We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Delphine Bordas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Delphine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
Becoming an artist offers an enormous amount of freedom that can be overwhelming as it brings more responsibilities. My biggest hurdle to leave my regular well-paid job to become an artist was to accept that I could be successful or… fail. Why leave something I was good at? And jump into the unknown… The fact that you are not selling “a product” but are giving away a very personal part of you raises the stakes higher. It took me several years to find the courage to accept that success or failure were both acceptable outcomes worth the risk.
Suddenly you become not only an artist, but also a CEO of your own business, sales rep, marketing manager, financial manager… The learning curve is steep. I am a person who loves to learn new things. Being an artist, I am never bored; I either learn new techniques for my art or learn better business practices.
I will probably never be able to go back into a regular job! I love the freedom and the challenge even if this means I work more hours now than before.
Delphine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
From growing up in Europe to international corporate jobs, it took me 20 years to develop my photographic style to the point that I was ready to show my work and dedicate myself 100% to photography. I knew early on that black & white was the medium where I could express myself best, and where I could ‘create’ more than a photograph.
From many hours spent in the dark room, I moved on to digital photography trying to keep my original print-making in mind. That learning path taught me to look at color in a different way, focusing on shades, shadows and highlights. I embarked on a new series of inverted color desert botanicals where I aimed to give space to the plants’ perfect geometrical shapes.
I am not into capturing reality. My photographs are my own vision of nature’s best. They display a sense of evasion, serenity & warm spirit. I believe this is what attracts my collectors the most: it is a unique take on nature.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Sharing my art is such a personal experience. I love witnessing reactions when people see my photographs. I have fabulous conversations about photography and nature. People share their feelings. If I bring a smile to someone then it’s a win for me.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When I started to look for places where I could show my art, I really had a hard time finding an interested gallery. Even getting an appointment was a hurdle… So I decided to attend a seminar for artists on how to improve your business. Many artists shared their journey with me, their successes, and failures, and it gave me a lot of insight on what to do next. I decided to represent myself at art shows rather than looking for a “middle man”, such as galleries. It took a lot of preparation and work and it finally paid off. I now participate in 12 to 14 art shows a year. I have built a nice crowd of collectors with whom I have a direct relationship with.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.delphineBphotography.com
- Instagram: delphinebphotography
- Facebook: delphinebphotos
