We’re looking forward to introducing you to Leah Diament. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Leah, 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 are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
I am chasing that feeling of excitement that starts in your chest and takes ahold of your entire body. The feeling of “I can’t wait to see what happens next”. It feels a little dangerous, and sometimes is. If I stopped chasing that feeling I would be deflated, unsure as to how to move forward, or in what direction.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Leah Diament, a multidisciplinary artist investigating how process, repetition, and interaction shape visual experience. For the past few years, I’ve been focused on pushing the process of cyanotype far beyond its beautiful, but often monotonous, botanical niche. I use photo collages, origami, video, animation, and interactive games to stretch the medium into new territories.
Currently, I’m working on a large-scale installation piece that explores themes of fear, connection, and growth, concepts that resonate deeply with my personal journey through sobriety and change. This exhibition brings together nearly all the media I work with, inviting viewers to literally step inside this immersive blue world. I can’t wait for you to see it live! In the meantime, if you want to see more, shoot me an email and I’ll keep you updated on my artwork and shows. Avagabondsvisual@gmail.com
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 part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
My ego has served me greatly in protecting me and convincing me I am worthy. It, however, has become a burden to believe that I know everything or am incapable of making a mistake. It’s something that I try to let go of everyday, but know that it is something that will take time to fully release, if it is at all possible. Sometimes the best we can do is continue to try.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of not being liked or loved has held me back the most in my life. The series that I’m currently working on picks at vulnerabilities or insecurities that make me feel unlovable or unlikeable.
It’s an incredibly vulnerable step into my art and that, in and of it’s self, is a part of me overcoming the fear of what I talk about in the pieces. I have found that the action that counteracts fear is vulnerable connection with others. This is why I included an interactive game (Cootie Catchers-look it up if you aren’t a millennial) with authentic relating questions instead of fortunes. The game encourages the players to ask and answer these questions regardless of how well they know each other, to form a curiosity and connection through vulnerable tid bits of information.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
A project I’m committed to is my 6′ origami balloon that people can go inside of. It took almost 2 years to get the final print done, a 200 sq foot print with 6′ images of myself printed on the panels of what will be a balloon. the amount of planning and coordinating was far beyond any project I have worked on previously and there are still several stages left. Each small accomplishment with this project provides me with a huge amount of energy to continue forward with it.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Art.
But who knows if it will ever “pay off”. The joy of experimenting and then getting it out my house, is more of a payoff than any compensation possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://avagabondsvisual.com
- Instagram: avagabondsvisual
- Other: avagabondsvisual@gmail.com
