Have you ever had the desire to go back in time and speak to a younger version of yourself? I would say most people have, whether it be for words of encouragement, advice or maybe even a warning. This blog, my first blog, is not only something I wish 12-year-old me could hear, but it’s also me trying to become childlike again. I hope others, younger and older, find some takeaways from this blog, even if it is merely for entertainment.

Allow me to introduce myself.

My name is John Michael Hoyt, owner of Elevate Events photo booth rentals, where we currently specialize in event photo booth rentals and interactive photography. I am 22 years old, and am actually happy for the first time in years. Let me give you a little history. I am certainly not banking, I am not doing what I thought was expected of me from others, and I have disappointed myself along with others many times along the path of getting where I am right now. I am also not 100% certain that I’m on my eternal path.

The human experience is vast and intimidating, and many would argue more so with the connectivity and instantaneous lifestyle that technology has brought us. While The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children should be limited to an hour or less of screen time a day (including for educational purposes), the truth is much different. By age 4, the average screen time is already up to 4 hours a day in America. In my opinion, this seriously takes the kid out of being a kid. We all know the scariness of the internet. People posting pictures of their perfect lives, a constant and twisted narrative of what sex and relationships are supposed to be, games that require no more than the swipe of a finger yet flood the brian with dopamine, along with millions of other quick fixes we are all too familiar with. For me, and many others, these influences will drive you to a point of no longer thinking for yourself, which eliminates the chance of having a sense of identity and, ultimately, happiness. Now that I have my own business I definitely spend hours on a screen daily; however, I try to make it mostly educational and/or productive towards sales. This being said, I am no professional, so I mostly speak from my own experience along with observing others. These devices and applications were certainly a factor in my past mental downfalls for reasons I could write an entire other blog about. Long story short I fell into a routine of getting my fulfillment from online activities, and other non-productive, or even destructive real-life habits that were surely promoted to me by the internet. I have never been the type of person to take advice from others, and although I have now learned to ask for help and listen to people whom I admire, it is not in my nature. This, along with my quick dopamine mentality was not a healthy combination. This diminished my thinking, and left my real-world self as a self-described pinball, bouncing around with no real or intrinsic purpose. I even lost some of my morals.

I tried going to school, and although I have not ruled it out for my future, I did not have the passion to continue. I considered locking in with a great company such as Apple or Chick-Fil-A and working my way up, but the lack of creative power held me back from pursuing those options. I was neither enthralled nor overly inspired by either of these paths. I was mildly creative, making music, writing poems, doing open mics, etc. But none of these were my passion either, and were often derived from boredom and hours of online inspiration. This also did not seem like a promising path, especially if I desired financial freedom at some point in my life. You may be wondering how any of this bouncing around led me to being a part of the wedding photography industry.

The best decision I made was unraveling my shrimped neck from the devices and, instead, looking to see what real people I admired were doing with their lives on their own search for happiness. I noticed that not everyone, even those whom I looked up to, were certain of their destiny. They were, however, doing something they enjoyed with goals and focused efforts. One of the first people I looked to was my mother, Misty, owner of Photography by Misty, who specializes in Event Photography and Corporate Event Photography. A couple other people who lived in a way that was admirable to me were my grandpa (also a business owner), and Mark Cuban, whose name speaks for itself. I had attended my cousin’s wedding, and at the reception they had a wedding photo booth, and I absolutely loved the energy that it brought into the room (not to mention the awesome photos). Due to my desperation for a path, my mother’s willingness to help with professional photography training, and my cart-before-the-horse-nature, I decided to open an event photo booth business. Despite this seeming so crazy and unplanned, it was the best decision I ever made.

Like everything else in life, it is so much more difficult than you think it could be. However, like everything else in life, it is so much easier than you think it could be -- once you start. My aforementioned dopamine detox, or internet detox, was an incredible first step to getting to know myself and set real life goals. Getting a second job at UPS to help save money and have consistent supportive income was a splendid second step. Researching the industry and doing basic photography training was an intelligent third step. Quitting my first job to have time to work on my photo booth skills and marketing was a sacrificial fourth step. Then irony struck as I realized marketing, researching, working with the screen-based photo booth, and networking (especially with COVID-19), were shoving my face right back into computer screens. Before I start sounding too contradictory, I should explain the difference between my screen-time now. I used to watch non-informative youtube videos, scroll aimlessly down instagram and twitter, look at overpriced clothing online, text funny videos to my friends and stare at artists’ work that I could not afford. These kept me occupied, but left me feeling empty inside. Now, I watch training videos on YouTube, scroll through wedding and quinceanera facebook pages, look at future assets or investments for business, call potential clients, and look at inspiring art created by others in my industry (I’m also learning Spanish online via Pimsleur). This not only keeps me occupied, but also drives me toward my goals, thus leaving me feeling fulfilled.

I am living very much paycheck to paycheck, have emptied my savings, and have outlandish goals rather than a solidified long-term plan. I am happier than I have been in years. I owe this to a few things: utilizing technology to be a producer, rather than a consumer; learning something new everyday (lots of reading and audiobooks); and listening to my heart as well as role models rather than the cultural clutter of today’s world. This topic branched my mind into so many directions and anecdotes. However, I want to keep this brief, leaving things to discuss in my future blogs. Hopefully I’ve intrigued you enough to come back and hear more. To sum it up for my 12-year-old self and others: make sure the time you spend is toward habits you want to shape your future. My promise to you? You are sure to feel more childlike again.