Life & Work with Willym Brown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Willym Brown. 

Willym, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Willym Brown, which is an alteration of my birth name William given to me by my father after his step-father. It’s an alteration because my father hated his stepfather. My story is a strange, sad story. One day I should write a memoir. 

I’m originally from Kansas City born and raised. My childhood was very rough and I was always a shy quiet person. Even speaking to me at a young age I would cry from the embarrassment of having to answer. My upbringings were in a conservative and controlling household full of abuse and addiction. At home as well as school I felt like an outcast. Kansas City has a lot of conservative folks and I was in a lot of ways masking who I was— a queer. 

I moved in my early 20s and traveled to a few states busking for money. I wanted to be a songwriter. I felt like if I just put myself out there the universe will carry me. I even once ran into Dave Rawlings at 3 am on a park bench, picking on Gillian Welch’s banjo, and thought, “this is my big break”. It wasn’t and though we played for a while he told me to find my own voice. 

I moved to Boulder 2014 and continued to pursue music and though I made some money, Rawlings was right. It wasn’t my voice because I truly believe now it wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing. In 2018 I bought my first camera and for the first time what I was wanting to say, and show I could and through my own voice (or eye). 

I came out around 2015-2016 as a queer-pansexual and a gender-fluid/ gender non-conforming person 2019. I stopped singing songs as a heterosexual male and started taking photos as a queer person. I started advocating for others, educating myself on social politics. My subject matter began to change and my work became more meaningful. 

2020 I moved home out of necessity. Coming out of a bad relationship and also much of my commission work being lost due to quarantine I didn’t have too many choices. One thing was becoming more apparent to me moving back to Kansas City— the gaze of heteronormativity. The judgment was hard to deal with. The lack of progressive thought. I knew I needed to connect with a community I never had a chance to connect with when I grew up here and I started working on a project that depicts these issues. I started making conceptual fine art erotic photos around queer intimacy. Feral Little Creatures is what I’m calling it and it’s nowhere near being close to done 

Feral Little Creatures explores sensuality and disgust. A forced perspective queer folx have experienced at one point in their lives. Working on a personal level with queer-identifying folx we explore their love-hate relationship with themselves through the lens or erotic fine art. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s never a smooth road. I’ve experienced houseless living, abuse, trauma, addiction. We overcome and persevere. Now I’m sober and I’m a far way away from where I was years before. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a photographer, I do a lot of different gigs. My commission work revolves around model portfolio building, brand work, and destination elopements, couples’ photos, lifestyle photos. I also create fine art around queer intimacy and definitely am the most proud of this work though I genuinely love doing elopements. 

What are your plans for the future?
I’ve in the last year or two tried focusing on passive income as well as consistent bookings. Really trying to build my brand to flow within my commission work I do with elopements. I want to be a “the” queer elopement photographer. 

Pricing:

• $1200 elopement photography
• $350 creative sessions

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.strawberryhive.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/strawberry_hive?utm_medium=copy_link
• Other: https://instagram.com/willym_brown_photography?utm_medium=copy_link

Image Credits
Ari Bonner
Victor Andi-JoiGee
Emerald Boes
Denym Aphrodyte
Garrett Chappell
Emanuel Murry
Logan Nichols
Sondria Wilson
Amanda Jo Jefferies