Meet Vijat M

We recently connected with Vijat M and have shared our conversation below.

Vijat, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I keep my creativity alive by constantly feeding my imagination. Inspiration comes from everywhere for me—pop culture, vintage aesthetics, ’90s music videos, the glamorous world of advertising, and even the thrift store down the street. But I’m especially drawn to surreal visuals and anything that goes against the norm. I love taking things most people would never think twice about—crazy, over-the-top, unexpected stuff—and making them mesmerizing and unforgettable. It’s about how I see them and bring them to life through my lens. That’s where the transformation happens.

Collaborating with other creatives also keeps my creativity going. Whether I’m working with stylists, makeup artists, or new photographers passing through The Powder Room Studio LA, that exchange of ideas always sparks something exciting. I also make a point to step away from work when I need to—taking time to focus on myself, explore new concepts, and just let myself daydream. Creativity needs space, and I’ve found that some of my best ideas come when I’m not even trying to be creative.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a celebrity photographer and director known for creating ultra-modern, hyper-synthetic imagery that mixes surreal and vintage-glam aesthetics into striking photographic visuals. The purpose of my work is to turn the unconventional into something inspiring and unforgettable. My obsession with transforming unexpected visuals has driven my career and inspired me to launch The Powder Room Studio LA.

The Powder Room Studio LA was designed to give other creatives the freedom to bring their visions to life without limits. It’s a fully-equipped space featuring 12 post-modern inspired standing sets with a vintage Barbie Dream House aesthetic, complete with a 35 ft. hand-painted sky. We’re all about making high-production visuals accessible, streamlining the creative process by eliminating the need for extensive set design.

Since opening near the Downtown LA Arts District in early 2024, we’ve attracted everyone from emerging artists to high-profile clients like Cardi B, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, and Paris Hilton. The studio has become a playground for creativity where anything feels possible. Right now, my focus is on expanding The Powder Room Studio LA as a destination for artists who want to push boundaries and create something unforgettable.

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?

Creative vision is everything. Knowing what you want to create and staying true to your aesthetic is what sets your work apart. My advice to anyone starting out is to embrace what makes your style unique and amplify it. Don’t water it down to fit in with trends—let your perspective speak for itself.

Attention to design has been just as important. I approach every shoot with a strong sense of composition, color, and perspective, and that level of intention is what turns a good image into something that is visually impactful. For anyone looking to improve in this area, I’d say study all aspects of design—not just photography. Pull inspiration from art, fashion, architecture, and film. The more you expand your visual references, the stronger your work becomes.

And finally, determination. The world of photography can be tough, and sometimes it feels like you’re putting in everything you’ve got and still not seeing the results you want. But if you keep creating, keep expanding your ideas, and stay true to your vision, things will fall eventually work out. My advice is to keep going, even when it feels like nothing’s happening. Sometimes the breakthrough comes right after you were ready to give up.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

One of the most important books in my journey is actually my own—High Gloss, my first monograph which I published in 2020. Putting that book together was a huge turning point for me. It wasn’t just about collecting my work—it was about defining my visual language and committing to the aesthetic I’d been developing for years.

High Gloss is a full dive into the hyper-synthetic, ultra-modern world I love creating. The process of curating and sequencing those images taught me how to see my own work differently—not just as individual shoots, but as a cohesive body of work with a point of view.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing the power of authorship—owning your style, your vision, and your story. That experience gave me the confidence to lean even further into the things that make my work distinct, and it helped solidify the foundation for everything that’s come since, including The Powder Room Studio LA.

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