Shaylin Wallace Interview – 50 States (Delaware)
Shaylin Wallace – “Being born and raised in Delaware taught me that the only way to make it in life is to stand out.”
This week Creative Chair is in Wilmington, Delaware, talking to digital artist Shaylin Wallace for the 28th edition of our 50 States series.
Shaylin has a passion for photography and manipulating images to create surreal vignettes.
You can see more from Shaylin Wallace on Behance.
Tell us a little bit more about yourself and what you do
My name is Shaylin Wallace, and I’m a freelance digital artist and photographer. I’ve been a digital artist for about four years now and a photographer for two years.
I create photo manipulations by blending stock photos together. My compositions are usually surreal and minimal. I always try to come up with different ideas and techniques to use for each piece which allows me to challenge myself.
Art has always been my escape from reality, so I try to incorporate my surrealistic thoughts into each manipulation. I’ve been interested in photography ever since I was a kid. Two years ago I asked for a camera for Christmas, and ever since then, I’ve been trying to perfect my craft.
I love taking pictures of anything and everything, but my favorite thing is portraiture mixed in with vintage vibes. Also, I create what I call Melanin Silhouettes which consist of a solid color background and a silhouette of a person with different African-American hairstyles.
I’ve created one series of Melanin Silhouettes called “For Colored Girls”, and I’m currently working on a second series called “For Colored Boys.”
How has your state influenced the work that you do?
Being born and raised in Delaware taught me that the only way to make it in life is to stand out and to be your own person. What’s the excitement if we’re all the same? So when it comes to my work, I try to make each and every piece look authentic and unique. I want each piece to stand out and catch the viewers eye immediately and have them wonder “is this real or photoshopped?”
Of your own work, what is your favourite project and why?
My favorite project that I’ve created was a piece called Revival. This was my favorite piece because it was one the most stressful and challenging edits I have ever created in Photoshop. It took me about a week or two to finish because so many problems kept occurring and I wanted it to look as real as possible.
Revival is my favorite project because it is one of a kind. No one has ever created a piece like it, and I was proud of myself for going beyond and coming up with this surrealistic idea on my own.
And finally, if you died and got reincarnated as a song, what would that song be?
If I died and got reincarnated as a song, it would be Confidently Lost by Sabrina Claudio. That song describes how I feel on a daily basis and is so soothing to listen to.
