Meet Caroline Stephen | Photographer, Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caroline Stephen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caroline, how do you think about risk?
Risks have been fundamental to not only my education and career, but to my life in general. Who knows where I would be if I hadn’t stepped out of my previous path! I initially went to school in order to go into prison reform, and realizing that it was time for me to move away and pursue my career as artist, was a massive decision. I was afraid of disappointing the people I loved most, but in the end, those people were incredibly excited about the prospect of me pursuing something that brought me joy. The biggest lesson I learned was that I had to say “yes” to opportunities, but also to myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think I’ve always been an artist somewhere inside of me, however, it took a long time to allow myself to accept that it was a viable career path. I had previously studied to go into prison reform, with the intention of pursuing politics in one way or another. After exploring that my first time around in college, I realized that perhaps I could begin to pursue these interests in a way that wasn’t so mentally debilitating. I firmly believe that art informs culture, which then informs policy. So, by allowing myself to create things, I wouldn’t be steering too far from my initial interests. Accepting that I was allowed to pursue the arts was a big thing for me. I had to free myself of the “what I was supposed to be doing”. Therefore, I decided to go back to school, and get an education in Photography and Imaging, and Fine Art from ArtCenter School of Design, in Pasadena, California. None of this was necessarily easy, but I’ve been incredibly lucky to have mentors that have pushed me in the right direction. Both my work in photography and sculpture serves as a vehicle for me to understand myself better. I’m not sure if I’ve reached a point in my practice where I fully understand things, but with everything I make, I learn a little bit more.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
That’s such a difficult question! On their first night here, I would probably take them my go-to bar, La Poubelle, as well Fred 62 in Los Feliz for a late night snack. During the next few days, I would take them for a picnic in Lacy Park, sandwiches at Larchmont Wine and Cheese, and a couple galleries in Culver City — this would only be the case if gas wasn’t an issue! Since Los Angeles is my hometown, I would try my best to give them a well-rounded view of the city. Los Angeles is an incredibly special place, filled with amazing people, and I would hope that they could get a taste of that!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow. There are so many people. ArtCenter College of Design (where I am currently enrolled), of course my incredible friends and family, and just everyone who has believed in me and my work from the start!

Website: https://carolinestephen.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.g.s/?hl=en