We’re back with another Creator Spotlight, and this time, we had the honor of speaking with Teresa Freitas (AKA @teresacfreitas)! We love Teresa’s style, and we’d love for you to check out her A Color Story filter +pack called Palette! We’re excited for you to get to know her a little better through the following Q&A.

Please share a little about how you got into photography

Although my plan before and during fine arts college was to become a multimedia designer, I kept resorting to photography as the chosen medium to develop all my personal and yearly projects. Funny enough, even when this was happening, I didn’t accept that photography was going to or could be my future – but instead of focusing on other media and techniques that could benefit my initial plan, I couldn’t resist photographing, and kept going back to it at each opportunity. In my 3rd year of college, I installed Instagram. Instagram allowed me to explore photography in an informal and experimental way that didn’t have the artistic pressure and seriousness I was getting from college. I was shooting with my phone on a daily basis, without giving it any special thought. Eventually, I got attracted to the world of editing and colour, and how it could quickly shape our perception of an image. I ended up being noticed by brands for my compositions and colour-work in still life scenes, and about 3 years ago I realised I could be a full-time photographer. Content creation for brands helps me support my – at last accepted – passion for photography.

We are obsessed with your bright, candy-colored editing style. It’s so unique! How did you decide to go in that direction, and how long did it take to develop your style?

Thank you! It wasn’t a conscious decision from one moment to the next. My taste was guiding me along the way as I experimented with different approaches to colour. I went through different editing stages, but eventually found myself in amidst of pastel and softer tones, but wasn’t quite satisfied. From that point, I knew I wanted to develop a style that would have pastels as the starting-point, but with a twist, something different in colourization. It took me around 2 years to finally reach a point where I’m happy with my colour-palette, although it’s still an ongoing process. I like to edit each of my images from scratch in Lightroom and understand what each picture needs to be able to recognize myself in it. Sometimes it doesn’t happen on my first try, and I often only go back to an image after some I’ve spent some time apart from it.

What are your biggest artistic influences?

It’s curious to think that, when I was developing my work and creative identity (which is ever-evolving), I wasn’t recalling specific references to work on top of and create something new from. At least in my case, I was only able to pin-point my references after I developed a style I could immediately relate to. I guess, because I went through so many inspirations and influences when I was taking Painting and Multimedia Art, it was hard to understand which artists influenced me, and which ones inspired me. Inspiration is endless, and happens daily, but influences stay forever, and can be traced to the timeline of your evolution as an artist. In painting, I think of painting masters like Van Gogh, Matisse and Magritte and their own approach to colour. In photography, I like to recall Fan Ho’s colour photographs, William Eggleston visual diaries and Nguan, more recently. In Cinematography, animation movies played a big part in my development of visual taste when I was growing up. I like art that is beautiful, that provides a moment of visual pleasure, without expecting to receive more from it. That’s something my references gave me, and what I want to convey in my own images too.

How have you adapted during isolation? Any tips on staying creative in uncertain times?

Not travelling (and not leaving my house) has been hard, since I can’t go out and shoot. My first tip is to try not being too hard on ourselves and giving into the pressure we feel that we need to create. I’ve been going through the archives of past travels and re-discovering places and images I disregarded before. Because I like to shoot in natural light, outside, winter is a slower season for me in terms of creating still-life shots. I’ve dedicated this time to a new project, one that I hope that will transform my audience on Instagram into a community of those who follow me more closely. I’ve been reading more, and taking online courses. I’m trying to not let this time feel like it went “to waste”, and exploring other creative outlets that can eventually contribute to my work.

If you had to choose one of your filters you’ve created with A Color Story, which would you choose and why?

For a favorite filter in the app, I’d pick Razzle Dazzle from my Palette pack. It’s great for a color punch. It takes me to the peaceful flower fields in Alentejo during spring, with pops of red and orange. It’s my favourite place to go back every year. Because of COVID-19, I wasn’t able to go last year and I’m missing it terribly. I’m hoping lockdown ends before May in Lisbon where I live, and I can escape for a few days to restore the feel-good sensation that scenario gives me. See Razzle Dazzle in action below.

Thanks again to Teresa for taking the time to open up about her artistic process! You can find more from Teresa by exploring her A Color Story filter pack.

