My name is Cyn Lagos, I am a Latin American Visual Storyteller with a
focus on multi-diverse digital expressions; Street Photography, Graphic
Design, and Mentorship among others...
How did you get started in photography & design?
In my early days of Graphic Design, I was dismayed by the way the industry at the time stifled the artistic expression of Designers. We worked for the client's every whim and compromised the BIG idea for a trendy/safe concept. It was a disservice to both the Designer and the client. But more importantly for the Society that would eventually experience our work.
Photography became an outlet for self-expression in the golden hours of the evening in downtown Miami. There, I learned to pursue an avenue for autonomous thinking! Showcasing through my lens the stories reflected on the streets.
Through Photography, I learned to elevate the artist in me and even had the opportunity to revisit my Graphic Design path with a different outlook and attitude.
I stepped back into the industry this time committed to celebrating the artistic expression. I began to approach my design thinking with the true design principles that honored the great designers of the past and focused on creating a visual design that benefited society and my Design community.
My focus on self-expression led me to collaborations with brands that sought my way of Visual Language without compromise.
In my early days of Graphic Design, I was dismayed by the way the industry at the time stifled the artistic expression of Designers. We worked for the client's every whim and compromised the BIG idea for a trendy/safe concept. It was a disservice to both the Designer and the client. But more importantly for the Society that would eventually experience our work.
Photography became an outlet for self-expression in the golden hours of the evening in downtown Miami. There, I learned to pursue an avenue for autonomous thinking! Showcasing through my lens the stories reflected on the streets.
Through Photography, I learned to elevate the artist in me and even had the opportunity to revisit my Graphic Design path with a different outlook and attitude.
I stepped back into the industry this time committed to celebrating the artistic expression. I began to approach my design thinking with the true design principles that honored the great designers of the past and focused on creating a visual design that benefited society and my Design community.
My focus on self-expression led me to collaborations with brands that sought my way of Visual Language without compromise.
How did the partnership with Adobe and Google
happen, and tell us a little bit about the experience of working with
one Adobe, a company that’s responsible for some of the most important tools for creatives, and google a company that breathes creativity?
I always attribute a certain "Mind-Shift" as the reason for my collaborations with brands like Google, Adobe, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
None would have been possible if I had not stepped into my convictions as a human and artist. Seeking to express the stories of my neighborhoods. This work resulted in an authenticity that appealed to the very brands that have changed our household view of Art and Design.
Needless to say, I have been honored to work with the greats. Through this experience, I learned that we have a common ground, we seek to break the boundaries that exist between commercial art and the human experience.
— We seek human experience above all.
I always attribute a certain "Mind-Shift" as the reason for my collaborations with brands like Google, Adobe, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
None would have been possible if I had not stepped into my convictions as a human and artist. Seeking to express the stories of my neighborhoods. This work resulted in an authenticity that appealed to the very brands that have changed our household view of Art and Design.
Needless to say, I have been honored to work with the greats. Through this experience, I learned that we have a common ground, we seek to break the boundaries that exist between commercial art and the human experience.
— We seek human experience above all.
What are some of your biggest accomplishments, as well as your biggest regrets as creative?
Becoming an Adobe Creative Resident has been a very strong influence in the way I carry on with my work today. I was selected among 5,000 applicants! The first LatinX Female Photog and Designer in the Adobe Residency.
That alone was a confirmation that in life "you gotta wanna". I put everything on the line and I learned to occupy a larger space as an artist in this industry. But above all, to me, what made this experience special was the encouragement I received to put my identity forward. No employer had asked that of me before.
I learned to embrace my Latin roots, my journey, my culture, my convictions of the world at large.
I practice this daily today. Some days I am but human, and I may forget my light at the end of this very political tunnel we are currently navigating in America. But I am making strides in a new path carved especially for the immigrants that hope to realize their American Dream the way I have come close to doing so.
The journey isn't over.
Plans, projects, ideas for the future?
I am working on paying it forward. Everything I know I learned through the open library of the World Wide Web. In partnership with the team at Skillshare - a platform of online education, I have developed online courses for Designers and artists to learn their way through a Visual Language.
I have taken on a new hat — I have become a Mentor. It's a thrill to teach upcoming artists, that today more than ever before, have the courage and wit to unapologetically voice their own identities.
My goal is to cultivate this energy in my students, so that they get a chance to express their very own Visual Language Adventure.
On the photo side... tell us a little bit about your equipment, your process...
My process is malleable. The tools of today make experimentation so readily available I can't help but be a kid enamored by the tech toys of today.
I do have a through-line in how I seek to create my work — Storytelling. When I photograph the streets I look for ways to layer on symbolism through the Graphic Design principles engrained in my muscle memory; color, geometry, scale, subject matter, and sooo much more. The process is what I am most in love with!
When done well it's a meditative experience that wether seen by an audience or not, it's rewarding in its own right.
What would you say to someone that is just starting out?
I would say be brave. Seek to proudly reveal your human journey through the pixels in your work. Don't compromise yourself for the trends of today. Your human experience is more universal than you think! And THAT is your superpower.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us Cyn! We're excited to see what you going to come up with next!