and has the opportunity to transform Rochester.

Imagine if the city invested in a space where artists could have affordable studio space and youth could have the opportunity to come in and see what they're doing and maybe learn a thing or two.

Hmm.

I know that studio space has become a significant issue with one of the buildings shutting down downtown.

So, yeah, maybe the mayor's listening to this and can come up with a creative solution to help multiple levels of people.

Well, we can certainly send them a link.

That's actually one of my goals, to be able to, through my art career, to be able to eventually build an art center so that artists have space and opportunity to be able to grow.

Currently, there is no, like, center city location where artists can have workshops or photographers can have studio space.

One of the actual issues that I had when I was starting photography and learning a creative practice is having space to actually create.

It was difficult to find a space that was affordable when I first began creating art.

That gave me the opportunity to be able to have a regular, safe space so that I could create my art.

So my goal is to actually create a center, city art center space where the community can gather, artists can have workshops, artists can have space to create because it's very important.

Oh, I love that.

Yes, it is.

So you transitioned.

Well, not transitioned because you're still an artist while you're doing all of this amazing work.

What made you decide to write a book or produce a book?

Yeah, so the book does include, like, a few lines of my poetry, a few dedication pages, and, like, my Message to Rochester and how much I have grown to love the city of Rochester and being a supportive part of my creative journey.

But a big part of the book is actually the 250 photography images that are featured.

About 70 community members have participated as models in the book as well.

So it's really a journey of like, my creative process, meeting so many in the community and having them be a part of my creative journey.

I really believe that photography can be a very, like, connecting experience.

And so through portrait photography, I've been able to connect with so many in the community.

Mothers and fathers and families and older people.

The oldest person featured in the book is 95 years old, Dr. Walter Cooper, all the way to newborn babies and their mothers.

So the book has a wide range of community members and a wide range of people that have really been impactful to my life.

And really I believe that the people that are featured in my book are beautiful on the outside, but really their hearts are beautiful.

And that's what makes the book very special to me because I really believe that the book shows the beauty of the inner person first.

I love that.

So how long were you working on this before it got published?

In my mind, I've been working on this book ever since I started in 2019.

So some of the images featured in the book are from what I call the iPhone days.

In 2019, when I first started photography, I was using my iPhone, iPhone 11, and those images are actually featured in the book.

So it's been a process of about six or seven years of like all my art from that whole time from when I very started until probably at least six months ago when I did like the very final photo shoot for the book.

So it's been a journey and it's been a labor of love and it's been a creative experience to like create your art but then have time to reflect on it and to see it grow and to see it blossom and to see how much I've changed as an artist and how much I've learned about light.

So the process of creating the book has been a labor of love, for sure.

I'm sure.

And I think art is so personal.

And even just to put it out there on, you know, social media and put it out in shows for purchase is so, I mean, it's so personal.

It takes a lot of bravery to be able to do that because I'm sure, you know, the criticisms come in, whether it's our internal or other people.

But then to all put that in together into a book to showcase Pretty much your life as an artist.

It's an incredibly brave thing to do.

I really believe that artists should have the opportunities to create their art.

But then also I believe that every artist should have a reflection period.

So that's.

I think that's what I'm in currently, the reflection period.

A period of reflection and celebration of all the work that I've been creating for the past few years.

So it's really been an honor to be able to celebrate all of my hard work and creating because art is really work and it's.

It can be.

It can be like, mentally and physically, like a lot of time and energy, and it's really giving a true piece of yourself to the community.

So I really believe that I'm now in the celebration period with this book and I really want as many people as possible to be able to have access to the book, to see the book, because I really want to celebrate all of the art that I've been creating.

So what is your favorite camera?

So my favorite camera is actually the camera I use now.

It was donated to me probably around 2020 during the pandemic.

I posted on social media that I wanted to grow my art practice and stop using an iPhone and actually use a real camera.

So I posted on social media like, does anybod have a camera?

Can someone donate a camera to me?

I want to learn how to grow my photography and use a real professional camera.

And so a community member messaged me and said that I will donate a camera to you.

And that's the camera that I currently use.

It's an Olympus camera.

And I really credit it to the support of the Rochester community for being able to help me grow and to help me to learn photography and to expand in my knowledge and art.

This is such a beautiful story.

I mean, I knew we were going.

To interview you about your art and that you're an artist, but this, since the beginning of your telling, this, this is such a beautiful story.

Like, I'm just.

I'm like verklempt, for lack of better terms.

Yeah, actually I just.

Someone just was telling me that I really should start to share more of my story because I really do believe that it can be an inspiration to people.

And the idea that you can start from a place that's like lonely and isolated and depressed.

