I Am Still Willing To Fight
In her works, Adriana Roslin addresses the human depth, the mentality of a person the camera focuses on, to help unleash the inner self. Personality and psychology are the themes of interest, which guide towards depicting the emotional state designed for the story. The technical aspects play an important role; lights, shadows, the geometry of the added element come to draw attention to something bigger than a portion of what a viewer is allowed to see, emphasizing the possibility for the breadth of perception.
Beyond fashion, Adriana supports personal rights for safety, freedom, and the LGBTQ+ community, recently through the latest cooperation on the I’m Horny book and also with Stonewall UK initiative, Beyond Abuse.
Adriana Roslin is a London-based creative director and photographer working in the fashion and music industries. She worked with clients such as Loewe, Hemper, Emilia Wickstead, and others. In this discussion, we speak with Adriana about her decision to move to London and the importance of the English language in the fashion industry. We touch on topics like photography being an agent of change, the quarantine, the mechanism of observation, and the force of the inner drive leading the way.
‘That is the general mood in the whole world; if you are not in the circle, you’re just not gonna be able to work as much as other people that will always be one step further.’
Spain vs the UK
Born in Madrid and working across some of the European cities, what are the main differences you notice concerning working processes, the type of projects available, and in general the mood?
Well in Europe I’ve been working especially in Spain and the UK and what I have experienced is that almost everything is different.
Regarding the fashion industry, in which I’ve been working for most of my life, the types of projects are very different, since I believe that in Spain we’re always a little bit behind from any other fashion capital. Even though I feel we are evolving, the opportunities you have in London, in this case, are much higher, especially in a financial spectrum, and of course, because of the language barrier, we do have in our country.
It's sad for me to see that if you don’t know English, you’re just not going to be able to make it, which is like that in the whole world. So it’s normal, but it doesn’t make it less sad because it’s so generalised. So this kind of wall creates groups of people that are just more comfortable working together, which makes sense to me, but at the same time makes it difficult to get to know more people and to be able to collaborate with others in this industry. So I believe that is the general mood in the whole world; if you are not in the circle, you’re just not gonna be able to work as much as other people that will always be one step further.
What do you love the most?
It can really be very frustrating, but at the same time, this creates different and new communities, other groups of people that since they don’t wanna stop fighting to get where they’ve been dreaming to they just work together, and in the end what comes out is a beautiful art.
‘Every year, I'm less interested in being the best at what I do, I’m more interested in trying to make a tiny change in the world and make something relevant for the arts and society.’
Photography
Being a photographer for over five years, what has changed in your perception of this profession?
A lot has changed since I started working. The biggest difference is that I didn’t know anything back then, and now I know a lot about it, so my perception of what my industry embraces has really changed me also as a person.
Regarding my profession, I still believe it's a beautiful job, and I’m very passionate about it, but what actually concerns me are the industries such as publicity, fashion, food, beauty, and many others that involve visual promotion.
What are some of the main changes in themes you like to photograph and explore today compared to several years ago?
Every year, I'm less interested in being the best at what I do, I’m more interested in trying to make a tiny change in the world and make something relevant for the arts and society and especially for me; staying true to myself and being happy with what I create.
I’m saying this because every time I think about our world, I realise everything is so fucked up from the roots, so it makes you want to try and help humanity and our culture in the tiniest form you can.
What I like to photograph changes every year, depending on where I’ve been living, whom I’ve met, what I’ve seen, and the experiences I had. But as I said before, I'm very interested in exploring a more abstract point of view of every object I have in front of me. And right now, during this quarantine, I mostly have my body, so I like to experiment with it in a visual way.
‘This obsession people have of being always active and never stop creating during the lockdown, I think, is very unsafe mentally, and I don’t feel connected to that.’
The Lockdown
How did the lockdown affect your work?
As I was saying before, I am focusing my work right now on my body and day-to-day things and objects we have in our house.
Of course, it affects my work; I'm not making any money at all, which is going to be very difficult when I get out of here, but there's a part of me that still believes that I’ll be able to survive. And the most important thing is that I am still willing to fight to have that stability I’ve been looking for for years.
How do you plan your days trying to make the best of them during this period?
I relax a lot, I try not to force myself into creating or doing anything “useful”; I’m having a lot of "my" time. This obsession people have of being always active and never stop creating during the lockdown, I think, is very unsafe mentally, and I don’t feel connected to that.
