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The
of Sophia
and Staking Her Claim
This Gen Z Photographer Is Taking the Visual Art World by
Click to see what's inside Sophia's head
CREDITS
Editor: Kathleen Harper Owens
Art Direction: Becky Joy
Photographer: Oscar Ouk
Production: Hannah Lee
Set Design: Carrie Hill
Makeup Artist: Kevin Cheah
Hair Stylist: Mark Alan Esparza
DIT: Kevin Lavallade
Wardrobe Stylist: Alexis Badiyi
It’s a hopeful and exciting time to be a creator, and for those ready to share their passions with the world, Wilson stresses that representation is everything. In short, it’s important to make your voice heard, and it’s important to do it often. Her personal philosophy is to “create as often as possible,” she says. “Even when you’re not in the mood.”
Currently, Wilson is booked and busy. As she says in “The Come Up” (the new Hulu show she costars in), she’s happy and in control of her life. She is ready for new challenges and approaches each project with vigor and vision. All the while, she’s continuing to build her empire — one dream, one photograph, at a time.
Discover what new worlds you can open yourself up to with Coca-Cola® Dreamworld, the newest limited-edition flavor from Coca-Cola Creations that makes the most fascinating parts of imagination real. Coca-Cola® Dreamworld is inspired by the Gen Z creators exploring new realms — from the surreal to the scientific.
Explore Coca-Cola Creations
Most of my ideas for my art have actually started from my
Hand in hand with translating her dreams to film, like any artist, Wilson prioritizes self-expression. For her, photography is a way to open herself up and not only inspire others but also discover new facets of herself. “Self-expression to me means having the confidence to show your true self to the world completely unfiltered, regardless of what people might think,” she says.
Coca-Cola® Dreamworld aims to make the most fascinating parts of our imagination real, which is also something Wilson tries to do with her art, as it allows her to feel limitless.
This universe that Wilson has created through her camera lens is not only striking, but in many ways, it’s also her own version of a dream world. “Most of my ideas for my art have actually started from my dreams,” she says. “I’ll often wake up in the middle of the night and write down an idea from a dream. I go on to execute it, and those pieces tend to be my best works.”
“Being able to share your work on the internet has changed the art world forever,” she says. “It allows artworks to be seen by international audiences in less than one second, which was never possible before. As a result, we see everyday people really taking these artistic narratives into their own hands.”
Sophia Wilson isn’t afraid to shake things up. She’s been playing by her own rules since she was 13, and now, at 22, the photographer and visual artist is a full-blown trailblazer in the digital art world. Through her work, she creates unique universes, drawing inspiration from the surreal and the imaginary — a similarity she shares with Coca-Cola® Dreamworld, the newest limited-edition flavor from Coca-Cola Creations that explores the realms of the otherworldly. After working commercially with some of the biggest brands on the planet, Wilson’s well on her way to reaching household-name status, a goal of hers since day one. But most importantly, she’s hungry to make a difference — and so far, she’s been doing exactly that.
Scrolling through her Instagram, it’s easy to see her as a progressive. Wilson’s art is vibrant and compelling. She focuses on relatable images of real people and describes her photography style as candid with lots of movement. Each photo tells a story, inviting the viewer to enter a specific moment in time that feels intimate yet larger than life all at once. Like everything Wilson creates, that thought-provoking, upbeat aesthetic is intentional.
“The main themes in my work are joy, diversity, Black womanhood, and coming of age,” she says. “In such crazy times, I really feel it’s important for my work to be lighthearted and to spread joy. As for Black womanhood and coming of age, those are two really specific parts of my identity, so in a way, it’s a self-reflection.”
There’s also a refreshing youthfulness to Wilson’s shots, partly due to her signature saturated color palette. To create this unique look, the New York City native primarily shoots with an analog camera and color film, developing her photos by hand in a darkroom — thus controlling the vibrancy of the colors in the process.
Thanks to her determination, passion, and raw talent, Wilson has been working to tear down art-world hierarchies, shatter stereotypes, and provide much-needed visibility in a traditionally selective industry. “I’m creating representation for real people in front of the lens — I don’t feature typical-looking models,” Wilson tells POPSUGAR. “I’m also providing representation for people behind the camera. Growing up, I struggled to find any photographers to look up to that were Black women, so being one of the first definitely makes me an innovator. I hope my work breaks barriers for other young Black girls.”
“My definition of imagination is thinking huge and being delusional enough to think that you’ll be able to do things that are bigger than life — and then proving that you can actually do them,” she says.
It’s this positive and assertive attitude that jump-started her career. As a young artist, Wilson has always seen her age as an asset rather than a barrier. She’s never been afraid to take risks and put herself out there. Wilson was just 13 years old when Instagram first became popular, but she immediately saw its potential and capitalized on it.
“I thought it was so cool that there was a photo-sharing platform where people could see your art and nobody would judge you based on how old you were,” Wilson says. One day after school, she mass emailed her photo work to hundreds of publications and brands she had dreamed of shooting for, with a link to her Instagram. A few people replied, including photo editors of high-profile publications. “The rest,” she says, “is history!”
