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

Hi Lesley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I think my thought process was the fact that I never wanted to follow the rules. I always wanted to work for myself. I didn’t want to have to answer to anyone if I wanted to take a day off or go on vacation or wasn’t feeling well. I started my own housekeeping business young and that ruined me from ever getting a job where I had to have regular hours. I just always figured out a way to hustle and work for myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a photographer. I’ve been in the photography industry for almost 20 years. I started in the early aughts. At the time I was living in Las Vegas and had my own housekeeping business. My ex was a bike builder and I started to take photos of us on the road and eventually that progressed into photographing woman with bikes he was building. So that put me on the path to working with motorcycle and hot rod magazines. I started shooting pinup girls which led to photographing heavily tattooed woman for tattoo magazines. It was not easy. For years I was a housekeeper while I did photography on the side. I was so determined to one day make a living as a photographer that I didn’t give up. I never quit cleaning houses because it allowed me to make my own schedule and keep pursuing photography. It wasn’t until 2013 that I finally quit housekeeping and dove into photography full time.

One of the main lessons I have learned trying to pursue a career in the creative industry is to never compare yourself to others. I spent years obsessing over other peoples work and hating my own. When you do that it blocks you from truly being who you are. Once I stopped worrying about what other were doing or what others thought of my work, everything changed for me. I started to find myself as an artist.

I am not sure what I would want the world to know about my story because my story isn’t over yet. As an artist and a human I am still learning and growing every day. I am also still making mistakes. I can always be and do better. I think that is life. A giant learning experience.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Marfa, Texas. It’s a very tiny town. The city limits is 1.6 square miles with a population of about 1800 people. So there are only so many spots to go. That is what makes it great though. When we have friends or family visit it’s mostly about relaxing and enjoying the wide open space here. I love taking people out to the middle of nowhere at sunset. We have the most brilliant sunsets here. One of my favorite things to do is take people somewhere so they can see the stars. We have some of the darkest skies here so you can see the milky way. I love watching peoples faces when they see it for the first time. My husband was born and raised here so he has a lot of family here still. Having a BBQ with family and laying around in hammocks is honestly my idea of the best time. We also love taking people to surrounding areas like Alpine and Fort Davis. It’s beautiful out here. If you come to visit me, just prepare to relax and pretty much do nothing. Marfa is a place to unwind and leave all the city stuff behind you.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mother and my husband. My Mum always encouraged me to be myself. No matter how I dressed, what I did to my hair, or what crazy idea I had to make a living, she’s always supported me. I was somewhat of a difficult teenager. I went through some hard times. Eating disorders, dealing with depression, and dabbling in drugs. She was there for me through all of it. She never judged me. I think because of that, I didn’t go down a darker path. I had some troubles like all teenagers do, but she allowed me to make mistakes and figure stuff out.

My husband has also been an amazing supporter of my weird and crazy ideas. Sometimes being the sole bread winner while I take a chance to start a new business, rebrand, or open a gallery. Not all of these things have been successful. He has always supported and encouraged me even when plans fail. He even learned photography so he could be my assistant when I shot weddings. Last August I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and have been going through treatment for the past year. He has been by my side through all of it. I am so grateful for the day he was born.

Website: marfalite.com

Instagram: @lesleybrown

Facebook: facebook.com/shymarfa

Other: You can find my online store at shymarfa.com

Image Credits
Photo of me looking out into the canyon was taken by Sarah Vasquez Photo titled “Villarreals” is a self portrait I took of me, my husband Junie, and our two dogs Juanita and Lupita

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.