We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jerry & Deidre Vigil Cordova a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jerry & Deidre , appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
We have both always had jobs that were in creative fields. Jerry majored in Graphic Design and spent almost 20 years working for Design firms. During that time, he was usually balancing playing bass in 2-4 bands, as well as doing studio and session work. Deidre spent 19 years in the Beauty Industry as a hairstylist, salon owner and traveling as a National Hair Color Educator. We were always on the go, running past each other in opposite directions. But then Covid happened. It sent our world into a screeching halt. During that time, we learned to slow down and see the many beautiful things in our world that we had been running past daily. We realized being stuck at home together that we were way more powerful when we work together. We realized that combining our creative talents that we had the ability to create something brilliant together. At this point, we weren’t quite sure what that venture would be but we knew we were on to something.
Once we landed on the idea of creating a Selfie Studio we were ready to take that leap. We were determined that we could create interactive artistic sets for people to come express themselves through selfies and photography, create content for social media, film music videos , create memories, have parties, and so much more. As we talked through the ideas and risks of such a venture, the lease was coming up for renewal for Deidre’s salon. She declined to renew and we agreed to just hold hands and jump in head first into this new adventure.
After conceptualizing our ideas, we narrowed down the sets we would create to introduce this concept to our community, we started the process. It took the two of us 5 months, spending day and night building, painting and bringing our ideas to life. An occasional friend would pop by to pitch in for the day but most of our life was spent behind blacked out windows creating our own wonderland. At some point during a delirious 14 hour day of creating, we had a moment where reality hit us. We had both literally quit our careers and just whole heartedly given our all to this project. We had invested everything we had and more to chase this new creative endeavor. Would people want to come and take pictures with the art we had created? Would people get the concept of a DIY photo studio? Was our city large enough to support our dream? We realized in that moment that we had not only taken the biggest risk of our lives but also that there was no turning back now. We did not let fear even start to creep in. We bravely worked tirelessly until just minutes before the doors to our new fresh business opened to the public.
We have now been opened for a year and a half. In the first year of business we had over 4000 visitors during general admission hours and hosted 47 Private Events. We have a front row view to so many fun and diverse people creating their own art in our space. From Tiktokers to cosplayers, birthday celebrations to bachelorette parties, rap artists to a recent rock band video shoot that will be released soon. We have had photographers use our backgrounds and now have multiple photographers who have either won awards for their subject matter and photography skills to being featured in international magazines. There are still days that the reality of the risk we took sets in, but so far, it has been an exciting adventure and we hope to continue to grow and share in the memories of others with our works of art.
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?
We are the owners of Selfish House of Selfies, a Selfie Studio located in Little Rock, AR. This concept is a DIY modern photo studio with 17 different interactive set where customers are able to create photos and social media content using their own cellphones. Our General Admission tickets allow customers 1 hour to create unlimited content in all of our sets. Upon arriving, a small Bluetooth shutter remote is connected to each user’s phone that is used to control their camera, as well as any of their social media camera tools, eliminating the need to set a timer to catch a Selfie. Each of our sets has a professional 18″ ring light with a cell phone holder. The customer then puts their phone into the holder, line up their shot, jump into the set, pose and just click away. Within an hour’s time, customers can create loads of content and walk out of here with instant gratification of having all the content in the palm of their hand to do with as they please. Selfies aren’t the only thing we do here at Selfish. We allow photographers to accompany their models for a more professional photoshoot. We offer Private Studio Rentals for Birthday Parties, Bachelorette Parties, Team Building, Family Events and any other celebration. Among other fun uses for our studio we host Private sessions for Videographers and Photographers to utilize our space. With many photographer lacking studio space these days, this enables them to shoot creative photos in a controlled environment away from outdoor elements.
As a husband and wife team, we are not only are we the owners, we are also the designers and builders of all of our Selfie Stations. Our location was once home to a tool shop which we completely remodeled into our own Fantasyland. Each set is designed, constructed, built and painted with our own hands. We try to change out a set or two every few months to keep things fresh for our clientele.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Our mission at Selfish House of Selfies is to provide a fun, safe environment for anyone and everyone to feel comfortable to come express themselves. Whether it’s through photography, creating social media content, making memories with family, shooting a music video, showing off cosplay, a fun night out with friends or any other reason to come play. Our 17 interactive sets are all diverse as to cater to differing personalities experiences.
When building Selfish, we wanted it to embody a wonderland type feel that you can’t help but to let all of the outside distractions melt away. It’s a rare place with the feeling that everyone just gets along and people can coexist without divide of age, race, gender, political views or any of the other divisive things that exist outside of our doors. Within a few minutes, adults quickly slip back into a childlike sense of being. Models immediately start striking poses for the camera. TikTokers dance through a variety of backgrounds. Fits of laughter and loss of seriousness quickly fall over Girl’s Night Out. On Date Night, Males seem to climb out of the tough exterior shell and become silly to keep their date smiling the whole session. Being able to have this affect on people through the environment that we have created is priceless. Especially in a world that feels so heavy these days. Witnessing these things daily remind us that we have truly accomplished the experience we worked hard to create.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
There is a quick tell-tale sign of a creative vs. non-creative when they enter our business. The wide eyed creative takes one look at our place and asks “Is this your place? Did you build this?????” to which we smile and let them know it is all us, the husband and wife team that created all of the art that they are seeing. The inquisitive non-creative without fail always asks “Is this a chain or franchise?”, as if by some sort of corporate magic, this funky place was just dropped here for their entertainment and gain of capitol. They simply can’t wrap their brains around the fact that 2 people could not only have the imagination but the skill to create all of what their senses are taking in.
As creatives, we see everything before us as a work of art or the possibility to become one. Non-creatives seem to take the world around them for granted. The get dressed in their clothing, which started with roughly sketched ideas to fabric selection, sewn precisely to fit their body. They get in a car, expertly designed to exemplify anything from luxury or a rugged appearance. They turn on their music, with artistically structured majors and minors full of feeling and words full of emotion. They drive past storefronts and billboards deliberately designed with colors and images to distinguish a brand’s image. They return home to a house filled with decor. They sit down to binge the latest show written by a team of writers, sets created by designers, wardrobes chosen by stylists and actors playing a believable character. Non-creatives entire day consists of all of these things that are just part of the background of life. Creatives look at the world around them and understand the complexities of imagination, production, heart and soul that goes into every bit of eye candy that surrounds us.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.selfishhouseofselfies.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/selfishhouseofselfies
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/selfishhouseofselfies
- Youtube: @selfishhouseofselfies6892
- TikTok: @selfishhouseofselfies
Image Credits
Personal Image 1- Modern Gothic Selfie – Photograph by Jamison Mosley for AY Magazine Non-Personal Images 2- Creationism – Remodel by Jerry & Deidre Vigil Cordova 3- Flight to Utopia – Set design by Jerry & Deidre Vigil Cordova. Photograph by Melisa Smock Clouette (She has won 3 Photography Awards for this image) 4- The Upside Down – Set design by Jerry & Deidre Vigil Cordova Photograph by Orlando Behar (This image was featured in Solstice Magazine) 5- Time Warp – Set Design by Jerry & Deidre Vigil Cordova Photography by Rose Gold Portraits