And that's why I'm so passionate about the idea that art is so powerful and transformative to people's lives and that I want people to be creative.

Try.

Try art form, try any type of creativity that you can just that you can start for free or go to a local workshop or go to a local art center.

Because I really believe that art truly transformed my life from being depressed and isolated to being filled with community, filled with love, filled with people supporting me, filled with opportunities of growth.

And so I will really continue to let the world know how powerful art is.

Well, and I think it's a compilation too.

Not only have you found the power of art, but it's your connection to people.

Yes, really, art has actually connected being able to be the bridge to connect me to people.

There's a quote, I'm sure there's lots of quotes about how art is a connector and how art brings people together.

And so it's very important for me in my life and it has been important for me in my life to be able to be creative.

And just the journey it's taken me on has been just unbelievable.

Really.

Do you have any local artists that you really feel are inspirational to you?

Could you shout out some that we could keep an eye on?

And for people that are listening who maybe don't realize or aren't in Rochester, I'd like them to know what other great artists there are out there.

Yes, whenever I talk about local artists, I always like to support local Black, Black women artists.

There's Coco Ray, David, Erika J.

Deja Colon.

There's so many black women photographers that actually have use and access to my studio space that I give them for free from Caraballo Design.

So I always want to use my platform to support local black women artists and give them the opportunity to have the success and opportunity that I've been able to be privileged too as well.

Paying it forward.

That's another beautiful aspect to your story.

On top of everything else, now you're paying it forward.

Is there something that you learned along the lines that you wish you had known before you started this journey?

If I knew the power of the arts years ago, I think I would have.

I would have jumped into it.

Before, when I was in college or even high school, a lot of people used to tell me that taking the career path of a creative person or the creative career of being an artist is actually not lucrative, or it doesn't lead to a job that's a stable job.

So I wouldn't listen to those ideas for many years.

I always thought that being an artist or having a job in the creative field is actually.

I believed what they said, that it wasn't stable, that there weren't many opportunities that you wouldn't be successful.

So If I could go back, I would start an artist career.

I would have gone to college for a creative passion, whether it be photography, whether it be anything creative.

I really believe that especially nowadays, creatives are actually changing the world and driving the economy.

So if I could go back, I would have started sooner and using art as my creative path.

Well, you are, you're making up for the time now, so you're clearly creating opportunities for other people and, and your ideas for the future and what art could bring to Rochester could be incredibly transformative.

So whatever path it took to get you here, we are grateful that you are here.

Thank you.

As a parent of teens, you know, and now looking into the future, my husband and I always say that for the most part, whatever job our kids end up doing when they're adults, it doesn't really exist right now.

Like we don't know what is happening.

Right.

With the evolution forward and the innovation and the technology and you know, so many things change so fast these days.

And my one thing I keep saying to them is just do something that a robot can't do.

And I'm sorry, but a robot cannot match your photos.

No, you definitely fall under that category of, you know, AI.

And a robot cannot emulate the passion you're bringing to the screen when people look at your photos or the image.

True.

I really believe that photography for sure has so many creative avenues it could go into.

So you could go into so many creative careers with photography like commercial photography, advertising and development, social media, content creation.

So there's so many opportunities that the arts and photography and creativity can drive you into those ideas of like being successful, even working at a corporation.

You don't have to be a small business owner when you're an artist.

You can work at a company, have a 9 to 5 creative job and be very successful in your life.

So I really believe that the creative arts should be pushed even more as a career, especially nowadays with social media.

And like you said, being a creative, being an artist, AI can never match the soul and passion of a human artist.

I agree.

And it's so very clear when something out there is AI, but the work that you're doing, even just with portraits, to get that much thought provoking feeling, your work is incredibly provocative.

You look at it, it's very provoking.

And to be able to see that in a portrait and to be able to tell a story the way that you do and I think you're selling yourself short a little bit with light, I mean, you can teach that in any.

I've taken some photography classes.

Terrible.

But, I mean, you can teach all of those fundamentals, but that's internal.

And the way you see light is very unique and incredible.

To look at just a portrait of somebody and feel a story coming from that is an incredible talent.

You are an incredible gift to our community.

Thank you.

It's been such an honor for me to be able to photograph the beautiful people that live in Rochester, New York, and having the community give me the opportunity to be able to pursue a creative path as an artist.

So I thank Rochester for the opportunity to be able to have the tools and resources to be able to grow as an artist.

And also the individual people of Rochester, I thank them for being so beautiful and having beautiful hearts and giving me the opportunity to practice and to grow and to be an artist that actually makes a good impact in our community.

Now, if I was looking to hire a portrait photographer, is that something that you do or is this something that you only do on your terms?

