FUTURE / PRESENT / PAST - A visual reflection on time and transformation.

Venezuelan artist Lauren Fortoul, second place in the contest, transforms stagnation into hope through digital photography.

For Lauren Fortoul, her work FUTURE / PRESENT / PAST was born out of a very personal need: to illuminate that feeling of stagnation that we can all experience at some point in life. With an introspective gaze, the artist invites the viewer to reflect on how the decisions we make today and the way we reinterpret our past shape our future.

"I wanted to give the viewer a sense of hope and empowerment - and also remind myself. It all depends on the interpretation we choose to give the past and the actions we take in the present," explains Lauren.

Her creative process always starts with an internal conflict or a recurring situation she observes around her. From there, she synthesizes the idea into a word or phrase and builds a visual universe through references gathered from Pinterest, walks, movies, books or exhibitions. The result in this case was a minimalist, reflective and contemplative digital composition, created with Adobe Photoshop, photographs taken with his Sony a7 iii camera and a simple white background.

Discover the full interview with Lauren Fortoul on Domestika's blog to learn more about how she maintains her authenticity, the routines that nurture her creativity and the artists that inspire her.

-Can you tell us what inspired you to create the winning project? What story or emotion did you want to convey?

I was inspired by the concern to shed light on the feeling of stagnation that we experience at some point in life.

I want to give the viewer a feeling of hope and empowerment, to do so and make me remember that it depends on the interpretation we decide to give to the past and the actions we take in the present that will shape our future.

- What is your process for developing original ideas from scratch?

It all starts with the need to transform or shed light on an internal conflict, either my own or a recurring situation I observe around me.
I synthesize the concept in a phrase or a word.
I look for visual references in Pinterest and in information that I collect from walks, movies, series, books and exhibitions.

I make several digital collages, until I reach a feasible idea.

- Do you start with a sketch, an inspiration board or something else?

I start with a digital sketch

- How would you define your style and how has it evolved?

Currently I would define it as minimalist, reflective and contemplative, previously it was loaded and confusing.

- What tools or techniques did you use to bring your project to life (traditional, digital, mixed media, etc.)?

The technique I used is digital
- Adobe Photoshop (main software) Main tool for image composition, manipulation and editing.
- Collections of images pulled from Pinterest for reference collages.
- Sony a7 iii camera
- Tripod
- White background ( a wall )

- What challenges did you face in creating your work for the contest and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was describing the process step by step as this is usually somewhat intuitive, so once the work was finished, I searched the files and gradually extracted the information.

- How do you make sure your projects remain authentic and personal in a world full of visual trends?

I stay true to myself, making projects that are aligned with my own values and beliefs, rather than conforming to the expectations imposed by society and ephemeral fashions.

- Do you follow any routines or rituals that help you stay creative and productive?

Without a doubt something that helps me a lot is to organize in an agenda the development plan of the project to be carried out, not to follow it strictly but to keep me focused and to make the project with a realistic deadline.
I usually spend the morning doing some physical activity like going for a walk or a bike ride, I try to be as present as possible and sensorially capture what is happening, lights, shadows, conversations, sounds, temperature, smells.

During these activities there is usually something that catches my attention, so I take a quick photo, make a written or voice note on my cell phone, some of this information usually serves as part of the inspiration for a future project.

After lunch, I meditate for 5-10 minutes and it's time to work on whatever project I have in progress.
Later it's time to have dinner and relax, I watch a series and again if some phrase or image catches my attention I make a quick note on my cell phone.

- Which artists have most influenced your work and why?

Dasha Pears, Danny Bittencourt both photography teachers at Domestika and illustrator Daehyun Kim ( Moonassi ) all explore the inner and invisible world of human emotions and psyche.

- What advice would you give to someone who is starting out and wants to develop their own style?

To cultivate self-knowledge and patience, not to try to fit in or go with what's trendy just for the sake of immediate approval.

It is normal that at the beginning we try to imitate the work of the artists that inspire us, but we have to take them as a reference, pass them through our personal filter and make our own version.

- What does winning this contest mean to you and how does it influence your goals as an artist?

Having won the contest means that there are many people out there who have resonated with the work and this drives me to keep creating and sharing.

Participate in nour creative contests and share your vision with the world.