Art & Life with Victoria Cragg

Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Cragg.

Victoria, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in Charleston, SC where I developed a love for film and the natural beauty of the outdoors. I went to Florida State University to study digital art and animation and came out with a solid understanding of visual storytelling, which I think has helped shaped my photography style. I bought my first DSLR about three years ago and immediately fell in love with shooting portraits. An internship as a visual effects artist brought me to California about two years ago, and since then I’ve been working full time in the TV world. I do all my portrait photography on the weekends and sometimes I shoot early (and I mean early) mornings on the weekdays. I’ve learned that if you want to be good at something, you constantly have to practice and challenge yourself to get better. I’m grateful for the many experiences I’ve had that have shaped my artistic style and I can’t wait to see how I evolve over time!

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My style is a twist of fashion and storytelling. I almost always start forming an idea with color, usually grabbed from nature. I love molding my colors in photoshop until they are exactly the hues I imagined. I feel like having this control brings everything together and fills each image with purpose and emotion. I definitely get a lot of my inspiration from nature (I love the west coast for this!) but I also absorb a lot of other artists’ work on Instagram, so I’m positive that influences me to a high degree as well. At the end of the day, I create because making art fuels my soul! If you work in film/TV, you probably know that even though you have a creative job, you’re not actually doing as much “creating” as your childhood self probably thought. I choose to be a photographer to stay practiced as an artist. I’m still learning a lot about my own style, but I think if there’s anything you should know, it’s that I’m always hoping to try new things and grow.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Practice as much as you can. You WILL see an improvement if you regularly practice your craft. And it definitely takes time. There was a point last year when I was so nervous to ask my friend to let me take pictures of her. I’d never taken pictures of anyone other than my family or college roommates. But the more I mustered up the courage to ask people to model for me, the more I found my voice and confidence. It’s so important not to put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. Just keep moving on to the next thing, and the next, and suddenly you’ll look back at your work from a year ago and be amazed at how far you’ve come!

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Follow me on Instagram! I post my favorite photos on my account @vmcragg. Someday I might be fancy and have an art show, but for now, you can find me on the ‘gram. 

Contact Info:

• Email: vmcragg@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/vmcragg

Image Credit:
All these images were taken by me, except for the behind the scenes photo, which was taken by my friend Jamie Cernich.

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