An interview with Irene Suchocki

Today I have an artist interview for you with the fabulous Irene Suchocki. I’ve admired Irene’s work for a while now after first discovering her shop on Etsy and have written a post on her work before. I’m delighted that she’s taken the time to participate in this interview. Enjoy and be inspired!

How did you start out in photography?

 I bought my first 35mm film camera about 15 years ago. I primarily bought it so that I could take decent photographs on a three month trip to Europe that I was taking. At that time, I only took photographs when traveling, and not on a regular basis as I have been doing for the past 5 or 6 years.

What are your inspirations?

I am inspired by nature and light. That beautiful glowy light of the golden hour can make me positively weak in the knees. I am also inspired a great deal by other art forms: film, music, literature. A lyric in a song or a line in a novel can conjure up an image in my head that I then want to recreate. I have pages and pages filled with such ideas. If only I had enough time to follow up on all of them.

Do you have a favourite piece in your Etsy collection?

I would have to say it would be my photograph “Paris is a feeling”. I really wanted to capture what this special city means to me and the unique way it makes me feel when I’m there. 

 What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

“Follow your bliss”. It’s not advice that was personally given to me, but it is my favorite quote (Joseph Campbell). Whenever I’m in doubt about what to do next, I remember this phrase to help me navigate.

How do you stay focussed if you are feeling overwhelmed/laden with work?

I find that music helps. I’m not sure why, but it does. Perhaps it provides a bit of that driving energy that I need to keep me going. When really overwhelmed, I try to limit how often I check email and I close my web browser. It’s tough to do, but that kind of “it can wait” attitude while working on something pressing is essential.

What do you hope to achieve in the future?

I hope to self-publish a book at some point. I just need to decide on a theme! I would also like to do some collaborative projects that might require work with models, stylists, props and such. I would like to experiment with photographs that require more in the way of planning and staging.

You can visit Irene’s blog, Etsy shop and website here! I highly recommend a visit – Irene’s blog is one of my key sources of inspiration.

Images: Irene Suchocki