Meet Tori Piscitelli | Artist & Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tori Piscitelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tori, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
How do I know whether to keep going or to give up? Well, that is quite simple for me because I never want to and don’t give up; especially when it comes to my art. Being an artist, much like anything, comes with a lot of challenges. And I am talking bigger than just a bad critique. I’m talking about no one supporting you because they feel you’ll never be successful or sitting in a college level art class surrounded by people who don’t show the same effort you do and watching the professor praise their work while the professor looks down on your work. The challenges I am talking about are the ones that have you leaving the room sobbing and questioning if you made the wrong choice or thinking it is too late to go back. The challenges I just listed only scratch the surface of what I have faced as an artist and those moments have honestly been some of the best moments in my career. Might sound crazy thinking that being talked over and ignored by my peers has been my best moments; but here’s why. These moments have shown me that I need to work harder and I need to show people who I am and that I am not going anywhere. Continuing to push forward in times where I don’t even want to get out of bed is a way to prove to myself that I can do it, I can keep going, and that I am going to be a successful artist and photographer. I know to keep going when nothing seems to be going right for me. Most things are out of our control, especially when it comes to people’s opinions about you. Honestly, I hate having no control over that because people’s perception of you dictates your art career; so for me, giving up means all those people were right. I know my worth but I need to show other people my worth so I can be respected. That is how I know to keep going.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When it comes to my art, I like to describe it as a mixture of everything I am interested in. I love photographing different and new things and I try not to put myself in a box. I do, however, always find myself photographing landscapes and I tend to share more photographs of that. I use my photography as a journal to showcase myself, which is why I have no problem bouncing between different genres of photography. Since I am still currently a student and I am going to grad school to study to become a professor, I feel that my openness to try new things in photography is a privilege because I can receive feedback to help me hone in on how to best express myself. Because I switch things up a lot and am not focused on finding a niche, creating a “brand” has been a little challenging; especially since that is not the norm for artists. But, I really don’t care. It has actually been one of my biggest lessons; learning not to care. Because I am doing what makes me happy and it has actually led me to my new found passion to help other artists. I want to be a mentor to somebody who has felt that doing things differently is wrong and I want them to see that they can do what makes them happy and still be successful. However, I am still young and still a student, I am still learning new things and developing new opinions everyday. Maybe I might change my mind one day. But, I think that is a privilege no one should take advantage of because you never know what is going to happen.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a very outdoorsy person so the first place I am heading up to is the Grand Canyon. I have only been there two times and it is easily my favorite place to be. When I do have friends that come into town I suggest they head up there cause there isn’t a place like it. On the way back down I would stop at Sedona because it has some of the best views and places to eat there. Sedona is a place I head up to a lot and try to take people to since it is closer than the Grand Canyon. At the end of the trip I would stop in the city and hit the restaurant Kaizen in downtown Phoenix. They easily have some of the best sushi and the management and staff is amazing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Someone who I will always recognize for my journey, since I moved to Arizona, is my friend Peter. Peter was the first person in Arizona to reach out and support me after moving and has introduced me to so many artists out here. He has come out to support me on photoshoots and always looked out for me during these shoots. Peter is someone who I can never thank enough since he has been a part of my journey for as long as I have lived in Arizona.

Website: toripiscitelli.com

Instagram: instagram.com/toripiscitelli

Twitter: twitter.com/toripiscitelli

Other: My website is currently a work in progress at the moment but I so excited for it to be done and for everyone to see it so I attached the link so others can come back and view it.

Image Credits
Personal Photo photographed by Dray Reid (instagram.com/dray.reid)