Today we’d like to introduce you to Yesi Fortuna.
Hi Yesi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Her/Hers I am an advocate, an artist, filmmaker, spiritual person, and a mother.
I see my art craft as being a 4-part entity. One part is portraiture photography, the other is filmmaking, another is my spiritual practice, and lastly is the art of my resilience.
*Trigger Warning*
I was born into a domestic violence-riddled home in Monterrey, Mexico; later in my adolescent years, I experienced sexual violence in Ennis, TX. I grew up as an undocumented immigrant, and throughout all of these dark chapters, I have managed to keep my inner light and divinity. I am now able to use it as fuel to connect with and uplift people of all walks of life.
This is important to share publicly because I believe that owning my story is what makes me a thriving survivor and ultimately what gives me a creative edge.
I have manifested a curated art-centric life through a career in photography and filmmaking.
Throughout my 12+ year career, I have traveled the world, photographed celebrities, documented all types of life celebrations, produced, directed, and edited commercial advertisements for companies like Neiman Marcus, The Spurs, Divi, Canada Dry, Leatherology, BudhaGirl, ~Pourri.
I’ve never claimed to be the best photographer or film director out there, but I can “hang my hat” on the fact that working with me will be a beautiful exchange. Couple that with the tenacity I have to see a job well done and that makes for a winning combination.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge that I’ve had to face within my career (and mental self-development) has been to trust myself after taking 8 months off for parental leave. Considering I am a passionate and focused person, I gave everything I had towards being a mother to my daughter. This meant learning everything I could learn about the new parenting role, and I simply didn’t have the mental bandwidth to keep in contact with my colleagues, peers, and clients during this time.
At the end of the 8-month period, and as my savings began to dry up, I was faced with the reality that it was time to learn how to add “real life” into my private bubble I had created.
The challenge was mainly in learning to block out the imposter syndrome idea that I had “lost” my talent and drive. It may sound silly because people take time off for parental leave all of the time, but I took the parenting role so serious that I made myself feel like there was no room left for anything else. It was the scariest time for me as I felt that my career was ending or, at the least, taking a huge step backwards.
The funny thing is that I came back stronger than ever, more dedicated than ever, and with more fiery passion than I had ever exuded before. The system of never-ending performance was dismantled within me as I learned to navigate taking the right type of work that would give me more flexibility and more challenge in order to keep me in tip-top shape with my artistry.
This new inspired idea was formed: Mothers are innately creators, and nothing can strip me of what I have to give.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I reside in South Oak Cliff, Dallas, TX, but have traveled the world with my photography and film projects. While I co-founded Fort Lion Studio, a film/photo production company, in 2017, I mainly focus on freelance photo and directing jobs.
I enjoy the freedom and flexibility of seeing what fun project makes its way to my inbox. It feels like a spiritual practice with the universe, trusting that the right collaboration will take me from one month to the next.
After 12 years of discipline in photography, I mainly focus on portraiture, lifestyle, and sometimes product subjects. These areas are my specialty, and I adore any opportunity I get to meet someone new, inject some confidence in their life, and surprise them with beautiful imagery that captures their wit, inner light, and majesty. It may sound like a cheesy claim, but if you’ve ever had the opportunity to watch me work or, better yet, be on the other end of the camera, you will understand the exchange that takes place.
I’m also a Spanish-speaking director and editor. I make commercial ads and produce interviews that tell meaningful stories. My filmmaking work is still relatively new, pushing 6 years to date. It’s work that I adore and is contrasted to photography in that it is a complete collaboration with a team of people. When I direct a project, I can embody all of my strengths that lie in leadership, being a visionary, being focused, having great communication with my subject, client, and team. It’s such an amazing experience- every time. I can’t wait to see where this discipline takes me.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
While the answer should be to always update your portfolio with your best work – in the photo and film world- especially in the commercial sector, your personality goes a long way.
People want to know that they will be able to stand being with you for multiple hours and multiple days on a shoot. They want to know how well you deal with stress, problem solve, communicate, how well you are prepared, and how well you pull through. These intangible things are not visible in a portfolio, but they matter just as much.
The first impression has always been my opportunity to get ahead. No matter if I have fear or doubt, I always present myself poised, steady, enlightened, and kind. Because it’s what anybody can expect from me at any given time, and once they learn what I do, they seem to get the idea that they can trust my craft even without having seen my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yesifortuna.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/yesi.sukilynn
Image Credits
Alexa Ford
April Kirby
Joshua Fortuna
