artist message

With love, from Alissa Christine...
     Miami is more than a tropical city, it’s a lifestyle that’s lived differently by everyone in it. Finding myself here about 2 decades ago, everything changed for the better. Miami gives you so much! The obvious and overwhelming natural beauty that seems to infuse everyone with good spirits… the flowing cultures that create dynamic communities… and the very palpable sensuality that makes everything passionately magic, fills me with bliss.
     As my appreciation for Miami grew, so did my lust for life, and love for myself. “I love miami 365” is a book in celebration of this adventure. It is my diary of a year’s profound journey and a testament of living in the eternal now. The daily practice was meditative and a reminder to be present at all times… with awareness to witness the spectacular that would show itself at any moment.
     Many thought I was crazy to do a years’ work as a labor of love. For me, that’s the purity in the essence of creation. Without outside influence, I visualized the concept, grabbed my camera and dove right in! This was a solitary path with a purpose: to share the energy of this wonderland through a heart that remains enchanted. It is a love song to the place I call home and I am the only one who sings it this way. 
     The entire project, from beginning to end, has been an extraordinary experience, going beyond photography. The discipline of getting the shot every day harmonized my artistic journey with my life: life is art…art is life. Every photo is an expression of awe and adoration of the moment… sometimes, composites were created with the images because many days had many inspirations! 
     Staying true to vision cultivated my growth through gratitude, acceptance, patience and perseverance. This book is my dream made manifest.
    My intention lives in the joy and smiles your eyes reveal when you join me on my journey. This is my gift to you… to Miami… to the world. 

news/interviews

POWER PLAYERS  / PEOPLE OF LIKE MIND
Florida International Magazine names Alissa Christine one of the 100 Individuals Pushing Florida into the Future
by Luis R. Rigual, Caroline Flitter & Jillan L. Sanz

Every April, we're charged with the task of finding 100 or so individuals taking Florida into the future. They come from all walks of life. They are entertainers and scientists. Business leaders and designers. Athletes and philanthropists. Although their backgrounds and occupations are vastly different, there is one characteristic that ties them all together: the commitment to excellence they bring to their respective arenas. In the following pages, you will meet them. They are the HEADLINERS staking their claim in the national spotlight, the DEALMAKERS redefining business for the better, the COMMUNICATORS who give the state its collective voice, the CREATORS who prove imagination has no boundaries, the DESIGN MINDS taking creativity to new realms of possibility, the INNOVATORS thinking outside the box to make things happen, the WARRIORS who make competition a form of art, the IDEALISTS in pursuit of higher standards, the NEW GUARD inheriting crucial positions and making them their own, and the NEXT GENERATION taking charge of tomorrow with boundless talent and fresh ideas. Meet our 2009 power players, read their stories and learn why they deserve recognition.

COMMUNICATORS - Alissa Christine, Photographer, Miami Beach
Known in the industry for her innovative approach to lighting, movement and display in her work, photographer Alissa Christine is no stranger to praise. But her most recent opus has certainly won her a whole new legion of fans. For i lovemiami 365 [book], the South Beach resident documented a year (2008) in the life of South Florida. As Christine puts it: "the people, places, things, verbs and experiences" that make the area what it is. With each shot is a handwritten note from Christine with her thoughts at the moment she snapped each of the photos.

Miami NewTimes / A Day in the Life / The 305 filtered through the lens, 24/7/365.
by Carlos Suarez de Jesus

Don’t confuse Alissa Christine’s photographic diary of the Magic City with an obsession to record the inexorable tick of time passing. Since January, Christine has been capturing everyday moments as part of a yearlong project to distill the spirit of Miami on a particular day. “It’s not really about time,” Christine says of her project. “It’s more about the present moment and reaffirming that life is timeless.” At 7 p.m., the Butter Gallery unveils “I Love Miami 365,” featuring 167 multiformat prints representing the halfway mark of the shutterbug’s perspective on the pulse of the 305. 
Some of the snaps depict typical ocean views, but her “random stringing of events” exude anything but a tour guide’s vibe. Christine has shot pictures during a supermarket run or while flying in a Cessna — all in order to reveal our city from a different point of view.
(read full story)

944 Magazine / I Heart Miami 365 - Photographer Alissa Christine's Love Affair With the Magic City
by Brooke Siegel

(excerpt) 
Alissa Christine pulled up for our interview on a bicycle complete with basket. How very Miami and fitting for the photographer behind i love miami 365. The project sounds simple enough: take one picture of Miami every day of 2008. How hard can it be? A topless model here, a cresting wave there. But the work, like this city, goes much deeper. As the artist says, “Most of the pictures have a message, a reason, an intention why they’re shot. There’s an experience behind them.” And it can be felt scrolling through the photos. From a pin up girl at a Biscayne carwash to a picture of Miami band Suénalo performing, each shot is like taking a voyeuristic peek into a Miami experience...

