Ryan Lips is a native New Orleanian whose family roots in the region date back to the 1750s. He graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a degree in communications. Lips grew up as an artist – working with pencil and charcoal – creating drawings of people, places, and everything in between. Photography became an integral part of his life in 2011 when he was diagnosed with Leukemia. It provided an outlet for creativity and reflection that was immensely therapeutic. It remains so to this day.