We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma Baldwin and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Emma, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by the way that I see the world. When I adventure through the world, hiking and exploring all of the nature I can get my eyes on, I see the world in frames. I don’t know how best to explain it, but I see photographs all over, just waiting to be captured. My goal, with taking the photographs and editing them, is to present them to others in the most original and beautiful state… just as I perceived them through my own eyes. Although it is not my “professional” career path, I don’t feel fulfilled unless I am taking photographs and exploring the world through the lens. However, I don’t call it a hobby either, because it’s more than that. It’s a piece of me. I’m an Occupational Therapist by trade and by training, but a photographer by heart.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think my art is unique in that it is really inspired by the world around me. Sometimes I feel like it calls me, rather than me searching for it. I am proud of the fact that I continue to pursue my path as an artist, even though it is not my trained career. I think that it’s incredibly important to do the things that make you happy, and art and photography is it. Also, I absolutely love doing commissioned work. It is so rewarding to be able to make art for others, and have them be able to use it or gift it for others enjoyment. It hasn’t been an easy journey, and it can be very time consuming, but I am so happy to have continued throughout everything else going on in my life.
One thing that I have learned, is that the first step to sharing your gift with the world, and selling it as a product, is buying in to your own product first. How can I have a successful business and sell things that I wouldn’t want to buy myself? I struggled with figuring out how to have the confidence to sell my art, when I didn’t think it was THAT good. However, the more feedback I sought and the further that I pushed myself, my confidence and my skill grew.
So – for right now I am selling my art on Society6 the website, and also selling stock photographs. I figure what good is a beautiful image or design doing on my hard drive, if no one can enjoy it? One of my favorite things is just sharing my photos as time progresses, on instagram (@emmabaldwindesigns).
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spots in and around the city are actually in Colorado Springs. The Cheyenne Mountains and many trails up and around them provide unparalleled sights. I love getting lost on them, or taking a short hike to the top, but I think my favorite thing is seeing sunrises and sunsets from the peaks. Maybe it means a early morning or a late night on the mountain, but it is entirely worth it.
Other favorite spots in Colorado Springs? Goat Patch Brewery, the trails at Garden of the Gods, and Kairos Coffee House.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I was young, multiple of my immediate and extended family members would take incredible photos, and show them to me. I learned to appreciate and differentiate between their styles, and explored their techniques and ideas as I worked to find my own. To this day, we trade tips and tricks, help each other with perfecting the photographs in the editing process, and we each have deep appreciation and awe for each others’ work. My dad, uncle, cousin, and grandpa are particularly instrumental in the creation of my own style and learning.
I started out shooting first on an American Girl Doll Polaroid camera, disposable cameras, and a tiny digital camera… until I got a hand-me-down manual camera in high school as I began taking classes. I took many photography and graphic design courses throughout my life, eventually minoring in Studio Art (focused in photography and graphic design). My mentors throughout those classes, particularly Ms. Novotny and Cindy O’Dell (https://cindyodell.com/home.html) were incredibly shaping of my photographic style and drove me to think deeper than the natural beauty that I saw in the images that I took. They helped me explore the meaning of capturing photographs and how the framing can change what is interpreted.
My artistic inspirations are William Eggleston, Ansel Adams, and Keith Haring. I also give much credit to the books “Climate Refugees” by Collectif Argos and “Nicaragua” by Susan Meiselas. Lastly, my first-year Honors Scholar seminar at DePauw University was called “Camera Lucida” (taught by Professor Marnie McInnes), and it was incredibly challenging and thought provoking, and inspired my continued pursuance of photography.
Website: https://society6.com/embaldwin?curator=embaldwin
Instagram: @emmabaldwindesigns
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/emma-baldwin-designs/
Other: My art portfolio: https://sites.google.com/view/emma-baldwin-ot/my-art Subscribe to my newsletter: https://emmabaldwindesigns.ck.page/newsletter/subscribe