Leading & Serving Others (LASO)
A little late this month. :) Lots going on in ELIE Group Management. Nonetheless we are still in April! This month we are featuring Shamylle Estevez, 20 something Photographer & Visual Editor. She comes to us all the way from Miami, Florida.
Shoutout Magazine had the good fortune of connecting with Shamylle Estevez and we’ve shared their conversation below.
Hi Shamylle, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today? Being born and raised in New York City, it shaped me into being the creative I’ve grown into. Since my early childhood, I found myself always gravitating towards the arts. My sophomore year of high school I had the opportunity to transfer to a school that was completely art-based. Living in Manhattan and the Bronx, spending my teenage years in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queen; I was able to learn more about who I was as a creative and was surrounded by more latinx creatives which I valued greatly. I majored in Illustration during my high school years but I always had feeling that I wanted to do Film and Video which was another program the school provided. I ended up graduating with my advanced placement in Illustration which I don’t regret, I still have a profound love and appreciation for illustration art.
I decided to attend college and major in what I had been wanting to for some years prior; Cinema & Television studies with a minor in Film/Video Production. Throughout my four years of college, I developed a clearer sense of the creative I want to be. After being on countless sets on and off campus and working through internships with production companies in Soho, I found myself to be passionate about editing/post production. Teaching myself of YouTube how to video edit on the Adobe program After Effects is my specialty. During college I picked up more and more cameras and began collaborating with my friends doing photoshoots. I faced a challenge because there was more of a demand for photo work than the type of video work I actually wanted to do, I started teaching myself how to editing pictures using Lightroom but I didn’t want to let go of my “editor” side.
Within the past year my work as taken me farther than I could imagine. A lot of what I photograph or film is surrounded by artists in the Latin music industry and has even led me to land a job with Galore magazine. Having the chance to create all different forms of art over the years has led me to being a more well-rounded creative here in Miami which I am beyond appreciative of. I continue to work towards creating a sense of editing style that can be seen across all the different types of mediums I work in and branch myself out as a photographer/editor. Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story? My work is a combination of different forms of art blended together. With photography and video editing being the core of what I do, I’m beginning to also learn and create work in graphic design. I enjoy working with film, vhs and polaroids and those textures are often seen in my work. Digital photography is fun for me because the raw images I take allow me to do as much manipulating as I want to an image in programs like Photoshop. I think what sets my work apart is the editing style I’m creating. What makes an image or video more compelling to me is the editing, the more obvious the edit, the better it is to me. The most challenging part of getting where I am today was honestly dealing with myself. Periods of creative blocks and constant comparison are what tend to hold me back the most. I know that I am my best and worst critic and sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough. The way that I deal with this is, if I’m in a creative block, is stepping away from creating for a little, until I miss it or get a burst of ideas. Social media is a blessing and a curse for me because at times it can be the best advocate for community, showcasing work, collaborating, etc. Other times it can make me feel like I’m behind or not good enough as a photographer as others. I deal with this challenge by taking breaks from social media and literally reminding myself that “it’s not that deep.” Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc. My best friend, Xiara, is also someone who’s been creating art for as long as I can remember and whenever we do see each other we always plan to do photoshoots. It’s always so special to me because she’s been there since even before I considered photography as a career, it was just something we did because we genuinely enjoyed it. So apart from doing a shoot together, I would take her to museums like the Perez Art Museum, the Frost Museum of Science and the Rubell Museum. I’d definitely take her to our favorite food spot, Nobu, just because it’s become tradition for us at this point but we’d also grab a bite at Palo Quemao and Lucali! A perfect day with her would be at the beach, there’s a really chill spot in South Beach just at the end of South Pointe Park that I always like to go to! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout? Without a doubt my mom is someone who has always recognized the creative side of me since I was young and she would believe in me with all the different artistic ventures I would do. She has really been my number one supporter and continues to be and I hope to one day be able repay her back and show my gratitude for everything that she has done for me. Not only is she my supporter but my inspiration as well. She became a young mom and still graduated with her masters as she worked her way up in companies; all while being able to give me a great upbringing and support system.
Another person that as made such a great difference in my creative journey is my partner, who has really brought my creative self out of it’s shell. I had a hard time believing that I could do photography professionally and I didn’t see much potential in myself compared to all the other great talents already out there. My partner proved me wrong and never fails to put my name and/or work out there.
Website: https://boltfilms.myportfolio.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shamyllle/