Meet Ingridi Viruel

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

Ingridi, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

That’s a great question. Growing up, I spent years doubting myself, often comparing my journey to others. But over time, art became my outlet, helping me release those negative thoughts. My passion for creating was so strong that it gave me purpose and kept me moving forward. I was, in a way, hypnotized for the idea of art existing in my life. When I moved to New York though, my self-doubt resurfaced. Surrounded by so many talented artists, it was easy to feel overwhelmed by the endless creativity. But as I met more people and continued creating, I began to see the city as an incredible opportunity, a place to grow and reconnect with myself. Being part of such community brings me gratitude and reminds me that the possibilities here are endless. Today, I am very proud of the work I create and that is what brings me confidence. There will never be another person quite like you—your mind is uniquely yours. I used it to my advance.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Ingridi Viruel, I am a photographer and director originally from Brazil. I moved to the US when I was 17 years old. Moving here in such an important age, and having to face a culture shock changed my life entirely. I came to another country with no expectations, having a different perspective of what I would face. I left my home to embark on a knowledge of self study. It was definitely a slap in my face, but today I feel extremely grateful because facing these challenges made me grow mentally and spiritually. My work focuses in creating a portal to the soul; I use the camera as a toll for self discover. I think living is a turbulent yet pleasing path. Therefore my goal is to make people feel something when they look at my photographs. I register themes such as the human mind, the obscure, and the connection to nature, drawing inspiration from the Avant-Garde movement and my passion for cinema. My creation path has been a collaboration between fashion brands, musicians and actors. Above all, I am committed to influencing people to embrace and express their selves in front of my lens. This year I am making my first photo book, which I am very excited about.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think my passion for art, the ambition to not let me give up and desire kept me going. I grew up curious about the unknown. Having to move countries and do things in a different way, influenced me to keep going even further. I wanted to prove myself I could be an artist that I am proud of. I wanted to become who I wanted to be even facing so many challenges. So I self taught myself, I think knowledge is one of the most powerful tools a human being can hold. At the end of the day, being creative is not knowing what you are doing, in many situations. Don’t be scared to adventure yourself. Face the darkest parts of your mind and use art as your favor.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always honored to collaborate and work with new minds. I would love to work more with musicians, brands, and other artists in general. I also would love to make another short film. I am open to any ideas; connection helps build up creativity and that is my focus for this year.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ingridviruel.com
• Instagram: ingridiviruel

Image Credits

Ingridi Viruel