Homeless to business owner

Aim

Raising funds for photography equipment for a new Derby City centre studio.

My name is Amy and I am the owner of Amy Jackson photography. It has taken an awful lot for me to tell me story  but I hope in doing so, you can see my passion and my ambition and see it in your heart to support my venture. 

3 and a half years ago, I left my fiance not long before we were due to be married. Getting married wasn't right for me at the time and I had to be honest with him, and also myself as getting married is a huge deal and should not be taken lightly. I had no idea who I was as a person, so how could I let someone marry me when I didn't know myself. 

I have a beautiful daughter and she is at the heart of everything I do. She is my world, the reason I breathe and the only person who I would walk to the ends of the earth for - so the decisions I have made and will make, are ALWAYS centred around how  I can be the best mother and role model to her.  

As a result of me ending this relationship, I found myself homeless. To embarrassed to ask for help from friends or family, I slept in my car for the first 5 days and sofa surfed with friends until thankfully I was offered a council property. It was miles away from anyone I knew, I had no family to support me locally and I went through huge emotional turmoil. I knew that at this point I was not able to fulfill my role as a mother and give my daughter what she deserved - I was failing and couldn't support her and something had to change. I was offered a job in Sheffield, but as I was living in Measham I could not look after my daughter and work at the same time due to the start and end times of the shifts, but I was too poor to turn the work down. When I say poor - I literally mean poor.  I was heating coal in my living room to warm the flat. I was having to choose between buying coal or buying food. There was a time I had no money to get my daughter to school, my fuel light was on in my car, I knew it would not get us there, I had no money to put any in and there were no buses due to isolated location in which we lived (I didn't have the money even if there were busses) 

I couldn't continue living like this and not financially supporting my daughter, the depression of the situation was affecting us both and I couldn't allow this to continue, so she moved in with her father whilst I got back on my feet. It was the most difficult decision I have ever had to make and the day I made the phone call to her father, I felt like half my heart died instantly in that moment. I was determined that this wouldn't be forever. I WILL get back on my feel, I WILL have my daughter back , I WILL change our lives and I vowed to never ever return to this low point ever again, and this is exactly what happened and I am now able to give my daughter what she needs from a mother, and more importantly what she deserves. Not having her live with me through choice was a decision that I would regret on a daily basis, but I knew at the time it was for the right reasons, and I am so pleased that I was able to work tirelessly to make a home for her. 

Photography has always been a passion of mine. From when I was a child I saw the beauty in life; in people, in images, and I wanted to pursue this as a career. I started out picking up the occasional slot in nightclubs as an event photographer - which lead me to become their resident photographer - shooting various celebrities on their promotional nights. After buying some more camera equipment I explored a little more with outdoor locations and offered friends and family a number of photo shoots in order to build my portfolio and gain further knowledge and experience in how to use my camera to its full potential. This was great experience for me and I was able to secure a few bookings for weddings. These were a fantastic opportunity for me and I was so pleased and proud to be involved in the magic of someone's day and it unlocked a new love of photography for me. 

As my portfolio expanded and my experience grew, I started to offer videography services and was picked up for this and asked if I wanted to assist in shooting media footage. I was able to secure contracts within the motorsport sector and currently, alongside weddings and portraits, I shoot content for Eurosport and Motors TV for the GT Cup. 

My dream was to open my own photography studio, allowing me to continue to do what I love and offer my services to more people. I have now been able to achieve this and I am so proud and excited to say that I open my new studio on 1st June 2018. It has been an incredibly difficult but worthwhile journey for me and my daughter but I am now at a point where I am looking for someone to help by investing in me. 

I would like to try and secure £2000 so that I can update my camera equiptment and build sets for the studio,  enabling me to broaded the services that I can offer to people and potentially create employment opportunities for others in the future. 

My story is proof that even at (what you think is) your lowest, there is only 1 way to go - up! I would be so incredibly greatful for any support that local businesses can give me and thank you for taking the time to read my story. 

For further details on anything I have mentioned, please feel free to contact me by emailing:

[email protected]

kind regards, 

Amy Jackson. 

This project closed unsuccessfully on 7th June 2018