The Lead Miami Beach News : featured covers & article
PHOTOGRAPHED FRESH DAILY : Starting With Miami, Alissa Christine Just Might Document the World — One Day at A Time. 
by ELEANOR MCCULLOCH

(excerpt)
EM: You shot at least one impressive new photo each day for a year for your ‘I Love Miami 365’ project without ‘cheating.’ Were there ever days when you just were not getting something up to your standards, had equipment failure, a cold, or some other hindrance, and how did you overcome it?

AC: This project was a daily meditative exercise of gratitude and celebration, utilizing the art of photography as a method to capture the essence of joy, which is present at every moment. Each day was an opportunity to exercise acceptance, flexibility and gratitude for every situation that life offers, regardless if it was according to plan or not. The challenge was to maintain open channels of perception, to creatively conceptualize any moment as a masterpiece....

El Nuevo Herald : Revista Aplausos /ARTE / Especial / El Nuevo Herald
Alissa Christine retrata su amor por Miami
by ELENA IGLESIAS

(excerpt)
Su obra es un documental de lo que ve, siente, y es importante para ella en ese momento. Este año está dedicada a Miami por entero. ''Este proyecto está respirando; está vivo; se está haciendo; está abierto a sugerencias'', dice Alissa Christine, fotógrafa americana de padres brasileros, que vive en Miami desde hace 12 años. La fotografía tomó preeminencia entre sus otros intereses artísticos hace 7 años cuando decidió convertirla en su carrera. ''Siempre le había dado la espalda a mi creatividad y desde entonces la he aceptado. Soy mucho más feliz ahora porque estoy haciendo lo que me gusta'', explica. ...
... ''E stoy usando la tela de Miami como mi lienzo. Me atraen las cosas de todos los días. La vida me inspira, creo que es bella y que vale la pena prestarle atención. Paso mucho tiempo aprendiendo, leyendo, absorbiendo diferentes tipos de mensajes espirituales, como los de Maharaji o Gangaji. Ellos hablan de apreciar la vida y el momento presente. Y ésa es la esencia de la fotografía, porque estás capturando el instante'', comenta la artista...

WLRN Under the Sun : 5 Questions by Trina Sargalski

Trina: You mention in your FAQ on ilovemiami365.com that for this project you didn’t consider specific geographic boundaries for Miami. You were considering more of a Miami sensibility.

Alissa: I truly love the Miami lifestyle. The goal was to photograph and enjoy as many combinations of cultural nuances as possible. There is so much Magic to this City that goes beyond its physical boundaries: the amazing skies, sharing a cortadito at the corner bodega, dancing all night and then after-hours all morning, and then dancing on the sand all day, the twenty minute downpour and then sunshine, skin, enjoying the outdoors all year long, ordering Chinese food in Spanish, drum circles, international communities, boat rides, surfing dogs, festivals and events that bring international visitors, experiencing art and music inspired by it all…and living the fantasy.

miami.com / Alissa Christine loves Miami (every day)
By Jessica Sick

It's hard to love Miami 365 days a year. Hell, it's hard to love it for more than ten minutes (the glow usually dimmed by having to park on South Beach or visiting Dolphin Mall). Alissa Christine has managed to find a way to ignore that cloud of negativity that seems to loom despite our freakishly plentiful sunshine, and instead pay attention to the city's beauty -- at least through her camera lens...
https://www.miami.com/things-to-do-in-miami/alissa-christine-loves-miami-every-day-324/

Alissa Christine WON First Place and Honorable Mention in Fotomission's 4th South Beach Photomarathon Competition! 

The winning photo is featured on day 111 in the book!
One hundred and four contestants were assigned six topics to photograph on South Beach over a period of five hours... The topics, Green, Wild, Refreshing, Hot, Style and Only on South Beach, were kept secret until the event day and were be purposefully vague to give the contestants plenty of room for self-expression. At the finish line, only 4 photos per topic were submitted "as-is" (no allowance for post-digital editing or retouching).

Alissa Christine won First Place in the category of "Style," and Honorable Mention for "Hot."

Video interview on PlumTV : Daybreak Show & The Juice

WLRN Arts Beat : radio interview with ed bell
Alissa Christine talks about "i love miami 365" and CANDO, Miami Beach artist’s co-operative.
(audio with slideshow)