"I am not the perfect vegan"
Q
&
A
Sophie Cherry
Photographer and Multidisciplinary artist
We sit down with multi-hyphenate creative Sophie Cherry to explore how veganism and environmental activism shape her work, as she navigates activism in a professional environment.
How did you first become interested in veganism, and how has it shaped your personal and professional life?
I became vegan in 2016, and it was a twofold decision based on ethics and environmentalism. It was around the time I was taking my GCSEs; I was very stressed and very anxious - it was causing a lot of health issues with my stomach. I reached a point where I was trying everything to ease the pain, starting with cutting out dairy; this evolved into veganism.
The environmental side is what's kept me vegan. I feel more strongly connected to the environmental impact of global warming as it affects all life forms, all human life, every class and kind of person. Seasonal markers are really starting to shift even in my lifetime and those global disasters are on our doorstep. There's this saying that global warming will just be a video on your phone until you’re the one that’s filming it.
Have you always incorporated your values into your creative work, or was there a turning point?
Sustainable habits are so ingrained in me that they will bleed over into my creative practice. I'm not a perfect vegan, I sometimes forget the environmental impact of tech. I work with a lot of cameras, and laptops that use power and I don't think I'm as conscious of that side of vegan and sustainable practice. It’s always a subconscious consideration; it's part of my psyche having been vegan for 10 years.
How does your commitment to veganism influence your photography?
Sustainable habits are so ingrained in me that they will bleed over into my creative practice. I'm not a perfect vegan, I sometimes forget the environmental impact of tech. I work with a lot of cameras, and laptops that use power and I don't think I'm as conscious of that side of vegan and sustainable practice. It’s always a subconscious consideration; it's part of my psyche having been vegan for 10 years.
At 25, emerging photographer and videographer Sophie Cherry has carved a niche capturing the energy of live events and independent music artists, working with names like Drumsheds, Boomtown, and Universal Music. But her creative roots trace back to the natural landscapes of her hometown in Cornwall, where her love for photography first began. Now, as she returns to these quieter surroundings, Cherry is shifting focus. Her latest project trades crowded venues and booming basslines for the serenity of coastal scenes, aiming to spotlight the environmental degradation happening on our shores. Through this new direction, Cherry is bringing her activism to the forefront, embedding vegan ethics and sustainability more visibly into her professional identity as she enters a new phase of her creative journey.
Drumsheds
Photographed by Sophie Cherry
Loom Girl
Photograhed by Sophie Cherry
Tellus:
Sophie
Cherry:
Tellus:
Sophie:
Tellus:
Sophie:
Tellus:
"The enviromental side is whats kept me vegan."
Tellus:
Sophie:
Do you find yourself drawn to specific aesthetics, materials, or subjects because of your ethical standpoint?
My work has always been quite event focused just because of the nature of how I got into the industry. So, it’s dark and moody but can also be quite vibrant. I feel like the subjects that I like to photograph and the ones that give me the best images are like subjects who feel outspoken, that feel like they’re an individual, that they have a voice and personality. Obviously with that idea of outspokenness comes activism which is part and parcel of my sustainable practice.
Tellus:
Sophie:
Are there any vegan brands, activists, or cultural movements that inspire you?
Sophie:
A lot of the vegan influencers that I followed when I was 16 like Mika Bryony Francis are not actually vegan anymore, which makes me really sad. I have this theory that with the pandemic people kind of forgot about environmentalism because everyone was so panicked about this moment that none of us had ever experienced in our lives. The rise of single use plastics needed for hospitals, testing etc in COVID definitely set us back a few years just as we as a society were getting onboard with sustainable practices. The post-COVID period saw us abandon those practices.
I love Festival Styled by Bekah’s content; she gives a very normal take on veganism. I think especially in the beginning of your journey [into veganism], it feels very claustrophobic, like oh my God I can't buy this. I can't touch that. So, it's nice to see influencers like Bekah being a bit messy, talking about not always being the perfect vegan. I am doing the best I can [as a vegan] but you have to forgive yourself for not being perfect all the time because there are some people who don't even give a shit.
Tellus:
Sophie:
Have you ever faced challenges or ethical dilemmas when working with non-vegan brands or clients? How do you navigate these situations?
I worked recently for a production company, we were filming for a football club, and the sponsor is apparently an Arab oil company. Ethically I don't agree with working with them but I’m not at the stage in my career where I have the luxury of making that decision. In those cases, I've really got to focus on my individual practices because my individual action isn't going to stop either that oil company sponsoring the football club or drilling oil in the first place. It is an ethical challenge; I’m at the point in my career where I've just got to focus on how I interact and how I can make people aware rather than trying to change concepts. However, I have steered myself away from certain projects where the lines are a bit more blurred.
Honestly, the biggest issue I've faced on set is asking if they could provide some vegan food. Most people are really accommodating but I am always prepared to bring my own food. I think that when you’re approaching those bigger ethical scenarios, let's say people are using a product that I don't agree with or an unsustainable practice, the best thing you can do is rather than being a disruptor to gently open up a conversation and educate.
Tellus:
What do you think makes for powerful, impactful vegan messaging in design and marketing?
Sophie:
For brands, it's about longevity. It's easy to start with a sustainable message, but how do you then grow your business, but also keep those sustainable practices at its core and not disregard them for growth?
This makes me think of Tala, a clothing company. They really started their journey as really sustainable, everything right down to the labels which have seeds in them. As they’ve grown, you see growth overtake
that message of sustainable practice. I wouldn't say now that their message or their branding screams sustainable anymore. But I remember that being so core to the brand in the beginning.
Tellus:
Have you noticed a shift in how mainstream brands incorporate veganism into their visual identity?
I want veganism to go beyond trendy. I want it to be ingrained within sustainable practice. I don't think we've had as many really vocal people out there talking about sustainable practice. With both brands and influencers online, I think the conversation has dropped off.
In the future, I want to use fashion to illustrate key issues, asking how we use fashion editorial to illustrate the impact that fashion is having on the planet. I don't want to create things for the sake of them; I want to ask, can I bring wider attention to things with a stronger message as well?
What is your vision for your creative practice as a vegan creative?
I want to involve it [veganism] more in my creative practice. I don’t make it a central part of my identity because of classic jokes like, ‘oh, don't worry if they're a vegan, they'll tell you’. I've not centred it around my identity but there's more I could do in my creative practice – I could be more vocal.
Tellus:
Tellus:
Do you think that a lot of creative vegan's struggle to kind of bring in their ethical stance into their professional life?
Yes, I think it's maybe born out of this idea of you don't want to be a nuisance. Asking people on set to provide a vegan option feels like I’m being a nuisance, having an opinion that would derail a project or change the direction feels like I'm being a nuisance. I think for people starting off in their career, it's about creating that space for themselves and being loud - holding space for strong opinions.
Tellus:
What advice would you give to other creatives who want to align their work with their values but are unsure where to start?
I'm realising that I've come down the path of separating the two [values and my work] and I think that if I was starting again, I would make them more aligned. I want to work on projects that centre my values; the only way to do that is to create them for yourself.
Flexing your creative muscles to actually bring through a proper message and identity behind photographs is much harder, it takes a lot more thought than just making something look pretty. It's harder than just taking good pictures, to articulate a vegan message really well.
Sophie:
Sophie:
Sophie: