Riley Eastman shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Riley, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
What many consider my business to be is photography. I do that for drag shows, for local music, events, and parties. Photography is the part of my business that most people see on my socials, but it goes further than that! I consider my business as anything to do with a camera, and then some! I document life, I film local events too, I photoshop, I run a lil youtube, I have worked on short flims, I do event organizing, and on the off day I need to get paid I still work my day job. Art is an expression, my medium is anything that lets my mind float free, and most often my brush is my camera! The most misunderstood part about my business is that I take it professionally. Art is a language we all speak in our own dialects.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, My name is Riley and I am an artist stationed in the ever lovely Duluth, Minnesota! I don’t consider any of what I do as organized work and for that I feel I am what you would consider as a “creative”! what I do is so multifaceted I feel like artist doesn’t describe the areas of life I consider my work! It’s so cheesy to say it or to label myself as it but its true to the facts. I make art, I document my life on social media, I attend local events almost explicitly to photograph them, and then also run a youtube channel filled with video essays. I make short films as well and if you ever get me on a tangent I will tell you all about my many attempts to break into the film industry. While the camera is the instrument and photographer is the title, I am behind both as a trans women in a northern town facing frost bite on a cold day and sunburns on the sunniest to share the story of a town and its queer population. The side of Duluth you don’t see in post cards, or google images. The hard times, the celebrations, the myths, and the storytellers behind them I document not for the chance to be seen, but for these moments to be remembered.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Okay, I’ll set the stage; The year is 2021, we are a year out since covid started, my sister just got married, one of my childhood dogs just passed away, my whole family moved from the suburbs to the cities, I was betwen jobs, and my partner and I just moved from the twin cities to Duluth, and so much change came and went. I got some much needed self reflection and came to the conclusion that I’m transgender! It felt like a long time coming since I first started feeling this but my life has always felt too busy to take time and think about all that! I got my first moments of self reflection and kinda just knew it had to be addressed. That moment changed everything for me! I feel like its been a huge turning point in my art. Ever since I started my transition my art started to focus on community and even more so on self expression in community! Body as art, body in motion as art and self expression being as freeing as it is became apart of my art after my transition and I’m thankful for how it shaped me!
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Last year I had a little bit of a melt down and felt that I haven’t been myself much recently and with so many younger artist in my friend group who I envy so much for their talents I felt I needed to shape up and consider more “realistic” job paths where I would feel “secure” in. I truly never in my entire life thought like that before and it felt like I lost a bit of my confidence towards photography. I stopped writing and hadn’t made any video or short ffilms for over a year. I wanted to give up then, but I had my wonderful girlfriend with me. For the past 8 years shes been a wonderful support system I could count on! she reminded me why I make, and who I was making for. I create for myself and not what I think others want me to create! She inspired me so much to keep going and for the past year I’ve been journaling more, writing, I have several scripts I’ve started cooking on and I’ve never felt more capable of editing and sharing photos with my community! I feel more emboldened to keep going than ever before thanks to her!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I struggle with this one so much! I like to believe my public self is becoming more like my authentic self but what I’ve learned a lot of the time I am in performance. I find it funny when I’m out at shows and parties I tend to think more about how to act like myself than actually be myself. I always loved the bit of philosophy that says you live within three masks, the one you share with the public, the one you share with your family and friends, and the one you wear when you are all alone. This representation has been so true to me in so many circumstances but I also feel like I can be unfiltered from time to time and those walls can come up or come down at the wrong time with the right people. My friends can sometimes peer right into my unfiltered brain. that being said I am more often an improve act waiting for my cue to leave the stage.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
Traveling, I will never regret the learning and exploring that comes out of any trip I take! Big or small, living like a local or just passing thru, I love the adventure! I grew up always wanting to see the world! I fear missing out on the world as a whole! I spend so much of my free time learning about maps and taking in history of the world and I dream of seeing these places I’ve learned about in books and through media! I find so much joy in driving my car on a new road, or taking a new hiking trail, anything to bring me to a new place I love! My favorite class growing up was history and I still love learning about history in anyway I can! I really appreciate learning and exploring!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riley_eastman1.0/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riley-eastman-59711519a/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RileyEastman04
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RileyEastman2.0
