Say Hello To The ICON,

Truth, Brilliance and Creativity Personified

With over 800 photographed weddings, Dean Odysseus Yacalis has continued to captivate his world with the way he creatively preserves priceless moments in pictures. His Art is the kind that warms the heart and causes a stir and rethink towards the path of selflessness, pure love, togetherness and the peace that comes with these. Odysseus is also great at capturing breathtaking scenes of nature. He is no doubt an ICON wholaces impact around all his creative projects in the beauty of versatility.

Join us as he ushers us into his beautiful world:

Enjoy and Stay Inspired:

Please can we meet Odysseus?

* My life is an open book still being written. The pages are always open for collaboration as my heart is always open to friends and allies. My home is on the Hawaiian islands, if anyone wants to meet me beyond the virtual space!

*What does Art mean to you?

* Artists to me are those called to be the storytellers, the activators, the healers and the visionaries. Art has the power to capture, reflect, resonate and inspire beauty, transmit light and empower heroes. Art is the lens through which we can glimpse the magic of the divine and through which we can relate to the infinite web of miracles that define our existence. Art is a tool to explore the infinite well of human emotion and the boundless power of divinity.

*Can you remember the first photograph you took and what inspired it?

* The first camera I bought, back in the days of film cameras, before everyone had mobile phones with cameras, I bought to capture photos of my son, Phoenix. While I can’t recall the first photo I do remember the first shoot was him as a two year old, in the summertime on the Greek islands where my family is from. Yellow flowers, sand dunes, blue skies and him running around.

*Your photographs are inexplicably beautiful, unique and mostly have to do with reflecting the beauty of nature, plus the extra awe-inspiring captions that accompanies each of your posts. Can you share some highlights of your journey as a photographer?

* Photography for me was actually the last piece of a three dimensional artistic journey that began with acting, went into directing, then drumming and djing dance events, then writing and finally photography. I began working as a professional photographer around 2004. I started working as a hotel photographer on the Greek islands, then got into wedding photography. I have photographed over 800 weddings and feel very privileged to have shared so many intimate moments with people on one of the most special days of their lives. I have also worked considerably as a photo journalist, especially during the time of intense immigration to the Greek islands during the last Syrian war. That was an exceptionally moving and eye opening experience.

Have you ever held back your gifts at some point, perhaps through self doubt? Have you ever felt it ‘boxed’ by someone else or an experience? How did you manage times like this and how do you best face challenges?

‘Rise’ is a powerful concept and I doubt there is anything more powerful we can do for someone than to elevate them and activate their power to rise. As an actor fighting to breakthrough in Hollywood, I certainly had my share of struggles from within and outside forces. My greatest successes were undoubtedly tied to the times I took the greatest risks and was the bravest. My failures all come back to the times I was most self conscious. Hollywood can be unforgiving and it can be frustrating, especially as an actor or a writer to think that your ability to create depends upon the approval or decisions of others. As long as we believe others hold the key to our ability to rise or shine we imprison ourselves. As soon as we take back our power and express ourselves as we believe, not as we think others want us to be, we begin to rise. The other key, is to stay in the moment, breathe in the here and now and don’t have expectations of the future or carry baggage from the past.

*How was growing up like?
* I grew up in New York city, in a second generation Greek American family. My grandparents left Greece after the country was devastated from world war in search of work, and worked hard to support their families and to send money back home. My parents both worked in education and I was fortunate to grow up in a loving, safe environment. I spent most of my time focusing on athletics and music and I am grateful for the unconditional love that allowed me to explore and learn. I don’t think there is any greater gift we can bestow upon the next generation than unconditional love. It was only as I grew older that I realized how fortunate I was to have that and how rare a gift it is.

*Do you feel Creatives in developed countries are at advantage than those in developing countries?
* It’s hard for me to assess what I have not experienced, but I did spend many years in Greece, which has one foot in each world. Generally, I think the greatest art is generated through struggle and that the airwaves are filled with a lot of noise, because too many artists, writers, filmakers, musicians simply create art because they want to be artists rather than because they have powerful stories to tell. America is a civilization in decline, nearing the finish line, the culture is predominantly an artificial one built on the backs of conquered natives, imported slaves and exploited immigrants where material gain is prized above all else and greed is rewarded. I would say countries with deep cultures, countries on the ‘rise’ would be more advantageous for artists, if not from a financial point of view, definitely from an artistic point.

*Who are your ‘ICONS’ in the digital Art industry?
My icons are the countless artists who create because they feel compelled to, not because they seek fame, but because they are driven to make a difference. I have met and worked with many famous people, but the greatest people I have known are largely anonymous.

*What does success mean to you?
Success means that when I leave this life, I have somehow left the planet, better than I found it, that I have somehow had a positive impact on everyone I have encountered. That can be as simple as planting trees, or cleaning up garbage, or putting a smile on someone’s face. Through my art success is to somehow activate, elevate, open hearts and minds. It’s not about how many I have been able to reach, but the quality of the encounters. Defintely quality over quantity in all things.

*Let’s go a little poetic: If poetry is a rainbow and you have a choice of one color in that pallette, what would that be and why?
I suppose orange (although I could easily say purple), because I am more fire than anything else. My nature is to brighten and activate energy and hopefully bring warmth to those around me.

*If you could do a collab as a writer with any other artist, what Art would that be?
I have several film scripts that I believe would have powerful resonance if made, so I am always looking to collaborate with filmakers.

*Please briefly tell us something we do not know about Odysseus. I have a special passion for the power of dance. I am a proficient djembe drummer and dj and believe in the power of dance, especially collective dance to elevate the soul, free the mind and infuse joy. Ultimately, I think music transcends language in its ability to communicate deep emotion and feelings and to unify and harmonize people.

Massive Love Odysseus!

The ICONIC Team.