We loved working with Julia Marcum of Chris Loves Julia on our “Interior” filter +pack, and catching up with her recently was an absolute joy! Here’s an excerpt from our Q&A:

Share a little about your life and what a typical day looks like for you.

We’re busy! Chris and I spend every day working to make our house more beautiful, while producing engaging content to take our audience along for the ride. We work with sponsorship partners and contractors and our team — and some days, we’re rolling up our sleeves for an inspiring DIY. It’s a good day if it ends hanging out around the fire pit with our girls or piling onto the couch as a family.

What’s one piece of advice you have for making home a safe, creative space?

Go with your gut. If you have an idea for your house that you can’t stop thinking about — do it. Maybe you just love it, or you might just need to get it out of your system. In our first house, I painted our living room purple! Me! Purple! I painted Greta’s room lime green. I painted our living room blue! I left no color un-turned, and I tried it all. Now I’m much more reserved in my palette, but I never wonder. If the color itch strikes again, I’m not afraid to go for it. It’s just paint. Tastes change – thank goodness!

I get a lot of messages telling me I’ve changed over the years, and I take every one as a compliment. We’re supposed to change. We’re supposed to improve. We’re supposed to evolve. So it’s really natural to grow out of that wall color or candle color or textile or your decor in general. Making sure those pieces go to a home that will love it will make everyone a lot happier than disliking that patterned chair every time you see it.

What’s one life lesson you’ve learned from your career?

Don’t wait. Don’t wait until you have the house of your dreams of the budget of your dreams to start improving where you live. It’s so easy to say “We’re moving in a year, I’m not doing anything.” But a year is a LONG time to not love where you live. Invest in things you can take with you (like art for the walls, furnishings!) and start now! Creativity is a muscle. The more involved you are in improving your home, the more comfortable and confident you will be in doing so. When I was in a graphic design class in art school, I had to make 50 logos a day. At first it was so hard. But when I got in the groove, I found I could even go beyond 50! If you’re wanting to be creative in your DIY endeavors in your home, start and don’t stop – the ideas will start flowing.

Share one tip for styling a vignette to photograph at home.

Shop your house and remix your favorite pieces, so that home is always a place to show off your personality and style. When you focus on whole rooms and huge projects, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged. Take back the control! Spend 15 minutes in one corner. Make it reflect YOU. It’s good for the soul.

If you were limited to just one filter, which would you pick and why?

I love “Powder Room” because it’s so subtle, and I layer on “Guest” afterward, and it adds JUST the right about of warmth. Layering filters is my new favorite filter!

Thank you so much for reading, and thanks a million to Julia for taking the time to chat with us! If you’re interested in learning more about layering filters like she mentioned, you can find a tutorial on that here.

And don’t forget, you can find Julia’s filter +pack, Interior, in the app! xo.

Keiko Lynn is one of our earliest collaborators with her filter +pack, Stardust, and we continue to be obsessed with her!! Recently, we caught up with Keiko for a little check-in and talked creativity and life during quarantine.

Share a little about your life and what a typical day looks like for you.

I’m not a morning person, so I usually take my time with my coffee and watch an old movie or listen to a podcast. I do most of my photography during the day, all of my writing and editing at night, and always end with a book.

What colors and styles are you most drawn to?

I go through phases.  Lately, I’ve been into more muted tones, pastels, and anything with a dreamier quality.

In regards to fashion, I love a statement vintage piece. Not everything in my closet is practical, but that’s what makes it fun.

What tips do you have for staying creative during challenging times?

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time staying home and making masks. I bought a large spool of shoelaces when there was a huge elastic and bias tape shortage, and now I’ve been styling them in my hair!

I often look to the past and think, “how can I tweak this to suit me?” Even if it’s just a little wink and a nod once the product is finished, it’s a great place to start.

What’s one of your earliest memories of creating something you’re proud of?

When I was a kid, I decorated my pony’s stall for Christmas every year. I took it so seriously!

If you were limited to just one filter, which would you pick and why?

Right now, I’d go with Shrimpton. The blush tones work really well with my vintage decor. 

Below is a before & after edited with Keiko’s favorite filter, Shrimpton. We love how drastically it changes the mood of this image!

Thanks so much to Keiko for taking the time to talk with us. You can find her on Instagram, and you can grab her filter +pack, Stardust, in the A Color Story app for iOS and Android. xo!