I really enjoy doing nothing, so even if it’s a long time, I'm very grateful that I have a family and a house that keeps me safe and supports me. I just wanna say that we should all be very careful with social media, especially during these times, we should take more care of ourselves and stop trying to mimic what everyone is doing.
‘To sell, you have to learn how to sell, and you have to understand your public to create your own luck.’
Luck vs Skill
In any career, there’s a point in which something has to happen to allow a person to climb to the next stage. What was the turning point for you?
When I think about how I got where I am today, I always think about Snoop Dogg having his star in the Hollywood walk of fame. He said, “I want to thank me for believing in me”.
This is something I think every artist that is fighting to get somewhere in life should always remind themselves; you can have help from a lot of people and support from your family, because, of course, without that, you wouldn’t go anywhere. But the person that is going to always be there for you is yourself.
I don’t believe that I had any turning point; I just had certain periods in my life and certain experiences that had opened new doors for me that I was able to appreciate and take advantage of.
Do you feel it was luck or skill or perhaps a combination of both?
So answering your question about if it was luck or skill or perhaps a combination of both, I believe it has to be both, especially if you don’t come from a wealthy family or you don’t have the tools to get easily to where you want to go.
In what way?
Art is subjective, so you have to learn how to play with your social skills, your Internet skills, where do you wanna take your art and many other different things that are absolutely not related to the style of your photography or painting or anything artistic. What I’m trying to say here is that to sell, you have to learn how to sell, and you have to understand your public to create your own luck.
Personality
What affected you the most in life, in a career, in decision making?
When I was almost 18 I started uni, and during one year I studied something I really didn’t like. I’ve never liked to study something I wasn’t actually interested in, so it was a big struggle for me; especially, the time I was in school. So the fact that I had to do another four years of studying something I didn't like was heartbreaking.
Do you remember if it was a specific sentence this person said or an action you were inspired by - to make a change in your life or in a way of seeing things?
After the first year during that summer, I had to go to private lessons because I failed some of the subjects I was studying, and it reminded me of when I used to study in summers when I was a child.
One day my tutor was looking at me, and she knew I was really suffering, so she asked me the question that changed everything for me that was, “Do you really want to do this?”. Very simple, very bold, but I never thought about it. She told me to go home, think it through, and then come back the next day.
I never went back, I told my parents I couldn’t do it anymore, and since I was already taking some pictures I decided photography was my way out in a way. It was a very risky thing to do, my parents were very worried about it, but I actually was able to show them that I could make some money with this job and I’ve been fighting ever since.
‘The most important thing in my work apart from light or shadows or geometry are human beings; I analyse a lot of people because I always try to understand and empathise with whoever I have in front of me.’
Observations
What is Adriana like as an observer?
I believe I observe little details some people are not able to perceive. I actually think most photographers have that skill very developed since it's our job. For me, it comes very easy and very natural to just be able to notice even tiny things that other people wouldn’t, and it’s very fun actually.
What are some of the latest observations that led you to analyze the processes or occurrences?
The most important thing in my work apart from light or shadows or geometry are human beings; I analyse a lot of people because I always try to understand and empathise with whoever I have in front of me. So usually my main subject is a mix of everything I have in front of me.
Though, as I was saying before, forcing yourself into an artistic situation or into creating something new is very negative; I don’t believe in that. Observation and inspiration have to come from a place in which your mind is absolutely calm and is able to absorb any information without being obligated.
How can an observation aesthetically or thematically find its way to a new project?
In my case, to create a project, I’m happy with, it has to come from a very chill and mentally safe place. Regardless of my ideas, because I’m always collaborating with other artists, and what's interesting is to mix how each of us observes, being able to connect and create something together.
Upcoming Projects
What are your plans for this year?
I actually had a lot of plans for this year, but of course, we are in the middle of a pandemic, so everything is on hold. Before all of this, I directed for the first time in my life this year. I did a documentary that will come out probably in September, and it was a very special project for me.
What are you working on right now?
So that’s what I’m mostly working on right now. I’ve been talking to friends and other artists to collaborate on projects they are doing and to collaborate on projects I’m thinking about for the future. I’m also doing a cookbook with my mother (she’s the one cooking).
But my main plan for this year is to be able to stay safe, to take care of my family and friends, and look for a way to get realistic stability in life because what is actually coming is more hard-core than what we are living through right now.
