We’re looking forward to introducing you to Alexis Interiano. Check out our conversation below.
Alexis, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
Authenticity. I am at fault for this as well, but I do believe that in current times, it gets harder and harder to stay authentic to your own style and artistry. As artists, we fall into the “numbers” trap sometimes and measure our worth by the likes and shares on our profiles, but if we practiced walking in our most authentic self, we would reap such an internally rich reward.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Alexis Interiano, and I am a Fine Art Portrait Photographer in New Orleans. My artistry is dedicated to capturing and transforming women into an ethereal work of art that empowers them to step into their untapped power. My team and I create an experience that helps them fall in love with the person they have become, and take ownership over who life has made them. Legacy, family, and memories are very important to me, so when I photograph people I also give them printed heirlooms of the work we created together in a handcrafted folio box. The powerful portraits inside stand as a reminder of the day they dedicated to themselves to be loved, captured, and frozen in time.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Growing up, I was not raised like a lot of the other kids around me, and that influenced me in the heaviest way. I was raised by my great-grandmother and though it was an absolute blessing, I was a little hispanic girl being raised by much older white people in a public school, constantly being told by the system that I was only ever going to have the bare minimum and that there was no opportunity for me because of the color of my skin and my education. Because of this, I felt extremely passionate and determined at a young age to use my voice in my artistry of any kind to make something of myself and bring a sense of honor to my family.
My story has fueled my passion and career for the last decade, but I feel like I am finally living as the dream that little girl had. I have reached a point in my life where I am ready to reinvent myself and my story based off of a new narrative that I created for myself. I have love, I am love, and I created my own opportunity.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Loss. Death. Grief. I haven’t exactly figured out how to heal those wounds, but I have taken the impact they made on me and applied it to my life in productive ways. I spend more quality time with people, I laugh more, I take in the moment every chance I get, I listen to people and fall in love with their words just because they are breathing. And yes, I know that sounds dramatic, but the strangest feeling about being human is when someone is there talking to you one day, but then tomorrow they are gone forever. Like, there was only ever one of them in all of existence… and you got to experience them.
That is why my portraiture is so sacred to me. People walk into my life and allow me to photograph them in a way that makes them feel safe and comfortable in their humanity. Even though the experience is designed to be healing for them, it always ends up healing a part of me too.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would definitely say so. I get quite vulnerable online. I don’t participate in too many trends and I am a bit more of a quiet observer unless it’s someone I know, then I don’t shut up, haha. I believe in authenticity, and there’s not much that I hold back in public.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop working toward a career and start living a life that had absolutely no goal of going anywhere. I sometimes envy those people who are so comfortable with working a regular 9-5 and can come home to watch their favorite TV show or play their favorite game, and have little to no aspirations. I have definitely tried to live a simpler life where I’m not working toward any goals and it was so difficult. There was always an intense feeling that I was made to keep elevating, working, and be in the public eye for the arts. Someday I might try just focusing on other things that aren’t career-focused, but for now I want my business to grow.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariesphotographynola
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ariesphotographynola
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