Eirin Lebouteiller
EIRIN LEBOUTEILLER: “I'm actually proud of myself, finally. It took me too many years to be myself, to do something I love.”
by Eric-René Penoy
Who are you? Describe yourself in a few words.: I'm the girl who takes photos all the time and who laughs a lot.
Where do you come from? Give us details: I come from a small Spanish island surrounded by other small islands in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. It's called Gran Canaria. It was born from volcanoes, emerging from the seas somewhere near the Sahara Desert. It is a magical place, with a strong nature. But it is also small. When I was 20 years old, I felt like I already knew everyone I could meet there. I also thought the islands didn't have any more secrets to me. I went on an adventure to the furthermost country possible in Europe, looking for the opposite from home.
What are you the proudest of?: I'm actually proud of myself, finally. It took me too many years to be myself, to do something I love. And it takes courage to leave everything behind and start something new without knowing where we're headed. So, yes, I can proudly say I am proud of myself. Because I'm finally the person I've always wanted to be. I'm a love photographer.
What kind of jobs did you have before your career took off?: I studied to be a translator, and I was a nanny during my studies that took me to Finland, and then to France. As I was good at school, I spent 7 years in university. Somehow, I ended up working as a Spanish teacher in a secondary school for 6 years. Nothing went like planned. But again, my plans weren't based on my dreams, so of course, it couldn't work. After a while, I didn't have any free time to be creative or to do creative things. It was all about work. When all the plans blew up, my career as a photographer finally took off.
Do you think that creativity involves putting your heart and soul into your work?: I don't think so, I'm pretty sure about it. For me, creativity is what happens when we listen to our hearts and soul. The more we pay attention to them, the more creative we get.
"I always knew that I wanted to do something creative, something meaningful.”
What is your personal life that has influenced you to choose your career?: Somehow, I'm usually amazed by small things in life, or by things that people aren't often amazed of. I find beauty in people, in things, in places... and photography is the best way to show it to the world. Through a photograph, I can show people how I see the world, how I see places, how I see other people... and all the beauty.
Then I found love, and I got married. And I felt it like the most beautiful thing in the world. then I decided I wanted to photograph love.
What made you decide to follow a creative career choice (though possibly risky) rather than something more stable?: I had a stable job, and I was losing myself. Like a flower without water, I was fading into a career where creativity was the opposite of what was expected of me. One day I realized I had touched the bottom of it, I was going through a depression. I couldn't use the wings of creativity anymore, I couldn't see the beauty around me. So, basically, I broke free, I took risks, then started to be myself again.
Have you always wanted to do what you are doing?: I always knew that I wanted to do something creative, something meaningful. I just didn't know that would be a wedding and love photography. So, technically, yes.
What do you intend to achieve through your work?: I really want people to feel through my work. Either to feel what they felt like at the moment the picture was taken, or a love they didn't know was there. Love, nostalgia, happiness, melancholy, tenderness, peace... I want people to feel alive through my work.
Think back to your childhood. What did you hope to become as an adult?: I definitely wanted to be an artist. A singer, a painter, a writer... a photographer. Unlucky luck for me, I was good at school, and teachers and my parents encouraged me towards a good and stable career, because "being an artist is not a job", as they said. I gave up my stable job, for which I had studied for so many years, after having a conversation with my younger self, who asked me "are you happy with the person that we've become?", and the answer was "No".
ABOUT THE ARTIST
DOB :
LOCATION: ITALY
OCCUPATION: WEDDING AND SPORT PHOTOGRAPHER
Copyright : N/A
CONVERSATIONS AND CLASSES TO INSPIRE PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ARTISTS.
WHERE TO FIND THE ARTIST?
INSTAGRAM:/eirinphoto/
WEBSITE:https://eirinphotography.com/
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