Meet Louisa Wells: Freelance Photographer and Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Louisa Wells and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Louisa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As a photographer, you can sometimes feel like you’re on an island when working towards your goals. You can often look around and find other people running further ahead and it can get discouraging. About two years ago, I wanted to do something with this feeling and decided to start a weekly email newsletter sending encouragement to fellow creatives. After a while I felt like it was time to put it down for a while until last year during the pandemic. I’d always wanted to do something tangible with my work that also combined my love of writing. With that, Belonging was born.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
To me, my art is an expression of the joy I feel around me. These days we’re in can seem pretty dark, and my hope, at all times, is that someone sees my work and smiles, feels encouraged, or just realizes that they aren’t alone. I tend to work with bright tones and warm colors that are inviting and at the end of the day, I want to create art that simply delivers a warm invitation. Professionally, I’m still not where I want to be; I feel like there’s always another peak to climb. But, I feel that where I am today has been built on the foundation of perseverance and taking a conventional route (at least in the creative world). I currently work a full-time job and I used to feel shame about that; as if I was not a “true” artist. However, I’ve been able to create work that I am truly passionate about dedicating time to it, rather than striving to make ends meet. I can work from a place of rest and not stress. It’s been difficult getting my foot in the door but I’m working on building and maintaining genuine relationships with people I’ve met as I believe that’s the key to succeeding in the creative world. With each obstacle I face, I’ve learned each time how to deal with it better. I think back to a few years ago, the first time I had a shoot and the makeup artist didn’t show up – I was a mess! But now, I’ve learned how to adapt and I’ve learned how to build a trustworthy team that truly wants to grow together. That would be the biggest lesson I’ve learned about myself and who I am as a creative: I’m resilient and I’m going to achieve my dreams. To others, maybe it seems like I’m going too slow, but I never want to sacrifice my character or integrity for momentary success. I have big dreams (to shoot magazine covers, big brand campaigns, etc.) and I know that each step I take now has been laying the groundwork for what’s to come.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
New York City has so many beautiful pockets to explore but if I had to narrow it down, this is where I’d take my friend: Start at an early breakfast at Buvette – we’d get there early to get in line but it’s worth it! Walk around the West Village area for a while before hopping in a cab and heading to the Whitney Museum (one of my top 2 museums in the city) Head back up a bit to have lunch somewhere on McDougal street. This street is one of my favorite for local eats that are all teeming with stylish people for brunch. A good people-watching scene for sure. Shop in Soho a bit and do some more people watching. Stop by Bar Pisellino for an afternoon aperitif. Dinner at Via Carota and (if this wasn’t a pandemic) head to a jazz spot nearby after wards. My perfect day in New York consists of lots of eating! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shoutout my twin brother Nick Wells. He’s a songwriter and a pilot and he’s one of the people in my life who understands exactly the trials I face because in his line of work, he’s had to face the same obstacles. He is so encouraging. I’d also like to shoutout Leanne Aranador, my talented friend, who has always pushed me to keep going when things get tough.

Website: www.louisawells.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bylouisawells
Other: www.belonging.cc (my print newsletter site)

Image Credits
Louisa Wells