Raena Lannom shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Raena, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m proud of building a life that I feel truly at peace with. I’ve cultivated a routine that feels healthy, fun, and makes my life feel beautiful. I love sharing intimate moments of my life online but nothing can truly capture the essence of the art that is my daily life. I find beauty in every moment and truly feel like the main character. I’m proud of that because I know that little Raena would be so surprised at the life I’ve built for myself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m an artist through and through, but make my living through my love of photography. I’ve found it rare that career photographers do creative work for a living that isn’t weddings or corporate events. My work is inspired by cinema and music so my signature is full of style and storytelling. I love being able to tell a story with one photograph, to take the viewer somewhere else for a moment – to bring them into my world. At the moment I’m mainly working with local artists and musicians for their album or EP work.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was a kid, I tried so desperately to fit in to a friend group of people that I really admired and just thought were the coolest. I was met with rejection again and again and it really broke me. I just wanted to feel seen and recognized by them, by anyone. It wasn’t until later I realized that I was met with rejection because I wasn’t being authentic. It was like trying to force a magnet together and just being met with a farther push back. That experience helped me to realize that authenticity is truly the answer to what I so desperately needed in my life and from the world – true connection and recognition.
It unlocked something for me, as simple as it seems, but my perception of my life and of the world around me truly started to change and manifest into something so much deeper and aligned once I stepped fully into my authenticity.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I actually talk to her often. I let her know that she is safe and she is always on the right path, right where she is supposed to be – even when it feels hard or scary, destiny has a funny way of finding you.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I think the public version of me is actually more of my real self. I find it hard to express myself in real time, so being able to cultivate an online presence of my inner world feels like an art form in itself and helps me to express my deepest self. It really is a view into my own little world.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’ve never dealt well with authority, so I’ve never been one to do what I was told. I don’t believe we’re born to do one single thing in this life, yet I do feel strongly that my path is aligned and I follow my excitement and joy every day which has led me to a life of my dreams. I know I was born to be a creator and to experience life and all of its pleasures and emotions, even the challenging ones.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rraenaskyy/?hl=en
Image Credits
Photo of Raena by Sammy Hearn.
Models: Shandara Bouaravong, Grace Ibarra, Julia Bedeaux, Mena Rathmanyphay
