We had the good fortune of connecting with Adriana Wicker and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Adriana, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I am pursuing an artistic and creative career in photography because every time I have attempted something more conventional, I spent the entire time fantasizing about being a professional photographer. This is the art and the career I have always come back to, whether I was planning on it or not.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to think of my art as authentic, real, feminine, and moody. It’s an extension of my heart and an expression of my experiences and worldview. I often have trouble communicating verbally, and finding words to express myself is often a struggle. Being able to express myself through photography is a blessing.
I am a Latina woman who identifies as queer. I’m very proud that I can capture my clients as their authentic selves and be someone they can relate to and be comfortable around. I work with a lot of women and a lot of LGBTQ+ identifying people, and non-traditional families and those are groups where it can be difficult to be yourself without anxiety and nerves getting in the way. It can also be very difficult to find a photographer who will not judge you for things like being queer, having children out of wedlock, or being alternative. I’m happy that I can provide a safe space for people to get their portraits done and have big and small moments in their lives documented. Women, people of the global majority, the LGBTQIA+ community, and non-traditional families have been erased from history more often than not, and I am honored that I get to be a part of documenting the stories that I do.
As far as ease, I don’t think I’ll ever be convinced anyone can easily pursue their dreams. For me the biggest obstacles have involved living with ADHD and an unidentified mood disorder while also trying to pursue photography. I’ve been through a lot the past few years, including losing housing, having to move back into my childhood home, and having to move around a bit while experiencing a severe mental health episode all at the same time in 2019. Seeking help in the form of therapy and medication has been absolutely vital to the success I’ve been seeing in my life and business since then.
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far has been that it is, in fact, okay to give up sometimes. We view giving up, stepping back, and taking breaks as a very negative thing. But I think something we fail to realize is that giving up does not have to be a permanent thing. It can be temporary, even if it’s indefinite. Taking a break and stepping back from things is not a moral failing. I was the type of person who would push myself so far beyond my limits, I would hurt myself in the process, and I’m far form being alone in that. I also always had major FOMO. Allowing myself to give up, regroup, and reassess was so important in getting myself to where I am today and where I am on my way to in this career path.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m not sure what order we would do things in, but I would want to take them to the Art Museum and the Museum of Nature and Science for sure. My partner says that the aquarium is a must – I’ve never been. I would take them to a Rockies game, and we would have to go hiking and kayaking. Spending an afternoon on Capitol Hill would be great, there are so many options for food and doing tourist-y things like checking out the capitol building. I would also want to take them to The Huckleberry in Louisville and to Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. There’s a nice coffee shop called the Laughing Goat on Pearl, and seeing the buskers perform is always fun.
On the 21+ side of things, hitting up a local dispensary and Voodoo Donuts or Winchell’s would be a good way to end a night. Supporting microbrews is a necessity, as well as going to Hamburger Mary’s and blowing all of our cash on the incredible drag performers and wonderful wait staff there.
A show at Red Rocks would need to happen, there are few experiences as magical as seeing a live performance there. I’d also enjoy taking them to a concert at the Ogden Theatre – I have more incredible memories there than I can keep track of. It is also necessary, in opinion, to experience Colfax Ave in order to claim to have been fully immersed.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been incredibly fortunate in that I’ve had nearly endless support and encouragement from loved ones when it comes to pursuing photography. But, for the sake of keeping things somewhat short, I would like to dedicate my shoutout to five people in particular. My mom, who has always made sure I know that even the sky doesn’t have to be a limit. My Papa Lu, who is always one email or call away when I have questions about business or stories to tell. My grandma Rene, who is the pillar who holds me up even when life is harder than it’s ever been. My best friend Sierra, who has been my #1 model for almost 10 years, the person in the driver’s seat on the most questionable journeys, and always the first person to remind me to get out of my head and have some fun. And finally my fiancée, who always makes sure the car is safe to drive before my next adventure, deals with every panic attack and meltdown, and encourages me even when I’m completely convinced I should quit.
A couple of other people worth mentioning are my friend Char, who is the reason I graduated from a point and shoot to a DSLR, my friend and mentor Melissa, who has given me more business than I can even remember, my brothers who have always been models whether they wanted to be or not, and my dad who is one of the most creative and passionate people I’ve ever met.
Website: https://www.adrianawicker.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrianawickerphotography/