Meet Gena Tuso, a stylist balancing her time between drumming in the band Woundz and documenting the sartorial styles of international subcultures

What does your morning routine look like?

I usually put on a record, drink two glasses of lemon water, make toast with almond butter/blueberries/honey while reading the news and answering emails. If I'm not on set, I'll go to the gym in the morning.

Where do you look to for inspiration?

A lot of my inspiration has always come from underground scenes and various music genres. What people listen to and how that applies to their aesthetic, views, etc is really interesting to me.

What work are you most proud of?

Most recently I photographed a bunch of people in the UK that represent the current goth and post punk scene there. I originally started my zine because I was so inspired by a lot of what I was seeing style wise when I played out or saw bands. In the last year or so I have really enjoyed the photography aspect of this project and am really excited for my next issue to come out.

“It’s important to me that what I do represents myself in the most authentic way possible no matter what it is.”

What has been the biggest challenge on your journey?

Freelancing in general can be tough and competitive so I would say the consistency of work in the beginning and really finding my stride took a minute. I've been styling for 14 yrs now and am really grateful for the amount of work I do and the awesome people I get to work with. I'm in the process of exploring another chapter in my life which is the photo thing. I'm older now, more aligned with what I want so the challenge currently is just making sure I make time to do it. It's important to me that what I do represents myself in the most authentic way possible no matter what it is and balance is key.

Who is someone that has helped you get to where you are now?

I would say both of my parents. My mom has always been so positive and supportive to my lifestyle even when she didn't fully understand the stuff I was into. She once dressed up like me for Halloween when I was in high school! My dad was an artist that fought Parkinson's for 20 years. His fight to live and create despite his disability was really inspiring to me.

How do you define success?

I would say feeling confident in my decisions creatively and really owning what I do. There aren't as many insecurities and now there is a true lack of anxiety overall in my life. I use to think money defined success and it does take away the burdens I once had when I was first starting out. I guess it's a part of success career wise along with popularity which can be falsely driven with social media. I dont feel a parallel to those in my life with the success I've had.