We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angie Mejia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Angie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

The first time I earned money as a photographer happened in January 2021. My friend Mandy, had reached out to me to take photos of her. I had set up a small price sheet that could help compensate what I have to spend in doing this as a hobby. She had reached out to me and let me know that she wanted to do package 3 at the time which was just $140. I was very surprised that she had trusted me so much with these photos and willing to work with me at her expense. I was elated and wondering where else I can go with this.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Angie, I am a photographer and the creative director for Kiki The Brand. I had been photographing since 2019, more so as a hobby. I was doing photoshoots with my friends and putting them into clothing I would find. I had learned that I enjoyed looking for places, styling, and controlling all aspects of a project most importantly, photographing. As I kept doing projects with friends, they would give me random words of encouragement making me feel as if I was really meant to keep going. I did not have much confidence back then when it came to seeing myself as a photographer, hell, I just really did what I thought would make me happy to see after I develop a photo. Then, people started giving me chances to do things for them, help them capture a special moment of their lifetime or creating atmospheres to immerse themselves in. I think my vibrant photos capture nostalgia in a unique way. I feel like my style has become dream-like and separates me from others.

I am most proud of my work I have done at Kiki the Brand, as a creative director, I have helped set up campaigns, castings, reaching out to other talents such as graphic designers and illustrators. I have done things I would have never thought I would have the chance to do. I had also gained new communicating skills and more resources to create greater visions.

I want my followers to know that if there is something that I can really feel good about, it is my photography, always. It is what feels the most surreal to me. I love when people compliment my work by saying things such as “I’ve never met someone as passionate and attentive as you.” It really feels so gratifying.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Personally, the most rewarding aspect is the community. I never felt like I was becoming apart of a community until I started going out and meeting others who do photography as well. I’ve met a lot of genuine people that actually offer to help me like lending me their equipment and sharing their knowledge with me. I also like that I am a fly on the wall sometimes when it comes to shooting events, I learn a lot about different people and how their worlds are.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I would say the best thing to do to show support would be to show up for their friends and local creatives. Showing up could mean either reposting artists’ work, commenting or merely just showing love. Society could learn a thing or two on how important creatives are to anything in life. Media runs the world in many aspects, we need audio & visual for everything, such as; advertising, marketing, important life events, concert visuals, music videos, and music artists profiles.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angievero.net
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/angie.vero
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/angievero_