art encourages us to believe in our ability to bring transformation in our lives and evolve from being a mere creator to becoming a catalyst for positive change through their artistic work.
Berlin is a great place for artists. That’s what many people believe, and that’s why many people come to Berlin. I was lucky to find inspiration and opportunities for my photography here. There are so many great galleries, exhibitions and other artist that makes Berlin the place to be for photographers with artistic aspirations like me. Although Berlin is changing, these artist communities, where you can meet other creatives and exchange ideas and opinions, still exist.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Jim Rohn
That is why it is important to surround ourselves with people who inspire us and push us to pursue our aspirations. But is that all that it takes to be an artist? As artists, we have the desire to create, to produce something that from our very soul. And as we expose our work and expose our soul through our work, we hope that it resonates with our audience.
Once a fellow artist said to me:
Your main goal as an artist is to sell your art.
The more I think about the more I see that she is right. As much as we love to create art for the sake of creating. It is equally important to finding the means that allows us to maintain our artistic lifestyle. And I struggle with that like many artists. I don’t create with the intention to make money with my work. It feels deeply wrong. It challenges our believes about money, we must get comfortable with the idea of making profit, although we despite capitalism.
It takes a different personality to sell our work than to create our work. As a substitute for that we tent to talk about our projects, dreaming about living the artistic life.
Where do I stand
I love taking pictures. I love experimenting with different techniques and styles and hone my craft. I love capturing the beauty and the odd and quirky moments of life. I love telling stories with my images. And I see that I made progress in this: If I look at the images of my last shootings, there are at least 10 to 15 images – if I put them in the right order, they form a narrative.
Do I call myself an artist now? Today the answer is: No. Not because I lack the passion for creating, but because I believe there’s a deeper layer to artistry that I’m still exploring. It’s about making a meaningful impact through my work. I enjoy the act of creation, because it holds immense value for my life. It’s an experience that speaks beyond the rational, a journey that connects us to something greater, both within ourselves and in the world around us.
I believe that everybody should be able to do meaningful work. But we are all stuck in our limiting believes. We stand in our own way of fulfilling our destiny. As artist we dare to take a different perspective, we try things that may not work, we share our vision of how things should be, imagine a different future, and what we wish to exist in this world.
Why is art so valuable? Because it makes us believe that we can change that we can change ourselves, that we can change the way we live, that we can change our relationships and our environment. And maybe just maybe -from that belief we may take the next step is that we actually do something about it.
So here is what I am working on: Evolving from a creator to a catalyst for change.