Meet Becca | Photographer & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Becca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Becca, what principle do you value most?
Integrity is a very large part of who I am, as both a person and artist. I personally think, in this day and age and especially in today’s instant gratification world, it’s harder than ever for a person to stay true to themselves and their beliefs. Everyone interacts with so many people on a regular basis through social media, and sometimes it’s tempting to curate yourself and your values according to the platform you’re engaging with.

If you really want to build meaningful connections, there is nothing more important than staying true to who you are. Humans are naturally social creatures; we gravitate toward others, no matter how ‘anti-social’ (*cough*, me, *cough*) we say we are. If it turns out that an artist you like doesn’t actually believe in a cause they say they do, it feels like a betrayal, and people will unfollow and brand you as an artist with a label of ‘good art but the person is problematic’.

People don’t want to see curated versions of you, they want to see the REAL you, even if it’s just glimpses. Of course, I don’t give everyone access to every part of my life, and I am a private person, but I’m generally myself on any platform you find me on.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
It’s taken me a long time to appreciate my own photographs and pieces I design, let alone compliment them. But one thing I value about my photographs, in particular, is my ability to tell a story or convey a feeling. When doing shoots, I try to make the ‘posing’ as natural as possible. Many times, I don’t pose people: all I do is talk to them, make them laugh, and if I need them to look more neutral, I’ll ask them to think about something more serious (nothing too serious, though!) I focus on smaller details like the direction and manner in which the subject’s hair is blowing and whether or not that matches up with my narrative.

Professionally speaking, my journey hasn’t been easy. At the start, I wanted to do editing and film production. After awhile of fruitless job searches, I saw a posting for a ‘Digital Expert’ needed, and went for an interview. I was hired on the spot and then ended up teaching myself design; this also facilitated my deeper plunge into photography, as part of the job was also taking photos for clients.

I think it’s important to remember that, when you feel like everything is hopeless, like you’ll never get a job in the field you want, you’re not limited to ONLY one route to your goal. The most important life lesson I got out of this is that progress isn’t always linear, and you will inevitably have setbacks. Be kind to yourself in times of struggle.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to recognize my Mom, as my entire life she’s encouraged me to go after what I actually like to do as opposed to what I ‘should’ do. Watching her work a full-time job while going to school for her bachelor’, while raising me, and then seeing that hard work pay off in the end makes me feel a lot of things, namely, proud. Through it all she was kind, and earnest, and I like to think I get that work ethic and kindness from her as well. I wouldn’t be where I am right now with her unconditional love and support, and there is no one else in the world that I am eternally grateful for.

Website: beccaruski.com

Instagram: beccaruski