Leslie Kell shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Leslie, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Creating. When I’m layering images, shaping light, and watching a composition unfold, time disappears. It’s a quiet place where intuition takes over and I reconnect with myself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Leslie Kell, a lens-based artist whose work lives at the intersection of photography, design, and digital illustration. Over the years, I’ve evolved from a painter and graphic designer into a digital artist, finding my voice in layered compositions that blend original photography with intricate visual architecture. Each piece invites viewers into a dreamlike environment—one that feels rooted in place yet shaped by memory and perception.
My creative process is deeply informed by a lifelong fascination with how we see, remember, and make meaning from what we encounter. I explore the elusive nature of perception and the impermanence of memory through symbolic motifs such as water, reflections, and shifting light. Light, in particular, serves as both a literal subject and a metaphor—a revealer, a veil, and a narrative thread that runs through much of my work.
I often pair my visual work with original poetry, extending the language of my art into words and deepening the emotional landscape. Currently, I’m working on a new video art collection that will debut this fall. This series continues my exploration of rhythm, time, and the language of light, expanding the still image into immersive, moving compositions. My goal is to create work that offers moments of resonance—spaces where viewers can pause, reflect, and perhaps even recognize themselves.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
That everything had to be “right” from the start. I once thought growth followed a straight line, but I’ve learned that even a steady path is filled with shifts, layering, and quiet evolution. Progress isn’t always visible—but it’s always unfolding, often in ways we only recognize in hindsight.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
For much of my life, I carried a quiet fear that there wouldn’t be a seat for me—that there wasn’t space for my voice, my vision, or the kind of work I do. That fear made me hesitate, made me question the validity of my path. Over time, I’ve learned the table isn’t fixed. You can build your own, or realize you’ve been sitting at one all along.
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 would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My people, my art, my space. I hold deep gratitude for all three. I think they’d say I value authenticity, meaningful work, and quiet beauty—the kind that asks you to slow down. I care about connection, creation, and the spaces that allow both to flourish.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. When do you feel most at peace?
At home, surrounded by the spaces that reflect who I am. There’s a quiet, grounding energy in simply being where I belong. I’m honored in this moment to not want to be anywhere else—and I know how rare and sacred that feeling truly is.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://lesliekell.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesliekell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslie.kell/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/KellCreative
Image Credits
Headshot Photo by Kelly Zhu
