This episode is part of the JoyProject podcast.



Smartphones have turned all of us into photographers. We take pictures of our friends and family, our food, pets, art, selfies, sunsets, gorgeous vistas. If we can see it, we're taking photos of it. Smartphones changed the way we see and capture our world and experiences.

Less than a year before the pandemic started, photographer Amy Selwyn gave herself a gift that completely and unexpectedly changed nearly every aspect of her life. A trip to Cuba not only transformed her career, but it gave her a totally new way of seeing the world and her place in it.

At the end of the podcast, I share something that brought me joy this week related to the episode. As she adjusts her life to make room for making more art, she’s downsizing her home. That inspired me to re-arrange my own home and declutter my life. Apartment Therapy is an Instagram account and website that offers fantastic ideas on how to organize and decorate a small space for it’s beautiful and functional.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- How Amy got interested in photography

- Traveling to Cuba and falling in love with street photography

- The joy of being a beginner

- Discovering and living out your passions at any age

- Mental health and the artist mindset

Links to resources:

- Amy on Instagram – @amyselwynphotographer

- Amy on Twitter – @amyselwyn

- Amy’s website – amyselwyn.photography

- Christa on Twitter – @christanyc

- Christa on Instagram – @christarosenyc

- Christa on Facebook – @AuthorChrista

- Christa on Medium – @christaavampato

- Christa on TikTok – @christanyc

- Christa’s website – ChristaAvampato.com

- Apartment Therapy - www.apartmenttherapy.com



About Amy:



Amy Selwyn is a writer and fine arts photographer, and an utterly devoted dog mom to a sassy and adorable French Bulldog.

Amy spent over 35 years working for and with news organizations around the world, including the BBC, The New York Times, the European Broadcasting Union,  and The Associated Press. Stories and storytelling are a lifelong passion.

Amy is currently in a 3-year MFA program at Maine Media in Rockport, Maine, studying photography. This month, Amy will have one of her works in a juried show at the South East Center For Photography in Greenville, South Carolina.

Originally from Hartford, CT, Amy and her beloved pup are currently based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

#photography #art #photograph #artist #joy #travel