We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amel Adrian a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Amel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Being a creative is so fulfilling and I feel so lucky to have found my passion at such a young age and be able to spend so many. years developing my style. I started photography at age 10, and it was truly just a passion. I didn’t really aspire to be a professional photographer because I didn’t know it was a career path that I would be able to provide for myself with. I always just shot for fun and out of love for the art, but at about 18, I started making money from my art and realized that I could do this was a career. Being able to make a living off of my photography is something that inspires me every single day, and I feel so aligned and like I’m doing what I was put on this earth to do – express myself through my art. I think its normal as an artist to have some type of doubts, and every now and then I compare myself to my peers who have regular jobs and are more financially stable than me. But I never let that discourage me or sway me from pursuing my dreams, and I know that if I keep working hard and putting my love and energy into my craft, I will succeed. When you’re an artist, you can only achieve what you believe you’re capable of, so I never put limitations on what my success can look like and I just take it day by day and remind myself – I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I’m meant to be doing.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Amel Adrian and I am an LA based film photographer. I got into the photography industry by fate, as it was my childhood passion and developed into a career in my early adulthood. I mainly work with models, music artists, influencers, and other creatives, and I specialize in shooting portraits, events, and behind-the-scenes. One of the things that separates me as an artist is my versatility and adaptability in my ability to meet client needs. Also, my style of film photography has a digital-esque to it and therefor is a great happy-medium for someone who loves the grain and texture of film but the crispness and richness of digital. In 2022, I worked with a variety of very successful music artist and even got to shoot performances at Rolling Loud Miami and Hard Summer. I had been trying to manifest this since the year prior and seeing that dream of mine come to fruition is one of my proudest moments thus far in my career. The main thing I want potential clients/followers/fans to know about my work is that my goal is to capture people in a light that makes them see their true beauty. My mission with my work is to make my clients see themselves in a light that inspires them and gives them confidence. I know how hard it can be to not want to get in front of the camera out of fear that the images won’t be flattering, and it’s something I struggle with and why I’m often not in front of the camera. So I always prioritize capturing people from their most flattering angles so that when they see the images, they feel beautiful and powerful. I also work with clients who aren’t artists or models or influencers, and it’s very important to me that they view themselves as icons, in the way people view the artists and models and influencers I capture as such. Hearing back from my clients how amazing they feel they look always puts a smile on my face because it affirms to me that my goal was achieved.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the continual growth and evolution in my work. Although I am currently the best I’ve ever been at what I do, last year that was my best, and next year I will be better than I am now. I think that continually drives me and motivates me to continue on creating because it truly feels as if there’s no limit to the amount of growth or progress I can achieve in my craft. I love seeing how far I’ve come over the years, and I am open to the flow of my creativity and how it will adapt and evolve alongside me and my perspective.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Although my social media is still growing, in my journey so far I’ve found the most growth by just putting my art out there. I know at times we can get self conscious about the amount of engagement our art receives and it can become a blockage that prevents us from sharing our art. I came up with a saying when reflecting on my blockages around my art: “‘likes’ are only validation for the artist, it doesn’t validate the art itself. The art stands alone.” When I let go of that need for validation through ‘likes,’ and decided that even if I post a picture and it doesn’t get a lot of likes, it doesn’t mean that its a “bad photo,” not only did I noticed the most growth on my page that I’ve ever had but I’ve also felt the most confident and proud of the work I’m creating than I ever have in my life. Moral of the story, just put your work out there! You never know who it could reach and you can inspire!
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: @ameladriann
- Other: Tiktok: @ameladriann