Hi! Can you first introduce yourself, who you are, where you come from and where you currently live? A little bit about your personal background
My name is Mimi and I live in Guadalajara, Mexico. I am a graphic designer and currently I am the communications director in an educational center in the city. I have been a content creator on Instagram for six years and have already carried out campaigns and collaborations with more than 50 brands as a creative content creator.
What do you do for a living? How did you get into this particular field and how does it influence or relate to your photographic work?
I work in the digital communications world in a leadership position in education and the other half of my day I am a content creator on Instagram. My formal job gives me the opportunity to develop my creative side and my photography work.
How did you start your career as a photographer? How has your personal style developed over the years?
I have always been in love with photography, but as a designer I started taking photos as a hobby. Over the years I became more and more interested in developing my own style. In my case, Instagram was a platform that helped me create my own style and offered the opportunity to meet other content creators in the Insta meets that used to happen more often, but also to form a large community of photographers. My personal style has changed since I started taking photos. I decide what kind of images I want to create. It was a process and within a very short time I decided that MimiVelarde had to be a unique and creative style in my country - a completely different way of sharing feelings and emotions through images.
What inspires you and why?
In my case, the things that inspire are my own emotional phases that I go through; positive thoughts about the people who like my art, nature, colors, magic and how we can become a better person every day. Maybe it's a bit cheesy, but that's what inspires me.
Your pictures are minimalistic and have beautiful compositions, but at the same time very atmospheric and “clean” – how did you develop this style?
I like the minimal style in general, I like to have a main object in my pictures. I think it's part of the style I've developed over the years. I pay attention to every detail and to convey the right message in my content. It took me some time to decide how I wanted to create this style. It wasn't easy to find support for this type of content in my country.
Can you tell us a little about your creative process, how you come up with your ideas and how you develop them into the final work of art?
First, I decide what kind of designs I want in my creation, what message I want to convey and what props I need to achieve what I have in mind. Then I prepare the background with the color I chose, put the main element in place and start adding the props I will use for the image. And finally, I just click the shutter button on the camera. Sometimes I have to do a little tweaking to get the perfect frame of my creation that I was looking for.
You seem to be very creative with everyday objects and pastel colors, it's very amazing! What are the challenges you sometimes face when creating your paintings and object arrangements?
Thank you so much! Well, sometimes it is difficult to find new and different props that need to be renewed to create as many different types of images as possible, but I invest a lot in sourcing new items, food and flowers. And when I use food or flowers, I have to work and photograph very quickly because they can go "bad" quickly.
How and why did you start using Instagram as a platform to showcase your photography?
I started using the app as a hobby and trying out mobile photography, then I started developing my own style with a digital camera, which helped me grow into a content creator.
Do you have a favorite photo you have taken and what is the story behind it?
Oh, it's not easy for me to choose just one, but I think this photo is one of my favorites because the lively conversations about a camera and flowers can tell us that we live in a world full of diversity, where we have different tastes, we look different, there are different photography styles, but in the end we all belong together and we are an important part of the wheel of life. This image speaks about the love of photography and that we have different ways of seeing through a camera lens.
Do you still send postcards yourself?
I would like to send greeting cards more often, mostly they are digital.
Did you know Pickmotion before we started working together? If so, how did you find out about us?
No, I didn't know you yet. When you contacted me, it was just a wonderful surprise.
Can you tell us some of your personal favorite IGers that you follow?
Sure! Here are some of my favorites: @cecilia.maafs , @caroline_south , @paulfuentes_design , @letizilla , @drcuerda , @anniset , @virroylola , @oscar_ro , and @suupeergirl .
Do you have any other information or stories you would like to share with us? Please feel free to share them.
I just want to thank you for this wonderful collaboration that you have offered me. I look forward to the future with you.
