I have many talents and interests that have always seemed to intrigue and fuel me. Although for me the creative nature was always present, I often times get roadblocks or "slum" days where I simply don't have the mental energy or capacity to put in creative effort. With that being said, when I am on fire, I burn an irreplaceable path consisting of original ideas and extraordinary work.
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Personally I am a visual artist but more passionately: A Creative Photographer. Photography is not only my hobby, but also a budding career. I have had countless opportunities as well as career leads surrounding photography and I couldn't be more happy.
Me Photographing In Big Sur, CA.
Finding Inspiration:
Although I have been a photo editor for 6+ years now, I just got into creative photography as well as shoot theme planning and execution. For the last two years, I have now consistently planned, set up, and shot over 30 themed photo shoots. For me, finding inspiration can come from something I see on instagram, to something I see in a magazine or something as simple as a song. Inspiration for me can be just about anywhere and I personally feel more successful creatively when I find inspiration from something so outside my normal box. Below are some creative shoots I planned, shot, and edited.
This was a promo shoot I did for Pashion Footwear when I was a content creator for their company. I remember seeing a cool shoot for a shoe company where they incorporated all different types of shoes so I took this idea and went with the "What do I wear today" type of look. This shoot was not only super fun to create (It took 3+ hours of shooting and 4+ hours of editing) but I was able to use this shot for a lot of banners and social media branding.
One of my first creative shoots for Pashion Footwear. This was a very Breakfast At Tiffany's inspired look with the bold red lip, perfectly manicured hair and blacked out sun glasses. I remember being really inspired by old Hollywood glamor and wanting to make sure this was edited in that glowey, smooth style.
This shoot is one of my earlier creative concept shoots I ever did. This one also took a lot of time due to editing but I remember feeling so empowered after the amazing reviews it got when I posted it on social media.
The Dull Moments and Downfalls:
Some call it "writers block" I call it being in a slum. Every creator has their moments of not feeling particularly creative and then we arguably feel more worse and that makes it harder to come back to a successful position of creativity. I am personally in a moment of slum as I work a full time job and are currently taking three WSU classes. Theres not a lot of free time for me lately to create but that doesn't mean I am not stock piling my ideas because believe me....theres A LOT of them.
As Elizabeth Gilbert mentions in her Ted Talk, when we feel we've reached our creative peak, we're afraid that could be it for us as creators and we'll never again create something as good as that. I have most definitely felt this and it was a really hard door to shut on an opportunity I had but I knew that given the amount of experience I had gained from that specific opportunity, the sky was the limit and I could quite literally create anything I wanted.
Moving Forward:
Yes, I am still in a slum. Yes, I think about it all the time, and yes I plan to create again. I know my creations flow better when I am not stressed or over-worked so I push myself throughout the semester to work hard so I can reward myself on break with doing as many creative things as I can. I will always be a creator at heart and constantly be thinking of new ideas and ways to create. In the meantime, I keep gathering inspiration and coming up with themes for new shoots until I can execute them successfully.