Anna Alexia Basile is not yet 30, but she has achieved professional success as a San Francisco-based photographer, art director and stylist beyond her years, constantly traveling for fashion and commercial projects to locales from Marfa to Morocco. If you're in the Bay Area, you've likely seen her photos on billboards all over SF, including a BART station takeover last year.

Listen to our conversation to hear how her unique upbringing, suffering a painful loss at the tender age of 16, and her go-with-the-flow attitude have sent Basile's trajectory in ever-changing, ever-more-exciting directions.

Further reading and relevant links:

Check out the installation Basile created for Pia, The Store.

She mentions Jessica Lanyadoo as an inspiration, read more if you're unfamiliar (as I was!).

Nkechi Njaka is Basile's best friend and partner in art and meditation projects.

Katie Hintz Zambrano is the former Refinery 29 editor who long ago told Basile she'd make a great photographer.

Painted Bird is her favorite SF vintage store that's sadly closed, but you can still shop its Instagram.

P.S. Thank you to Miles Carter and Emma Burlingame for editing!