Calcifer, Lulu Lovering — *Calcifer,* Lulu Lovering

Lulu Lovering, a young photographer and avid explorer hails from the Green Mountain State. Her passion for nature and all things delicate is reflective in her work. Lovering specialises in self-portraiture in dreamy rural settings. You can check out more of her work here.

Rhubarb, Lulu Lovering — *Rhubarb,* Lulu Lovering

Interview by Lucy Farrell

Your photos are saturated with the whimsy and natural beauty of the country side. Have you ever approached the idea of photographing in more urban landscapes?

I do confess to having an extreme soft spot for the natural countryside landscapes of my world in Vermont but I also absolutely love cities and it would be a dream come true to create work in an urban setting in the near future. I'm always in awe of urban environments and all the vast stories they hold and it would be such a great challenge to begin working outside of my comfort zone a little more. I would love to be able to take the more relaxed and whimsical narratives I get to experience in the countryside and transfer them into a cityscape someday.

In the Forest, Lulu Lovering — *In the Forest,* Lulu Lovering

You are often the subject of your own work. Do you find it difficult to portray the desired emotion of the photos when you are the subject? Or do you think it gives you more creative freedom?

I've always felt a little bit shy creating self-portraiture because I usually go into it at first without very many expectations or ideas about what I might like to create, and it's always been a lovely surprise as to what becomes the final piece and what it ends up expressing. But often I do have at the very least an emotion in mind that pushes me towards creating a self-portrait and it can be so difficult at times to portray. Being able to understand the complexities and subtleties being what I feel and the way I want to share it ultimately helps me so very much to create a story from them that I hope is able to connect with other people in a place that's quite personal to them as well. It helps me so much to be able to visually journal in that way, but also to hopefully create work that transcends who I am as a person and reminds the viewer of themselves and their own life.

Meadow, Lulu Lovering — *Meadow,* Lulu Lovering

You’ve said that you “believe in creating encouraging community that emphasizes friendship over competition, the power of self-expression, and the magic waiting to be found in life's every moment.” How do you preserve this sentiment without getting deterred by the dark cynicism of life that many feel is prevalent today?

Ouf that's such a good question. I think that in my life and in my work it's become so crucial for me to really hang onto what's most true. So much of my personality is something of a fairytale-loving romantic, but I believe more and more that one can look for the genuine and authentic best in all things and all people and find it in every single moment. I secretly feel that enthusiasm for life and optimism are what might come most naturally to us, but over time they can get quite buried by the darker elements and struggles we face every day.

I truly struggle so much at times with feeling tugged in a darker direction; I worry so much about the world and all of it's beautiful people and the future. But I really try to make a conscious effort at all times to hold as fast as I can to the core of everything, which I really think is honest, unabashed and unconditional love. Life is so inherently precious and when I remember how wild it is just to be anyone or anything at all, I feel any twinges of cynicism just wash away. I try to soak myself in the natural world so that I can always remember the magic of every tiny little part of creation. I look at flowers or trees or birds and think 'How are they doing that?! They're so beautiful!'

I think it's really so essential to hold on tight to our souls and to the core of who we are. I know it's so easy to become disenchanted at a more surface level, but I trust so much that when we think and feel and act out of the deeper places within ourselves that the worried cynic on the outside is able to calm a bit and remember what's really important and meaningful for all of us.

Ane, Lulu Lovering — *Ane,* Lulu Lovering

Social media plays a crucial role in your career. As it is now the way forward for most artists do you believe that it will continue to have a strong influence in your future work?

I do love social media dearly. I love the way it connects us so much and has introduced me to people and places and ideas that have changed my life and changed who I am as a person forever. I think I'll always be a part of it in some way because I think that when used positively and in balance, it can open up beautiful doors to the world and the people in it. It has been a hard adjustment for me though, especially as an artists, to try and understand that it can at times be so key to what you're trying to achieve and create. It is a bit of a struggle at times to feel that sense that you might need to be constantly keeping up with it or you'll get lost in the crowd and might not move forward as you'd like to. But I really try not to worry too much about it because it's such an honor to me to get to share what I create and to see and take part in what others are creating. I'm always left completely humbled by it and all of the amazing people I've met and wonderful experiences I've been able to have just through getting to share photography and writings online.

Stardust, Lulu Lovering — *Stardust,* Lulu Lovering

The Light keepers is a project that you and your fiancé worked on. Can you tell us more about it?

The Light Keepers was a special concept that Ben and I created in the summer of 2015 based around the idea of an inclusive and welcoming community for artists from all walks of life. We were a little bit worried about the growing feeling of competition and cynicism that many of our friends were beginning to feel as they moved forward into full-time careers in the arts and our hope was to eventually create a quarterly magazine showcasing all of the beautiful work we saw being created in photography, writing, culinary arts, floral design, styling etc. Our hope was also to create inspirational weekend-long workshops and get-togethers for artists from all over the world to meet each other, form new friendships, and spend time collaborating and adventuring together.

After Ben passed away suddenly this summer I've had to put the project on a shelf a little bit but my greatest hope is to re-launch it later this year and begin working on the formation of both the magazine and the workshops.

WCW Questionnaire

How would you describe your creative process in one word?

Introspective.

If you could teach one, one-hour class on anything, what would it be?

Expressive Self-Portraiture.

What is the last book you read or film you saw that inspired you?

'How To Be a Wildflower' by Katie Daisy.

What is the most played song in your music library?

'The Lightning Strike' by Snow Patrol

How do you take your coffee?

I want to love coffee so much but I'm just terrible with it and always end up drinking lattes with sugary syrups in them hehehe!