Work It Wednesday - Julie Yeh

This Work It Wednesday, we're catching up with a creative whose photography and travels will make you want to follow along online and IRL! After leaving a marketing job to embark on her own adventure in freelance content creation, Julie Yeh's work represents the pinnacle of creativity and an ambitious spirit. Whether it's for food, travels or just to see some refreshingly vibrant content on your feed, you'll want to add her to your list of bloggers to watch. We were lucky enough to grab a few moments with Julie and get a little peek into her positive and productive mentality.

1. First off, tell us a little bit about you! Who is Julie Yeh?

Julie Yeh is an outgoing and positive woman who is always down to have a good time. I love helping people, especially when it comes to achieving their goals. If I can be part of a process that makes others become better, I’d do it 100%. I’m also passionate about photography, especially food and travel photography (currently a freelance photographer).

When it comes to passion I’m not afraid give it my all, even if I lose sleep over it or fail. Everything is a work in progress and along the way you learn through the hiccups you encounter!

2. You take some amazing photos. From food and fashion to travel, how did you decide to get into content creation?

My passion in content creation started in my first job after graduating university. It was in a food marketing startup that provided restaurants in Toronto with food photography, videography, and social media management services. I obtained most of my food photography skills from when I worked behind the scenes. Many times I was just doing the lighting, setting up the gear, doing food styling and touching up the food to make it look appetizing! But when I saw all the effort that went into creating beautiful and enticing photos, I wanted to get into visual content creation myself. But when I finally decided to take content creation seriously... it was the job after this one that got me really involved.

I worked at 500px, an online photography marketplace, where I met some talented photographers who motivated me to start shooting photos. We would even go out on lunch time to do photo walks and practice shooting each other. They taught me to be unafraid to express my own style of photography, which gave me more confidence in my work. I try to build on my craft by learning from other experienced photographers and practicing more.

Finally the biggest influence for me to get into content creation was my boyfriend, @absdulla, who’s an admirable men’s lifestyle blogger in Toronto. I started helping him create content for fun, and when I saw that the brands he collaborated with gave positive feedback on my work, it made me so happy! That’s the turning point when I decided that I want to get into content creation. It gives me a sense of fulfilment and achievement in something I love doing!

3. We love that your feed explores a ton of amazing local destinations, but you’re also an avid traveller. Where have you felt the most inspired so far?

New York City - I’ve probably been to this city over 20 times but each time I go it always feels different. I guess it is because I try to meet up with different kinds of people, and they’ll show me their own version of the lifestyle in NYC. Thus, it lead me to discover new shops, neighbourhoods, and restaurants. Many times I end up having inspiring conservations with them on what brings them here to the city. There’s always a bit of something in New York for everyone. Whether you are an artist, fashion designer, photographer, dancer, chef or writer etc. There’s so much the city has to offer, and that’s why I feel so inspired each time I travel there. It is also one of the places you can shoot beautiful photos of architecture and get creative shots with food!

4. We admire your passion for living a sustainable lifestyle - what does that mean to you?

For me, I try to reduce my carbon footprint as much as possible - through walking, recycling, trying greener commutes, reducing plastic use, cutting down waste, eating sustainable food options, and choosing energy efficient and renewable power sources. I think a huge issue is food waste and eating copious amounts of unsustainable food options. I try to cut out meat consumption, because in the process of meat production, an immense amount of greenhouse gas pollution is created and it takes up a large amount of water and land resources. These are environmental issues that are commonly overlooked. However, we can all play a part to choose a lifestyle that is environmentally sustainable for the future of our planet.

Overall, small measures in your lifestyle that you can practice and contribute to bettering the environment means you’re on the path of living a sustainable lifestyle. I know it’s hard to keep up a sustainable lifestyle everyday, but a great step is being environmentally conscious of the decisions we make. With awareness in mind, we can strive to make greener decisions that can reduce negative environmental impact to our planet. You can start even by just trying #MeatLessMonday with me!

5. You’ve been able to curate such a beautiful and vibrant feed, as well as work alongside influencers in the social media space - any tips for content creators trying to establish their own personal brand?

I think first and foremost, it is consistency and being persistent. Nothing happens overnight, all the skills I’ve gained are accumulated over time. As you create more, you’re able to find your own style that resonates with people who genuinely are interested in your work. There are points in my life where I was critical of myself; I never thought I was good enough, but I kept creating, kept going at my passion in taking photos. This mindset really helps me establish my personal brand as a food content creator.

Thankfully I live in Toronto, a city that values collaboration and teamwork. As a content creator, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to other influencers, brands, photographers etc. to work together with them. You’d be surprised at how much you can gain from collaborating with others - in terms of relationship building and obtaining new skills. You never know, in the future they may come back around to help support you in establishing your own brand!

6. What have been some of your favourite brands to collaborate with?

I really enjoyed working with Green Grotto and shooting for their new menu. As a Taiwanese born Canadian, I love I’m able to support my culture’s cuisine. And hopefully through the visual content I created for the menu, it allowed more people to know what Taiwanese food is about.

I also loved collaborating with Ford Canada. Automotive has been a new niche I’ve been exploring, and I love road trips! So working with automotive brands really fulfills both my interest in shoot automotive content and travelling.

7. What are you looking forward to most this year? Any exciting projects in the works?

Since I quit my job in a corporate marketing agency a month ago, I’m looking forward in growing my personal photography brand and giving more time to pursue my passion in photography. So I’m currently at the phase of redesigning my website, www.ourhumblejourney.com to be more focused on my photography services and adding in a food blog eventually!

8. How do you #workit everyday?

First thing in the morning I get into the #WorkIt zone with a cup of coffee. I try to keep myself busy with photoshoots, whether it is shooting for brands, for clients, or for a personal project I have in mind. I constantly need to keep my creative flow going while building up my skill set. I think a balanced lifestyle is important to help you #WorkIt to you full potential, so I exercise a lot (running, weight training, bootcamp classes and yoga). In addition, I eat a healthy well-balanced diet that allows me to feel good and do my best work!

A big thanks to Julie for sharing a little piece of her journey with us! To keep up on her work and life, follow her on Instagram @julie_yay and check out her blog for new updates coming soon!

Photos provided by Julie Yeh