Our first featured #moderngirlcrush is Christina Cacouris, a freelance journalist based in NYC. She’s living the dream – interviewing MG faves such as Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr., and Daphne Guinness – and she’s only 21! But it doesn’t stop there – she’s also worked on a few projects with Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio. Although she is used to asking the questions, she answered ours on inspiration, her relationship with art, and more. Read on to see why we are #crushin’ on Christina!

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Name: Christina Maria Cacouris

City: New York City

Sign: Scorpio

Occupation: Freelance journalist

What (or who) inspired you to pursue a career in journalism?

I knew I wanted to be a writer after reading Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried when I was around 15. It’s a dark, dark piece of work, but his ability to make the reader believe something, then not believe, then believe again – to make his reader question what truth really is – just dazzled me. I wanted to do something like that, and found journalism to be an accessible entry to that world.

Ultimately, journalism is storytelling, and just like in The Things They Carried, you’re presenting a narrative, but (usually) one based on someone else’s experiences. I was more interested in other people’s lives and ideas than creating something out of my own. Maybe one day I’ll try my hand at novels, but for now I’m just endlessly fascinated by other people’s stories.

Which piece of yours are you most proud of?

I like to think that with each piece, I improve my craft, so I don’t look back and think of any piece as being better or worse than another, because it’s all part of growing as a writer. I am proudest, however, of the moments where I finally got through to someone I wanted to interview, even if it took years of being told “no.” It’s trite, but perseverance always pays off.

Backstage with Albert Hammond Jr. at his show in Bologna after his interview.

How has working with SHOWstudio shaped your relationship with art?

Fashion’s collision with art is sometimes subtle, and sometimes very obvious; just look at Yves Saint Laurent’s “Mondrian” collection from the 1960s, which blatantly referenced the painter. Fashion is a reflection of the sensibilities of the time, so to understand fashion, you have to understand history, and art history plays a large role in that. Working at SHOWstudio really highlighted that for me, so after I finished an internship there, I went back to school and declared art history as a second major alongside journalism.

Christina at the SHOWstudio offices with Daphne Guinness.

Have you found it difficult to get ahead as a woman in the journalism and/or art industry?

I think it’s more difficult to be taken seriously as a woman, generally speaking; but being underestimated can be an advantage if you play your cards right.

Current music favorites? Right now I’m really excited about emerging artists like Kali Uchis and Cigarettes After Sex, but I’ve also got The Strokes’ latest EP on repeat.

What does being a “Modern Girl” mean to you? Not being afraid to do things that challenge the archetypal view of our sex.

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Read Christina’s interviews with Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr., Daphne Guinness, and Cigarettes After Sex.

Follow Christina on Twitter and Instagram!

Interview by Kristen // Pictures provided by Christina