Here's why the creators having the most fun also get the most work.
Loosen up—your career depends on it. Plus, meet the photographer using her lens to capture and reshape skate culture.
Who would your dream clients rather work with: the mysterious creative with a perfectly curated feed and no personal presence, or the one who’s sharing what they’re doing—and how much fun they’re having doing it?
We’re going down the “year of whimsy” rabbit hole this edition to explore why caring a little less about your image might actually be the best thing for it. Plus, we’re recapping our most recent Creative Experience that went down at one of the largest indoor skateparks in North America, and introducing you to the guest creator who spent the evening educating our community on the art of action sports photography.
Happy reading!
—Emily & Chloë
EVENT RECAP | TORONTO CREATIVE EXPERIENCE
Our most recent Canon Creator Lab x Socality Toronto Creative Experience was the first of its kind—and ridiculously fun. On April 10th, almost 200 creatives from the greater Toronto area showed up to CJ’s Skatepark—one of North America’s largest indoor skateparks at roughly 50,000 square feet to connect, create, and, for a brave few, attempt their first skateboarding lesson.
The styled sets were a highlight of the evening: an artistic nod to the youthful rebellion associated with skate culture. Industrial, graffiti-tagged backdrops were paired with edgy high fashion and refined streetwear, while mossy spring florals spilling over skatepark features offered a stunning contrast between the delicate and the gritty.
Attendees experimented with the latest Canon mirrorless cameras and lenses, captured live athletes performing in their element, got valuable insight from accomplished sports photographer Norma Ibarra (@lapir0), and walked away with a framed print of one of their own favourite shots.
Head to our Instagram to check out photos and community reels from the night (we are absolutely blown away with what we’ve seen already), and if you’re still sifting through footage, make sure to tag us (@socality) when you post so we can see what you created!
To stay on top of upcoming events in your area, subscribe to the Socality Community Calendar on Luma and keep an eye on our Instagram page.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT | NORMA IBARRA
Norma Ibarra (@lapir0) doesn’t just photograph skate culture—she’s actively reshaping who gets to be seen in it.
A Mexican-born photographer, storyteller, and multidisciplinary artist, Norma has spent her career documenting the spaces where identity, movement, and creativity collide—skateboarding, mountain biking, basketball, and beyond. But her work isn’t just about capturing these worlds; it’s about expanding who belongs in them. She focuses on creating and documenting spaces where women, queer, and BIPOC communities can see themselves reflected and celebrated, and she’s interested in how people use movement and community to reshape narratives in spaces that haven’t always been inclusive.
Named Lens Person of the Year by Skate Like a Girl and nominated as a Feminist Creator by the Canadian Women’s Foundation, her work has spanned magazines, campaigns, Emmy-nominated documentaries, and exhibitions in Paris and Mexico City. She’s also the author of photobook Para Ti (For You), and in 2018, co-founded a nonprofit using skateboarding to work with Indigenous girls in Mexico—which became officially registered this year.
At the end of the day, as Norma puts it: “I just want to help tell stories that matter and contribute to a more inclusive visual culture.”
On picking up a camera yourself, she keeps it straightforward: “Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Start now, use what you already have, don’t let your doubts take over, and remember: there’s only one you.”
Keep up with Norma’s work on Instagram here.
TRENDING NOW | THE YEAR OF WHIMSY
It’s the year of whimsy, and the “mysterious creator” no longer calls the shots.
Bedazzled cameras, silly BTS, and a surprisingly solid business case for having more fun.
Q2 is in full swing and we’re not saying you should glue hundreds of tiny rhinestones to your camera, but we’re also not not saying that.
We recently came across this reel from creator Cassidy Lynne (@cassidylynne)—whose camera is, in fact, very bedazzled (→ proof ←)—and our interest has been peaked.
Gone are the days of the mysterious creator who stifles their personality behind a perfectly curated feed. This year, we’re talking to the camera, shooting film just because it’s fun, dressing up to shoot weddings, posting the silly BTS we’re always wanted to create, and trying the trends that genuinely excite us. Cassidy’s calling it “the year of whimsy,” and as an organization that leans curated, we’re embracing the opportunity to “whimsy” a little harder.
So what does “adding whimsy” actually look like?
It could be as simple as swapping your trusty all-black shoot-day uniform for something that reflects your personality better, or adding a few of your favourite emojis to your email signature. Whimsy can also look like experimenting with fun, creative projects that actually excite your inner child. At its core, whimsy is the stuff that reminds people—and reminds you—that there’s an actual human being behind your work.
There’s also a strategic case for whimsy: you have to be whimsical to attract whimsy. A curated feed will attract curated clients (and that’s completely valid). But adding a little personality, in a way that still feels professional to you, doesn’t deter the “serious” clients, but makes them excited to work with a creative with personality.
If you want the clients who appreciate a good laugh and a creative who’s genuinely in it with them, they need to see that version of you somewhere first. And sure, not every client will see the value in the your whimsy, but that’s kind of the whole point. If you want to work with people that value authenticity and true creativity: embody those traits yourself.
We don’t think whimsy is going away anytime soon. At the end of the day, it’s basically all the carefree parts of authenticity that have already been proven to perform well on social media. But performance aside (because that’s not the most important part) life’s too short to fear the whimsical.
If you’ve been thinking about adding whimsy but haven’t yet, what’s been stopping you? Has this inspired you to bedazzle your very expensive camera gear? Let us know in the comments!
CREATIVE PROMPT | ADD WHIMSY
Think about the content or work you’ve always wanted to create but talked yourself out of. The idea that felt too silly, too niche, too “not what (insert your creative field here)-ers post.”
That’s your prompt.
This week, make it—with no pressure to post. Give yourself permission to create something that’s genuinely, unapologetically you.
It could be a goofy BTS video, a roll of film with no agenda, direct flash in broad daylight, a portrait of your dog, a reel of you actually talking to the camera. Whatever it is, the only criteria is that it’s been sitting in the back of your head for a while.
Whimsy isn't about doing something foreign—it's about finally doing the thing that always felt a little too you to share. And if you do share, drop it in the comments.
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It was so lovely to be part of this! :)
Life is too short to not be whimsical sometimes. I think as creatives it can be easy to take ourselves too seriously. Love this <3