Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nica Fazio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nica, appreciate you joining us today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

I think my heroes are my parents. Both of them. Even if a) I grow up in a house full of yelling and broken dishes (We are Sicilian)

B) They are not together anymore (thank god) but they waited to divorce until i was 18 (why?)

C) Even now they communicate sometimes with angry e-mails (but I feel now is kinda funny and low-key I think they care for each other)

Yes, some family issues, but who doesn’t have some drama? And also, this was one of the reasons to push my energy into art so I’m grateful for all this.

But, they are not my heroes for that.

They are my heroes because I learned so much from them and realized how truly difficult their journey has been.

They met when they where 23 (2 years younger than my age now) and after dating some years they decided to marry, and instead of having a honeymoon they left their country (Italy) and they started a new life from scratch in Barcelona, Spain.
To put you in context, Sicily is the little island in the south of Italy and there, life is very different. It is a place with more conservative people, a little closed minded and even if people have dreams it is not easy to follow them. I love Sicily don’t get be wrong, maybe it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been and the people are amazing but it is like living in a small rural town.

With a car packed to the brim, they headed to Barcelona. They didn’t know any Spanish but by watching TV and communicating with people, they started to learn.

Now I know so many stories and how they had many moments of not knowing what they were doing; if it was a good decision. In other moments, they had to be apart because my mom had to go back to work in Italy. But little by little they started a new life.

And this now makes me a little emotional because I’m doing the same in this moment and I think it is because of them. A year and a half ago I left everything I had in Barcelona and I moved in New York City. And I know I am where I am because I had them as role models. They began their life in one place and one day started a new life in another, as another significant chapter in their journey, and I always knew I wanted to do the same. And even if I was very happy in Spain, I wanted to do the follow my gut and come here.

They gave me all the opportunities I would never had if I would grown uo in Italy. Honestly I don’t think I would be a photographer if I had grown up there. I would have never traveled as much, I would have never thought of the idea of leaving everything behind and starting again in a new country.

I think a lot about how grateful I am of the decisions they made, even though I know they had to suffer a lot. Now, I know how far they’ve come and I want to do the same.

Nica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

To explain a little about myself, my name is Nica Fazio, and I’m a photographer. Additionally, I work in the film industry as a gaffer, grip, and electrician.

Photography, for me, is my way of communication – a way to express the things that stir up feelings inside. I have realized that most of the time I talk about memories and how the idea of “this is already being a memory” affects me and influences my photography style, making it more volatile and imperfect, much like how we remember things. It’s similar to when you think about someone you met one night. In my last exhibition in Barcelona, I explored this concept, featuring two parts: one showcasing Irene’s portraits (http://www.nica-fazio.com/IRENE.html), and the other displaying a set of photographs projected on bed sheets, including over 100 photos of my ex-partner and me (http://www.nica-fazio.com/Inakiandme.html). I am currently preparing a second exhibition in New York that also revolves around this theme. It will include small capsules featuring parts of video diaries I started filming 10 years ago, highlighting my growth and evolution, the friends and couples passing by, and my persistent fantasies about New York until I finally moved here.

Most of my other works involve BTS (behind-the-scenes) photography for movies, reportages, or events.

While photography fulfills my creative urge,
working in the film industry fills me in another way, maybe in a more adrenalinic feeling. Also L love working with a team and feeling I’m challenge myself. I would love to keep working in personal projects as well I grow as a gaffer and be involved everytime in bigger projects.

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

100% that I feel I can communicate expressing myself. Sometimes I feel that I’m sharing something deeply personal but at the same time is a really universal feeling and other people can relate. I love the idea of being able to make someone feel some emotion or having some ideas when they see my photographies. Whether it’s through an exhibition or on Instagram, when someone approaches me to share their feelings, it becomes one of the most rewarding aspects of my work.The idea of create this health and safe-space where art is another way of comunicate.

Also I think I love the moment of taking pictures, sometimes I feel is almost like a hunt of a perfect moment. I usually take pictures in a reportage style, capturaring the moment. Lately I’ve been working on a personal project, capturating people kissing at parties, so every time I take a picture is like a rush of adrenaline and I love that this feeling.

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

I have different goals, in the photography aspect I want to keep experimenting and use it as a tool for communication while also using it as a way to learn about myself. Sometimes, when I look back at projects I did years ago, I notice recurring ideas or how I repeat some topics, and this makes me realize more about me, and it’s nice:)

In the film industry, especially in the grip and electrician department, I’ve experienced the challenges of working in a male-dominant industry as a woman. Sometimes I feel like I have to work significantly harder to achieve the same goals. I’ve struggled a little for this, sometimes feeling I had to prove that I’m physically stronger or being more masculine that I am, to fit in a group. I hope this eventually will change and this motivates me to fight for more equality in the industry.

Also sometimes I have my thoughts about how is the film industry, and especially in commercials how much money is involved, and I think is a long and ethically complicated subject, but this made me realize that I also want to do other things a little bit more “human” and I’m working to create projects and colaborate with schools to make art programs, work with schools with less resources, etc.

I really want to grow as an artist but ultimately I think my goal is share all this and collaborate on projects with other people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nica-fazio.com
• Instagram: @nica.fazio