In spite of the limiting circumstances of lockdown, photographers have still been showcasing their creativity and intent on capturing beauty, whether it be through Zoom or email. One in particular, is Travis Scott’s personal photographer, RAYSCORRUPTEDMIND, who has put together a quarantine photo-series featuring prominent stars and models from all over the world. Gathering some of his most talented friends, RAYSCORRUPTEDMIND captures trippy and era-defying imagery of skater and Wonderland cover star Evan Mock, hip-hop artist 070 Shake, and models uglyworldwide and Salem Mitchell.

We dived in deep with RAYSCORRUPTEDMIND and some of the stars of the photo-series, as they enlighten us on their experiences in lockdown and staying creative…

How has lockdown been for you?
Salem: We are surprisingly doing pretty well. Lockdown has made us a little restless and we miss our loved ones we haven’t been able to spend time with but it’s comforting to have each other during this time. We’ve been cooking a lot, playing games, attempting to read books, and we’ve gotten into exercising so it’s not too bad.
070Shake: Lockdown has actually been a learning experience. Been away for me to be able to gather my thoughts so that I can produce better
uglyworldwide: An emotional rollercoaster.

Name three things you can’t do without right now?
Salem: Wine, exercise, and streaming services.
070 Shake: I’m actually a very simple person, I can do without a lot.
uglyworldwide: Sunshine, chocolate pretzels and exercise

How has lockdown influenced your creativity?
Salem: Lockdown has definitely given us more room to concentrate on our personal projects. Before lockdown, it was so easy to get wrapped up in working and all the other things that “normal” life comes with that some of our personal projects/ideas took a back seat. Now we’ve really been able to think about ourselves, our ideas, and all the things that haven’t had an opportunity to be put first before.
070 Shake: Lockdown has influenced my creativity by allowing me to expand more on my ideas. Having a lot of space in time to do the tedious things that you don’t usually have time to do
uglyworldwide: It’s put a real damper to be completely honest. But I’m much more proud of myself and my creations now because they are so far and few compared to what I’m used to. I’ve had a chance to work on patience and understanding of and for myself.

How did you get involved with this photo-series – and what do you love about the mood of the imagery?
Salem: We’ve worked with Ray quite a bit prior to lockdown. When the three of us get together it’s always a good time. We all have strengths in different areas and we bridge those together to not only create something fun but we have a good time doing it. What we loved about the mood of the imagery is the element of transformation beyond just the image itself. It’s amazing that people have been able to create and capture virtually but I think this concept was an incredibly creative way to shoot via facetime while still adding another element to make it more dynamic.
070 Shake: Ray bought me in on the project! His work has texture and it’s own individuality I know whatever he’s involved in is gonna be good.

What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get out of lockdown?
Salem: We’re going to go eat Thai food and see our families!
070 Shake: I’m going to take flights!
uglyworldwide: Go visit my mom, she was supposed to come stay with me in NYC so we could have some fun. Miss her a lot and I can’t wait to see her.

How has lockdown been for you?
Ray: I’ve been good, I’ve just been trying out new ways to get creative since the times are changing, but I like challenges so it’s been an experience!

How has lockdown influenced your creativity and changed how you think about your craft?
Ray: Oh man, to be honest, this lockdown has actually influenced me a lot because it’s pushed me out my comfort zone and made me tried new ways of creating which has been very fun. It’s showed me how much I can adapt to different times, so that’s made me even more confident with my craft. I’ve always said a true artist can always create no matter the circumstances.

Tell us about this photo series – what inspired it?
Ray: The inspiration behind this series was the outdoors. I want people to look at these images and feel like, wow these people were really outside even though they all were indoor. I feel like right now this is going to be a very important time that goes down in history and I wanted the images to not have a date to them. I want them to feel timeless, so that’s why I went with older looking images for the vibe.

How did you choose who was going to feature in it?
Ray: I wanted to basically show different perspectives in this time, so that’s why I picked such versatile people because it brings in so many different vibes I feel into the project. Like you have Salem and Dajuan who are just such a beautiful couple and artists, then you have 070shake one of my favourite artists and uglyworldwide who literally does it all – words can’t describe her! We also have Evan Mock who is an amazing model and insane skater!