We recently connected with Gina Burg and have shared our conversation below.

Gina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

That’s an emotionally loaded question but easy an easy one to answer. I worked on a series of images featuring my daughter after her Dad passed away. White feathers have become something that we look for since his passing as a sign that he is still with us in some way. It started roughly six months into the grieving process when my daughter was upset that everyone we knew had received a sign from her Dad. I told her she needed to be specific in what she wanted to see, and she chose white feathers. The following morning, as she hopped the fence to walk her unique trail to the bus stop, there was a trail of white feathers. For the series of images, I utilized white feathers as a symbol of his love, water to demonstrate the depth of our grief, and a necklace a friend made for us that holds some of her Dads ashes. The series of images were published in an art magazine where I could tell our story and helped tremendously during the grief and healing process.

Gina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I think I was hardwired to be an artist because of the environment I grew up in. My Dad is a builder, and I was fascinated by his blueprints and cardboard models that eventually turned into full-fledged homes. My Mom was a crafty sorceress with a sewing machine capable of creating anything my little heart desired. You should have seen the Snow White-style dresses she made for me when I was young!

I have taken their love of creating and turned it into my full-blown passion for art and photography. I am always looking for the funny, am obsessed with the ocean, and searching for ways to communicate love stories. Meaning that if I can combine all of those for a photo session or art project, I am thrilled. Having your photo captured is always a little awkward, so I try to bring humor into all my sessions so everyone is relaxed with genuine, natural smiles. I will also do almost anything to capture the shot and often lay belly first in the dirt or a puddle to make that happen.

I take that same passion into the mixed-media artworks I create and am always looking for a beautiful location for inspiration to combine nature and fantasy whether it be underwater or on my daily walks, I’m always searching for the beauty that surrounds us everywhere.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society can help support us by sharing our artwork along with our social media info! I cannot express how vital it is to share artists’ information. It is the world we live in now, so we have all had to embrace it. No matter how successful an artist is, many like myself are very shy and need help spreading the word that will keep us in business.

There have been hundreds of times I have photographed a person, family, or wedding, and I have then seen the images shared online with ZERO information about who the artist was who captured that keepsake memory. That’s soul-crushing for any artist to see! For example, just last week, I was talking about a shoot I had done with someone of a mutual friend, where the person had seen the images but didn’t know it was me who captured them and exclaimed “That was you? I had no idea you took their photos. They’re so beautiful!” Ouch.

The last thing you can do is stop buying mass-produced artwork online! Often, people don’t realize they can find something unique to showcase in their home for the same cost they would spend online by purchasing from a gallery, or directly from an artist. Plus, if you love something but can’t afford the original, inquire about a giclée! We are always happy to create prints.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I read recently that the happiest people combine art, passion, and purpose into one beautiful thing, and that deeply resonated with me because that is how I can make time disappear. When you find your flow, time melts away. I think people who consider themselves non-creative might struggle to understand that we all can create. Before you can create, you have to find inspiration. Go outside, walk, run, swim, get your body moving, and absorb our beautiful world. Turn off the TV, stop scrolling, and listen to your thoughts. Be still. Observe the flowers reaching towards the sky, or a bird gathering for its nest. Something will always bubble up as inspiration to get you started. Before you know it, you’ll be in your flow and experience what it feels like to make time disappear. It’s wild!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sunandsaltyair.com
• Instagram: @sunandsaltyairphotos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginaburgphotos
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginaburgphotos/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sunandsaltyair
• Youtube: @sunandsaltyair-photography2946
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sun-and-salty-air-photography-by-gina-burg-boynton-beach

Image Credits
All Images were taken by myself, plus the cover of Gothesque Jr. Magazine I mentioned in the interview as my most meaningful project.