We were lucky to catch up with Elena De Luca recently and have shared our conversation below.
Elena , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Finding my purpose came about after a lot of introspection, reflection, life choices, circumstances and motivation.
I really took the time to get to know myself living abroad and out of the comfort zone of where I grew up and I used that time to reflect on what really interests me and what my qualities are both personally and professionally and what I have to offer the world in terms of my creativity and skills. It wasn’t an easy road, I fell in and out of self doubt and motivation – I couldn’t quite figure out how I fit into the world of photography and image making and how to make all those parts fit into one viable career living in a rural town.
After finishing my degree, I wasn’t what you would consider a typical commercial photographer like my colleagues at University, I was into film grain, alternative darkroom practices and photography as an art form more so than perfecting the “commercial look” we were being taught to aspire to achieve at the time. I couldn’t quite recognise my own personal style and I lacked the confidence within myself to really know what my purpose was. I chose to do a commercial photography degree on a whim because I knew it would teach me the technical side of photography and lighting, working with models etc, but I ended up finishing it feeling a little lost and without a clear idea of how to make a career out of what I loved to do.
After moving to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, I took a break from photography, the truth is, the tropics destroyed my camera gear and computer so I was pretty much forced to get back into painting and drawing to fulfil my creative itch, but I never really felt that passionate about it – something was always missing. As a kid, I loved drawing and painting and was encouraged to do so from an early age by my artistic father and my very proud mother. I dreamt of moving to the country side, living in an old cottage in a quiet town with lots of time to make art and live a slow paced lifestyle. Fast forward to my mid 20s and there I was in Puerto Viejo, pretty much living out that childhood dream but with the weight and reality of having to support myself financially in a foreign country and in a rural town without a lot of job opportunities proved to be quite difficult to focus entirely on my creative life.
In the 12 years I have been living in Puerto Viejo, there have been a lot of changes and development in the area and with that came the realisation that I could actually work in my field and that businesses in this town actually needed creatives to work with. It took me about 6 years to gradually come to the realisation that I wanted to work as a photographer and designer and to figure out a business plan.
Now in my mid 30s, I have learnt many life lessons, I suffered a tragic loss with the sudden death of a very close friend who was also a passionate creative and force in my life who encouraged me to do what I am doing now – and I really want to use my time wisely. I want to do what I love to do, what I am naturally good at, and work harder at the parts that don’t come so naturally to me.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am Elena De Luca, an Australian photographer based in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. From as far back as I can remember I have loved to create visual imagery. Formally trained as a commercial photographer I am also passionate about creative art direction, graphic design and sometimes (when I am in the mood for it) I like to paint.
My journey as a creative hasn’t been linear. I took a break from photography for a few years after completing my degree and moving to Puerto Viejo mainly because I lost all my camera gear and computer to the tropics. A few years, a new camera and a new computer later, my break was interrupted after meeting my dear, late friend, Frankie. Within one hour of knowing me, she had recruited me to exhibit a few of my drawings in a pop up art exhibition that she was organising at a local bar in town.
From that moment on, Frankie encouraged me to express my creativity, to take photographs, to design and make things “look beautiful” or “look pretty” in her own words. She saw something in me that I failed to see in myself at that time in my life and pretty much forced me to see and accept it and to do something about it – she was very persistent and persuasive. A little while later she convinced me to take her portrait, I was reluctant because I hadn’t picked up a camera in a while. At the time I didn’t realise the profound importance that portrait session would have only a few years later. Firstly, it reacquainted me with my camera and secondly because I cherish those memories of her with that sunshine smile even more now that she’s gone. Photographs and our memories of our loved ones are really all that remain of them when they’re gone.
After that portrait, one thing led to the next and by the end of 2020 I opened up a small studio in the heart of town; the very first photography and creative studio in Puerto Viejo. As a tribute and legacy to my darling friend Frankie, who helped realign me with my purpose and be true to myself, I miss her dearly but I continue to do my best to make everything look beautiful and so she lives on in all of the creative things I do.
I currently offer portrait packages for couples, families and individuals. I take pride in connecting with my subjects and putting them at ease during their photo shoot. I enjoy creating mood boards with photographic examples of poses to try during the portrait shoot which I create based on my clients preferences, initial ideas and my creative direction. I love photographing people because a photograph freezes a moment in time, it captures emotion, love and connection and becomes for our loved ones a portal to the past – looking at photographs of our loved ones become what I like to call memory triggers. They become a way to lock in a specific moment in time to our memories, when we see them we are transported back to that location, that person that moment in time which would otherwise be long forgotten – buried in a sea of time, lost and forgotten.
I also offer creative art direction, photography and graphic design services for small business owners. I am driven by creativity with a keen eye for detail, continually searching for new ways to explore and experiment with different techniques and styles. My graphic design and photography is tinged with a love and appreciation of art and fashion.
Part of my creative process is to really connect and inspire through beauty, visual storytelling and emotion. By building meaningful connections with my clients I like to understand their story and weave it into every piece of visual art I create for them. I do that by asking them specific questions, getting them to provide a few visual references and finally I do some more visual research and put together a concept and create a mood board which provides a guidance reference for the project and collaboration.
I am currently really excited about a collaboration I am working on with a fellow Australian artist and graphic designer Pepa Ivanoff, who also lives in Costa Rica, and a local team of Surfers from Puerto Viejo from Salty Afro Surf. We have teamed up to create a body of work in celebration of beautiful Puerto Viejo, its people and rich culture. We will be exhibiting in the area in late March and plan to have prints and reproductions available for purchase online later in the year.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Be inquisitive, persistent and consistent.
Create a routine and workflow which feels right to you and your style of work and be consistent with it every time you work on future projects. It’s okay to turn down jobs and clients that don’t feel like the right fit for you – it will save you from misunderstandings in the long run. Take the time to reflect on yourself and your individual approach to creativity. Take the time to do things on a daily basis that inspire and motivate you.
Work towards building and sustaining relationships with other creatives and artists in your field and beyond and be open to collaborating with others on creative projects. Never stop learning, if you don’t know something, research it, if you want to learn more about something research it and practice it. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, you have to start somewhere, you may as well start now.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I would have to say my dad has been the most helpful in providing me guidance and encouragement over the years with his sayings, phrases and advice.
Every day he dropped my sister and I off to primary school he would say the same phrase as we were getting out of the car, “Ask the right questions…” to which we were forced to reply “Get the right answers”. As a kid it was one of those annoying things dad did every morning and we would roll our eyes. As an adult, looking back I understand the message he was trying to teach us.
If I think back to the time in my life when I was going through a creative hiatus, he kept telling me to make every day count. It annoyed me a bit at the time, but as usual he was right. He never pressured me on my creative journey, he just gave me the space to be me and do things in my own time. In the end it’s the daily habits and daily practices which make up the sum of our lives. By making every day count, you chip away and work towards your goals for the future without even really realising it
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elena-deluca.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenadelucastudio/
Image Credits
Elena De Luca
