We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessie Askinazi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessie below.

Jessie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My Cinematic Portraits practice serves as an invitation for my subjects to return to their most authentic states. Social programming and trauma create a dissonance between what we are and what we think we are. Through my lens, I interrogate persona and challenge the limited, fixed beliefs we hold about ourselves. I am concerned with delving into vulnerability, thereby opening up possibilities for expansion. What happens when we allow ourselves to step into our fullness? My portraits are souvenirs from these moments. I strive to make images that evoke a strong sense of mood, atmosphere, and narrative, reminiscent of scenes from beloved films. Drawing inspiration from both cinematography and photography, I utilize the visual language of cinema to craft compelling photos. I am married to analogue photography due to its depth and substance, so I typically shoot on 35mm film. My portraits support artists, creatives, dreamers, healers, rebels, and anyone who rejects normalcy, stagnancy, and mediocrity. I am here for true originals and free spirits who are committed to awakening.

Similarly, my poetry eschews rigidity and reflects the subconscious mind. I think of it more like collaging. When people read my work, they often want me to explain what I am saying in a direct way; that doesn’t interest me. I am interested in dreamlike, psychedelic states, as I feel that’s the stuff of who we really are. In the movie Lost Highway by David Lynch, the main character, Fred, says, “I like to remember things my own way. How I remember them. Not necessarily the way they happened,” and that perfectly sums up my relation to writing poems. I tap into some kind of altered state and just ride that wave for as long as I can. It’s a kind of channeling.

Jessie, 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?

I was born in Long Island, New York. I’ve also lived in New York City and Los Angeles. Currently, I reside in South Florida. I love the coastal breeze and vivid sunsets here. I studied performing arts at the Atlantic Theatre Company’s professional conservatory. I also received a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies (English, Communication, Women’s/Gender Studies) from Florida Atlantic University.

My life has centered around storytelling. I never want to limit myself to a singular medium, as I believe different forms of creative expression are all branches from the same tree. The main areas I’m working in these days are photography and poetry, but I am also developing a screenplay based on my own life experiences. Most recently, I exhibited mixed-media artwork during Feria Clandestina, as part of Art Basel. In 2020, I had a podcast called The Crimson Coyote, which was about mending personal and cultural wounds through creativity. I have also curated and organized numerous art benefits to benefit non-profit organizations, such as the #YESALLWOMEN event in Los Angeles (feat. work from Barbara Kruger, Kim Gordon, Kathleen Hanna, etc.). I’ve collaborated with Nadya Tolokonnikova, a founding member of the feminist group Pussy Riot, on a video project to bring awareness to the Violence Against Women Act. I am engaged in the arts to promote social change.

With photography, my super powers are an open heart, a strong eye for detail, and intuitive empathy. I have an instinctual knack for disarming one’s learned defense mechanisms. My goal is to make images that spotlight one’s lived stories and embody their truth. A cinematic portrait is not just about documenting one’s likeness; these historical records unveil the heart of an individual. Due to my passion for filmmaking, I think like a cinematographer and am always following the guidance of my subject’s inner-compass. I am committed to discovering the specific nuances that illustrate one’s individual perspective.

My poetry has been featured in Dream Pop Press, Dreginald, New Orleans Poetry festival, O Miami Poetry Festival, and Feria Clandestina as part of Miami Art Week. I have been nominated for a Pushcart prize and Sundress Publication’s Best of the Net award.

My photographs have been exhibited in Miami, New York, and London. For nearly a decade, I was a contributor for Purple Fashion Magazine; I documented art + culture events in NYC, Los Angeles, and Miami. I have also been published in/on Vogue Italia, Dazed, BUST, Refinery 29, Bullett, Nylon, Departures, Huffington Post, The London Evening Standard, The Sun-Sentinel, Paper, Whitewall, Dwell, Grazia, Zink, Autre, Oyster, Miami New Times, Grandlife Hotels, V Magazine, ArtInfo, Art21, FEM Magazine, Electric Literature, Artillery, Poetry Foundation, and The Hollywood Reporter.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

When it comes to shooting portraits, I only care about making someone feel truly seen. Recently, a client told me, “You’re like a doula for letting people express their authentic courage.” That meant so much to me. When she saw her images for the first time, she felt like she could really recognize herself in them–beyond the superficial. I want to shatter one’s limited beliefs that they hold about themselves.

With poetry, I love that it’s kind of akin to astral projecting. I don’t need to take drugs to be a cosmological being, when I get into that headspace by arranging words and rhythms, I’m blasted off to an immaterial realm without boundaries. I like to write my emotional experiences in code rather than plainly describing them; it feels much more authentic.

In general, being a creative is a rebellious act that opposes man-made systems and structures that oppress our spiritual wellness.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The writer Lidia Yuknavitch gave this incredible TED talk called “The Beauty of Being a Misfit,” which fucked me up in the best way. She talked about self-sabotage, she talked about fitting in badly, she talked about coming from an abusive household, she talked about “a kind of profound state of zombie grief and loss that some of us encounter along the way.” She talked about shame. But something she said that has stuck with me since was, “Sometimes telling the story is the thing that saves your life.” She also said, “The radiance falls on all of us, and we are nothing without each other.” Perhaps that is why collaboration is so vital to me; I want to help illuminate the radiance in others. In this next chapter of my life, maybe I’ll get better at doing that for myself, too.

I’m currently reading Kathleen Hanna’s memoir, Rebel Girl, and it is amping me up to unleash so much I’ve carried throughout my life. I’m also reading nightlife producer Susanne Bartsch’s memoir, Susanne Bartsch Presents: Bartschland: Tales of New York City Nightlife, which is exciting me so much. I’m just really into women who have created new worlds for themselves against all odds.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ja-portraits.com/
• Instagram: @japortraits

Image Credits

#YESALLWOMEN collage by Jen May
#YESALLWOMEN flyer by Jessi Brattengeier
Photo of Nadya and Jessie by Robert Jencks
Locust Projects flyer by Maitejosune Urrechaga