Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Selva Celeste. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Selva, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
Yes, I certainly take great pleasure in making art and it is something I prioritize in my life.
However, owning my own photography business full-time did not leave me much energy for creative projects.
So, I fell back on my massage therapy diploma and have been working with the military in a wellness capacity ever since.
Owning my own mobile practice has helped re-direct my energy and take the pressure off constantly creating.
It helps me utilize art to release the effects of healing others all day. Being in business has helped me advocate for myself as an artist and depend less on others to finance, support or provide input on my work.
The greatest gift an artist can have is entrepreneurship because it gives you total freedom over your passions and your life.
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 started my artistic career as a kid and performed in musicals until I was 18. I also wrote poems and short stories, some of which received awards.
Photography came later in New York City where I learned fashion/editorial while working for a magazine.
I photographed models, products, real estate and a couple of promotional videos.
I became a boudoir and hair model briefly before setting up my first in-home studio, teaching other photographers how to shoot and edit images, while using myself as the model.
Today, I’ll take the occasional client, but I’m most interested in making creative projects.
Fascinated with the apex of art, activism & spirituality, most of my images provide satirical mini-narratives on politics & culture.
I believe that all art is inherently political, but that it doesn’t always need to shock you to get the point across. In today’s world where tensions are running high, art can also be used as the balm to represent the truth from both sides.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I strongly believe in strengthening the arts programs for schools K-12.
Some young people face issues surrounding identity and self-expression. Having theatre or photography clubs after school could provide a good outlet for that, as well as a sense of camaraderie.
Mainstream media also needs genre diversification. When I was growing up, there was something for everybody, and it seemed compartmentalizing at the time; but without it, we all have to figure out how to resonate with the exact same thing.
If you don’t like the music you’re hearing on the radio or the movies in the cinema, you may stop listening and feel as if you don’t “fit” in the world. So, the saving of future artists as well as these timeless institutions depend on a sustainable polyculture as well.
What would be amazing is for the established fixtures in the art world to take it upon themselves to help find and promote the new pioneers.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is getting to do something you love that adds value to the world.
One of my friends in finance once said, “A good film can get someone who hates their job through the week”, and I think that speaks to how necessary art is to the fabric of society and culture.
I know for me personally, reading fed and encouraged my imagination, and cinema made me want to live life in an artful way.
So, I feel it is a great honor to work towards the contribution of thought-provoking material while connecting with like-minded people who live life on the edge and out of the box.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.selvaceleste.com/art
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laselvaofficial/?hl=en