Let me introduce you to Allegra, a well-rounded super-creative. She is a photographer, graphic designer, a sustainability advocate and content creator. She is woman I have looked up to since well before I began my career as a content creator and continue to look up to every day. Today, we are talking about what art means to Allegra, what inspires her, how she developed her style, the turning point in her Instagram success, how to have a tight-knit community, the importance of sustainability, how to easily implement these practices, and her business with Solstice.

You are an overall creative person — you’re a photographer, influencer, graphic designer, and now business owner. Why is art such an integral part of your life and what does it mean to you?

I’ve always been someone with a whole bunch of ideas. I’ve gone through many stages of wanting to do so many different things, and never knowing how I could bridge them all together into one career path. When I was applying for colleges, I thought I’d like to go far away and study creative writing or journalism -- I ended up transferring schools three times, and finding myself in art school in the place I grew up.  I have found such pure joy in the realization that: all the things you love to do, do not necessarily need to fit into a perfect little box of “I’m this,” regardless of if it’s what you went to school for, or even based on the work you do now. I think the perfectionist part of me always desired that little box, but now I’m so happy to not be metaphorically constrained by such a thing. 

Over time, all the things you do, and love, and create and share, is what your creative being becomes: all those things become your career, your passion, your work, and maybe there is no name for it at all -- but that’s probably because no one has done all of the things you love doing, in the same way you do them. To me, art is our own human experience: it’s all our life’s moments written down in visual poetry.  Making art is how we can all be an active part of this shared, wild and beautiful experience of life.

What inspires your photos? How have you come to develop your aesthetic? What are your values and how do you express them on your Instagram?

ON FINDING INSPIRATION:

I think I’m going through a season of life/creativity where I am refocusing my idea of what it means to be inspired. I know of certain things that always spark that creative instinct inside of me: being in nature, on road trips, in the mountains, or by the coast. I just feel so connected to my truest sense of self when immersed in the woods, or surrounded by the sea. I think it’s funny when people say, “there’s nothing around,” when in nature -- I find that there is everything. 

If I’m being honest, I’d say the act of being “on the run” is what always inspired me: traveling constantly, never being in the same place for too long, meeting new people, exploring new places. While I am so thankful for all of the opportunities, jobs, and trips I took last year, in 2019, I was barely home in Los Angeles. If I was home for a week at a time, that was a lot. I was always leaving, and became accustomed to creating my lifestyle around the busy-ness, not the rest.

This year, I knew that had to change. So, that’s what I mean when I say I’m in a season of change when it comes to the way I create, and the way I’m inspired. I’ll always love travel and adventure, but this year, I’m learning to cultivate the quiet moments: time to write, to be alone with my thoughts, to create something that I don’t share with anyone at all. I’m an extrovert and all of these things tend to be hard for me -- I’m reorienting my mindset of rest, and trying to learn how I can find inspiration within routine, normalcy, the little moments of daily life -- not just the grand adventures.

I always used to think I had to travel somewhere amazing or plan a perfectly curated shoot in order to have something “worthy” to post on my account. I am learning to love myself in new ways, and to find out what this new chapter holds for me. I think I am also in an in-between time when it comes to my personal style. It is ever-changing and evolving. The transition from winter to spring is always such a rejuvenating time of year, and by the time summer comes, I know I’ll have refound that sense of self again.

For now, I have been diving into 70s fashion archives, paging through old surf photography books, and shooting lots of 35mm film. I think that I’m learning to appreciate all the in-between times as well, when maybe I don’t feel inspired, the off-days, all the things no one ever sees on social media. I just wanted to thank you, Haley, also for giving me the opportunity to share some of these thoughts that I’ve never had a real chance to.

MY AESTHETIC:

I think free-spirited would be the best way I could describe my aesthetic. I think aesthetically, I’ve always been drawn towards creating imagery around the outdoors, exploration, creativity, and seeking sunlight. When it comes to my personal style, for a while I was drawn to a very bohemian sort of vibe, and now I feel that I’m transitioning into a more Californian coastal style: white linens, sundresses, bare feet. I think I just want everything I create to allude to the feeling of being at summer camp.

MY VALUES:

At the beginning of 2019, I decided to only work with skincare/makeup/hair/body product companies that were CLEAN and free from chemicals like sulfates, parabens, phthalates, etc. 

I put priority on working with these types of brands, as well as sustainable clothing brands. People are overall so unaware of what is going on in the beauty and fashion industries and I view my role more as an advocate of educating others, than selling products. I think that talking about brands in this space gives me the opportunity to talk about meaningful environmental and health/wellness related issues. 

Was there a turning point on Instagram when you realized it was possible to make it your full time job?

