We’re looking forward to introducing you to Lydia Troupe . Check out our conversation below.
Lydia , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I’m being called to use my voice to speak publicly and follow my dreams in design, art direction, and fashion. Something lately has been calling my name to not only live authentically (which I believe I have done my whole life) but also encourage others to do so theirselves.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello, my name is Lydia Troupe. You may know me as a photographer, but I see myself as a storyteller. I’ve always believed the most powerful things in life are often the simplest. The way a fire shifts and throws goosebumps across your skin. The nervous laughter with a friend on the edge of falling off a tube in the middle of a lake. A conversation at a coffee shop that unexpectedly lingers in your memory for years. I live for those small, ordinary details that somehow unlock something bigger. Those fleeting, honest moments are what I try to capture and reimagine in everything I create.
As a designer and storyteller, my mission is to make work that is both daring and deeply human. Fashion campaigns, brand identities, photography, words on a page- they are all different mediums for me, but the purpose behind them is the same. I want to create stories that stop people in their tracks, even if just for a second, because something about it feels true. Not just beautiful, not just trendy, but genuine.
My vision is to build work that balances edge with intimacy. I don’t believe creativity should live only on glossy surfaces or in curated perfection. I want to craft worlds that reflect both the strength and fragility of being human, campaigns that are striking and bold but also soft enough to feel like they’re speaking directly to you. My inspiration often comes from culture, heritage, and the relationships that ground me. Whether it’s drawing from my Caribbean and Mayan roots or reimagining how a modern brand connects with its community, I want every project to carry a piece of real life inside of it.
The energy I bring to my work is bold but tender. I create with the drive of someone chasing the impossible, yet I hold onto the softness of someone who cares about connection, community, and truth. I’ve learned the value of being genuine in everything, whether it’s reaching out to people in my own words instead of copy-paste templates, or designing something that doesn’t just look nice but means something.
I know trends fade. Campaigns end. Projects get filed away. But feelings last. What I want more than anything is to leave people with a feeling that lingers longer than the image itself, the kind of beauty that lives in memory. That’s the work I want to dedicate my life to. Because at the heart of everything I do is this simple truth: design and storytelling are not just about creating images, but about creating connections. And I believe that genuine connection, whether in a fleeting laugh, a bold campaign, or a quiet moment, is what makes life meaningful.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was 16 years old I was bored in my grandmother’s house and she took me to her library. She recommended two books- Chicken Soup for the Soul, and some other book I don’t remember.
Reading chicken soup to the soul changed my life. It broadened my understanding of the human experience through personal stories. Personal stories about love, loss, hardship, dreams, and anything else you could imagine. At 16 we may think we know a lot- but we don’t. Our view of the world is still very narrow; but there is power through reading. I believe reading that book changed me into who I am today.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of failure and expectations. Sometimes I put so much pressure on myself to achieve big things that it can be crippling. In the moments where I overcome that though- I truly believe I am unstoppable.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Most definitely, i’d say most people who know me online and meet me in the person say they feel it is the same person. I am pretty open about who I am and my tough/ deep moments on social media. I don’t like the idea of having a perfected curate version of me on social media- it doesn’t fall in line with my values I have for myself.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
Not going after my dreams and helping people find the courage to be themselves in world that’s the most polar, and negative I believe it has ever been in a long time. I believe when people stay true to who they are they bring a light to people that’s contagious.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lshadayneco.squarespace.com/portfolio-1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lshadayne/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lydia-troupe-bb7421224_5-years-later-and-i-am-finally-a-georgia-activity-7194712820440092673-FQQo/
Image Credits
-L’shadayne Photography
