We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Audrey Kriss Berkowitz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Audrey Kriss below.
Hi Audrey Kriss, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
In 2016 my first born child Joshua died of an overdose in MD. In my grief, I was floundering for a way to move forward and find a way to make a difference.
I had been a career banker and grown disillusioned with the industry. I wanted to help people or give them something that brought them peace and serenity. My 1st step was to become a certified life coach and for a few years I worked with a local recovery organization using my creative skills and life coaching knowledge .
Photography started as a personal tool to bring myself peace and serenity by enjoying and photographing the beautiful
North Carolina beaches that surround us. My photos seemed to touch people as did my story. I am only the photographer and hoping to bring nature’s beauty and magic into peoples lives.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a fine art photographer that started this journey in 2016/2017. I started with small markets but have advanced to gallery shows.
I currently show my work at ArtExposure in Hampstead and Eclectric Artisans Downtown.
Wilmington is lucky enough to have a wonderful supportive art community with several art leagues of which I am a member.
The Brunswick Art Council has a show at Franklin Art Gallery I will be participating in this month. I was just accepted to the “Pink” Show at GalleryCitrine to support Breast Cancer and am honored to be in.
Franklin Gallery has another show- a Martitime Show coming in which I will participate- in addition to several events at ArtExposure. It will be a very, very busy fall.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I believe that having a strong purpose behind what I am doing has helped me move forward when I often felt like an imposter. Having extremely supportive mentors really helped.
Being always willing to learn and take classes when I could, has helped. I am a relative newbie in photography with very little training.
I would say the last thing is challenging myself in new areas of photography which are outside my usual genre was encouraged by my mentors. Photographing people made me uncomfortable but by making myself practice street phorography it has helped.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I previously said my mentors have challenged me. I started as a beach and landscape photographer.
My mentor in MD who has been a working, teaching artist her entire career gave me an opportunity for my 1st show. She challenged me to do a show about food and wine as it would be held at her Italian restaurant and would be a joint show.
When I responded that I don’t do food-her response was “but you can!” Our 1st show “Two Gals and a Few Chickens” was born in Olney, MD.
Taking the attitude of expanding on my strengths but trying new things has helped me and my art develop.
My other mentor, fellow photographer and friend of 50 years has challenged me to do street photography and to find beauty in the ugly.
The photography field has a exploded in Wilmington so I have dabbled with artfully developed digital photographs that resemble paintings and set me apart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://1-audrey-berkowitz.pixels.com
- Instagram: Instagram@audreykrissphotography
- Facebook: Fb@ audreykrissphotography.com
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