In conversation with photographer, Louisa Wells, exploring creative expression and the importance of community.
Sitting down with Louisa Wells, her passion and talent for photography is immediately apparent. From her evocative portrait work to her dynamic and joyful exploration of fashion, there is a clear connection—a clear love—between photographer and subject. We asked Lousia about her relationship with photography and creative expression more broadly, hopeful to learn from her unique perspective.
What is the earliest memory you have of photography?
I remember my mom putting my brother and me into a daytime art camp one summer when I was around 6 or 7. The morning classes were photography and the afternoon was painting. I loved the photography portion. We created pinhole cameras and even got to develop our pictures in the facility's dark room. I captured a photo of a water fountain out on the street as a person walked past. I think I still have the photo. I remember feeling so excited when the image came to life under the darkroom lights.
Was that the moment that made you want to pursue this work? How did you land on photography as a medium?
It's my favorite story to tell. In high school, a friend of mine's mom was a local photographer. For every homecoming, prom, and summer vacation, she always had the most amazing photos on Facebook. It reminded me of editorial spreads I saw in TeenVogue at the time. I wanted images just like that. I was fortunate to receive a camera for my 16th birthday and kind of never looked back.
Tell us about your creative process. How does it all start?
The first step of my creative process is to pray. Truly. When I'm headed into a shoot or when I need to sit down and brainstorm creative direction for a job, I ask God for help. It helps me not to feel so overwhelmed and [reminds me] that I don’t need to figure it out all on my own. I have help.
I would say [creative work] is more about how I show up in the space and to the people I'm working with. Am I showing them my heart? It's not necessarily an overt thing but I see this work as being intrinsically connected to the gifts God has given me and that means showing up with that in mind.
With that link between creativity and faith in mind, would you say you feel “called” to photography? What does being “called” mean to you?
I do feel called to photography—or rather the entire art space as a whole. It's something that I truly feel God has given me a gift for and a specific way of seeing the world. But I know that it's only part of the story that has been written for me. I have many other interests—dancing, singing, painting—and so I know that "being called' to photography could only be for a specific time, and then perhaps my next task will be presented to me. It's an adventure!
You mentioned the impact that the work of others, like your friend’s mother, has had on your journey as an artist. Can you talk about the importance of community in your faith and how that influences your artistic practice?
Community is so important in photography and in my faith. I've learned that cultivating community has a direct impact not only on my mental health and personal life but also on my photo career. If I'm planning for a shoot or even just want to get inspired, I look through images I've saved throughout the week and also look to Behance and Pinterest. It's something I try to do weekly to see what other amazing work is being created in the world.
It has [also] been so refreshing to know that people truly do want to help. When you have people in your corner, the hard things just feel a little bit easier to get through.
Have you ever had a moment where your faith and that creative community seemed to come into direct conflict with each other? How did you handle it?
There have been a few moments where I have questioned what I'm doing, particularly based on what the industry says I should be doing. There are so many "shoulds" in the photo industry—“you should reach out to them”, “you should be doing this”, etc. While [those “shoulds”] do have some validity and industry veterans know what they're talking about, I can't discredit my faith. Sometimes my faith tells me to do the opposite of what the photo world says to do. [It says to] be still, wait, don't hustle. In those moments I've had to trust and have patience. It has turned out to be alright, that I can say for sure.
Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring Christian artists who want to integrate their faith into their creative work?
Your faith and art walk don't have to look a certain way. Just because you aren't making "Christian art" (i.e. art directly pointing to Christ) doesn't mean you are not living in what you are called to do. [Living out] your faith can look like reaching out to people in your industry to hear their story, and how you show up to a project or creative collaboration. Trust that who you are internally and the faith you are cultivating will be apparent to people no matter your medium or industry of choice.
Learn more about Louisa and her work at www.louisawells.com or @bylouisawells on Instagram.
Words by Emma Tweitmann
Photos provided by Louisa Wells