Wilson is quick to note that it’s technology that has granted her access to every corner of the world and allowed her to share her viewpoint in a meaningful way — whether that be through billboards, her website, social media, or NFTs, just to name a few.
A New World
Tap to see what's inside Sophia's Head
Wilson is quick to note that it’s technology that has granted her access to every corner of the world and allowed her to share her viewpoint in a meaningful way — whether that be through billboards, her website, social media, or NFTs, just to name a few.
“Being able to share your work on the internet has changed the art world forever,” she says. “It allows artworks to be seen by international audiences in less than one second, which was never possible before. As a result, we see everyday people really taking these artistic narratives into their own hands.”
It’s this positive and assertive attitude that jump-started her career. As a young artist, Wilson has always seen her age as an asset rather than a barrier. She’s never been afraid to take risks and put herself out there. Wilson was just 13 years old when Instagram first became popular, but she immediately saw its potential and capitalized on it.
“I thought it was so cool that there was a photo-sharing platform where people could see your art and nobody would judge you based on how old you were,” Wilson says. One day after school, she mass emailed her photo work to hundreds of publications and brands she had dreamed of shooting for, with a link to her Instagram. A few people replied, including photo editors of high-profile publications. “The rest,” she says, “is history!”
.
Most of my ideas for my art have actually started from my
Hand in hand with translating her dreams to film, like any artist, Wilson prioritizes self-expression. For her, photography is a way to open herself up and not only inspire others but also discover new facets of herself. “Self-expression to me means having the confidence to show your true self to the world completely unfiltered, regardless of what people might think,” she says.
Imagination also plays a large role in Wilson’s artistic process, as it allows her to feel limitless. “My definition of imagination is thinking huge and being delusional enough to think that you’ll be able to do things that are bigger than life — and then proving that you can actually do them,” she says.
Sophia Wilson isn’t afraid to shake things up. She’s been playing by her own rules since she was 13, and now, at 22, the photographer and visual artist is a full-blown trailblazer in the digital art world. After working commercially with some of the biggest brands on the planet, she’s well on her way to reaching household-name status, a goal of hers since day one. But most importantly, Wilson is hungry to make a difference — and so far, she’s been doing exactly that.
Thanks to her determination, passion, and raw talent, Wilson has been working to tear down art-world hierarchies, shatter stereotypes, and provide much-needed visibility in a traditionally selective industry. “I’m creating representation for real people in front of the lens — I don’t feature typical-looking models,” Wilson tells POPSUGAR. “I’m also providing representation for people behind the camera. Growing up, I struggled to find any photographers to look up to that were Black women, so being one of the first definitely makes me an innovator. I hope my work breaks barriers for other young Black girls.”
Scrolling through her Instagram, it’s easy to see her as a progressive. Wilson’s art is vibrant and compelling. She focuses on relatable images of real people and describes her photography style as candid with lots of movement. Each photo tells a story, inviting the viewer to enter a specific moment in time that feels intimate yet larger than life all at once. Like everything Wilson creates, that thought-provoking, upbeat aesthetic is intentional.
“The main themes in my work are joy, diversity, Black womanhood, and coming of age,” she says. “In such crazy times, I really feel it’s important for my work to be lighthearted and to spread joy. As for Black womanhood and coming of age, those are two really specific parts of my identity, so in a way, it’s a self-reflection.”
There’s also a refreshing youthfulness to Wilson’s shots, partly due to her signature saturated color palette. To create this unique look, the New York City native primarily shoots with an analog camera and color film, developing her photos by hand in a darkroom — thus controlling the vibrancy of the colors in the process.
and Staking Her Claim
This Gen Z Photographer Is Taking the Visual Art World by
ADVERTISER CONTENT FROM
CREDITS
Editor: Annalise Mantz
Art Direction: Becky Joy
Photographer: Oscar Ouk
Production: Hannah Lee
Set Design: Carrie Hill
Makeup Artist: Kevin Cheah
Hair Stylist: Mark Alan Esparza
DIT: Kevin Lavallade
Wardrobe Stylist: Alexis Badiyi
A New World
Discover what new worlds you can open yourself up to with Coca-Cola® Dreamworld, the newest limited-edition flavor from Coca-Cola Creations that makes the most fascinating parts of imagination real. Coca-Cola® Dreamworld is inspired by the Gen Z creators exploring new realms — from the surreal to the scientific.
Explore Coca-Cola Creations
Sophia Wilson isn’t afraid to shake things up. She’s been playing by her own rules since she was 13, and now, at 22, the photographer and visual artist is a full-blown trailblazer in the digital art world. Through her work, she creates unique universes, drawing inspiration from the surreal and the imaginary — a similarity she shares with Coca-Cola® Dreamworld, the newest limited-edition flavor from Coca-Cola Creations that explores the realms of the otherworldly. After working commercially with some of the biggest brands on the planet, she’s well on her way to reaching household-name status, a goal of hers since day one. But most importantly, Wilson is hungry to make a difference — and so far, she’s been doing exactly that.
![](https://media-s3-us-east-1.ceros.com/popsugar/images/2022/10/25/e1ddfaaccd46e48b18574ea410f24943/ps22-coke-942659-ba1-10-11-22-shot-02-093.jpg)