Interview with Paola Rayos

Good afternoon all! Last blog I stated how were doing radical things here in the Chrysalis, such as trying to implement our users' works in the blog, posting more frequently and more relevant stuff, and whatever else we can think of. We reached out to one of our contributors, Paola Rayos, who submitted two wonderful pictures, Una Larga Caminata and El Tercer Aire for this year's Chrysalis. We conducted our first interview to get to learn more of her, which she was happy to oblige in! And without further ado, here it is:

1.   To start off, would you introduce yourself to our viewers? Are you a faculty member or a student?
My name is Paola and I am 19 years of age, I currently graduated from EPCC Valle Verde, and now I am transferring to UTEP.

2.   So, what do you do? What are your interests?

I like to write and take pictures but before those my passion is singing.

3.   Why did you choose to pursue all of that?

I chose to pursue photography (as a hobby at least) because I like to capture the special and beautiful moments in my life.

4.   Have you ever submitted to other publications in the past?

 No, this would be my first time submitting any of my works.

5.   Are your hobbies something you might want to pursue as a career?

Yes, definitely, right now I am going to pursue a degree in Psychology, but in between that I would like to take some courses to get better at taking pictures.

6.   So how much have you done? Have you amassed a sizable collection yet?

I have a big collection of pictures I have taken in all my trips, I have traveled to several places in Mexico and I love to take my camera to all these amazing places.

7.   Where do you get your inspiration for what you do?

The moment and the place, like I said—I have traveled to a lot of beautiful places, and not capturing a beautiful moment is a waste of time, so those two things motivate me to take pictures.

8.   Some people try to convey a message through their work. Others create for themselves. What would you say is your reason for why you take pictures?

I love to share the moments I experienced in the amazing places I’ve been in with people, that’s the kind of art I do.

9.   Will you continue your passions in the future and submit to publications? Of course! I hope I can get better with time and submit my art to many publications.

10. If there was any way we here at the Chrysalis could do to help aspiring photographers like yourself, what would you want to see?

I would recommend Chrysalis to do an exhibition at EPCC campuses.

11. Any advice you want to give for those in your shoes?

My advice is to never get discouraged. Even if you’re not a professional doesn’t mean your work is not good enough, so always have passion for what you do. 

As a bonus for our viewers, here is a picture of hers we could not include in this year's edition but will share with all our blog viewers!

Alturas

Paola Rayos