Today we’d like to introduce you to Cari Hoffman.
Cari, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always been someone who loves the arts, I use to draw and oil paint. I got my first camera when I was 7 and I would take pictures of everything! To the point where I would annoy my family, friends, or anyone who was with me.
Whenever someone would ask me what I want to do when I grow up, I would say I want to be an artist. And the response I would get is “that’s not a real job, you need to have a job where you can make money.” I heard people say that to me so many times that I ended up not doing anything artistic.
I went to college for psychology to be a therapist. While I was in college my Grandpa, who was like my father figure, got really sick and I dropped out to help my grandpa and gramma. When he died, I finally realized I didn’t want to do something that I wasn’t fully passionate about and invested in. I had an epiphany that I wanted to be a photographer and started school again at Santa Monica college for their Photography program. I am very grateful to be doing something I always wanted to do but was too afraid to do. Not very many people find their passion or push themselves to do it out of fear.
Has it been a smooth road?
My struggle is trying to do something I love and I’m actually good at while I have Lyme Disease. Sometimes I just physically can’t do a shoot or I’ll just push through until a shoot is over and then I won’t be able to get out of bed for a couple days after because I used all my strength. But I will always keep pushing myself because I want to do this more than anything and I don’t want something I can’t control to stop me.
Who, or what, deserves a lot of credit for where you are today?
My boyfriend who is in the is very supportive and I’m very grateful to him for seeing my talent and he’s even let me work alongside him teaching me how to make films. I’ve found a new love and passion for video and am now pursuing that as well.
Do you have a favorite type of client or project?
I really want to work with clothing, jewelry or really any companies that want to promote their products through imagery. I like working with professional models and making beautiful images that make people feel inspired in their own fashion, art or lifestyle.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over I would have realized earlier in my life that this is what I want to do and not let people tell me being an artist isn’t a career. I wouldn’t have been lost for so long trying to figure out a different career and I would be much further along in this career by now.
Contact Info:
- Website: CariHoffman.com
- Email: Cari.Hoffman@ymail.com
- Instagram: CariHoffman
