Lillian Reitz, Unraveled | An Interview
Meet Lillian Reitz:
My love of photography started young and was directly inspired by my Grandpa Bill, who loved to document everyday life. As a toddler and young child, I was mostly interested in posing for the camera, but as I got older I became more interested in capturing photos. For years and years, photography was just a fun hobby, and I deluded myself into thinking that I could never be a professional. Everything changed in 2017 when Hurricane Harvey made landfall over my small town of Rockport, Texas. I stayed through the storm and very thankfully came through unharmed with very little personal damage, but our town was in shambles. So many people lost everything they owned, and I wanted to help in any way I could. For three months offered free sessions for families that lost their homes as well as donation-based sessions to help raise money for close friends who lost their business. After experiencing such a catastrophic natural disaster, I was no longer as scared of starting my own business. In January 2018, I started my business as a part-time side hustle. I have been full-time since February 2019!
For more inspiration from Lillian:
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Learn Tips For Night Landscape Photography From Lillian on the Blog HERE.
Here is Lillian, Unraveled…
What inspires your art?
Nature is what inspires me the most! How amazing is this hunk of rock that we call Earth? I love being outside and observing how plants and animals interact. I'm fascinated by the ebb and flow of wild things. I love finding insects, observing birds, watching the tides come and go; there are so many patterns in the chaos of life.
What other ways do you express your creativity?
Ballet! I absolutely adore moving my body and ballet classes are my ultimate happy place. I took a break from dancing for a few years, but I've recently started attending classes again and my soul feels so refreshed.
How do you de-stress at the end of the day?
I love going for quiet walks. I'm super lucky to live in a small town with lots of wonderful walking trails. I walk without headphones and enjoy the sounds of nature as much as possible.
What kind of music do you listen to while editing?
I'm a bit of a weirdo and very rarely listen to music, but when I do, I love basically anything orchestral or symphonic; Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff, etc. I also really enjoy listening to ballet music and movie soundtracks. Some of my favorite contemporary composers are John Williams (living LEGEND), Hans Zimmer, and Joby Talbot.
What is your favorite book?
There is no way I could ever choose a favorite book! Simply impossible. I love reading (and listening through Audible) to books over and over again.
Here are a few of my favorites:
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
The Stormlight Archive Series by Brandon Sanderson
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke
Dune by Frank Herbert
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
Sick Puppy by Carl Hiassen
A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
A Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
This list could go on much longer, but I better stop here. :P
Name one movie that inspires you.
Amélie. I love the storytelling.
How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps?
Self-doubt, 10,000%! Just admitting how much self-doubt plagues my daily thoughts has been enlightening in my creative journey. I'm really trying to embrace owning my creative process and stop being paralyzed by the mere fear of failure.
What has been the most difficult part of your creative journey?
Lately, I have been listening to a lot of self-help and motivational books to better understand my own self-doubt and how to overcome it. For creative slumps, I try to slow down and appreciate how far I've come as an artist in the past year of business which somehow relieves the pressure that I put on myself to always one-up my previous work.
What is your favorite pizza topping?
Feta cheese!
What is your most favorite kind of light and why?
I feel like my favorite light changes a lot, depending on how I am feeling or what I am shooting. For most of my sessions with clients, I love shooting backlit with golden light, but when I am taking night time photos, I'm usually hoping for as little light as possible so that I can capture more stars in the sky.
Who is one of your favorite photographers?
Kerlyn Van Gelder! I love the way she captures connection in her photos.
What is your favorite course or lesson at Unraveled?
I am totally obsessed with Shooting in Full Sun with Ace Fanning... or I might just be obsessed with Ace's personality, either way, I've watched that lesson at least 5 times.