Young Creatives of the DMV: Cecilia
Young Creatives of the DMV
Cecilia is a photographer and the Creator of Our Dirty Youth. I got a chance to speak to her on a summer night in Downtown Bethesda over vegan gelato.
Me: What inspired you to create Our Dirty Youth what is its mission?
Growing up, my family was very conservative and traditional. We went to church every Sunday morning and prayed every night, but I knew that this lifestyle was not for me. On top of that, I’m a first generation asian American and the rules of the house were very strict. Communication wasn’t used casually in my family, but only really when needed, so I never learned to communicate and express myself verbally, so I had to find other ways to do it. Growing up I’ve always been interested in fashion and with that meant being experimental with the clothes that I wore, but that didn’t go well with my mom. There’d be so many outfits that I’d walk the stairs in and my mom would say “You can’t wear that because people are going to think you’re ‘dirty’” or “Don’t wear that because men will think you’re ‘dirty’” and for the longest time, I’d be so mad at my mom because she wouldn’t understand that the clothes that I wore was my form of self-expression and the fact that she would rather me tone myself down to abide with what other people think cut very deep.
Now that I’m more grown, I understand that it was just her way of protecting me from sexual harassment, but that’s where it really started. Dirty became this word that angered me so much that I started to take pride in it because it meant that I was being unapologetically myself.
Thus formed Our Dirty Youth-which is kinda abandoned at the moment. The idea for it though is to be a community for all people, but especially creators, who are defying social norms or people who aren’t afraid of the ‘new’ and ‘different’. I toggled around with the name a lot and came up with Our Dirty Youth, ‘our’ representing community, ‘dirty’ for the unconventional aspect, and ‘youth’ not meaning kids, but for those who with a childlike mindset and want to learn and have fun.
Me: What inspires your art?
My art mainly revolves around what I’m going through in life or what’s going on in the world in general. I struggle with depression so a lot of it reflects that and the loneliness I feel when I am depressed, but there’s also a lot of portraits of the beautiful women that reminds me how grateful I am to have these people in my life..on top of just showing off how gorgeous my friends are.
Me: So you do photography , what is the process of developing and processing your photos do you mostly do digital or film?
I use both digital and film, but for very different reasons. I mainly use digital, which is more for studio and planned shoots, but if I’m using film, that’s more so for street photography and capturing raw moments with my friends, and I just send that into a camera store to get developed and scanned.
Me: How does your art influence your personal style?
Neither of them really influence the other to be honest. They’re both just a reflection of who I am, which is all over the place, but in the best way possible because I try to be as well rounded as I can.
Me: You hosted your first art show not to long ago , how was it what was it like, highs lows everything?
Ahhhh that was a very interesting day. So it was my first ever art show and it was a solo art show meaning I booked the place by myself and it was just me-it wasn’t through a company/collective like I’ve been doing more recently. I wanted the show to embody me and everything I stood for and I think that was a big low for me because this pressure of it having to be fun but inspiring at the same time just made me really anxious. It wasn’t a big thing which was a little upsetting. I thought more strangers would come up to me and wonder what was going on (because it was at a coffee shop) and I’d get my name out more, but it was mainly friends which at the end of the day was the best part because so many people came out to support me-which is a big high. Not only that, but the satisfaction of knowing that I planned and set up the show and that the work was all mine was just a great thing to look back on and think, “yeah, I really did that”.
Me: What is the one thing that ties all your art work together?
Me. I am the band that ties together my work. If you look at my instagram (@cecilia.newgian), you’ll see that I have this sad/weird conceptual piece next to a happy fashion portrait. None of it makes sense when you look at first glance, but if you step back to really see the whole picture, you see me.
Me: What is your favorite thing to photograph and why?
My favorite thing to photograph are my friends on film. Everything is so raw and authentic. Nothing is planned, what you see is what you get, which is something I like to practice when I’m around people.
Me: Favorite art period and why?
My favorite art period took place around World War 1 when Dadaism and the revolution of anti-art began. This period’s most famously remembered by Marcel Duchamp’s piece titled ‘Fountain’, which was basically an upside down urinal. I just think it’s so funny and opens your eyes to the idea that literally anything can be art!
Me: Whose someone who inspires you in your field of art?
Someone who I look up to and admire a lot in the photography industry is Sarah Bahbah. Her photography looks like these beautiful movie stills that have a story throughout each of her series.
Me: If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be and why? Plus final thing you want to say?
This is a hard question, but the first person who comes to mind is Trevor Noah. I just think his comedy and storytelling abilities meshed with some form of visual art would be a really interesting combo.
Final thoughts would be to do what makes you happy in every way possible, whether it be how you dress, the way you interact with strangers, your career, whatever! As long as you’re staying true to yourself, that’s what matters.
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