We recently connected with Lin Teichman and have shared our conversation below.

Lin, 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?

I am very happy being a creative person; I am not sure who I would be without the ability to “make stuff”. Whereas some people focus on one or two artistic disciplines, I have embraced many over my career. I went to college to be trained as a graphic designer and art director. I was determined to be able to use my artistic abilities in a job to earn a living and not have to drive a taxi or wait tables to support myself and my art. While in art school, I also took classes in painting, printmaking and photography which became the basis for my art.

I never wondered what it would be like to have a regular job. I had jobs in New York City with a variety of companies: a toy manufacturer, a department store, a book publisher and medical publishing company. I also took on freelance work from anyone and everyone doing work for realtors, clothing manufacturers, retail stores and more. Working on my own artwork became secondary to paying the rent, and I wondered what it would be like to not have a full time job.

Lin, 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 hate to use the cliche of “I have always been an artist” that I read on so many bios, but for me it has always been true. My parents took me to art museums and art shows where I was exposed to many types of art and I knew I needed to “do things like that”. As a kid, I had the usual set of crayons and pan of watercolors and experimented endlessly. In school or at camps, I always gravitated to the arts and crafts classes; it just became part of who I was to make things.

When it came time to choose a career, my innate sense of design led me to work as a graphic designer. I dreamed of being a fine artist, but the practical side of me stood in the way of pursuing painting or photography as a full time job. Problem solving is part of being a good designer and I had a talent for creating visual solutions for my clients that were affordable and unique…and on time. (Graphic design is a deadline driven business). It wasn’t until I had children that I could get time to pursue fine arts.

I started off with painting watercolors. Favorite subject matters were my cats, still lifes, and surrealism. I loved playing with light and colors and used photographs that I took as reference material for my paintings. As I focused more and more on getting good reference material for my paintings, I found that I fell in love with photography, especially when cameras became digital.

The freedom to shoot many more frames of a subject using a digital camera became key in allowing me to experiment more: pixels are free and you can shoot many frames before you fill up a memory card. With film you have to be choosier because of the limit of 36 shots per roll and then the cost of processing. By using a digital camera I could play with lighting and composition more, trying out a variety of approaches which then leads to more ideas and more experimentation. I felt untethered.

In addition to photographing reference material for my paintings (which I still do), I got into sports photography when my kids got into sports. I got hooked on being able to capture the athletic moments of excitement, victory, failure, energy. This came in handy later as I got into bird and wildlife photography when being able to frame an image and capture it quickly became essential to getting a good or great shot. I learned many things about my camera while chasing the athletes on the sidelines.

Once the kids went off to college, I was able to travel more and spend more time honing my photography skills. My paint brushes have gotten a bit dusty, but I have found a great deal of enjoyment in going places and seeing marvelous things and then sharing the images with others. I have gone to Alaska in -25 degree weather and shot the Northern Lights. I have traveled to the Falkland Islands to chase penguins and have seen huge rookeries of thousands of nesting birds. I have gone to the desert and photographed brilliantly colored sunsets over the sand dunes. I’ve hiked mountains and captured unique wildlife. Photography and my sense of adventure blend together in my work.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before I had children, I had built a successful graphic design business. I started by doing freelance work while holding down a full time job, then transitioned to working for myself as I built up a stable of clients I could depend on for steady work. I was known for finishing projects on time, on budget and with unique solutions. I listened well to my clients needs and put them first, not my ego (as happens frequently with designers).

Once I started my family, the demands of the deadlines did not mesh with the demands of children. My artistic work changed during the time that they were young to pursuing fine art (painting) while they napped or in the evenings.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I take a great deal of strength and pleasure from “being out in nature” and traveling the world to learn about different places and people. I am in awe of the wonderful beauty in our world and the incredible behaviors of the animals I encounter. My camera is the tool I use to capture the moments I experience and bring them back for others to enjoy. I do landscape and nature photography to express my deep passion for the beauty of our planet. I do travel photography to bring far away places and people to others. I do sports photography to capture those once-in-a-lifetime moments that happen to and between athletes. I use my camera as a tool to freeze a moment in time to be enjoyed over and over again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.linteichman.com
• Instagram: @LinTeichman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LinTeichmanArt/