We were lucky to catch up with Ilaria Serantoni recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ilaria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I won’t deny that making a living in the artistic field can be challenging at times. However, it’s also incredibly stimulating and deeply rewarding when you succeed. Working in the arts is one of the most fulfilling experiences, and working with lights and cameras elevates it even further, as it allows you to create extraordinary visions, turning abstract ideas into something tangible and real. In this industry, it’s essential to know how to market yourself effectively and build the client’s trust, so they have confidence in your abilities.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began my career in the film industry ten years ago after earning a degree in fine arts and receiving sponsorship to research new technologies in modern art at the Birmingham University of Fine Arts in the UK. After spending several years working in Italy, where I contributed to various productions on the national network, including one for Amazon Italia, I relocated to the United States. Here, I started working as a cinematographer, gaffer, and assistant camera on film sets. Today, I am the proud owner of my own production company.

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

Crafting powerful visions—whether through narrative films or music videos—that evoke emotions and resonate with audiences as deeply as a painting or sculpture does. My goal is to create work that not only captivates the eye but also stirs the soul, leaving a lasting impact through a blend of visual storytelling and artistic expression.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think that deep down we are all creative in different ways, there are those who communicate with numbers, others with images. the creative artistic process varies from person to person and is difficult to communicate in general not only to those who are not part of the industry.

In general however, artists have a very different vision of life. there are those who approach it with pessimism, those with curiosity. but the reality is that artistic minds constantly question themselves about the complexity of emotions, about what lies behind life and all its aspects. we face our traumas with art as if it were a way of expiating the sins that we feel we carry and that stain our soul. it is not possible to have a clean soul, live in a white shirt, and the artist, aware, chooses many more colors to make this shirt even more different.

This approach to life and its expression, the ability to report facts and emotions in a poetic key in the form of visual art, is a complex aspect to understand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ilariaserantoni.com
• Instagram: ilaria_serantographer
• Other: imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10170455/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk