What food brings you joy?
Most definitely my culture's dishes… traditional Mexican foods. My abuelita taught most of the women in my family our family recipes, my tias and abuela helped raise me and have cooked traditional foods for me since I was a little girl. I feel joy even thinking about it!
Your photography is so ethereal! Do you see the images in your mind first or does it all come together for you in the moment?
Definitely a mixture of the two. It depends on where I’m at creatively, and emotionally. Also depending on the brand, time of year, the talent… sometimes as soon as I see the product/ talent I immediately see the shots I want, where and when I want them, exactly how I want them; I’ll go and make a shot list, and I’m able get into a flow state. Other times, it takes a lot of brainstorming and mock ups.
We know you love to read. What are your top 5 book recommendations?
The most difficult question for me. If I had to narrow it down to five, in no particular order… I’d say:
Maggie Nelson’s, On Freedom
Maggie Nelson’s, Bluets
Anne Carson’s, Autobiography Of Red
Miranda July’s, No One Belongs Here More Than You
Lucy Foley’s, The Paris Apartment
NY or LA? Why?
Radical honesty; neither! Though for the industry I’m in, and my preferred pace of work… Los Angeles. City life really isn’t for me. I’m a small town Texas girl at heart, always will be. Give me nature, silence, simplicity and I’m in absolute bliss.
How did you get into climbing?
I was a Muay Thai fighter most of my life. Then I had a minor fracture in my spine, that left me unable to throw a proper punch for some years. I was craving the intensity of Muay Thai, my high school boyfriend brought me climbing… I hated it at first as I was struggling with a fear of heights. But I kept showing up anyways, and since then I never stopped. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without climbing, the community is unlike any other. I’ve never felt so entirely accepted by a space than I do every time I step foot out onto any crag, or into any gym.
What is your favorite thing about North Texas?
The landscape, and hospitality. It’s vastness, seemingly infinite landscapes of flat soil and grazed grasses, livestock roaming around and the dewy thick air that always has the same strong fragrance of fresh dirt and an inexplicable tang.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to commit to a meditation practice?
Try many different disciplines! Be patient, be gentle, remind yourself that there is no such thing as right or wrong in meditation. You just show up… let the rest come from that.
When is the last time you were deeply proud of yourself?
Recently! I took a solo camping trip for my birthday, and in all honesty the first day was a mess. I was a mess, too. I wanted to just turn around and drive home; I didn’t. I’ve been camping countless times, but always with my climbing crew. So I had a lot of fears and anxieties about being alone. But by the end I felt so liberated, and in my power. It was really special to prove to myself how capable I am of doing anything I set my mind to.
If you could move anywhere in the world for free, where would you move?
Somewhere in Europe for sure. If it was free I’d want to bounce back and forth between two places! Why stay in one place?