Meet Artashia Johnson | Engineer, Photo Booth Owner, & STEM Career Advocate

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

Hi Artashia, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m from Hollywood, South Carolina, a small town south of Charleston. I’ve always been a small-town girl with BIG dreams for as long as I can remember! My parents were both huge advocates of education, hard work, and never letting an opportunity pass you by. I graduated Valedictorian from my high school and continued to Clemson University for undergrad where I studied Industrial Engineering graduating with honors. I have one sister who is a Cosmetics Engineer and studied Chemical engineering also at Clemson University. I started my professional career with GE, where I still work today, currently as an Electrical Commodity Leader negotiating million-dollar contracts and working with global suppliers to help build power plants all over the world!

My background, experiences, and most importantly the upbringing my parents afforded me has a huge impact on where I am today. Having a support system and people believing in me and my dreams have made all the difference. What I have learned is to constantly keep learning, have confidence, treat everyone with respect, and to keep dreaming. Because of this I have been able to pursue a career with my engineering degree and follow through on my dreams of being a successful entrepreneur. At the end of the day I want to be an inspiration to people who look like me, who are from a small town, who love math and science, and have big dreams of being their own boss!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
By degree I studied engineering, but I work in supply chain as a Commodity Leader where I am responsible for negotiating contracts with global vendors to supply electrical equipment to help build gas turbines for power plants around the world. As an entrepreneur I own Moments Photo Booth Houston. I launched Moments in July 2020 after enjoying several birthdays, vision board parties, brunches, family gatherings, and events at work and always wanting a fun way to take beautiful photos to save memories with family and friends. Realizing how much people love to take photos at special events, Moments Photo Booth was created.

We offer 2 styles of photo booths, the digital iPad booth which takes photos, GIFS, and Boomerangs and we also have the new 360 photo booth which gives you and your guests the BEST 10 seconds you’ve ever experienced using a photo booth! We provide photo booth rentals for any type of event big or small including non-traditional places such as bars, lounges, retail stores, hotels, universities, and gyms.

Our goal is to give you and your guest an unforgettable experience, offer simple and affordable packages, and great professional service. Our business model is simple…to provide the most affordable photo booth services in Houston, TX! We want everyone to be able to rent high quality photo booth services at a reasonable price point.

I launched my photo booth business in the middle of a pandemic, looking back that was a pretty risky decision! It wasn’t easy but it was so worth it, turns out this was the perfect time to start a business because at this time so many other photo booth companies had closed down. Some of the challenges I faced were finding events, learning how to market the business, and networking. Essentially, I overcame my challenges by reading and learning how to take advantage of online and virtual resources. I also relied on setting up my business operations to run smoothly and professionally.

My brand is all about giving friends and family a fun way to capture pictures to digitally share experiences and special moments. I want to provide my clients with an affordable photo booth experience that will last a lifetime!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First off, one of the things I enjoy the most is hanging out with friends and finding new restaurants in the city! Here’s my list of things to do in Houston:

1. Breakfast Klub
2. Dinner at Joey Uptown
3. Nomad Hookah
4. Ice Cream at Creamistry
5. Rent scooters in Downtown Houston
6. Attend a Houston Rockets basketball game
7. Shopping in Rice Village
8. Happy Hour at Peli Peli
9. Authentic tacos at Brothers Taco House
10. Wine on tap at 60 Vines
11. Brunch at Taste Bar and Kitchen
12. Lunch on the patio at Moxie’s
13. Rooftop drinks at Sunset Bar in EADO
14. Girls Night Out at Thirteen
15. Rent bicycles and tour downtown Houston
16. Go for a run at Memorial Park
17. Mani/Pedi at Heights Nail Salon

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes to my support system, without them my story would definitely be different. Here’s my Tribe:

Parents (Margaret & Kenneth): They sacrificed and taught me the value of education, respect, hard work, and confidence. Their support is priceless.

Sister: Kenetra is my backbone, she always has my back, and knows me better than anyone! She hears all of my crazy dreams and ideas!

Fiancé: Dennis’ unconditional love and support is unmatched, I’m forever grateful for him and all that he’s done to help build a foundation of generational wealth & love for our future family.

Friend/Business Partner: There is no way my photo booth business would be nearly as successful as it is without Dominique. She has been by my side since day one and she’s truly been a blessing to me and my business.

Host of friends who I call my “Houston Crew” and they all have been a critical part in making Houston home for me.

Website: momentshtx.com

Instagram: @MomentsPhotoBooth_Htx

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/artashia/

Facebook: facebook.com/Momentshtx

Other: Email: Info@momentshtx.com

Image Credits
Photos in Pink Jumpsuit: Nyejah Bolds Photography