Creative Hangs: Ryan Lerma
Hi friends,
You all know I'm about creativity and exploring what that means to folks. Living in Austin, there's no shortage of creative individuals. I've come to know a fair amount of creatives, but fostering these connections can sometimes be challenging. Life gets busy and between holding down projects, family, and having free time it can be tough. But I've been making an effort to meet with more folks to create and connect. I want to introduce you all to Ryan Lerma, a rad member of the Austin creative community.
I first met Ryan through my partner Vickie. She was shopping for new pieces, and since then we've been bumping into each other in various spaces. I slipped into Ryan's dm and offered to meet up and take some photos of them, luckily they accepted, and we got to it. We met at the Montopolis bridge and explored the area underneath it. Ryan was wearing a white pair of denim jeans, a dark blue denim jacket, white Chuck Taylors, a bucket hat, and a smiley face t-shirt and even accessorized with a smiley face print tote bag.
As we made our way underneath the bridge, we stopped to photograph Ryan at a spot that framed him well. I had Ryan look to his right as two towering highway lanes broke the sky behind him. For me, this was an excellent focal point because as Austin expands its individuals like Ryan, who are continuing to thrive, which inspires me to keep pushing my creative career in this ever-changing landscape. As we explored the area, we snapped a few pics that rendered the Colorado River as our backdrop. We saved the Montopolis bridge for last. It was there when we got to chat it up, and I was able to learn more about who Ryan is and what he does.
Ryan is the Co-owner and Creative Director of Passport Vintage. While living in Chicago, Ryan started an Etsy shop as a hobby. This shop soon grew into a second full-time job until he transitioned to solely selling vintage online. After two years Ryan moved to Austin and opened his first brick and mortar with businesses partner and best friend, Maria Oliveira. The shop has existed in Austin for over three years, and they're still selling online. Ryan has also partnered with Piecology Vintage to create Austin's premiere vintage market, Laissez Fair.
And that's why I love photographing creatives. Not only do I get to make more connections. I often get inspired by their stories, and this helps me a ton! I hope all of you like this post and feel inspired to go check out Ryan and the work he does. You can find him serving looks around town or at Passport Vintage.
Till next time peeps!
-Javi
