Meet Lily O’dell

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lily O’dell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lily , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

Mostly by living and loving. Experiencing life inspires and sparks my creativity the most. My parents did in fact, choose thought daughter. Which leaves me to ponder in my thoughts every second of the day and being tapped into what is going around me through my day to day life, the movies or shows I watch, the people I meet, overall just watching and experiencing life through a lens filled with love and compassion keeps the fire burning. When I create and execute, it pushes me to be better and learn more, which also keeps my creative spirit alive. I am always completely open and aware as an individual to have the ability to learn at any given moment, not only about the technical side of photography, but more about what suits me and my creative style.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Hello! My name is Lily O’Dell, I am a queer, freelance, portrait photographer and creative director based out of Riverside, CA. I specialize in creative and conceptual editorial photography with use of color and light. I work with a variety of different artists and creatives to visually bring out their passion and fire as well as their creative spirit. I truly enjoy working with so many different creatives, it really inspires me and gives me a wider outlook on many different arts.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

One of many things that have genuinely impacted my journey for the better has been my self awareness. I understand what works for me and what doesn’t and I apply that to my work. I always push myself to do better, try different techniques or shooting styles. I am only 20 years old, I have years to explore and experience not only about my art, but myself, which reflects onto my style and art. I’ve also met so many amazing people this past year. Networking and collaborating with a variety of people has opened the doors to many new ideas and opportunities. I’ve built up my social media in this past year, which has introduced me to so many beautiful people. I am also attending school for photography and it has been impactful in many ways. I’ve been able to connect with other artists and photographers which has led me to many different perspectives and artwork. Being able to adapt to new challenges has also been so very crucial. Every single photoshoot I run into some type of challenge and I’ve always learnt to work around it. Sometimes I don’t even know something is a challenge until post production and that is truly humbling and teaches me LESSONS. I truly don’t have any advice to give to people newer to this journey, everything is based on experience. You can have all of the technical knowledge as a beginner, but the experience and creative journey will teach you the most about you and your art.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My parents have truly been so supportive of me since I was little. They were open to all of my sparked interests. I’ve played soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, the one that I stuck with, softball. I always wanted to play so many different sports and they supported it all. My dad would work all day, come home and take me to 2-4 hour practices at night 3-4 times a week. My parents would work all week and spend all weekend at my games from early in the morning to late at night. Looking back and realizing how much time of theirs and support they gave me has truly made an impact on me. I’ve grown up with a lot of anxiety and I was never a school person, my parents let me do independent study from sophomore year to graduation, and that truly gave me so much freedom to explore who I was as a teenager. I was no longer involved in sports, so instead I filled my time with art. I painted canvases, painted clothes, crocheted, leaned more into fashion, music, tried to learn piano… Most of those hobbies eventually died, but it gave me so much time to figure myself out. I didn’t have plans to go to college. I was waitressing since 16, bought my first car, saved money, traveled a bit, saw so many of my favorite music artists live, and pretty much was doing what I wanted. This all happened because my parents have supported me and have let me be whoever I wanted to be. Of course they led me into the right direction and held me accountable when I needed it… I still eventually attended college. They allowed me to explore myself and not pressure me into a traditional pathway in life and I am so very grateful for that, I have a creative soul and I’ve always had room to express that freely.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photography by Lily O’Dell

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