Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Whang.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I have a big interest in food, especially food that looks good. So I thought, why not take photos of them, start a food diary. And document what I eat.
Instagram immediately became my best friend – the perfect platform.
Instagram is flooded with some amazing food pics, but I wanted to find a way to stand out. That’s when I came across Sketracha, a sriracha Dunny figure by Kid Robot. I’m a huge hot sauce fan, that’s obsessed with Sriracha, so I thought he would be perfect to use in all my food pics. I actually have another one that looks exactly like him, but “empty” like he’s been used. It made sense to use that one specifically for drinks and desserts because realistically, you wouldn’t add sriracha to either of those. Both Sketracha’s became my signature, so anytime you come across an image with him in it, you know it’s me that took the photo.
Also, my handle is a play on the book turned movie, Eat Pray Love with Julia Roberts. People call me Tray, short for Tracy, and that’s how eat.tray.love came about.
Please tell us about your art.
All my photos are taken with my iPhone, and in each food photo I take, I always make sure to have Sketracha in it. Sometimes he’s hiding in a spread of delicious food, where it’s kind of like “Where’s Waldo” but with Sketracha. I also add a white border around all my images, which is another way for me to stand out a bit more. I like to keep my photos very clean, simple and as vibrant as possible, so lighting is very important to me. I’m also a graphic designer, so if I need to clean up a photo or adjust the image, I like to play around in Photoshop, when the apps I use to edit photos aren’t working well.
I want to show people a variety of food. I want to open peoples eyes, like I have for my husband, who wasn’t big on venturing out of his comfort zone, to try new cuisines. I also want to show people that food in a way is like art, because I’ve seen some beautiful food presentations, and the attention to detail that some chefs put in, are impeccable, and definitely worth taking photos of and sharing.
Now, the question that I get the most – do you eat everything you take photos of? 100% yes. I’m a foodie that truly enjoys food and taking photos. Now, if I eat something that I don’t like, you won’t even know because I won’t be posting about it. So everything you see on my feed, I’ve eaten, tasted and liked.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
I think defining success is about doing something you love and enjoy. Because without that happiness, it’s hard to be successful and motivate yourself. You need to be ambitious, original and not be afraid of what other people think. You need to love the creative process, see things differently that are overlooked by others, and keep pushing forward.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work on @eat.tray.love on Instagram. People can support me by following and engaging with me. Over the last two years, I’ve gained some amazing followers that have been supporting me on my food journey. I’ve met so many foodie friends, here in Atlanta, in the states and even in other countries. We all engage, like and comment on each others posts, and encourage one another when someone’s going through rough times. There’s a strong community within the food world, and I’m so grateful that through Instagram, we’ve been able to connect with each other.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.designtray.net
- Email: eat.tray.love@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eat.tray.love
Image Credit:
Tracy Whang
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