Daily Inspiration: Meet Nadira

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadira.

Nadira, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started photographing whatever caught my eye at a very young age. Back then, I was using disposable cameras but it felt like I was using the latest model of a full-frame camera. It felt like every moment I captured was the most important moment I have ever experienced. Mainly, I loved and still love romanticizing the act of immortalizing a specific moment forever. I quickly discovered that the melancholy that comes after the moment is gone could finally be filled by the joy of reliving those memories by simply looking at the mixture of chemicals that makes up a photograph. Those precious chemicals that I did not know were going to be my career.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Being an international student pursuing a career in the United States isn’t an easy task. Through the years, I’ve attended countless jobs interview with people who praised my work and ethics yet decided to not hire me solely based on my visa status. With the years passing and the h1b visa process getting harder and harder with each legislation, the “American dream” seems to become more and more unattainable. With that being said, this process allowed me to see this country for what it really is instead of the glorified version that is pushed through the media overseas.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a digital artist, which sounds fancier than it actually is. Basically, I create anything that involves multimedia: photography, videography, 3D printing and graphic design but sometimes I like to let go of the technology portion of creating and make things that involve painting and sewing.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
As someone with photographic memory, this is one of my favorite questions. My favorite memory, at least that I can recall at the moment, is when my grandma Amalia, from my mom’s side, was about 85.

It was a rainy day in Rome and the thunder was shaking the glass windows. She was sitting on the dondolò (a rocking chair) and I was laying my head on her lap. She was humming Meme Bianchi- Quando Piove Con Il Sole and was drawing figures with her fingertips on my face. She would draw infinity signs that would pass over my nose and under my lips. I vividly remember thinking that I couldn’t feel her skin texture and that her hands smelled like lotion. In the moment, that feeling felt very important to me, but I failed to realize how important it would’ve been once I wouldn’t have been able to hear those calm hums anymore.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.designwithnadira.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadira.psd/

Image Credits
Personal photo: inabox_selfPortrait_2022 (photo of me with a camera in front of my face and other cameras photographing) Other photos: evee, dolls, edit_raecola