Like, I'm going to ask you to be in my picture, but can someone hire you to photograph them?

Yes.

After I'm finished celebrating the book and letting the world know about all the beautiful black people that live in Rochester, New York, I will be open to do portrait photographies for individuals, for families.

So, yes, I would say yes for sure.

I think you're going to be hearing from Kelly in the future.

If I wanted to buy your book or find out more about your book or reach out to you about hiring you for a photographer, where would I find you?

For more information about my book and to see the beautiful images of Black is Beautiful, you can go to my website, adameaton.com or social media, adameaton art on Facebook and Instagram.

But my book is now available to purchase online, adameaton.com, black is beautiful.

And I'll also be presenting my art at Jiva Theatre on April 20th.

Oh, wow.

Monday, April 20th at Jiva Theatre will be a series called Mondays at Jiva, and it will feature Black is Beautiful Art gallery.

And you could also purchase the book in person and meet me there at Jiva Theater on April 20th.

Kelly, I'll be able to walk by then.

So we'll be there.

I will not be in town, but I wish I was.

That's.

I'll be there.

I'll be walking.

So that's perfect.

So, yes, everybody needs to go out there.

Purchase this book for yourself.

I'm sure it'll make a great gift for somebody in your life, but we need to keep Adam Going on his path to change Rochester's art scene and change the world.

And pretty much change the world.

But yeah, I didn't want to go too big.

Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Thank you for joining us today.

This was a great story.

I didn't know what to expect and you know, I never do coming into these interviews, but I don't know, your story was just so uplifting.

So it gives me hope today on this cold, wintry afternoon, and it made my heart grow a little bit bigger.

Thank you.

That means so much to me.

Thank you for the opportunity to spread the ideas that Black is beautiful, especially during Black History Month when we've been living in a world that's been such filled with hate and turmoil and difficulty.

So I really believe that the book Black is Beautiful is for everyone and it has the opportunity to uplift and to inspire and to give people hope for the future.

Sure.

Well, that's the perfect ending.

Thank you so much.

Well, that was.

That was the uplifting story that I needed on this insane snowstorm of a week.

Right.

I needed.

I didn't even know I needed that today.

So I hope the listener of got out of it what I got out of it, which is hope.

Right.

Community.

Uplifting others is going to uplift yourself, create art.

And for that, I mean, art looks different for everyone.

You know, I always joke that sometimes creation for me is creating new policies and procedures.

Right.

It's that innovation and the getting things mixed up in your head and then putting them out in a different manner.

Right.

And in no way is he old.

I mean, he's.

But it's never too late to kind of change your trajectory.

And like, I think I may have said it like such an intentional decision to make that change in his life.

But what an organic path that took.

Like, it was like, I want to do art.

I'm not putting any, any, any of my BS on it.

I just want to do this thing and, and see what happens.

And to see in what, six years this is where he's at.

That's incredible.

And probably not where he planned.

No, I doubt it.

I.

Well, he even said that I highly recommend that everybody go follow him on your feed because one of my favorite things is sometimes you're just scrolling.

And I don't think I've ever had his images show up on my feed and scroll past because it is so intentionally thought provoking the way he uses art and the human light in the human body in his art that sometimes I don't even realize it's him until I stop.

And I'm like, oh, I recognize the use of light.

And I know him.

I know that guy.

You're like, oh, wow.

You put a picture out like, this is amazing, you know, and you have to look at it, and it's nicer than some of the other stuff that we're.

We're scrolling past.

So I highly recommend following him.

Absolutely.

If not for selfish reasons, but also to support him.

Yeah, I. I thought when he was telling his story a little bit.

You know, I'm obsessed with Florence and the Machine, but her latest album, she talks about how she couldn't not make it and that she had these life experiences and she was in a really awful place and that the music just came out of her.

And that's kind of what I felt when he was telling his story, that he was just in that place where he couldn't not get it out.

And thank God he did.

Right?

Hello.

I hear you now.

I was just about to text you.

I'm gonna send you the picture of you frozen.

God, it's probably awful.

They're always awful.

It's fantastic.

That's how life is, Kelly.

And you know what?

We are our own artists in some way too.

What we're doing with this.

And I'm so grateful to share his story.

Yes.

That was a wonderful interview, and I hope you all enjoyed it.

And make sure to send us your ideas if you would like to sponsor us and get your business in front of local business owners or micro business owners, which I think are especially important to support in the year 2026.

Agreed.

You can find us at Bossy Rochester and Posse Rock Roc.

Our email is bossyrockmail.com Our website is bossyrock.com if you see a pattern here, it's pretty easy to find us and.

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Be bold, be brave, be the boss.