THIS JESSICA

Educator, Photographer, Published Author, Web and Graphic Designer. 
Businesswoman and creative mom of one human + two bulldogs.

I fell in love with photography hunched over a tray of developer in the darkroom of my high school in SW Florida.  My path to becoming a professional photographer and author was anything but linear.

Most aptly described as a nerd who can't sit still and loves to create using any/all available media, I'm kind of hard to put in a box.  I decided I wanted to be a lawyer in 3rd grade, realized I couldn't afford law school in 4th.  With a penchant for design and math, I spent the rest of my primary education building toward a career as an architect - which lead me to the University of Florida.  

When I stepped on campus for the first time, I knew I was finally home.  Gainesville is where I was meant to be.  The oaks, the people, the wildflowers...

In my second year of the architecture program, I teamed up with another student and we won the chance to exhibit our photography in the Reitz Union Gallery.  There was a formal art opening and, for the first time, I got to see how people experienced my art.  I saw people connect with my work, with me, in a way I could've never imagined.

I switched my major that summer and earned a B.A. in Philosophy.  I worked clerical and technical positions to support myself while I built my photography business, Memories by JMF, LLC.  I was everything from a bug-finding technical writer working in higher education to a professional bread-shaper and wine-tasting presenter for Uppercrust.

In my late twenties, I went back to UF and got my MAMC in Web Design and Online Communication.  I've finally realized that what motivates all my work is a passion for connecting people through creativity and an appreciation for the way the "insignificant" holds significance.

My hope, for all my work, is that it provides an opportunity to pause.  To see each other and ourselves. Our shared experiences: all the beauty and the struggle.

<3 ​JMF

Learn more about my lifestyle brand, Memories by JMF. 
Take a peek at our bespoke wedding brand  Weddings by JMF 
Order your copy of my first children's book, "TODDLERHOOD: Reality Abstracted".

FAVORTIE EXPERIENCES:

• Professional bread shaper
• Classically trained darkroom
  and digital photographer
• Graphic designer - designed a vehicle wrap for a floral delivery van
• Web designer - creating this website
• Creative writer - publishing "TODDLERHOOD..."
• Wedding singer
• Assistant banquet director
• Technical writer - creating manuals and infographics for physical processes and software
• Educational material designer
• Studying contract law
• Defending my copyrights
• Branding professional - helping small businesses develop their branding guides and public voices

EDUCATION:

• M.A.M.C. Web Design and Online Communication
  ​UF's College of Journalism and Communications
• B.A. Philosophy
  UF's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• 2 years of formal design training: UF's Architectural Design Program
• IB Higher-level Visual Arts
  ​Perfect Score