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

Gosia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I would consider my ongoing project HOLLOW the most meaningful so far. I have done different photography projects throughout the years, everything from product photography, talent portraits, events to music photography where I was taking pictures of some of the biggest acts there are at Bravalla festival and Sweden Rock Festival – two of the biggest Swedish music festivals. But none of them has been as personal as HOLLOW.

HOLLOW is about showing a dark underbelly of reality. It’s about bringing the darkness to light with a series of photographs that narrate the collisions of imaginary private lives of my heroes, hinting at the conflicts and histories that led them to this moment. Through use of color and composition I monumentalize the characters, make them beautiful, admirable, even through their pain.

What’s amazing is that the project has gotten attention, it has been chosen to be a part of APA’s Off The Clock 2022, an exhibition that was curated by Paul Martineau of Department of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum, and where I shared the spotlight with other amazing professional photographers. The winning picture was also displayed this month at APA’s event for past years winners. HOLLOW has also been a part of L.A. Photo Curator’s ‘In The City’ Global Photography Awards, and I got to be the Bronze Artist in ArtAscent magazine thanks to the project.

I am currently planning next part of HOLLOW, it is time consuming but also very thrilling. I can’t wait to tell the next story.

Gosia, 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 got into the industry by doing live music photography. I was doing live photography for music magazines, covering concerts and festivals. I have taken pictures of artists such as Marina Diamandis, Sixx:A.M, Wolfmother, Linkin Park, Bastille, Wiz Khalifa, Biffy Clyro, Editors, All Time Low, Ellie Goulding, Danger Danger, H.E.A.T, Michael Schenker, W.A.S.P, Rae Sremmurd, You Me at Six, and so many more. It was fun and exciting, but I also wanted to explore photography beyond the music world. I decided to get a degree in photography, learning light techniques and working with professors who pushed me to explore the ideas I had for my personal projects. During that time I would still go back to Sweden to cover the festivals during the summers, and I took on different projects to push myself and test what I really liked to do. That resulted in a mix of event photography for Samsung Sweden, health panels with celebrity personal trainers, portraits of actors, and product photography for different brands, but also more intimate shoots with women of various ages where I worked with the clients towards capturing their inner light and confidence and make it shine through in the photographs. All of those experiences made me confident that I was ready for the next step, creating my own projects where I shared narratives I wanted to get out in the world.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

You see, I don’t think there are any non-creatives out there. Creating is about process of making something, and I think creativity actually is at everyone’s reach. It’s not an inborn gift, it is a muscle that needs exercising. Of course some of the creative process comes easier to some than the others, but everyone can create and get better at whatever they are creating. As long as you nurture whatever passion you have, you will get better at it. If you want to see what you can create, how good it can be… well, then the most important thing you can do is to practice. Look for things that inspire you. It could be movies, books, posters, graffiti, nature – you name it! When you find something that speaks to you – act on it! Write a short story, paint, sing, dance, create a photo collage, or get into 3D art. So if anyone reads this article and thinks of themselves as non-creative, I hope they reconsider. There is freedom in expressing yourself through creation, a freedom that I think everyone should experience.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I haven’t decided how I feel about NFT’s yet. I know there are some advantages to it, such as giving the artist more control over their own work by not having to rely on an art gallery or agents. From my understanding NFT sales also provide ownership and authenticity verification by displaying the creator, owner, and artwork’s mint date and time on the blockchain. With that being said, I don’t love the digitalization of everything. I think some artwork should be displayed on a wall and not taken in through a screen. I realize that it’s a romanticized point of view, but I talk from personal standpoint – I love going to galleries and museums, it’s just something very special about that experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gosiamachaczka.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gosiama AND https://www.instagram.com/gosiamachaczka
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Gosia-Machaczka-Photography/100065135365304/?ref=py_c
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gosiamachaczka/

Image Credits
All photography credit goes to Gosia Machaczka besides the event picture of her at APA’s Off The Clock exhibition, that was taken by Chris Ram.