“An artist´s life.” The stories of the people behind the art #20 Milena Baeza

“An artist´s life.”
The stories of the people behind the art
Milena Baeza #20

Milena Baeza is a Chilean-Portuguese photographer based in Portugal. In our series “An artist’s life”, we share some snippets from her personal journal, mixed with her imagery. “I use my journal almost everyday, as it helps me clear my mind and spark new ideas. I draw a lot of inspiration by just letting my hand write in an unrestricted flow, like my mind is being poured into the page. It became an essential practice in my life. The journal entries are translated from Spanish, one of my mother tongues.”

03 Jan 2022

Dreaming of a warmer place. Tropical nature. BOLD COLORS. RED. YELLOW. Like the sun. MEXICO. Can I incorporate these elements into my photography? I want to travel to Mexico. I’ve been seeing too many pictures of its culture on instagram that now I have this impulse on buying a plane ticket and just go. The vibrant colors are calling me. I should plan a shoot next week.

10 Jan 2022

Flowers and the human body.
RED. VIBRANT colors. SKIN ON SKIN. Human connection. Sisters, lovers, friends. Intimacy. Vulnerability.
WATER. Ocean.
Mithology.

18 Jan 2022

I simply love flowers.

21 Jan 2022

I’ve been thinking a lot about my vision. About what I want from my art. What I want to share with others.

I’m drawn to photograph the bond between people in a raw way. Especially if it’s people I know. Siblings, lovers, friends. I also love to capture “imperfection”. Flowers. Warmth. Skin on skin, intimacy, unconventional beauty. Elegance. Scars, wrinkles. To me these subjects unlock a level of vulnerability within me and open my door to others. Acceptance. I want to bring this to my personal projects.

27 Jan 2022

The styling for the shoot is done, the brand approved it. Also finished the location scouting. I found this little beach in Oeiras with white glowing rocks. Just beautiful. When the sun hits them directly and the sky is white it looks like a magical land.

29 Jan 2022

I’m gathering my best pictures for my website. Why do all of them look like crap? I feel I’m so far behind from what I want to create and that what I’ve created is mediocre. Even my favourite pictures I’ve taken look so weak to my eyes right now. I SHOULD TAKE A BREAK.

30 Jan 2022

My flatmate and friend gave me a book for Christmas that I started reading some days ago. She said it was her favourite book from 2021. I’m just loving it! I can’t put it down. It’s called The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Reid, and Evelyn’s life story is so captivating.

An excerpt from the book that resonated with me:

“When you realise you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is “You’re safe with me” *—* that’s intimacy”

Yesterday I did a creative photoshoot with my older sister and her boyfriend. We went to the beach two hours before sunset. I wanted to capture their bond. I struggled a bit to find the best angle for both of them. It can be a real challenge to pose two people in front of the camera and make them look natural. I’m too used to photographing with professional models. Anyways, I’m confident I have some good pictures! I think I can turn this shoot into a series. I shot on analog, probably will only drop the roll in the lab after I complete the shooting for the jewelry brand.

Yesterday’s photoshoot left me thinking that I should do this kind of photoshoot with my boyfriend. The two of us. To freeze in time our relationship. I would like to have at least one authentic good picture of the two of us, to look back at it when we’re old.

02 Feb 2022

My pictures look great (from the selection for my website). I was being too critical and the infinity of amazing pictures that instagram shoves into my face daily was affecting me too much. I needed a break from social media. Everyone else’s work will look more magical to my eyes than my own since I wasn’t there when the picture was taken. I know the behind the scenes of my pictures, the not so perfect stuff that I omitted when I framed the scene with my camera. I cannot see this in the other photographer’s pictures.

I’m happy with my work so far and I know what to do to reach my goals moving forward.

One day at a time. BREATH. Celebrate your little victories.

The work selection that I’m doing sparked an idea in my mind.
Why not share my knowledge and experience on having a creative practice?
I’ve looked through most of my archive by now and seeing my journey and the things I’ve achieved made me realise I do have this knowledge on being a photographer, an artist. All the struggles I went through (and that I still go through), what I’ve learned, what I have “optimised”, it can be poured into something. A newsletter? A workbook? … a course?

04 Feb 2022

LAUGHS. A hug. Looks crossing.
Hands holding.
Stepping into a dream.

08 Feb 2022

Started a dedicated page in my website for my course. A course on creativity. This is still scary to me. And a bit overwhelming. But this SO feels right to do. I do want to help people develop their artistic voice and share it proudly with the rest of the world.
UNLOCK YOUR CREATIVITY.