***As a Visual Artist, I find beauty in a person and look for many ways in which it can be explored.***

Photo of singer, Tiana Major9

So, lockdown has been many things, if not constricting mentally and socially. Some of us have been getting into tip top shape, while a lot of us have been caught in a cycle of static fatigue. From exercise videos, to baking, to learning new languages and skills, to none of the above, we’ve all just been trying to stay sane! In the Art world, working from home has been a challenge, so we were intrigued to know how Lauren A-Brown (@elleayyuren) has continued to do what she does best: Visual Arts. Lauren’s Art is bold, beautiful and refreshing; it has a fruitful demographic that we all want to see right now. While interviewing Lauren, we felt the passion and zeal that she naturally has, so it was almost as good as meeting her in the flesh. We’ll be eager to catch up with Lauren once lockdown is over, but for now we give you a flavour of her amazing work and a snippet of our chat. Attention Artists, you’ll want to check this one out.

Creative and Entrepreneur Nadine — Photograph of Nadine

What draws you to the photography you take?

“My inspiration behind my photographs come from both primary and secondary resources; magazines, social media, (the internet as a whole) as well as the characteristics of a person. As a Visual Artist, I find beauty in a person and look for many ways in which it can be explored”.

How long have you been a Visual Artist?

“I’ve been a Visual Artist for four years now. My journey first started when I randomly took photos of my cousin and they later went viral. From then I said to myself, this is what I want to do and chose to study at A-Level”.

How has lockdown affected your work recently?

“I won’t lie, for the first couple of weeks I felt really demotivated and unsure. I sometimes thought, how am I to feel free again, to go outside and do photoshoots with my models? I had a creative block - I didn’t want to do much. Thankfully, things are a lot better now. I have recently been doing virtual photoshoots over FaceTime which has been a great experience. It’s be a little difficult at times as I’m not the one controlling the camera but I have enjoyed seeing the outcome. Lool there was one time where I thought I could take hold of my model’s phone and position it for her ahahaaa. Photographing virtually has also allowed me to work with people I have wanted to work with but couldn’t due to distance. Even when lockdown’s over, I aim to still continue to photograph virtually”.

How have you stayed busy over quarantine? Any collabs?

Model, Graham Sydney , LA — Model, Sydney Graham, LA

“I've been doing FaceTime shoots with people from different countries which recently has been back to back and has kept me busy. Before lockdown I was barely doing any shoots due to work and now I’ve been even more productive. Although we’ve been stuck at home, I can say that I’ve been able to do things that I was not able to do or did not have time to do, before. I am forever grateful”.

Do you find inspirations, or do they find you?

“I’m inspired everyday - from social media to things that I read and see in real life. My aim is to also inspire other people through my art”.

Who are your favourite photographers/artists?

Renell Medrano (@renellaice)

Micaiah Carter (@micaiahcarter)

Nadine Ijewere (@nadineijewere)

William Ukoh (@willyverse)

From your collection, which photo is your favourite?

“One of my favourite photographs that I have taken is of, Char Ellesse in 2018. For this photoshoot, there was no concept; I told Char to dress how she feels and she did just that. Char came to the location wearing a suit jacket as a dress with the bold statement, ‘FUCK’ wrapped around her as a belt. Her look overall was strong and straight away I knew that I wanted to use minimal direction. Editing was fun! I wanted to highlight and make the use of pink the main focus - increasing both saturation and contrast to make it appear surreal as possible”.

Who would be your dream person, people or event to shoot?

“I would love to an editorial with Rihanna!!!! I am a fan and have been for as long as I can remember. She’s magical <3

I would also love to photograph and work with more brands. One of my goals is to work with, Nike. I am a huge fan and to work with them would be amazing!

Overall, having my work advertised in and around stores would be a dream come true and one day this will happen!”

Amuk for #Voguechallenge — Amuk for Vogue challenge

Catch more of Lauren A-Brown’s fabulous entry into the #voguechallenge on Instagram. Make sure you hit follow while you’re there to spice up your TL.

Lauren A-Brown: Visuals in Lockdown

As a Visual Artist, I find beauty in a person and look for many ways in which it can be explored.