Story & Lesson Highlights with Cyd Peroni

Cyd Peroni shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Cyd, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I’ve been setting aside time each morning to open a book and read. Reading is something I love to do, but found I was neglecting it with all the busyness of the day. Putting it first before getting into the studio has kept me on track and more creative too I think! It’s fun to get to know characters and their stories. I just finished “Sun House” by David James Duncan and have started “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a visual artist exploring the themes of change, impermanence, and beauty through the lens of nature, chance, and science. Influenced by abstract expressionists, I experiment with contemporary and historical methods of photography and materials to communicate my ideas. I search for the often-unnoticed moments, their deeper spiritual and emotional meanings, and details that tug instinctively at something deeper than reason and logic.

I’ve been exploring magnetism lately and how I can use it to manipulate photographic toners and paint to create compositions. Along those same lines of experimentation, I’ve been making crystal structures from photo chemicals and common household items like salt. Both areas call for getting in close to see the patterns and movement. Both hold endless potential for discovery and image-making. The processes are meditative in many ways. The forms, lines, and colors captivate me. The more I look and shoot, the more I feel that ideas about change and impermanence come forward from the subconscious. Someone once told me that there is a Japanese photographic concept that says you should shoot and shoot and shoot until wisdom comes. This really resonates!

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The unexpected death of my sister in 2003 changed my life in profound ways. The ideas of change and impermanence hit me full force. I had never experienced loss in this visceral way. It made me see that time is not guaranteed and that I should take stock. Was I living the way I wanted to? I quit my office job shortly after her passing. This freedom from the rigid 9 to 5 allowed me to spend more time with the people I love and begin my full-time journey with photography.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I imagine it’s the fear of failure. I grew up with high expectations as a child. That tended to make me hesitant to be seen in case I couldn’t do something perfectly.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe that everything is connected. That every plant, animal, human is connected and has a spirit.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope they’ll say I encouraged other people and their dreams, that I loved as best I knew how, and that I left something beautiful and meaningful in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cydperoniphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prodigalcyd/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cydperoni/
• Other: Online Store: https://www.threefigsvilla.com/

Image Credits
© Cyd Peroni