First of all, could you give us an introduction to who you are, where you come from and where you are living now? A little bit of your personal background.
My name is Mimi and I live in Guadalajara, Mexico. I´m a graphic designer and right now I´m a Communication Head in an Education Center in my city. I have been a content creator for six years on Instagram. I have made 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 that specific field and how does it influence or relate to your photographic work?
I work in the digital communication world as a leader in the education field half time and the other part-time of my day I’m a content creator on Instagram, so my formal job gives me the opportunity to develop my creative side and photographic work.
How did you start your photography career? How did your personal style evolve over the years?
I have always been in love with photography, but as a designer, I started taking pictures as a hobby, but through the years I was interested in developing my own style. In my case Instagram was a platform that helped me to share my own way to create and the opportunity to get to know more creators through the Insta-Meets they used to do, making a big community of photographers. My personal style has changed since I started taking pictures, I decide which kind of pictures I want to create. It has been a process and in a very short time, I decide that MimiVelarde has to be a unique and creative style in my country, a very different way to share feelings and emotions through pictures.
What inspires you and why?
In my case, the things that inspire are my own emotional phases that I am going through, positive thoughts to the people that like my art, nature, colours, magic and that we can become a better person every day. Maybe it’s a little corny, but that’s what inspires me.
Your pictures are minimalistic and well-composed, yet very atmospheric and “clean” – how did you develop this style?
I really like the minimal style in general, I rather have a main target on my pictures, I think it’s part of the style I have been developing through the years, taking care in every detail and taking care to give 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 kind of content in my country.
Could you explain to us a bit how your creative process goes, how do you get your ideas and how do you develop them into the final artwork?
First of all, I decide what kind of main target I want in my creation, what message I want to give and what props I need to get the art I am waiting to shoot. Then, I prepare the background with the colour I had chosen, put the main element in place, and I start to accommodate the props that I’m using for the picture. And finally, I just click the camera, sometimes I do the necessary arrangements to get the perfect frame and creation that I was looking for.
You seem to very creative with everyday objects and pastel tones, it’s very amazing! What are the challenges that you sometimes have to face in creating your images and object arrangements?
Thank you! Well, sometimes it’s difficult to find new and different props to be updated and have different kinds of pictures, but I invest a lot in getting new items, food and flowers. And when I use food or flowers I have to shoot very fast, because they can be damaged.
How do you feel about the IG-fanbase / community you built up? Do you often connect with other IGers? Do you get suggestions or inspiration from them? Any collaborations coming out of it?
Yes, I have close Instagrammer friends and content creators around the world. Thanks to the Insta-Meets in my country I had the chance to connect with other creators and people that like my work. Nowadays, I have contact with my closest friends who are also professional photographers and content creators. I had made some collaborations with some of them. I like to collaborate with illustrators and minimal photographers. I follow a lot of creative creators that inspire me every day and I appreciate them to share their art with us.
How and why did you start using Instagram as a platform for showing your photography?
I started using the app as a hobby and tasting mobile photography, then I started getting into my own style and with a digital camera, which helped me to grow in the process to become a content creator.
Do you have a favourite photograph that you created and what is the story behind it?
Oh, it’s not easy for me to only choose one, but I think this photo, is one of my faves, because talks about a camera and flowers, can tell us, that we live in a world with diversity, where we have different tastes, we look different, there a different photo styles, but at the end, we are together and we are an important piece in life. Talks about the love of photography and that we have different ways to see through a camera lens.
Do you by yourself still send greeting cards?
I would love to send greetings cards more often, most of the time are digital.
Did you know Pickmotion before we started our collaboration? if yes, how you became aware of us?
No, I didn’t. When you reached out to me it was just a wonderful surprise.
Could you give us some of your personal favourite IG accounts you follow?
Sure! Here’s a bunch of my favourites: @cecilia.maafs, @caroline_south, @paulfuentes_design, @letizilla, @drcuerda, @anniset, @virroylola, @oscar_ro, and @suupeergirl.
Any other information or stories you’d like to share with us? Please feel free!
I just want to thank you for this wonderful collaboration that you have offered me. Looking forward to the future.
