Meet Emma Watts | Film and Music Photographer + Vintage Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma Watts and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think of risk as an act of surrender to the Universe – and one of the greatest gifts you could offer yourself. It’s the knowing that taking a chance on yourself could lead to the next great unfolding, the discovering of a new light in your inner world.. or at the very least, help to steer you back to the drawing board + identify what is not aligned with your values and goals. It’s shown to me that, on the other side of the ridiculous nerves, doubt, and anxiety, is one of two things: Fulfillment, or redirection towards what will ultimately serve me that fulfillment.

Risk has proven to be an essential teacher on the path of getting to know myself, in both my professional + personal life. Because of this, I’m now more confident in pursuing lines of work that are nonconventional, and not seen as a “necessity”. Risk has been such a guiding force in having real world experiences that help me understand more of my big “Why” behind all of these projects.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As someone with one too many irons in the fire, it’s a funny task trying to pin down a specific title or genre of my work. I started off solely focused as concert photographer, co-founding a music publication called Honey Punch Mag with my sister in 2017, after I graduated highschool and had no desire for college. Music continuously plays such an important role in my life, and has been a friend to me always, so it only felt right to honor that by creating a platform to highlight it and the culture it creates.

Over the past few years of working temporary jobs and trying to figure out who I was – I’ve discovered a deep interest for astrology + tarot, which inspired me to take the leap of creating my own business, Future Freaks Co. I’m now beginning to incorporate my personal gifts, with a lifelong love for all things Vintage, and photography, to merge together the worlds of the physical + historical, and the metaphysical.

By day: it’s pop-up markets, meeting up with folks for tarot or birth chart readings, or selling vintage clothing + home goods through my online shop.

By night: it’s photographing concerts and soaking up the high energy of an excited crowd, connecting with other creatives in the music scene, or planning out the next event to showcase local talent.

Some of my favorite experiences in music include having one of my photos used as Patty Griffin’s album cover, running with Izzy Bizu through bouts of confetti on the floor a Coldplay concert as they played my favorite song, and photographing Austin City Limits one year – where the crowd for Cage The Elephant was so jam packed and full of life that it lifted me off the ground and knocked my shoes off, LOL.

Trying to create balance between personal and collaborative work with such different activities as the topic has been the biggest learning curve, one where I definitely find myself caught in a limbo every now and then. The biggest cure to that feeling of overwhelm is for me to keep up with a meditation + gratitude practice. It always seems to humble me and calm a racing mind, to remember that I get to do even *one* of these things that I love so dearly. And get paid!

Although I have nothing like a “5 year Plan” set in stone, I continue on this creative living path of letting my intuition guide me towards the things that light me up the most.

A great lesson I’ve learned is the importance of being your own advocate. “If you don’t ask, it’s always going to be a no.”

I would say my ultimate “why” behind what I do, is to play my part in creating community amongst others, and to do what I can to support someone else’s personal and creative growth based on their unique traits and gifts.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
With my roots in eccentric Tulsa, Oklahoma – I’d be jam packing this week with a mix of historical + modern experiences for my group of visitors.

For food and drink, I’d have to introduce them to Roosevelts, Kilkennys Irish Pub, Bohemian Pizza, or Linda Mar for delicious bites – and Hodges Bend, Vintage Wine Bar, or Saturn Room Tiki Bar for a nightcap.

For shopping around, we’d head to the vintage mall Love Me Two Times, where there’s something for everyone, then we’d be off to the historic Route 66 “Meadow Gold District”.

Buck Atoms Cosmic Curios would be our first stop, where we’d visit the 21ft Space Cowboy statue, standing tall next to his googie style 1950’s gas station, that’s been turned into one of Tulsa’s most admired gift shops. We’d pop inside for delicious locally made ice cream, shopping, and laughs with the true visionary, Mary Beth Babcock, the owner and creator of Buck’s.

For some interactive fun, we’d have to make our way to the Center of the Universe to experience an acoustic phenomenon, then right next door to
AHA Museum. This beautiful hub of local art, with the top floor of the museum dedicated as the Drop-in Creative Exploration and Discovery Lab – is where we’d create our very own works of art using a slew of donated objects, tools, and supplies.

It wouldn’t be a complete trip to Tulsa if we didn’t make some room to be a little “woo woo”.

Peace of Mind bookstore on Cherry Street would be our stomping grounds for an afternoon, where we’d get Aura readings + browse through the isles of books and tools of the metaphysical world.

Lastly, we’d visit the legendary Cain’s Ballroom, built in 1924, for a night or two of live music and dancing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Much of my growth is due to the works of my favorite astrologers + tarot readers, personal development girlbosses, and authors. I’d love to extend my gratitude to Natalia Benson, Chani Nicholas, Erin Claire Jones, Kino Carey, The Almost 30 Podcast, and Elizabeth Gilbert – for offering their insight and services to those of us who are on the journey of cleaning up their act, building self trust and confidence, and creating a deep connection with an intangible power.

Flashback to 2020, during one of my -scrambling for money in the midst of self doubt- periods,

I read Elizabeth Gilberts book “Big Magic; Creative living beyond fear.”

This is a line that changed everything for me:

“What you absolutely must not do is turn around and walk out. Otherwise, you will miss the party, and that would be a pity, because—please believe me—we did not come all this great distance, and make all this great effort, only to miss the party at the last moment.”

The concept is, there is an internal creative genius on a mission to co-create, and if I don’t answer their call, a grand idea could fly off and land with someone else who will.

This gives me the necessary reminder that, I’d much rather experience the momentary anxiety + fear that’s keeping me from sharing my gifts, than to keep hidden away and never know what could’ve been.

Website: emmawattsphoto.com

Instagram: emmawhatts

Other: Vintage Shop: Future Freaks Co on Etsy @FutureFreaksCo on IG Honey Punch Mag honeypunchmag.com @honeypunchmag