Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaylie Cross
Kaylie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began my photography and videography as early as I can remember. My mom taught me how to develop film in our bathroom when I was around 8 or 9, and I carried that excitement and passion with me throughout the rest of my life. I spent four years in Highschool in a Media Arts class, and spent hours every day learning about photo, film, and everything related to the field. When Covid hit, our senior film was cancelled halfway through production, so I set my gear down for a long time, unable to re-ignite the passion I had before. During college, I found I was at my happiest when I started doing shoots again. It began with graduation photos, and I slowly started falling back in love with my camera, I started pushing for more gigs, more connections, and more fun. I saved and bought new gear, spent full nights editing videos and final photos, posting and creating as much as I could, and I loved every second of it. I think of my camera as an extension of myself again, and it’s truly indescribable what it means to me that I have tuned such a long-time passion into my career.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all!! As I mentioned before, my love for photo and film was destroyed when Covid hit. After our senior film was cancelled, no one in my class wanted to continue with our long-time passion. When something you’ve worked so hard on is taken out of your life without your control, it scares you to open that door again. This was definitely the biggest struggle with the journey- it felt like a heartbreak. A few more struggles were minor, lots of imposter syndrome and struggling to be taken seriously in the industry, but after a while the love I had for what I do outweighed all of the negative thoughts and I pushed through.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Funny enough my college degree is in Interior Design, not photo and film! I love to combine my 3 passions, and I’ve found that through my academic work and my personal work, my creative work has all morphed into one big passion. I think this stems from my love for people and community. With Interior Design, the driving force behind my aesthetic and goals is commonly to create an environment for people, and for a specific user group. I love the idea that design can be more than just a space, but an actual physical representation of a community coming together. This idea has followed me into the photography and videography side of my life as well. Artistically, I typically focus on night-life, music, art, and live events. I love the energy I feel from people through my lens, and I love when clients can feel that energy through the finished product too. I think the idea of people all coming together and experiencing something together is so beautiful, whether that be a concert, or a space in a building. I think I’m the most proud of the community I am in, both Interior Design and the photography world. I’ve noticed more lately how supportive everyone in a creative roll has been of each other, sharing settings, gear info, tips and advice, and helping promote others. As I said before, my love for community is my driving force, and the creative world has absolute made me proud to be a part of this community. As far as what sets me apart from others, the only thing that comes to mind is my background in Interior Design. It’s always funny to me when I get the chance to tell people about that side of me. Interior Design is another passion that stemmed in my childhood, probably originating with my room that I repainted from bright orange to neon green within 3 months. I think having a dynamic background is what separates me from others in the field, and I love that I can combine all of my favorite artistic endeavors into my daily life.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
A favorite childhood memory is when my mom and I would take day trips to the Quarter in New Orleans. She and I would go around with our film cameras and shoot together. One day we were just outside of Jackson Square and an older lady commented on a 9 year old holding and using a film camera, and told my mom how happy it made her to see that. This moment has stuck with me to this day. I think she was saying how she loved seeing that the concept of film photography was being taught to a younger generation, and that made me so excited and proud!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.crossprojects.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossprojectss/
