Our competition winner Ieva Sutkute spoke with Alice Maddison about her work. 

​

A: Hi Ieva. Congratulations on being artist of the month! How do you feel?

​

I: I am very excited. This is the first time my work is being published in a magazine.

​

A: What are your career goals/ambitions and plans after graduating?

​

I: After graduating I am thinking of starting an internship in creative direction. I am interested in becoming a creative director for a magazine or a brand in the long run.

​

A: Sounds interesting! On to your winning shoot. What was this inspiration behind this work?

​

I: Lately fashion has been moving forward with genderless clothing, which has inspired me to create this project. I also took a lot of inspiration from Pansy magazine and the way toxic masculinity is expressed in their editorials. I just think it’s phenomenal.

​

A: I think you really captured this in your images. You mentioned a desire to be a creative director for a magazine. Is Pansy magazine a publication you would like to work for?

​

I: I haven’t thought much about it yet. Pansy is a submission based online magazine. I think I would prefer to work for a bigger fashion magazine.

​

A: Did you collaborate with anyone on this shoot? What roles did everyone have?

​

I: Yeah. I was the creative director, photographer and stylist. Megan McPhilemy was the makeup artist and the two models were Kane Barnett and Roberts Jansons.

​

A: Ok great. As you collaborated with others on this shoot, do you feel collaboration benefits the creative process? If yes, how?

​

I: Absolutely! My team has been incredibly helpful during the shoot and assisted me whenever I struggled. Having other team members voice their ideas and thoughts has made a big impact to the final outcome.

​

A: Did you used any particular equipment or techniques to create your images?

​

I: No, all I used was an 800D camera and a location kit.

​

A: Ok final question, how has COVID-19 upon your work and creativity? Did it impact upon this project?

​

I: Fortunately, it did not impact this particular project. I managed to shoot it just before the second lockdown. But it has been difficult to stay focused and keep motivated during this time. There have been projects that I had to do at home and work with what I’ve got, which stopped me from achieving my best work and that made me feel a little disappointed in the final result. However, I think in a way it gave me an opportunity to become more creative and find different ways to achieve my goals.

​

A: I agree with you and I think that’s a good point to end on. Thank you for taking the time to speak to me.

​

I: Thank you