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

Britney, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew I wanted to be a creative before I knew what being a creative was. Being a first-generation Kenyan-American, I was raised with the expectation that I had to be a doctor, nurse, or lawyer. Despite that, I frequently found myself drawn to creative pursuits. From imagining visuals to the songs I’d listen to on the radio, writing scary stories in my journal, sketching outfits on a book of croquis from the book fair, to creating furniture, houses, and clothes for my dolls growing up. Despite being told to steer towards academics, I realized that my passion for different art forms could be channeled into something bigger. This realization hit me at the age of twelve when I discovered Photoshop. I created graphics for book covers, banners, and ads for fun and for people I was close with online. At the age of fifteen, I received my first digital camera. It allowed me to combine my skills in set design, storytelling, photography, graphic design, and mixed media to bring all the things I had envisioned into reality. It opened a whole new world, for which I’m forever grateful.

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

My name is Britney also known as @Brin.tage on my social media handles/branding. I’m a queer Kenyan-American visual artist based here in DFW that specializes in photography, graphic design, mixed media, set design, and creative directing. For the past few years, I have been working as a creative while in school. My academic focus is archival studies, an element I plan to incorporate into my work in the near future. I got into photography in a professional sense after a regional art competition. At 16, I directed my first series shoot. The focus was on heavenly bodies and divine femininity in women of color. From there, my love of photography and design was reinforced. I am very detail-oriented and I spend considerable time on my projects. I work extensively with my clients and prioritize a collaborative environment, involving them in multiple steps of my creative process. I offer my clients all-encompassing shoots, bringing their visions to life by creating a new world as the backdrop. I am proud of the skills I’ve developed by putting so much heart and time into the design of my shoots.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society should embrace those that don’t conventionally approach life. The norm of working a 9-5 for several years after spending four or more years in college isn’t ideal for everyone, and yet, that standard is constantly forced upon creatives who have to make ends meet. Society should be more open to the idea that there are new ways to live, and thrive and allow space and resources for creatives to pursue their craft. This support can look many different ways, including public open-use studios, sharing of materials, or community-funded galleries.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing art all around me and drawing inspiration from the ordinary aspects of my life. I am enamored with the world around me, and it brings me joy to be able to convey that passion in my work and use my unique perspective to bring the vision of my clients to life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brin.tage/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zx8ReKH28k
• Other: https://voyagedallas.com/interview/meet-britney-orina-of-dfw-area/
  https://www.pinterest.com/swahilimangos/