If you have never visited the site of Daniel Sroka then you are in for a treat.
My art is about re-igniting our awareness of the natural world that we live in every day. The closest relationship most of us have with nature is through our yards and parks, but what appears to be a domesticated landscape is actually an uneasy truce with a thriving and chaotic ecosystem. My abstract photographs of leaves, sticks, bark and seeds capture the wildness that lies hidden within this extremely familiar yet still mysterious world. I’m drawn to the obscure beauty I find within these fragments of nature that are overlooked and trod underfoot. In the rhythms and patterns of their decay, I discover scenes that are strange, unexpected, and yet compellingly alive.
Needles (Photo #118)
MP: How do you describe yourself as an artist?
I am a fine art photographer who explores the simplest elements of nature: leaves, seeds, bark, twigs, and flowers. I create dream-like works of art that encourage people to rediscover the beauty and mystery of the natural world.
Wave I (Photo #72)
MP: You helped guide Yahoo from a quirky curiosity into a globally recognized brand. Tell us how your graphic designs profession led to your love of photography?
Photography has always shaped how I see the world. My father is an writer who always experimented with imagery, so I grew up with a darkroom in the basement, and cameras all around. But I had to work my way through school, so that interest always stayed in the background.
An early job in college lead to my career in graphic design, and for many years, it was a fun and challenging profession. But eventually, I began to burn out. My artistic side was growing restless. I grew tired of using my creativity to help other people achieve their dreams, all while ignoring my own.
It was around this time that I rediscovered my love of photography. I picked up a camera for the first time in years, and instantly felt a connection to it. Photography gave me a purely creative outlet that design no longer did. So after a lot of thought, I quit my day job, began pursuing an art career from my photography.
Furnace I (Photo #115)
MP: What is it about a fallen leave or acorn, the petals of a beautiful bloom or a stick you may have picked up during one of your outings that draw you in?
When I go searching for subjects to photograph, I am very choosy, and usually only end up selecting a few pieces to bring back to my studio.
There is always something about the individual character of the leaf or seed that draws me to it: the way the leaf curled in on itself as it dried, or its color and texture. I see something in the leaf or twig, a personality or an image, that calls out to me. It is hard to explain in words what I see, which is why I photograph them!
Twins (Photo #109)
MP: Taken from your blog, you said “one of the joys and creative challenges of working in digital photography is a constantly evolving art form.” Can you elaborate on this?
Ansel Adams said that the film is the score, and the print is the performance. This is especially true in the digital darkroom. I am constantly learning, changing and evolving. Every year, my tools get more sophisticated and more powerful. Working with these tools, my ability to pull that vision out of the pixels is always getting better. In turn, this helps me constantly refine and mature my artistic vision.
Over the past 10 years, photography has gone through an explosion of technology. Every year or two, a new printer, or inkset, or piece of software comes out that redefines what is possible. Each time, it requires the artist to learn a new tool or technique. I love these challenges: they are a chance to learn something new, to challenge old assumptions, and explore and play.
Dragon (Photo #121)
MP: Every blog you visit has a follow me on Facebook, Twitter and sometimes more. Do you use any of these social media’s and if so how do you incorporate them into your art business?
Yes, I am on Twitter (http://twitter.com/danielsroka) and Facebook (http://danielsroka.com/fan ). At first, I was rather wary of Twitter, and what its benefit might be. But that was probably because so many social media pundits kept pitching it as a miracle marketing tool. I've been on the internet long enough to see countless "miracles" bloom and fade. But once I ignored the hype, and started playing with Twitter, I found that it can serve a very useful purpose. Being an artist is inherently a lonely life. Through Twitter, I have connected with other artists around the world. We chat, gripe, vent, congratulate, and socialize. Twitter gives us a unique way to break out of our studio, and become part of a worldwide support group.
Unravel (Photo #122)
MP: Does the economy play a role in your daily decisions you make in running your art business?
Yes. One of the hardest things to do in a bad economy is push forward. When times are tough and sales aren't coming in, it is easy to give up hope. Yet the people who will survive and succeed after this recession will be the ones who kept moving forward throughout it. So every day I try to shake off the pessimism of these days, and focus on the future.
Ascent (Photo #71)
MP: What advice would you give an emerging artist?
First, there are a lot of paths to making a living as an artist. Do you want to be in a gallery? Do you want to sell online? Do you want to license your art? Determine which path works for you, figure out what you hope to accomplish, then define a strategy for achieving it.
Remember that when you are an artist, you are actually running a small business. An artist is really a "creative entrepreneur." So get some business experience any way you can. Write a business plan. Take business classes. Get organized. This isn't "selling out" - this is what it takes to make a living as an artist.
Fuse (Photo #69)
MP: Is there anything you would like the art world to know about you that we did not cover in our interview?
I'd suggest to all artists that they keep their eyes open: you never know what direction your art will take you. Early in my art career, I stumbled upon a way of making and selling my art that has since become a great source of satisfaction for me. I use my photographs to create modern wedding ketubahs. A ketubah is a work of art that combines images and words to express the vows of the couple on their wedding day. I originally created a ketubah for my wife and I, and enjoyed the process so much, I turned it into a business, Modern Ketubah (http://www.modernketubah.com ). In the six years I have been doing this, I have made ketubahs for nearly a thousand couples. It's been such a pleasure knowing that my art is symbolizing something so important in the lives of these people.
Horizon I (Photo #70)
Dan, thanks for taking time to share your breathtaking photography with our readers. Your interview is filled with very wise words of wisdom that each of us can use in our art endevors no matter what media we work in.
To see more of Dan's work visit his website and blog, Daniel Sroka Designs. I leave you with one of my favorites.
Glass Slipper (Photo #91)
Images provided by Daniel Sroka.
