Camryn Burke is a dancer, model, intellectual deep thinker, and just all around very funny, positive and entertaining person. (She confirms all of this in her interview below)
This was our first photoshoot together in a good while, and while we didn’t have too much time, only 2 hours, it was great to reconnect and create a few photos in the process.
Introduce yourself:
Hi! I’m Camryn Burke I grew up training to become a professional ballet dancer and was fortunate enough to study ballet in many different cities including New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and St. Petersburg Russia. Right now, I am currently a full time student studying philosophy and also work as a model and property manager. I have been living in SoCal for the past 3 years and am actually working on moving as I am writing this. I am hoping to eventually move back to New York or to Europe but of course also need to prioritize finishing my degree so I am still figuring things out.
What is it about philosophy that is compelling to you?
Philosophy interests me because you are dealing with fundamental questions that resist definitive answers. Unlike fields of study where your own success or the overall collective progress is measured by solutions that are generally more clear and objective, philosophy requires you to find comfort in uncertainty, placing meaning onto exploring possibilities rather than reaching a certain outcome. This mirrors my own “life philosophy,” if I can call it that, since I believe fulfillment comes less from reaching fixed outcomes and more from the ongoing process itself — because the process is where life actually happens.
What are some ways you feel you’ve changed as a dancer/artist/model?
I think that the most prominent way I have changed is that I have learned to be less fanatic about my pursuits. I think anyone who has done ballet or any other rigorous pursuit can attest to the demands it makes of you and who you have to become to meet those demands. This personality doesn’t always develop in ways that are beneficial to your own wellbeing. It isn’t always appropriate to sacrifice so much of yourself and be so rigid and unforgiving. I think that the laxity of the modeling industry has taught me to be a little more relaxed with myself. I dont think that this is a testament to the modeling industry probably more of age but I have also noticed a change in my perceived freedom to be more assertive with my own wants and needs and identify what those wants and needs are.
What are 3 facts about you?
I am ginger naturally, not by choice.
I have a brother who is also ginger.
In my old age, I have finally come to accept the fact that I am a ginger.
What’s your favorite way to drink coffee?
I typically only drink black coffee. I do like lattes or cappuccinos sometimes but generally here in America, anything besides black coffee tastes like poison to me.
What are your thoughts on A.I? (& do you use it yourself?)
I am really not a fan of it. However, I do use it but only for things that I wish to not think about. I think for me and for most other A.I. users to reason we justify its use is to be more efficient with our time but that still leaves the question of what we are choosing to do with our time instead. I think there is a great benefit to going through the process on your own and not using A.I as a shortcut because there is value to be found in the process. Also A.I., while an impressive innovation is still very limited and predictable in its output. As someone who appreciates art and other products of human innovation I think that A.I. and its limited creative abilities is counterproductive to those pursuits.
Do you watch streaming services/ or movies? If so, what have you watched lately that you’ve enjoyed?
I honestly have not watched any streaming services or shows for a long time. The last TV I watched was Game of Thrones over a year ago. I enjoyed that show but since then I can’t seem to find the value of placing my attention on most TV shows or movies. I think it is also a product of my busy schedule recently and I have other preferred ways of unwinding that i would chose over watching a show or movie. My roommate and I will go to the movies frequently and I enjoy it as a social outing. Despite what it sounds like I really do like movies I just am a little snob and only enjoy specific movies that I think are thought provoking to consume.
Which fictional character do you see yourself in?
I honestly have not considered this question but I often get compared to any fictional character that is ginger. I don’t know if that is a good metric for comparison though.
What’s your current favorite food?
Vanilla ice cream, it’s perfect, it’s timeless.
What’s something people might be surprised to know about you?
I’m actually really funny although there is no evidence of that here you’ll have to trust me on that.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to have the courage to leave situations that don’t meet my needs or that cause me to be someone I don’t want to be. You will save yourself a lot of time and unnecessary pain.
How are you able to find your own “voice” and what advice would you give to other artists who might be struggling to find their “voice”?
Don’t use A.I.! I don’t know if I can give advice on this coming from a place of having found a “voice” for myself but I think that you have to self-evaluate often and look for things that you uniquely have to offer the world and also what things you notice in other people. Your evaluations of others often can provide insight into what you yourself value (or don’t value) which is important to determine when developing your own voice. Also to incorporate my own “life philosophy” once again, you want to evaluate your artistic process, what habits, rituals, etc you do in solitude that comprise the efforts that precede the visible outcome. These are the moments where your unique perspective takes hold without external influences.
You can follow Camryn on Instagram at @Camryn_Burke
And keep an eye on the Zine for more shoots with Camryn in the future.
-Oliver Endahl