Trust the Process: How Adonnica Took Her Detroit-Born Creativity to Los Angeles
Detroit has always been a city where creativity is born out of individuality, hustle, and the ability to make something from whatever is in front of you. Adonnica is a product of that environment. From picking up film cameras as a child to building her name through $50 photoshoots across Detroit, her relationship with photography began long before it became a career. What started as curiosity eventually developed into a creative journey that would take her from Detroit to Florida, Atlanta, and ultimately Los Angeles, all while carrying the influence of her hometown with her.
But Adonnica's story isn't simply about photography or moving from one city to another. It's about what happens when an artist continues to evolve without abandoning the identity that made their work special in the first place. After nearly 15 years of creating, Adonnica has experienced the highs, slow seasons, motherhood, changing creative landscapes, and the realities of turning art into a business. Now, with new photography projects, music, Agency Genon, and the return of Trust the Process on the horizon, she's entering another chapter—one built on the same mentality that got her here: bet on yourself, stay original, and trust the process.
August 16th. Written by Ryan Packer
MADE IN DETROIT
Detroit has never had a shortage of creatives, and Adonnica is what happens when one of them decides to see how far that creativity can go. Long before Los Angeles, professional sets, and a decade behind the camera, photography was already part of her life. She describes her family as “renaissance” and a little eccentric, with different members shaping different parts of her creativity. Her grandmother and aunt introduced her to photography, while her father’s love for house music helped shape her connection to music and culture. “I was three years old using Panasonic, like old-school film cameras,” she remembers. Photography wasn’t something she discovered—it was something she grew up with.
But more than anything, Adonnica’s foundation is personal. Growing up on the West Side around Puritan and Meyers, and spending time near Eight Mile and Chapel, shaped how she sees the world. “We’re our own type of people. We have our own culture,” she says. After living in Florida, Atlanta, and eventually Los Angeles, she noticed how distinct Detroit creatives are. For her, it’s the city’s originality and authenticity that stands out. “People from Detroit, we are true to our originality,” she says. “We rep home no matter where we go.”
FROM $50 PHOTOSHOOTS TO LOS ANGELES
After graduating from the Detroit School of Arts in 2012, Adonnica faced the question every young creative eventually meets: what now? College didn’t feel like the path, but her aunt gave her a camera, and she started doing $50 photoshoots around Detroit. She built her early brand under the name “Notes,” through Take Notes Photography. What started small became the foundation of her career. While living in Florida, one of her ocean shoots with a Detroit model went viral, showing her work could reach far beyond her city.
Los Angeles tested her in a new way. Instead of a small, familiar scene, she entered a world full of photographers and creatives competing at every level. Rather than imitate others, she doubled down on her identity. A 2021 shoot with a pole fitness model remains one of her favorites because it reflects her style and willingness to experiment. While known for portrait photography, Adonnica refuses to be boxed into one category.
ORIGINALITY IN THE AGE OF AI
After 15 years in photography, Adonnica has seen the industry change dramatically. Social media, technology, and AI have made creation more accessible—but also more repetitive. “Everybody’s kind of looking the same,” she says. While she sees AI as a tool, she worries artists are losing originality by chasing trends and algorithms. “People have kind of lost what makes them them.”
Still, she values collaboration. Working with photographers, stylists, and creatives helps expand her work and perspective. The key, she says, is knowing when collaboration is growth versus when it starts replacing your identity. Trends will change, but an artist has to know who they are when everything else shifts.
BET ON YOURSELF
Adonnica’s advice to younger creatives is simple: bet on yourself. “Your family and friends may not see your vision, and that’s okay,” she says. At some point, external validation stops being enough. She believes growth requires discomfort—posting your work, promoting yourself, and putting yourself out there even when it feels awkward.
She’s also honest about the business side of creativity. Freelance photography isn’t just freedom—it’s responsibility. “There’s a whole business side to photography because business is business,” she says. Talent gets attention, but business keeps a career alive.
THE ARTIST BEYOND THE CAMERA
While photography is her main medium, it doesn’t define her completely. Adonnica also enjoys cooking, fitness, reading, traveling, and cars. Music is another creative outlet—she’s released songs before and plans to return to it. For her, creativity isn’t limited to one lane.
Motherhood is her most important role. Moving to Los Angeles with her son changed how she works and what she prioritizes. She often works during his school hours but includes him in her creative world when she can. “Just including my son is really important,” she says. Her journey shows that growth doesn’t mean leaving parts of yourself behind—it means learning how they all coexist.
TRUST THE PROCESS
After 15 years, Adonnica is expanding into new chapters. She’s developing a visual project on tattoo culture, preparing new music, and building Agency Genon, her production company. She’s also reviving her apparel brand Trust the Process, which she first launched around 2019–2020 and plans to relaunch in 2027.
At 32, she’s focused on giving back to the spaces and people that shaped her, while continuing to build something entirely her own. Her journey—from a child with a film camera to a multi-city creative entrepreneur—isn’t just about success elsewhere. It’s about evolution, identity, and staying rooted in self no matter where life takes her. For Adonnica, trusting the process isn’t a slogan—it’s a way of life.