We recently connected with Coco Dandridge and have shared our conversation below.

Coco, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

Absolutely! My love language is traveling, taking photographs, and blogging about my experiences.

I circumnavigated around the world to multiple countries: Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and UAE.

Connecting with people and observing other cultures influenced my travel blog.

C0urtnie, 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?

My name Coco Dandridge.

I am a photographer, blogger, and mother – based in Atlanta. I grew up in Chicago. I studied English Literature at Alabama State University and Roosevelt University. I studied photography at The New York Film Academy shortly after undergrad.
I am also a Social Support Specialist at Intuit Mailchimp.

I developed a love for writing and photography which inspired my big move to New York City during my early twenties.

But first, I was 20 years old when I first grasped the idea of being a creative. I would borrow my Uncle Rick’s camera and take pictures randomly around Chicago. I eventually picked up some technical skills and incorporated them into my style. After my mother observed how serious I was about learning photography, she helped me purchase a digital camera – and I started a blog.

When I started blogging – I felt a sense of becoming. I experienced a spiritual shift internally as I learned how to navigate moments with my fresh unique perspective. I began to see everything in an artistic way and that was the moment I started referring to myself as an artist.

Throughout the years, I photographed multiple fashion designers, lifestyle bloggers, and Instagram influencers to help them reach their creative goals. I am most proud of photographing New York Fashion Week and seeing my photography featured in Teen Vogue.

Though I am now based in Atlanta, I am available worldwide for editorial, portrait, documentary, and travel photography assignments. I keep my passport ready!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As a creative – I am constantly reconnecting internally which is the most rewarding part of being a creative. There are no rules that I have to follow or permission that needs to be asked. For example, I traveled to South Africa for vacation one year – and left with a ton of documentary photography. The connections I made with the natives of the Langa community – allowed space for my introspection to guide me in a creative way. I used my camera to document an African hair salon I stumbled upon in their community. I later learned that the salon was upcycled from shipping containers and operated by a group of African women. That story inspired me – which is why it was important for me to document that moment and tell you about it today.

That is the art of photography. I love to draw you in and tell stories.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As a creative, I had to unlearn the idea that everyone received my artistry the way I did.

There was a sense of entitlement that hovered over me like a cloud. I remember in my early twenties being frustrated because I lacked support from other local artists. I even struggled with identifying as a creative person because people were oblivious to my work.

I remember having a humbling experience early in my career when I was hired by a New York fashion blog to photograph a music festival in Brooklyn. I attended the event totally unprepared without business cards or a marketing strategy. My job was to photograph prominent artists in the community, and I was completely intimidated. I lacked social presence and struggled to engage with other artists.

During the event, I ran into visual artist Erica Love Jones. She may have noticed I was struggling with approaching other artists and she took me under her wing. She taught me how to relax and start direct conversations with strangers. I shadowed her for about an hour and made a ton of connections through her.

After I submitted my assignment, I realized that knowing how to run images through Lightroom and being able to print well in Photoshop was not enough to be a successful artist. If I wanted more professional opportunities in the photography industry – I needed to first accept that I was a creative and worthy of creating in any space.

The next step was building a community. I kept in touch with the artists I met and attended their events. Though I was still a little timid, I learned how to network quickly and gain clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cocodandridge.com/
• Instagram: cocodandridge
• Twitter: cocodandridge

Image Credits
Personal Photo Beauty and Essence Photo, LLC Additional Photos By. Coco Dandridge (Me)