Carly Zavala shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Carly, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Who are you learning from right now?
Lately I’ve been learning from my past selves… paying attention to the things that keep showing up, the cycles I’ve outgrown but still return to. It’s a process of seeing them clearly and slowly releasing them.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a portrait and fine art photographer with a strong focus on light and shadow, and how they can be used to explore feeling and presence. Lately, I’ve been interested in how personal history and emotion live in the body… how we carry those things into the world. My work often mirrors my own process: looking back, unlearning, and relearning what feels true. I don’t think of myself as having a brand right now; it feels more like a practice that’s evolving as I do. These days, I’ve been focused on slowing down and reconnecting with what feels honest to me.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that’s been operating out of fear and survival. It’s served its purpose and carried me this far, but I’m ready to move from a place of trust and calm now.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear that I’m not good enough… that what I bring isn’t enough. It’s held me back in ways I didn’t always notice, but I’m learning to let go of that and focus on being present in the process. That in itself isn’t easy, especially after functioning from a fear-based place for so long.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
Noticing what resonates within you… the things that feel right in a way you can’t always explain. Fads usually feel loud and fleeting, but real shifts have a kind of quiet pull to them. If something keeps that lingering resonance long after the moment has passed, that’s when you can trust it’s authentic. It brings me back to my overall theme right now, staying close to what feels honest.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I’d stop worrying so much about what other people think. It’s held me back more than I’d like to admit, and I’m learning and practicing, little by little, that my own inner peace feels better than approval or anyone else’s validation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://WWW.carlyzavala.com
- Instagram: @carly.zavala
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