Check Out JOY Olivia’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to JOY Olivia.

JOY, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in the late ’80s—one of five kids in a home that was as chaotic as it was formative. From a young age, I learned to rely on my own curiosity to figure things out. I was an independent thinker, a self-teacher, and a creator—always drawing, painting, and eventually falling in love with photography. The first career I ever told my mom I wanted was to be a National Geographic photographer, a dream that planted the seed for the work I do today.
At 19, I married my first love and, when he joined the Army, we moved to Oahu. I thought, get me out of Missouri! and suddenly found myself surrounded by ocean and mountains instead of cornfields. Those years were beautiful and challenging. The Army meant unpredictability, and his 12–15 month deployments forced me to grow up fast. I learned how to manage life alone in a place far from family, finding ways to create joy and community wherever I landed. That time in Oahu didn’t just teach me resilience—it solidified my independence and gave me the confidence to keep moving forward no matter what life throws at me.
In 2006, as film photography began to fade, I bought my first DSLR and started capturing the island’s landscapes. When my friends began having babies, I turned my camera toward people and discovered the joy of photographing milestones. In 2007, I had my first daughter, and she became my favorite subject. That’s when photography started to feel less like a hobby and more like my calling.
Over the years, I built a portfolio, an entrepreneurial foundation, and eventually welcomed two more daughters. The youngest was born in Colorado Springs, where we settled during my then-husband’s military career. Starting over in a new city meant new clients, fresh branding, and a bigger vision. In 2016, I opened my first photography studio in the heart of Old Colorado City, where I leaned into natural light photography and refined the classic style that would define my brand, Touch of Joy Photography.
Soon after, life shifted. My 11-year marriage ended, and I became a single mother to three girls—then 10, 7, and 3. The studio not only kept my business alive, it connected me to a vibrant creative community of artists, musicians, and poets. Life wasn’t easy, but I kept going—photography remained my anchor while I picked up side work to support my family.
Some of my most inspiring moments have come from traveling—especially my time in Spain and Portugal. The colors, textures, architecture, and street life lit up something inside me, influencing the way I see and photograph the world. Those trips reminded me why I’m endlessly drawn to capturing both people and places: they’re alive with stories.
Fast forward to now: after surviving divorce, breakups, COVID, moves, and a million life lessons, I’m still here—still a photographer, still creating. Recently, I launched a sister brand focused on elopements, micro weddings, and proposals. In April 2025, I let go of my third-floor Old Colorado City studio—not as an ending, but to make space for balance, motherhood, and new passions.
Beyond photography, I’m a musician obsessed with the accordion (self-taught, like most things I do—maybe it’s a left-handed thing). I’m also becoming a writer, working on my first guided notebook and my first book. And my three daughters—now 11, 15, and 18—are charging into their own chapters, with my oldest leaving for college in just days.
At 39, I feel like I’ve lived several lifetimes. Grateful is an understatement.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For me, challenges often arrive disguised as new beginnings. Every fresh start—whether it was moving across the country, reinventing my business, or rebuilding life after personal upheaval—came with its own mix of uncertainty and opportunity.
As a single mother of three, the balancing act has been relentless. There’s no pause button—only constant motion between parenting, running a business, and keeping life afloat. Add in a brain that thrives on creativity but struggles with the structure of ADHD, and staying organized can feel like its own full-time job. My imagination is always running a few steps ahead—daydreams so vivid they sometimes try to pull me off course.
The pandemic was a particularly sharp turning point. Overnight, photography slowed to a standstill, and homeschooling became my new career. It was a season of setting my own ambitions aside to make sure my children had stability in a very unstable world.
Now, my biggest challenge is navigating the rising cost of living and the unpredictability of the economy. Work can ebb and flow in ways it didn’t before. But every single obstacle has also sharpened my adaptability. I’ve learned to pivot quickly, to create opportunity out of thin air, and to trust that—even in the hardest seasons—forward is always possible.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve always loved visual art, but photography is the one that feels most natural to me. It lets me step into someone’s world for a short time and notice things they might not even realize are there—a newborn tucked into their mother’s arms, a couple laughing between poses, a family leaning together without thinking about it. I’m drawn to the real moments more than anything staged.
I work a lot on instinct, watching for small details—a glance, the way a hand rests on someone’s shoulder, the way the light shifts and changes the feel of the whole scene. Those are the moments I want to hold onto. For me, photography is just a way of saying, this mattered.
Maybe that’s why I collect antique photographs. I love the idea that an image can outlive the people in it and still hold their story. In my own work, I’m creating those same kinds of keepsakes—images that will mean something not just now, but years from now.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I’ve struggled with the idea of success for a long time. Like many people, I grew up thinking it was mostly about money—and I’ve questioned myself more times than I can count because of that. But through the process of writing my book, I’ve been redefining what success really means to me.
For me, success is doing what you love, and loving how you do it. It’s finding balance in your personal world. It’s having a flexible schedule so I can be present for my daughters, keeping a creative career alive, and feeling like “work” is actually fun. It’s the drive to keep creating possibilities for myself and my family.
I want my daughters to see that believing in yourself is the real measure of success—and that you can build a life where passion and stability live side by side.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.touchofjoyphotography.com
• Other: https://www.elcaminostphotography.com