Rising Stars: Meet Alec Romero-Hoffman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alec Romero-Hoffman.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hello, I am Alec Romero-Hoffman. I am an artist born and raised in Colorado, I spent most of my life in search of what makes me happiest. When I was a little girl my mom always had a hard time putting me in occupying extracurricular activities. I loved swimming but colorado is cold, I’m not an early riser and far too self-conscience to run around in a swimsuit. I did some acting during my awkward adolescent years but for some reason, I was always so shy in front of an audience.

Put me with my peers and those I’m most comfortable and you couldn’t get me to stop showing off or shut up (still the same to this day). I attempted sports softball and soccer but I was not a runner, and why did I always seem to twist my ankle when attempting to run? I tried ballet attempting to emulate my beautiful ballerina sister always taking my breath away anytime she would dance, but alas my purple shorts leotard never quite fit in (square peg round hole) not to mention it wasn’t my type of fun.

The one constant throughout my life was a love of documenting and capturing the candid moments life provides by always taking pictures, disposable cameras were my absolute favorite mostly because you could take them with you everywhere without worrying about carrying an expensive camera. As I began to cross the bridge into young adulthood I spent a short period living in Santa Barbara California where I attended college to study professional photography.

It was the first time I lept completely out of my comfort zone to do something on my own where I was in complete control of my own life. I got to meet the most amazingly talented people who joined me on a creative journey where we discovered life together and learned a newfound zest for industry-based photography, I found myself analyzing lighting in every room I entered and wanting to capture every moment. I am still in awe of my peers to this day and find it so special to see how everyone has grown in their craft.

As time passes I find my love for photography never fails but my artistic direction pulls me in many ways new and old, I have reignited my love for acting by performing in a Denver shadow cast (we act out different movies while it plays behind us), we perform Rocky Horror Picture Show, Repo The Genetic Opera, Reefer Madness, and a Cvlt Svlts original shadow cast of the 1960’s Little Shop of Horrors, performing with such talented people help bring a new perspective to my craft.

My photography has morphed into a mashup of my mind and photography to create unique one-of-a-kind mixed media art pieces some even 3D has inspired me to expand my artistry by attending photography meet-ups. Meet-ups are such great inclusive space that introduces many amazing photographers and models together who are all interested in bettering their craft and working together collaboratively to bring new visions to life. They have allowed me to see new perspectives from other artists while also allowing me to voice my creative opinion.

I have loved seeing how my artistic style has developed and grown during my photographic journey and I know I have more to learn and grow from. Ultimately bringing life to my art and knowing that it will be on display in people’s houses is the most artistically gratifying experience I can ask for I love creating and sharing those moments with people. I’m still working to understand who I am as an artist and exactly how I want my story to make a mark in this world but I know I will leave a trail of creation along the way…

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think anything worth it has a smooth road, everything takes work, discipline, and struggle to some degree, otherwise how else do we learn and grow? I always worked to some degree to get what I want starting when I was about 10 years old.

I worked in my aunt and uncle’s memorial peace garden in honor of my cousin who was killed in gang violence. They started the peace garden to help keep young people off the streets during the summertime by providing them with life skills by nurturing a plot of land, learning computer skills, or even working with horses learning to properly take care of them and how to ride them.

Sometimes that meant you might fall off the horse but the most important lesson was getting back up on the horse and accomplishing the initial goal of a trot or gallop proving to yourself you can do anything even if you fall. It was also my first real understanding of loss and what that meant to me and how I was going to grow from it. I think my overall biggest challenge in this thing called life has been how I choose to deal with loss of any sort.

Do I let it consume me till I forget to breathe tears are streaming down my cheeks and all I want to do is just run away from it all never looking back, or am I going to take deep breaths and remember it’s okay to feel your feelings, but you must get back up and move forward? I have had to fall and get back up and fall and get back up so many times during so many different periods in my life to become the person I have become. Life is learning, growing, falling, getting up, and repeating.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As I mentioned photography has always been my first love for as long as I can remember and taking pictures has always been my goal. Capturing beautiful imagery and creating vibes with talented models my style started to develop and as it developed I began pushing myself as a photographer and artist looking outside of the box of what people might want their art to be and see things from different perspectives and invoking the emotion to the viewer of what was felt when I took the pictures.

Creating mixed media and 3D art has been the most inspiring of my art career and I can’t wait to see the heights I take my photography. I’m very proud of how every piece of art I create truly embodies my whole essence, I put my whole heart into everything I create, and to be able to share my art with others is one of the most exciting ventures I have pursued. I feel my art is very unique, it feels like a fever dream of wildly beautiful images with the vibrancy turned to 100.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Anyone can work with me by reaching out through email to abrphotographyandarthouse@gmail.com, or you can check out my website at abrphotographyandarthouse.mypixieset.com, purchase any t-shirts, stickers, or accessories at abrphotography.threadless.com follow and follow along or reach out on Instagram @abr_photographyandarthouse. Please feel free to reach out with any art requests or for a photo session pricing on both varies.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://abrphotographyandarthouse.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: @abr_photographyandarthouse

Image Credits
ABR Photography & Arthouse