Check Out Sheri Oneal’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheri Oneal.

Sheri Oneal is a commercial photographer, a mixed media artist, a writer, and an educator in Nashville. Her work shows compassion, strength, and beauty by bringing a storytelling spirit to every assignment. Her photography specialties include environmental portraits, travel, architecture, product, and still life. Her art is created by reconditioning old things… wire chipped paint on wood, rusty metal, string, and items that have interesting shapes and angles into unique visual art pieces.

Sheri enjoys sharing introspective ideas, creative imagery, and concepts with others. She is passionate about capturing an element of history through her creative storytelling efforts. Her desire is to connect on an emotional level, to bring people together, and to offer something beautiful that will outlive her in time.

As a kid growing up in a rural area Sheri developed an interest in art, writing, and photography in an effort to battle her loneliness. After attending photography school in Daytona Beach she had planned to transfer to UF for a bachelor’s in journalism but a series of personal events led her to Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 20, she landed steady freelance assisting work with Three Score, an in-house catalog production studio. They developed, designed, and provided photography for Macy’s and other catalog retailers. There she was able to learn about set design, styling, art direction, how to use large 8 x 10 format cameras, and studio lighting for food, product, and fashion. Feeling homesick when the freelance work ran out over the holiday season, she returned to Florida to be closer to her family.

Deciding to start over in Orlando, Sheri fell into steady freelance work with Wiley & Flynn, two commercial photographers who worked with Siemens, Universal Studios, Hilton, and Golf resorts across the country. Over the course of 10 years, Sheri worked as a darkroom tech, photo assistant, set designer, prop and set stylist, and eventually as an associate photographer for W&F. Over time, they expanded their commercial clientele specializing in food photography shooting ads for Red Lobster, Olive Garden, The Cooker, and others.

Grateful for what she had learned from her mentors Robert Wiley and Rusty Flynn, in 1996 Sheri left to go out on her own. Spreading her wings she opened a 1500 square foot commercial photography space and went on to do work with commercial clients shooting advertising, editorial, and publishing assignments.

Sheri moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2001 and continues to work as a commercial photographer shooting healthcare, advertising, editorial, and architecture assignments. Her clients include Averitt Express, Baptist Hospital, CBS, Cirque Du Soleil, Cleveland Clinic, Cracker Barrel, Florida Sports Network, Gateway Health System, Gaylord Entertainment, Georgia Trust Bank, Golf Magazine, Harcourt Inc., Hard Rock Cafe, INC Magazine, Nashville Predators, Opry Entertainment, Red Cross, Scholastic Book Fairs, Tennessee Hospital Association, The Discovery Channel, The National Arthritis Foundation, Titans of Nashville, United Way, Vanderbilt Health, Warner Chappell Music, and Westin Nashville.

As an artist Sheri creates mixed media assemblage art, writes, and enjoys educating and motivating others. Over the years, she has offered workshops, consulted working professionals, and taught photo and business courses. She was the founder of a 2010 Nashville flood relief organization “ReTune Nashville” and she cares deeply about people, education, and the environment.

When COVID-19 locked down Nashville, work in the commercial photography market paused for most of the year. During that time, Sheri decided to develop an online platform to share her talent as a photographer, an artist, and a writer. She began writing for a new Nashville startup publication Launch Engine, launched a new educational website, and started an artist interview series called The Creative Push. The March launch of the educational platform Learn and Create, currently has her developing creative content and courses that will soon be publically available. Using decades of business experience as a photographer and creative, Sheri will soon offer online content and inspiration for others interested in learning more about art, creativity, and business.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The path along the way was difficult. I worked in the commercial photography field early on when women were scarce in that market. It was difficult to navigate, there were a lot of male egos to attend with, and a lack of opportunity. It was a time when sexual harassment existed and was not acknowledged, we just brushed off the comments and accepted that it was a part of the culture. I often found that men couldn’t think past a female face and often judged my physical ability without allowing me the opportunity to prove myself. I chose to find and build my own opportunities rather than try and live up to the ideals of those in the industry at the time.

Today it is much easier for women and we have gained more respect in the workforce. I do feel that today’s photography market is much more watered down and the technical knowledge is much different than it was in the past. There are pros and cons that come with all of the changes the digital era has created.

One thing that continues to concern me as a creative is that artists continue to short-change themself with the value of their work. A strong knowledge of pricing and negotiating is often missing with creatives in business. The ability to believe in yourself while knowing the market value of your work is vital to working as an artist no matter what path you are on. Selling your work at a lower rate due to a lack of confidence or knowledge not only hurts you but also the industry. A common thread with art through history is that business-minded people often capitalize on the art of a creator because of this mindset. It’s something I want to educate artists about and help them understand their worth. Confidence is an important part of that process and I hope that will be a valuable part of the new learning platform I am developing. I am building a creative community to help educate artists using my own experience as a business owner.

COVID brought all kinds of challenges for change in my life both personally and with business. I realized I needed an online platform to sell art outside of offering assignment work which is primarily what I do. It gave me the time to learn some new skills, explore opportunities and rethink what I want in the future.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My photography work has always been assignment driven but I am now working on selling years of imagery from my more than 30 years as a creative. Outside of commercial work I create visual art pieces repurposing things such as wire, wood, rusty metal, string, and items that have interesting shapes and angles. I also create photography series of personal work that include travel imagery, still life, and people in their natural surroundings. Many times these projects also include writing content and blogging which I enjoy and am working toward doing more of in the future.

I have always enjoyed inspiring people through creativity, sharing ideas, and building close relationships. I want to bring people together and offer inspiring stories through vulnerability. There is a wonderful beauty in knowing something intimate and meaningful about a stranger. Educating others allows me to connect all of my creative skill sets and offer something unique.

The lockdown that COVID created gave me the realization that I need to work harder at putting myself out there virtually. I struggle with being in front of a camera sharing what I do, something the younger generation thrives on. I hate having to ask for help and I find it difficult to talk about myself but I am working harder to grow in these areas. I am finishing up on some book ideas, online courses, fine art imagery, and other fun things that will be available soon to purchase online. I want to change the dynamics of my work, my career, and my future moving forward and I am excited for what lies ahead!

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
In the past year, Justin Stokes has been a wonderful mentor and coach with my journey to becoming a better writer. Artists Randy L. Purcell and Val Adams have helped inspire and motivate me with our weekly business mentoring sessions. These experiences led to my starting the online artist interview series The Creative Push in March. That resulted spontaneously in creating and launching a podcast on May 26th. Now I am flying by the seat of my pants enjoying the ride to wherever these things lead me in the future!

She is available for freelance work, commissioned art pieces, and editorial & advertising assignments.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.sherioneal.com/
  https://learnandcreate.com/
  https://learnandcreate.com/the-creative-push/
  https://www.inspirationavenue.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherionealphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/learnandcreateclasses/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherioneal
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sherionealphotography
• Other: https://learnandcreate.com/the-creative-push/

Image Credits
All images are © 2021 Sheri Oneal except the sepia-toned B&W personal photo of the Sheri Oneal, That is ©2021 Tamara Reynolds