This week, I decided to interview one of Andrews University’s very own creatives! They are very passionate about photography and are originally from the Cayman Islands. Can you guess who it is? It is the one and only Ragét Amõr Ricketts (sophomore, aviation)! Let’s discover his passion for photography and the ways it has influenced his life.
Amõr discovered photography about three years ago, during a five-day cruise. At the second stop in Cozumel, Mexico, as he was taking pictures from the tenth deck with his phone, a woman approached him.
“This random lady tapped me on my shoulder and said, ‘I see you’re taking pictures. Do you like photography?’ And I said, ‘Yes, yes I do’. She said: ‘Well, I have a camera here if you’d like it, since I don’t use it.’”
And that was the start to his beautiful creative passion. Sometimes, a stranger’s kind words and appreciation is all one needs to be encouraged into pursuing a creative hobby such as this. One of Amõr’s most memorable shoots was in fact an impromptu shoot done with a couple from Italy who stumbled on his page while they were in the Cayman Islands, and asked to be photographed.
He describes his biggest motivators as being the people who reach out to him and communicate their admiration for his work on the way to and from class, and through social media, and urge him to keep going. He even fondly calls his Instagram motivators his “Instagram besties.”
Besides it being a wonderful hobby and a release of creativity for Amõr, photography has also helped him in his mental life.
“Well, photography is how I cope with my depression. Growing up, I didn't really have the best childhood and would often go into very depressive moods and lock myself away from the world, but photography has helped me to come out of that depressive shell state and be happy, you know?”
Amõr describes that, as time went by, he could notice the positive effects focusing his efforts on photography did for him. He describes himself as more happy, willing to meet new people and make friends, and more open to putting himself out there for the world to see.
As a word of advice for people struggling with identifying a passion, or who feel like they haven’t found one, Amõr advises to never limit yourself to only doing one thing. He encourages people to explore and develop a love for curiosity, to always look for new knowledge or a new skill to learn.
“I think we should go out into the world and run a marathon, take on a cooking class, try fishing, play video games etc. You’ll never know what you’re passionate about until you try it. So yeah, try everything you can!”
Creativity is all around us, and as Amõr has told us, these creative passions can only be found if we actively try new things. Take the time to discover yourself in your passions and build up your own creativity! Also, remember to take the time to admire some of Amõr’s work on Instagram (@visualsbyamor).
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.