In all honesty -- when I started all this, I had no intention or idea that it would become my full time job. Coming out of high school in 2014, I barely knew anything about social media except that it was fun to share photos with my friends, I think I even had a private account at the time. I was just doing photography, styling shoots of my friends, shooting families and senior portraits. When I was a freshman in college, I had maybe 400 followers or something. It never occurred to me that anyone could even have a career on social media, let alone on Instagram.

I met a bright and amazing girl named Katy Bellotte who became one of my best friends. We quickly bonded over being creative together. She was running a successful YouTube channel, and at the time I didn’t really fully understand how it worked. She was an amazing encouragement to me, and always lifted me up and empowered me to create more, to open up my account for others to see, and to share more. We had so much fun shooting together, and I’d help her film for her videos from time to time. She taught me so much in the beginning about working with brands and how it all worked.

I remember I would reach out to as many brands as I could, emailing ones that inspired me, and asking for product in exchange for shooting it. It still seemed like such a foreign concept to me. My first paid campaign was for Goldfish in 2015. I had 12,000 followers and they paid me $1,000 for a post and I think that’s what really made me wonder how to start cultivating this wild way of working.

By the time I was a senior in college, I had developed a dreamy, whimsical, aesthetic of sharing my life and interests with others. I was getting consistent work, and I began to wonder if I could just keep running with this for a while. I graduated in May of 2018 after spending my last semester of college in Florence, Italy, with a BFA in Studio Art, and a BA in Graphic Design. A month after I graduated, I moved to Los Angeles, California with absolutely no plan at all.

Honestly, when I moved here it was the hardest time of my life. I didn’t want to create anything, and the growth/change was overwhelming. I had to find what California meant for me, and what I wanted to get out of it in a real way. Exploring this new state, and diving into learning about sustainability and clean beauty made me fall in love with CA, and the amazing wellness community here in Southern California. There are so many environmental activists, and brands making ethical choices, and it’s a joy to be surrounded by so many people who are pursuing their dreams. My advice to anyone who is reading this : do the thing that scares you most, and it will be the most rewarding, wild and thrilling time of your life.

What does having an artistic community on social media mean to you? When people interact with you, what is one thing you hope they take away? What advice do you have for people who want to feel more connected to their audiences?

I feel that empowering others is a vital component to being a creator. Especially when it comes to other women, I want every single girl to know that she is CAPABLE and deserving of creating her own career and life for herself. I believe that no one who is successful, got to where they are all by themselves. When you humble yourself and recognize that many people who are inspired by you, were probably exactly where you were at one point, you become a little more gentle, and a little more eager to share what you know with others.

When people interact with me, I just want them to take something away that is positive. I think there is so much negativity, jealousy and comparison that comes from social media, so I just try to be a space where people can find a type of inspiration that is rooted in joy, growth, and exploration. 

If I could offer some advice to people who want to feel more connected to their audiences, I would say: talk to your audience like you would talk to a good friend: share what you are feeling and thinking, dreaming and creating, and if even one person resonates with it, I feel I’ve done my part.

You speak openly and consistently about sustainability. Why is this important to you? Do you think the Influencer industry has had a negative impact in regard to sustainability? What are three steps someone can take to have a more sustainable impact?

Sustainability should be important to everyone -- I view it not as an interest of mine, but as a vital step in the direction we need to be going in as consumers. Most of the environmental issues we face today have a direct correlation with how mindlessly we consume: clothing and plastic to start. I definitely think that there is a lack of responsibility among influencers -- a lack of knowledge, and a lack of caring to share. I also think that many individuals will promote any product that has a large paycheck attached, which becomes problematic. I think the Influencer Industry as a whole still largely promotes mass consumption and fast fashion.

One of the reasons I am so passionate about sharing information about sustainability and the environment, is out of an effort to take a little more responsibility as someone with a voice on social media -- and using that voice for good. 

THREE STEPS TO MAKE A SUSTAINABLE IMPACT:

1. Stop using single use plastics:

• HOME CLEANING PRODUCTS

• BODY/SKINCARE

2. Buy a reusable coffee cup and take it with you everywhere!

3. Shop from vintage stores when you can, wear what you have, and responsibly recycle your clothes through ThredUp. You can also responsibly recycle makeup containers through TerraCycle.

Lastly, you recently started your own business, Solstice. Would you mind sharing a bit more about your brand, how it came to be, and what it means to you? Anything exciting we can look forward to with Solstice?

I started Solstice with one of my best friends from college, Danae Draeger. We have always wanted to have a shop together, and we are excited for all that it holds. Solstice is still evolving, and it’s eventually going to grow into something more than just a print shop -- I hope to eventually make it into a creative agency or space for women to collaborate and grow in their creative passions.

Editor’s note: Allegra has also recently launched The Meadow Lightroom mobile presets. Love the style of her photos? Check her presets out on Solstice!

Stay connected with Allegra!

Instagram | Website | Solstice | Youtube

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