We were lucky to catch up with Gabriela Iancu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriela, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Everything started in art school. I pursued my MFA in Photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. I have always been interested in and inspired by nature. My work is about the interconnectedness we share on Earth, with my still-life photography depicting nature and domestic space. But part of everyday life is also the cosmic space.

For my thesis project, Life from Light, I started exploring the structural patterns inherent in plant life and the connection between mankind and nature. This gave me the opportunity to explore photographic ideas about our ancestral perception of the world. Two years later, I created a digital installation, Experiences from the Outside World, which redefined the boundaries of photographic presentation. In this body of work, I explored how we see, hear, and remember images from the natural world. I embedded motion in my still lives, creating a hybrid of still and moving images that reveal perpetual motion.

The concept of archetypes and our early beginnings on Earth expanded my explorations toward outer space. In 2019, I created a short film documenting our first Moon landing with Apollo 11 for NASA CineSpace. Working with archival imagery from NASA helped me explore historical moments through a modern lens.

My artistic outlook has been informed by how we connect to nature. I like the idea of making images that offer an expanded lens of our life here on Earth. We often forget that we are living on a planet and how tied we are to nature. So this year, I started thinking about the history of our planet and situating my work against the backdrop of our planetary home. I created Proto-Earth, an abstract series of photographs that tells the story of the early beginnings of Earth’s formation, providing a glimpse into the evolutionary process and geologic timescale that has shaped our planet.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m proud to hold a Master’s degree in Business Informatics from Romania and a degree in Digital Communication from France. I started my career at IBM, where I worked for several years, before discovering my love for photography. As a child, I always had a passion for art and spent hours drawing and painting. While I enjoyed the technical aspects of my work, I found myself drawn more towards creative activities. So I taught myself photography, starting with capturing images of the food I loved cooking. That eventually led to me shooting for magazines and even creating my own popular magazine during the rise of blogs and editorial content.

After building a solid portfolio over two years, I applied to SCAD and was thrilled to receive a full scholarship to pursue my MFA in Photography at their Atlanta campus. During my time there, I focused on mastering creative apps to expand my skill set and produce content across photography, motion, and design. My top priorities were to gain more experience in motion and design so I could naturally evolve into a multidisciplinary practice. I believe that our passions, interests, and values show up in the work we do. So, I allowed myself to explore, experiment, and nurture my passions, which helped me quickly build a multidisciplinary portfolio with projects at the intersection of photography, motion, and design.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with several brands, both big and small, such as Forbes, Atlanta magazine, WebMD magazine, Smirnoff, SCAD, NASA, and Adobe, to name a few. My work involved creating cinemagraphs, and short films, shooting food and products, experimenting with AR, and collaborating with Adobe Live and CoCreate at MAX. Since then, I’ve been able to work full-time at Adobe, where I’m currently a senior visual content designer focusing on producing photography and video content for Photoshop. I’m so grateful for this opportunity, as I love what I do and enjoy creating content that inspires others.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I absolutely love being an artist! Art lets me share my values and sense of purpose with others in such a beautiful way. Art is like a magical language that breaks down barriers and connects us all through our shared human experience. Whenever I engage with my artistic practice, it’s like going on a personal adventure where I can learn and push myself beyond my limits. It’s amazing how much we can grow and change when we open ourselves up to new ideas and perspectives, just like Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” This is why being creative is so important to me – it allows me to use my imagination and skills to create a better future and see the world from diverse perspectives. Through my art, I aim to connect with people, stories, and ideas that I can carry with me and share with others.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As a creative artist, I’m super passionate about using photography to create meaningful connections, inspire change, and bring people together. I believe that by sharing authentic and emotionally driven works, we can influence our communities and positively impact the world around us.

One of my recent projects, Cosmic Connections, is all about capturing the beauty of our planet from a unique perspective. I use my phone camera to snap aerial views while flying, and then I get creative with editing techniques to create unexpected and awe-inspiring images. My hope is that these images will expand our horizons and help us better understand our place in the Universe.

I believe that protecting our planet is one of the most important things we can do, which is why I’ve been collaborating with Adobe Live to create a mini-campaign of four images that highlight crucial climate issues. Through the use of GenAI tools, I’m able to create impactful works that bring attention to issues like global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, and plastic waste.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gabrielaiancu.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielaiancu/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielaiancu/
• Other: My print shop: https://gabrielaiancu.com/shop/