Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Audrey Berkowitz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Audrey, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I worked in the banking industry for over 25 years before I gave it up and pursued photography. Banking had disillusioned me as I wanted to help people and felt it had become centered on profit only.
In 2016, my 29 year old son died tragically of an overdose in MD. I needed something to help bring me peace and serenity.
Being a recent transplant to Wilmington, North Carolina. I had always wanted to live near the beach so was drawn to this area. Nature here gave me that peace .
While visiting , I started my photography journey and 2 close friends who are artists encouraged me. One gave me the first opportunity to have a show with her at the Italian restaurant she owned with her husband in MD. She has been a mentor throughout my journey as has my best friend who started in photography many years ago. They both encouraged me to stretch my wings and try new things,

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Before I moved to North Carolina I was a branch banker helping local customers in Maryland and raising my children.
In 2016 my oldest child, Josh, died tragically of an overdose leaving behind his sister and I to piece our lives back together and move on. My daughter met the love of her life, married and now has her first child. I moved to North Carolina to be with my love and begin again. This time I wanted to do something that helped bring serenity and peace for myself and others.
I became a certified life coach and hosted several vision board workshops. I also began to dabble in photography in order to find peace and found it helped me see the world differently. My photos also seemed to inspire calmness and joy with others and so… my photographic journey began.
I began selling my items at day markets for the 1st year or 2. Joining the Art League of Leland and Wilmington Art Association allowed me to enter competitive juried shows. I am honored to have received several ribbons but the first was early on at Senior Games hosted at Artworks and presented to me by local artist Kiran Van Sickle for “Morning at Kure”. I am probably most proud of that since it happened at the first show I entered.
My worksm has evolved as I not only continue to photograph landscapes (my beaches and happy place) but also food photography and street photography. Turning some of my photographs into abstracts or pieces that look like paintings with a little digital manipulation is also something I have been recognized for. My work can be seen and purchased at ArtExposure Gallery in Hampstead and gift items such as small prints, coasters and puzzles at Eclectic Artisans at Chandlers Wharf Downtown Wilmington.
Photography has been the gift my son left me and helped me rebuild a new life.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I feel most of my life has been a pivot. I was a part time banker that pivoted into full time banking when I divorced. After my son died I had a desire to help people and have a career I felt was meaningful. I studied to become certified as a life coach. At this time I moved to North Carolina and the concept of life coaching had not caught on down here yet. I did several vision board workshops and volunteered at Brunswick Christian Recovery Center bringing my vision boards there.
Since my life coach career did not really take off in North Carolina, I went back to work full time with the Federal Government working as a contract employee for FEMA and later US Census Department.
After several years working for government agencies, I pivoted again. More concentration was given to my photography and I also became a certified professional organizer working at Brunswick Organizing Solutions.
There is always a Plan B for me and my life has helped me to learn life is a series of adaptations.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of what I do as a creative is helping others to achieve peace and serenity or to see the world from a different view. After a few years of taking photographs , I began to see scenic landscapes as if they were in a viewfinder even when there was no camera in front of me. Photographs tell a story and I am a natural storyteller in life and art. It is the most often used description of me. Pictures also help retain memories and help us recall times we might otherwise forget.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://1-audrey-berkowitz.pixels.com
• Instagram: instagram//audreykrissphotography.
• Facebook: facebook//audreykrissphotography.com