Story & Lesson Highlights with Desirée Pfeiffer of NOPA

Desirée Pfeiffer shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Desirée, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I find joy in going for walks around the city, especially in nature. I’m lucky that every resident in San Francisco is within a ten-minute walk of a park, and I happen to be close to three of them. I didn’t truly appreciate this until I was living in Brooklyn for a few years before the pandemic, when reaching a green space required a subway ride. I find so much contentment and inspiration in nature; it truly is the best art director.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a fine art photographer based in San Francisco who creates highly stylized portraits and still lifes. My images have lush color palettes and are conceptual, whimsical, and narrative. For my portrait work, I specialize in cinematic staged portraits. The subjects have been musicians, politicians, actors, families, and everyone in between. I try to create images that give the viewer the sense that there is a backstory within the image. Individuals, their actions, and surroundings are carefully selected. They become a character in a story much larger than themselves. My still life work tends to be more on the abstract side. My approach is creating an atmosphere within a miniature landscape; color, shapes, and mixing textures are primary considerations. My main focus for the past few years has been on still lifes. It’s been an outlet for experimentation with different mediums; for instance, making resin props, incorporating painted collage paper, or making sculptural elements. It’s a way to play around with other techniques and then incorporate them into my photography work. It keeps things interesting for me, and I love learning new things.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
It’s hard to narrow something like that down, as I think many people throughout my life have helped shape who I’ve become and how I see myself, but my relationship with my dad stands out. He passed away when I was nineteen, so there was a limited amount of time, but I believe those years were incredibly impactful in encouraging my independence and helping me see myself as equal to others, regardless of their role, position, or status. He was encouraging and proud of my photography work, always making a point to tell me that I was smart and talented. Hearing that as a kid is crucial, as it shapes your self-esteem and influences your expectations of how others treat you. As I’ve reflected over the years, I appreciate how he always spoke to me like an adult. He was a journalist, so he discussed a wide range of topics with me and always asked for my thoughts. He never criticized my answers, but instead would give me more information or context on a situation if I wasn’t well-informed; he was very diplomatic, which made me feel secure discussing things I didn’t know much about. I’m sure that is why, to this day, I never hesitate to ask a question.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self that you did your best with the information & experience you had at the time. Most of us look back at situations and either regret or imagine how we might have done things differently. Whenever I feel myself starting to ruminate on past experiences critically, I remind myself that you do your best at any given time, and acknowledging that you would do things differently now is a result of personal growth.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version is a part of me. We all wear different masks depending on the situation and the people we are interacting with. For instance, I’ve had people describe my personality in varying ways; sometimes as introverted, aloof, and demure, other times as charismatic, funny, and warm. I’ve joked it’s because I’m a Gemini with dual personalities. Just like how our moods change, these descriptions can all be accurate at various times; I don’t think this is unique to me. People also make assumptions and project things onto others that may be the furthest from the truth. For example, as a teenager, I had a goth/punk aesthetic, which elicited negative connotations and reactions from some people, then years later, while working at a museum with a more conventional look, I would often have customers compliment my wardrobe or tell me that I looked like a perfect painting sitting in the museum. I would think back to those teenage years and laugh to myself, wondering if these same people would be as kind to me if I were dressed the way I had been back then. Nothing about my personality had changed; I was still kind and polite. It’s probably human nature to quickly assess others in very black-and-white terms without much room for nuance. Having these differing experiences has helped me not rush to snap judgments. My core values remain the same whether I’m in public or private, but the presentation may vary at times.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
I’ve thought about this throughout the years, not in terms of there being “one” specific thing, but more in terms of recognizing that no matter what I’ve accomplished, the satisfaction of obtaining the thing is fleeting. Early on in my art practice, I was convinced that certain accomplishments, whether it be commissions, jobs, or awards, would make me feel lasting confidence, satisfaction, and happiness. After a few years of having some pretty extraordinary experiences, I realized that it will never seem like enough. I think that’s the human condition; perhaps it’s necessary for us to keep striving for things to progress as a society. I’ve talked with other creative friends, and we all share the same sentiment, joking that it’s the big black hole you can never fill. I still appreciate the thing I wanted, and I can enjoy it for a little while, but then it’s on to the next. Sometimes I think that accepting this reality is possibly a healthy coping mechanism, reminding me that most of what we pursue isn’t a life-or-death scenario and won’t dramatically change our lives. For me, the most long-lasting and satisfying achievements are incremental, whether that’s honing your skills or building enduring relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.desireepfeiffer.com
• Instagram: @desireepfeiffer
• Linkedin: @desireepfeiffer

Image Credits
All images by me.