Tuesday, 15 of February 2024

Kimbra Audrey

Kimbra Audrey is an American photographer based in Paris, France. Through her powerful images, she empowers different aspects of life such as authenticity, nudity, womanhood, and self-resilience. Disenchanted with airbrushed imagery, she captures her genuine self on film, embracing imperfections as allure. Kimbra, a decade-long vegan, advocates for sustainability and ethical living. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, her current focus is documenting her healing journey.

What do you do to nourish your own creativity?

I believe that taking care of your physical and mental well-being are essential aspects of nourishing your creativity. I have had a lot of health issues, including breast cancer, in the past several years, and that has forced me to slow down and prioritize my health. I’ve been vegan for over a decade and eating organic nourishing foods, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water—all seem like simple intuitive things but have become even more important to me in recent years.

When you prioritize your physical health, it forces you to also reevaluate your mental health. I lost a lot of “friends” when I became sick, only to realize that people who aren’t capable of being your friend when you’re sick aren’t actually your friends. I also grew even closer to people who did show up for me in ways I never imagined. Where and to whom you give your energy to is really important for well-being. Spending quality time with authentic people whose values are in alignment with my own can inspire and feed my creativity.

Being able to spend time alone is also essential, as well, and helps me recharge as I’m naturally introverted and get tired easily. I also love animals, being active, spending time in nature, journaling, and reading.

What content do you consume, what books do you read, and what do you watch on screens?

I try to be very mindful about the content I consume and how much time I spend on my phone or computer. I love to read, especially non-fiction. I feel very inspired learning about other people's lives, their history, and how they overcame challenges. I love listening to podcasts as well, and I’m a big fan of true crime. I really try to limit my screen time though. I have restrictions on Instagram, which is the only form of social media I use, and I don’t watch more than 1 hour of anything on my computer a day, but honestly feel better on days I don’t use my computer at all.

What role do you think chaos plays in the creative process?

I think chaos can play a role in creativity but don’t think it’s essential. Sometimes I work really well having structure and order and have made beautiful work at times when there has been no chaos in my life. I have also made work in times of chaos, but don’t think it necessarily makes work better. Chaos can push you outside of your comfort zone and force you to approach things with a new perspective, and being creative can certainly be a good outlet if you’re feeling chaotic, but I don’t think it’s necessary for creativity.

How do you establish connections with others through your photos?

For the past year or so, my main focus has been documenting and sharing my journey with having and healing from breast cancer. When I first started sharing, I received a truly overwhelming response from people who either personally had breast cancer or knew someone who did. So many people wrote me thanking me for sharing and told me that seeing my work made them feel less alone, and the outpouring of support made me feel less alone. Illness and self-portraiture are both intrinsically solitary and isolating, but I always feel touched when people express how my work has helped them in some way.


What, in your opinion, is the relationship between resilience and art?

Personally, I’ve had so many health issues that resilience has become an essential aspect of my work, and my work has made me more resilient. Being able to document my life and journey, from being sick throughout my healing, has helped give me perspective and strength. It has also helped me grieve and process the different changes in my body. There have been so many challenging moments where self-portraits have helped me move through my pain and discomfort. Documenting whatever I’m feeling in the moment can help me process.

Why have you chosen to express yourself through film and photography? What does it bring to you, and what do you enjoy most about it?

Growing up I struggled with using my voice and expressing myself and frequently felt like I wasn’t being heard. Photography and art have always felt like a simpler way to articulate my feelings and express myself. I find the cliche “a picture is worth a thousand words” to be true. What might take me hours to explain, I can say with one image. I also love how universal visual art is. With photography, I’m able to connect with people from around the world, even if we don’t speak the same language or come from vastly different backgrounds, photography is very unifying.

   
What role do mistakes and impulses play in your work as an artist?

There are always going to be natural imperfections from shooting film, but I think that just adds to its charm and value. Especially living in a society that is so centered around perfection, I like that film is not perfect. Some of my favorite images are from accidents or mistakes. I like shooting on expired film that might be grainy or discolored and not knowing how it will turn out; it can be a really fun surprise. Even when I set up a shot and shoot something very specific, but the mistakes like an image slightly out of focus can be magical.

You have initiated and accomplished successful projects. What is your experience with the initial stages of these? How was the process of "getting started"? Can you share any rituals/advice for beginnings?

More than anything believing in yourself and knowing your value is fundamental. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect others to? I also think listening to your intuition and gut is super important. I’ve had opportunities that I’ve turned down because they didn’t feel quite right and even projects I wanted to fall through, but I strongly believe I am on the right path even when things don’t happen exactly as I want or expect them to. Being patient and trying your best to not have imposter syndrome, especially on social media, it’s so hard not to compare yourself to others, but focusing on yourself helps. For anyone beginning their craft, I would say practice and put in the work. I took so many bad self-portraits when I first started; I didn’t even have a tripod and would balance my camera on books. I also worked a lot of other jobs before I could do photography full-time; having to work other jobs to support yourself financially doesn’t make you any less of an artist.

Favorite artists and music

My most favorite artist I’m fortunate to also call friends, some are Marianna Rothen, Kayten Schmidt, Alexandria Spencer Foot, Candelaria Nazar, and Katie Silvester. Working in a pay-dominated industry, it’s more important than ever to support female and non-binary artists.

I honestly love almost every genre of music, but some musicians I’m listening to currently are Billie Marten, boygenius, Tierra Whack, City Girls, Ice Spice, Troye Sivan, Dave and can always listen to Philip Glass, Lana del Rey, and Taylor Swift.

Which movie do you believe everyone should see?

Two movies I can always watch are The Outsiders and the original Lion King.