Today we’d like to introduce you to Bradley Joyce
Bradley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The origins of my current passions trace back to my youth, when I was one of those “kids with a camera”, always making videos with my friends. So, throughout my teen years and through my twenties, I naively aspired to be a big-time Hollywood filmmaker. A potential future I am glad did not come to pass in our timeline.
Throughout the years, I developed a passion for photography. At first, I used this to make money, photographing families, babies, special events for my town, etc. Though I was making some extra pocket change, it wasn’t very fulfilling. Then, around 2020, I stumbled into the realm of toy photography and the amazing community behind it. It was only natural for me to combine my love for action figures and photography. As such, most of my efforts have been put into improving my skills in this craft.
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?
It has been far from a smooth road, if not for anything other than indecision on my part. In my mid-20s, my health was rapidly deteriorating and I had no idea why. I was very neglectful when it came to taking care of myself. So, unbeknownst to me at the time, I suffer from type-1 diabetes. This unhealthy propensity of mine hit its peak in 2018 when I was at my lowest and had all but given up on every dream I ever had. At this point, I had determined that my ambitions far exceeded any talent or skill I may have.
Then in that July, I was forced to face my out-of-control diabetes when I had to have my left leg amputated below the knee. It was truly a tragic, yet truly enlightening event. During my recovery, in addition to getting my disability under control, I focused on making myself right within. Essentially, I had to teach myself to love who I am and not take life for granted. Also, during this journey of self-discovery, I realized that satisfying my innate desire for creativity does not have to result in an unrealistic profit or a massive following on social media. I learned that completing any creative project is satisfying enough to keep me going.
The next big hurdle was one shared with the entire world. The pandemic was a scary time, for sure. However, I found the mandatory isolation beneficial to my soul-searching efforts. During this stint of forced loneliness, I manifested a fascination for toy collecting. I was bitten by the bug and have been suffering its effects ever since.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Once I received my prosthetic leg, it was on! In the intervening six years since, I began my photography side hustle, directed a short fan film based on the “Halloween” franchise, helped with the filming and editing of a couple of music videos, wrote several film reviews, and did a handful of collaborative projects with other creators.
However, more recently it has been my passion for toy and cosplay photography that I have become associated with by others. I created “Box of Scraps Studio” in the wake of said passion, with the hopes to expand beyond my photography.
While I am proud to begin such an adventure, I take the most pride in the noticeable trail of progression that is evident when looking at my work. I have a firm “forever a student” approach to life. True masters do not exist, there is always more knowledge out there.
I still yearn to earn a comfortable living by being a part of the entertainment landscape. I found that there are so many other forms of storytelling that don’t depend on budgets that surpass the total GDP for some countries. Through Box of Scraps Studio, it is my great ambition to form a group of creators that will focus on storytelling across several mediums. Hopefully, most of these endeavors will consist of collaborations with several artists on many different platforms.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up in a pretty poor family, I spend most of my time in my imagination, creating stories and acting them out with my wrestling action figures. The Undertaker is a professional entertainer, sure, but he also moonlighted as a vigilante superhero on an occasion or two. At least he did within the childlike illusions of a young Bradley.
My interests were not too far removed from what they are now. Cartoons, video games, comic books, etc. Born as a geek, live as a geek, and die as a geek.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ko-fi.com/boxofscrapsstudio22
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boxofscrapsstudio/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559029802410
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BoxofScrapsStudio2022
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Boxofscrapsstudio
