Passion is HAUTE!

I absolutely love photography; it means “writing with light.” This photo captures the essence of who I am… I love it! It’s always interesting to me to learn a little about what a photographer sees when he or she captures your image. In this photo, I was completely natural, no makeup, sweating in the Curacao heat, all flaws exposed and my hair was a mess. But somehow my photographer captured something more. He saw something different as reflected in this shot. He said the light was hitting me well and became inspired by the idea of capturing his vision. Nothing here was rehearsed it was spur of the moment which generally reveals those raw moments that are haute. In my opinion, it’s the way that you capture life. There’s nothing more intoxicating.

What do you think about this shot by my celebrity photographer?

Idris Elba Interviews Haute Travels in Curacao

What happens when a chance meeting turns into a really cool conversation with one of the stars from the biggest movie out right now, Takers? Something HAUTE… that’s why when I got the chance to meet Idris Elba, I really wanted to know how travel inspires him, but he wanted to interview me. I’m thinking to myself, “Why” I’m not that interesting.

So I sat there trying to keep it together as he asked me questions about my career and beyond all without a shirt on with just a pair of shorts and that British accent that’s so HAUTE. But I got through it and thought… there’s still a story here after all. I just didn’t recognize it.

Imagine sitting on a beautiful stretch of beach in one of the prettiest places on earth, Curacao, talking to “Driis” as his friends call him and not having seen his new movie or the television series, The Wire! Lol However, in my defense, I planned to see Takers this week! Fortunately, he didn’t seem to hold that against me and instead decided that he wanted to know more about this southern girl from Atlanta who knew absolutely nothing about all the things that made him famous. In fact, he seemed to like it. I was honest about it. And he may have even been intrigued by that. But from my perspective, it made him a person to me and not a celebrity. So in that unguarded moment, I was candid with him.

Here are 5 questions that Idris Elba asked before he went for a swim in the ocean... leaving me thinking, wow, he really got me with the role reversal!

Idris: Why did you move back to Atlanta?

Answer: So that I could spend more time with my parents who missed me while I lived in Chicago for so many years. Now they’re older.

Idris: What’s your favorite city to travel to?

Answer: Paris, it’s the place where I feel the most creative and free

Idris: Do you always poke your lip out when you think no one is watching?

Answer: I don’t… but he said “Yes, you do. I saw you do it.” Lol Of course, I kept denying it!

Idris: What makes you happy?

Answer: Helping people who want to write about travel… find their passion and follow their dream. At the end of the day, I’m also a story teller. So I help people lay the blueprint for creating their own script about their lives. 

Idris: What’s your real age?
Answer: ??… but he says, “No Way!” Yes, really.

Thanks Mr. Elba for flipping the script and giving me a story that I never expected. You just never know how chance encounters offer an opportunity for introspection in those spare moments (that we rarely have time for) allowing someone to see inside your soul. By changing things up, I got to learn a lot more about you than I could have ever imagined.

What do you think about Idris' role reversal interview?