“Rays of Sunshine is Culture and Heritage.”
Warm scents of wild rosemary and sun drenched apricots, lemon trees in antique terra cotta , and the authenticity of the Mediterranean life as represented by Isabella in her page.
Amira Hassan: Tell our readers your artistic background.
Isabella Dinoto: My artistic background has been an ongoing journey for me since birth. My whole life revolves around creativity. Everything I do has a certain flair or feeling of inspiration behind it. From dance to photography, painting, styling, drawing, and now, for the last two years, capturing the essence of the Mediterranean lifestyle on my second Instagram page @Vitamediterraneo, I have filled my days with my greatest joy with art.
2. How did you come across your creative side?
Creativity is something that was always in me. For me, it is the most natural essence to tap into. my creativity was always known to me since my earliest memories. I think my creativity has been around longer than I have. Most of my most profound and special artistic moments have actually been inspired by my past lives. When I was a little girl, I often had flashbacks or visions from my past lives. My own spirit is imprinted in my deepest passions, and artistic inspirations. Most of my art stems from a very deep, spiritual, longing and nostalgia.
3. Why have you chosen this aesthetic theme for your instagram page?
I chose the theme of the Mediterranean lifestyle as my aesthetic for my page, because I am very passionate about my heritage and over the past decade, I have unintentionally collected hundreds, if not, thousands of pictures and videos that speak to me and represent my soul’s experience of the Mediterranean lifestyle. I grew up Italian and Greek, but always had an immense passion and curiosity for all of the Mediterranean cultures. A few years ago, I started making very artistic collages of pictures, and a friend had suggested that I share my talent and vision with the public so I did. And that was when ‘Vita Mediterraneo’ was born.
4. What is the message you want to spread in the creative world?
A message I’d like to spread to the creative world would be to always be authentic. Stick to your originality. Lots of artists today have become copycats and trend followers. You want to stand out with your own unique imprint. Forget about shock value, fitting in , or being perfect. Those things do not coincide with being a truly authentic artist, let alone an icon.
5. Can you share your creative process in making your posts, captions, and photo catalog?
What prompts me to choose what I post from week to week changes. You never know where and how you’ll get a spark of inspiration. That being said, I like to keep a nice balance between what I love and what my audience appreciates. I use an app called “UNUM” which is my go-to for pre-planning and organizing the aesthetic theme of my upcoming posts.
6. Your captions are always inspirational, full of cultural knowledge, and quotes from great poets and movies. How do you research your rays of sunshine?
I usually don’t put captions underneath my posts because they tend to speak for themselves. I also regard my posts as art, and like to keep them open to interpretation for each viewer. I do, however, from time to time love to post a meaningful and thought-provoking caption, if I think of one or find one that speaks to me.
7. Where do you get your inspiration?/ When do you feel most inspired?
Most of my inspiration for what I post on VitaMediterraneo comes from myself and my life experiences and growing up very Mediterranean. One of my greatest inspirations for my page comes from my first trip to Sicily. I was only four years old, and until this very day, I remember it like it was yesterday. I went with my immediate family to visit my relatives who live right outside of Palermo. The whole experience felt like a gorgeous dream; something I’ve been trying to re-create in terms of a feeling, an experience, fashion, and art, ever since. Aside from that, the ad campaigns of Dolce & Gabbana have changed my life ever since I ‘discovered’ them flipping through Vogue magazine at age 13. Lastly, I’d like to honor the genius creation that is the film Cinema Paradiso circa 1988. A film I could watch over and over again and never get sick of, Cinema Paradiso is what I consider a piece of my soul and the best foreign film ever created.
8. Share a quote from your favorite Artist/Photographer/Filmmaker that resonates with you.
A favorite movie line of mine is “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.” -Lorenzo Anello, (A Bronx Tale) because it’s extremely true. That and “You look like a Puerto Rican whore, you make me sick.” -Phil Leotardo, (The Sopranos).
9. What value would you like to add/amplify in this world through the rays of sunshine on your page?
Something I would like to add/amplify is two things. The first is an appreciation and celebration of the Mediterranean culture and lifestyle. I think it’s important to keep culture and traditions alive and ongoing as times/societies become more and more modernized and indistinct. The second would be to continue inspiring others to always stay true to themselves, especially in their art. Originality and true passion always trump following the crowd and toning yourself down.
10. What social media creator would you like to meet or collaborate with in the future? and how does their content inspire you?
I currently have a slight obsession with @Don.Amerigo because he is so original and portrays such a beautiful vision of the Italian culture. I deeply appreciate other creators who are as passionate about their cultures I am. He’s one who embrace his own individuality and creative talents to the absolute fullest, which has inspired me in numerous ways. I can’t get enough of his content. It’s so beautiful. He’s someone I could see going very far with his talents. Two other Mediterranean creators on Instagram that are my favorites as well are @red_shiraz & @scorpioangel.666
11. What would you love to achieve in your dream plans?
Something I’m currently pondering for my dream plans would be to have my own business of some sort within the world of art and Fashion. I often struggle with choosing just one single direction to take artistically, because there are so many forms of art I just adore, and having many creative talents, I sometimes feel like I want to do it all!
12. Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your rays of sunshine on your page which couldn’t in any other field of work?
Something which I feel is very unique and special about running my VitaMediterraneo page is getting to have one on one heartfelt conversations with others from around the world, discussing the Mediterranean lifestyle. I love sharing, family backgrounds, movies, music, and comparing & contrasting artistic visions and traditions with my followers. It creates such a meaningful and insightful flow of inspiration both ways. I am just so grateful to have a platform where I can share my lifetime of immense love and passion for my heritage with others who feel the same and appreciate my artistic vision.
13. Share with us the most beautiful testimonial you’ve got from your audience that touched your heart deeply and added valuable insight?
The most beautiful/memorable testimonials come from two of my favorite followers: The first is from @ChristiePeruso, model & speaker on Italian radio and TV, whom I often post on my page. Christie had made an Instagram story in 2022 saying, “Some people, dream to see their photo in Times Square. For me, to see myself on an Instagram account next to Penelope Cruz, Ornella Muti, Monica Bellucci,Drea de Matteo, Sofia Coppola, and Sophia Loren gives me that feeling every time. @Vitamediterraneo I love you.”
The other very touching and heartfelt testimonial comes from @EvanAlbertii “Your page has shaped me so much in learning my self worth, and really shed a light for me during hard times. Honestly, it’s been so inspirational in learning who I am. I wanted to thank you for that. I found that the beauty and grace of the people and landscapes of the pictures you post help me greatly in understanding myself, and helping me embody who I want to be. The women and men on your page are so unapologetically powerful and this is something that helped me start to see that in myself. A lot of the content that you post helped me own my own beauty and understand and embody more of my Italian culture.” I was astounded. I love hearing genuine feedback. You never know how deeply you can touch a part of someone’s soul.
Also here are some photographs to go along with the interview:
Follow her on Social Media
Isabella Di Noto – vitamediterraneo
Rays of Sunshine – June 2023
Editor Amira Hassan introduce a new interview series on the uncoiled magazine website about a collection of instagram pages that have added an immense cultural value to our daily lives, they have added rays of sunshine in our intellectual mind with daily posts about inspiring poets, artists, photographers and writers. They enriched our world with quotes from heartfelt classic movies, from Breathless in French new wave films, to Studio Ghibli beautiful and colorful movies. We would like to give the spotlight to these personalities whose work is most valuable in the social media world, and their creative endeavors deserve recognition and appraisal.
