Marie Elaine Gagné
Are most of your photos planned or do they happen naturally?
Half of them are and half of them are not. I do really spontaneous posts but I also do planned shoots and more conceptual ideas before posting. I like to maintain that balance because that’s basically what Instagram was made for, capturing instant moments, and I feel like this is what people like to see on their feed. It is a more reachable approach.
There’s a theme of deconstructed fashion in a lot of your photos, where does your interest in this come from?
I have always been someone who uses fashion like it was some kind of catharsis of the soul and that’s why I like to make it fun, crazy and deconstructed. Since it is my art, It represents my vision of the world in its perpetual deconstruction. Why try to go against the stream to make it look perfectly put together and organized? It would be lying to yourself and the world.
What is your favourite and least favourite thing about social media?
I would say that Instagram’s algorithm disturbs me a lot these days. It helps me to reach more people and opportunities, however it also makes me rethink the whole 15-minutes-of-fame that Warhol predicted years ago. You can put so much energy in one post but it will never reach as many people as a spontaneous bathroom selfie. This scares me since people seem to act more and more stupid and make the wrong people famous, instead of giving attention to artists who really deserve it. But on the other hand, it has connected me to so many great people and provided me with a lot of opportunities last year, so I’m thankful for that.
What are you most excited about at the moment?
I’m running this collective online shop where I sell vintage and customized pieces. It’s been going well for the past few weeks and it’s exciting to feel like every step I take is one step closer to being independent and becoming my own boss. I’m also always excited about collaborating with new people and working on creative projects.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Ego is your enemy. Once you understand and accept this, then you can achieve pretty much anything you want. The human race without ego would be heaven on earth.
Images courtesy of MARIE ELAINE GANGÉ
interview HANNAH GLENN
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