A biography for Petra Collinshasn’t been written yet.
“I know having a social media profile removed is a 21st century privileged problem - but it is the way a lot of us live. These profiles mimic our physical selves and a lot of the time are even more important. They are ways to connect with an audience, to start discussion, and to create change.”
“People look the best when they feel the most comfortable, so I buy 10 of the same thing if I really like it.”
“I look for subjects who have stories to tell - who are looking to tell something.”
“With social media and all the new technology, there's just more interfaces around and reminders to constantly be working on our body.”
“I really don't believe in the word 'selling out.'”
“I want to direct a feature film. Horror is my main genre.”
“Everyone has a mirror face that's so different from their natural face. And I think it's interesting, seeing the way people want to be viewed when they're putting themselves together.”
“You don't have to try to get a job and go through set steps before you start a career or start your life. That's what I want young girls to know - you can do anything you want. Just start.”
“My style motto is pretty classic: you give off a positive energy when you wear what you're most comfortable in.”
“What's cool is when people send me messages or tag me in their photos, which definitely happens more after a project comes out. The best part, I think, is that the DMs and tags are always from young girls, and reaching them is the most important thing for me.”
“I'm so pro-selfie because I think it's a tool that allows girls to create images of their own and of themselves.”
“I think a way that feminist photographers work is turning what was the object into the subject and really making it our own.”
“Just like any other girl, I felt pressure to look a certain way. Act a certain way.”
“For me, being in a car listening to music has always been my one spot to think.”
“My mind is changing all the time. I can't live in a space that has a fixed aesthetic. I just need a blank slate when I come home.”
“I was depressed at a very young age - mental illness runs in my family, especially on the female side.”
“Live what you support online; do things.”
“Art was - and is - my biggest outlet. I'd probably die if I didn't do it.”
“Because I loved dance, I always need to be physical and moving, so photography that is more tactile made more sense.”
“There's definitely a romanticism of youth, like, everywhere. Specifically with women, they kind of only exist between the age of 15 to 25.”