We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alina Starunskaya a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alina, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I am adopted from Russia, into an American household, more specifically Washington state (PNW). Where I grew up very christian. I was heavily involved in the church world and youth group world, bible studies, everything! In this I also was apart of “mission trips”. After dropping out of college at PSU after only four days…I went and took a major risk to be one of the very few (especially at the time in 2015) to bail on school and choose to live instead. I was so scared at the time ofcourse and everyone around me was under the impression anyone who doesn’t go to college/ higher education will for sure end up homeless or on drugs etc! I’ve always had a strong sense of self as my up bringing curated and nurtured this so well and fully. So I embarked on many travels around the world and lived abroad for many years at a time, picking up my camera again and shooting people — my all time favorite subject! My photos gained a lot of power and strength during this time as I was incredibly bold and confident traveling solo a lot. I practiced shooting to make art, tell a story, and just to pass time while I was on my own. I have truly always been the kind of girl to take risks, small or big in my life. Going against “societal norms” and showing others, inspiring others to carve their own path that is unique to them and not the status quo. All of this, life of adventure after adventure has continued all the way to living in New York. My photos had a chance to gain dimension and I got better at story telling through the photos I take. I have never looked back on, or regretted my decision to drop out of college after four short days. The experiences I was able to make space for and the amazing people I have met through all the travels and humanitarian lives I’ve lived is something I can cherish forever and feel honored to have been courageous enough to step off the beaten path and believe in the unknown places, and people.
Alina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a photographer/videographer, I have been shooting for over 12 years now. In the midst of the journey I have shot an array of things: weddings, family photos, engagement photos, infant photos, senior pictures, fashion, musicians, cover art, events, models, and brands! I believe what makes me strong at this craft is my eye/ vision for pieces and collaborating well with any client I work with. A skill I have noticed and gotten much feedback about is my ability to gain trust of my clients in a short period of time, and also opening up a space of comfort and beauty. Where people actually feel some confidence in front of the camera when they don’t normally. I love shooting people in their element; this is what makes shooting models and musicians quite fun! Capturing moments and angles others may not be considering. I communicate very well with clients from the beginning and make sure expectations are set, and we are on the same page so there are no surprises later. Because I have been shooting for so long while still being young (27) I have much room for growth and new concepts but also have had my camera(s) by my side for a long time helping me flow with my gear and have a good relationship with the technology. I love trying new techniques for editing photo/ video as this is something I am looking to dive into more the coming years. I really make it a top priority for my art/ shots to encompass story telling and feelings. I aim to have the world see what I see. Sometimes that is best through a single unedited photo, sometimes it’s the post edit that adds the spice and flavor to the shot making it my unique glimpse into our world :)
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the gift and freedom to flow as you are. Less rigid lines to conform to (though there still are some). And the ability to explore and play with many mediums and be appreciated and praised for stepping out, trying something new. It’s completely opposite of the roles in society. The world loves art, we would be nothing without it! All of humanity can find and build a relationship with art forms and it speaks to everyone. So being an artist and being able to be apart of that, is a huge honor.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Society could for one, make it a more balanced economy for artists to thrive financially. I think that’s one of the hardest, if not the hardest battles for all/ most artists is the essence that they must have other job to survive and pay the bills then they can do their art. I wish and pray it was more on the forefront of the mind. That we as a whole were all seen as the artists we are uniquely. This is power as a society and structure, not something to fear. So I wish more jobs allowed art to be involved somehow— even if that’s through hiring a muralist to decorate their office, or hiring a band to play for a lunch break. The best thing humankind has is creativity of imagination, and working together as play bouncing off ideas from one another. That’s pure collaborating and our society would benefit immensely if we viewed this life as such.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astarunskaya/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/anna.bridge.7/
