The Muse: Jocelyn Kuhlmann
muse (noun) a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist
At Unraveled, we’re always paying attention to the artists whose work lingers a little. The images you keep thinking about later for no obvious reason. The ones that make you want to pick up your camera and make something of your own. That’s what The Muse is for. A place to share the artists, sessions, and creative processes that inspire us and remind us why we fell in love with photography in the first place. But we love the idea that sometimes, the muse can be you.
Jocelyn Kuhlmann has become one of those artists we love watching create, and while her work stretches far beyond self-portraiture, there’s something about the way she turns the camera on herself that keeps pulling us in. Her self-portraits don’t feel like an exercise in being photographed. They feel like an exercise in seeing. In noticing light, playing with an idea, trying something simply because she’s curious about what it might become. There’s a freedom in them that we think so many photographers lose somewhere along the way when creating becomes tangled up with clients, expectations, algorithms, and whether or not something is “good enough.”
When you’re both the photographer and the person in front of the camera, there’s nowhere to perform for anyone else. You get to experiment. You get to make something strange. You get to fail spectacularly. You get to follow an idea all the way through just to see where it goes. And Jocelyn does that beautifully.
This particular session feels like such a perfect little glimpse into her creative brain. The open landscape, the dress, the boots, the blue sky, the tiny details and unexpected crops — it feels nostalgic and cinematic without feeling overly planned. More than anything, it feels like someone making photographs because making photographs is fun. Maybe that’s our favorite thing about Jocelyn’s work. She’s a reminder that you don’t always have to wait for the perfect client, location, concept, or reason to create something.
Sometimes you can just be your own muse.
Jocelyn Kuhlmann: INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE
Tell us a bit about this session! (your inspiration, what you were trying to accomplish, the story behind it, etc)
Fashion has always been a huge source of inspiration for me, and this lace dress from my last work trip instantly felt like it had a story to tell. The moment I saw it, I pictured a Western, Yellowstone-inspired vibe, and everything else fell into place from there. I ended up finding this location beside a hotel parking lot, which was the perfect reminder that creativity can be found anywhere. These personal sessions are where I feel most connected to my art—they give me the freedom to experiment, grow, and create simply because it inspires me.
What gear/equipment did you use for this shoot?
Sony a7II Lens: 35mm
What programs, presets or techniques did you use to edit these images?
I'm always focused on how a photo makes you feel. I use my own custom presets, but for personal shoots I usually start from the original image and build a new edit from scratch, often creating new presets that I can use as inspiration for future sessions. My biggest editing technique is simply exploring. I'll edit the same few photos in multiple different ways before landing on the one that captures the emotion I'm trying to share. For me, it's less about following a formula and more about creating an image that makes people feel something.
What advice or best technical tip would you give to new or aspiring photographers?
My best advice is simple: if it works, it works. I've struggled with a lot of self-doubt, mostly because the way I create isn't very traditional. I've relied on a half-broken tripod held together with a Hot Cheeto puff wedged into the crack just to keep my camera balanced. I've edited on a low-budget laptop that crashes every 20 photos, and I taught myself everything from scratch. For a long time, I felt underqualified, especially when I compared myself to all the incredible artists I admire. But then I look at the images I've created, and they remind me that the process doesn't have to be perfect. My setup might be a little janky, and I may not have the newest gear, but I've learned my camera so well that I've made it work. At the end of the day, people connect with the feeling behind your work, not the price of your equipment. So don't wait until everything is perfect to create. Use what you have, trust your instincts, and remember why you picked up a camera in the first place. If it works, it works. My results don't lie :)
Want to create work that feels more like you?
One of our favorite things about watching Jocelyn’s work evolve is knowing that Unraveled has been part of her creative story. She’s been inside the Academy learning, experimenting, finding inspiration in other artists, and — most importantly — figuring out what all of that looks like when filtered through her. Because that’s never been about teaching everyone to make the same photographs.
It’s about giving yourself somewhere to stay curious. Somewhere to learn something new, try the weird idea, get inspired by people creating completely differently than you, and then take whatever sparks something and make it your own. Jocelyn has done exactly that. And if you’ve been feeling a little creatively stuck, craving something new, or just missing the part of photography that used to feel like play, we’d love to have you here too.
Come hang out with us inside Unraveled Academy. Take what inspires you. Leave what doesn’t. Try some shit. Make some photographs.
And maybe every once in a while, turn the camera around.
Join Unraveled Academy →
