We recently connected with Angini Pai and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Angini thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am quite happy with my decision to pursue a career in the creative field, particularly in photography. The dynamic and diverse nature of this profession constantly leads me to new places, which is one of the things I like most about it. I’m consistently engaged, and monotony is almost non-existent.

There’s also a sense of accomplishment in building and managing my own business. It requires a wide array of skills, making it intellectually stimulating and rewarding. While I’ve experienced the stability that comes with traditional employment in the past, I found it to be less fulfilling compared to the autonomy and creativity that working freelance affords me. Admittedly, there are moments where I long for the security of a steady paycheck, but I firmly believe that the trade-offs are worth it.

I’ve also realized that struggle is part of life, regardless of the field you’re in. I believe it’s important to choose battles wisely and pursue something you genuinely enjoy. I deeply value the amount of freedom I have while working freelance, even though it comes with a lot of responsibility and no safety nets. Whenever I have second thoughts about my choices, I try to think about everything that the life I chose affords me and if I’d be willing to give that away. I usually don’t.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sure! I’m a Swiss freelance photographer based in the very beautiful city of Lausanne. I take mostly portraits, and I shoot mostly outdoors, even though I have recently been doing more studio work. Like many photographers, I began taking photos with what I had, in other words, a pretty cheap camera with a single lens, natural light, and some friends (lucky me!). I’ve always preferred nature over cities, so it felt right to me to shoot in locations such as forests, fields, parks, and the lakeside, which I absolutely love. The constraint of shooting in natural light made me fall in love with direct sunlight and creating strong contrasts in my images.

But to tell you more about how I got where I am now, I guess my journey as a photographer seriously began back in 2019 when I was in college. A good friend of mine encouraged me to take more portraits, and it just clicked. Despite initially aspiring to become a filmmaker, I discovered how much I enjoyed the process of photography. It became a natural outlet for me to share my perspective of beauty and connect with others. As an overthinker, I love how portrait photography forces me to take action quickly and efficiently, but I also love the way it makes me connect with my subject.

Storytelling has always been what I enjoyed the most. Even as a kid, I found myself creating stories everywhere I looked—even the objects on my desk had their own lives and characters. Whether I was drawing, writing, singing, or putting on (admittedly terrible) plays with my neighbor that my poor parents had to watch, storytelling was always at the heart of what I did. And to this day, I still dream of making a movie someday because, for me, cinema is the most captivating way of bringing stories to life.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

While I might not have a single epic resilience story to share just yet, I’ve definitely had my fair share of tough moments along the way. Real resilience, I’ve come to understand, is all about sticking to your choices despite the challenges that come your way.

When I first decided to pursue photography as a career, let’s just say my parents weren’t exactly jumping for joy. They’d often nudge me towards what they considered a “real job.” Even now, I still get the occasional eyebrow raise from folks questioning if I can really make a living out of this passion of mine.

And let’s not forget the rollercoaster ride that is the world of art and entrepreneurship. From dealing with clients who weren’t thrilled with my work to facing some pretty harsh critiques from professors during my art school days, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. It can sting when you’ve poured your heart into something only to have it torn apart. But through it all, my love for photography and storytelling has kept me going. Even when the road ahead seemed uncertain, I stayed true to my passion, knowing that success often comes from grit and determination in the face of adversity.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Engaging in art has a therapeutic effect on me. I’m a pretty sensitive person, so emotions hit me hard, and I really feel like sharing my way of experiencing the world helps. I can really relate to the character in “American Beauty” who’s consumed by the beauty around him and feels compelled to capture it in some form because it is “just too much ».

I also feel like life is a pretty lonely experience. We’re stuck in our own heads most of the time, trying to make sense of everything. But that’s where art comes in—it serves as a bridge, a means of sharing these experiences. Sure, we can talk about them, but there’s a unique power in communicating through mediums like music or poetry. For me, art is just another language, another way of connecting with others.

Lastly, there’s something incredibly soothing about losing yourself in a movie or getting lost in someone else’s story, feeling that sense of profound understanding wash over you. I think I’m driven by this desire to contribute to that collective understanding, to be a part of that exchange of empathy and connection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anginipai.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anginipai/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554837542539
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angini-pai-894179250/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnginiPai

Image Credits
©Angini Pai