Photographer based in Brooklyn, NY and the Hudson Valley, NY.
Michelle Arcila, a self-portrait from an ongoing series of self-portraits that I'm currently working on and working through
Tell us about yourself, what's your background?
I was raised in Oceanside, NY, by a single mother from Costa Rica. From a very young age, I felt a great responsibility to protect my mother, a feeling that has never gone away, for better or worse, it's a feeling that has only grown stronger. I think that's something that many first-generation Americans feel towards their parents. Having grown up being their translators for many aspects of American life. I grew up feeling like I had to figure things out as I went along, since I didn't really have anyone to guide me or show me the ropes. It's a feeling that I've carried with me….a lingering vibe that you're doing things wrong. I often believe that my sense of never belonging and never really understanding Long Island, NY, life/culture is what drew me towards photography. I was quiet and terrified to speak up, and the camera allowed me to develop a visual language that felt safe for me to express myself through.
From ongoing new series
“My photographic style is slightly claustrophobic, a bit tense, and beautifully scary. . . always interested in the idea of making images that invite you in with their beauty, but very quickly make you feel a bit unsettled, but you don't exactly know why you're feeling unsettled.”
You Wouldn't Be So Depressed If You Really Believed In God, 2012-2025
What are you currently working on and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I'm currently working on a book for my project, "You wouldn't be so depressed if you really believed in God" (Working title). I'm also working on an ongoing series of self-portraits, as well as a series with my friend and collaborator, Sarah Enid Hagey. It's a series of portraits of Sarah dressed as different real-life people/characters from Sarah's life. It has some nods to drag, theater, and the inner silent reckoning one has with arriving at middle age. Inspiration for my work always comes from my own life, family history, ancestral trauma, music, literature, and films.
You Wouldn't Be So Depressed If You Really Believed In God, 2012-2025
Innovation does not only happen in the field of technology — it occurs everyday in a creative practice. What do you do for inspiration?
I read for inspiration. I'm someone who struggles with writing, so when I find a really great book or come across incredible writing, I find it so awe-inspiring. The words I read create images in my head that I then go and create or stage in real life.
I also find inspiration in mundane moments of life; everyday life can be so strange and often surreal if you just pay attention.
From ongoing new series
Where do ideas start for you?
Ideas often start from childhood memories of mine. From stories my mom told me, the lives of saints are also endlessly inspiring to me, because they are such visually rich tales. But I also work in a very organic way; I go out with my camera without a clear plan. It often feels like a train of thought that I then piece together like a puzzle when I get home and look at the work.
A snapshot of my first solo show at Gallery 1923
How do you make your work, does it start with a sketch?
I generally don't sketch anything out. I will often write out some ideas, sometimes I just have it all figured out in my head, and then I'll just go out and shoot it. I don't often work in a studio for my personal work; I suppose my home often works as my studio backdrop for most of what I create. I think my photographic style is slightly claustrophobic, a bit tense, and beautifully scary. I think I arrived at my style by always being interested in the idea of making images that invite you in with their beauty, but very quickly make you feel a bit unsettled, but you don't exactly know why you're feeling unsettled.
Work in progress
Many artists live by their routines, what does that look like for you?
I start each and every day with a coffee, and I need my espresso at 3pm. Other than that I'm so bad at keeping a routine. I always try to create a routine for myself, but it's often hard to stick to it. As a parent to a 6-year-old, a 13-year-old, and being my 88-year-old mother's caretaker, my "routines" are constantly disrupted. So I try my best not to get easily frustrated when my day doesn't go as I had planned. Just have to be open to working at odd times and trying to always have my camera on hand.
Left: an old Saint Marta statue that belonged to my uncle. Religious iconography and its color palettes are very inspiring to me.
Right: A wonderful book with incredible color plates is a source material I often turn to
Who are your biggest influences?
The painter Paula Rego is someone I think about all the time. Her paintings are ingrained in my mind. David Lynch is also a very big influence. I have always connected with his use of music and his non-linear fever-dream approach to storytelling within his films. The writers Jeanette Winterson, Paul Auster, Gabriel García Márquez, and Fernando Pessoa are guiding lights for me. Lido Pimienta's music is also very inspiring to me.
You Wouldn't Be So Depressed If You Really Believed In God, 2012-2025
Are there books or films that are an important source of inspiration?
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa is endlessly inspiring for me. The films The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodor Dreyer, It Follows by David Robert Mitchell, In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai, and, of course, Mulholland Drive by David Lynch.
View of an edit while looking through work at Chico Review, 2025
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
To apply, apply, apply, and keep applying. I think we often hesitate, thinking our work isn't ready, but with each application, you learn a little bit more about your work and what you can improve on next time.
You Wouldn't Be So Depressed If You Really Believed In God, 2012-2025
What is the best advice you would give to other artists?
Do not be afraid to ask for help or reach out to other artists. I'm a very shy person, and I've wasted a lot of time feeling scared to reach out to people. I've realized that community is everything, and more often than not, people want to connect. We're all in this together.
Left: From the series, "You Wouldn't Be So Depressed If You Really Believed In God, 2012-2025"
Right: A portrait of my mother from the series, "You wouldn't be so depressed if you really believed in God, 2012-2025"
Stay up to date with Michelle Arcila
Website michellearcila.net
Instagram @michelle.arcila