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

Maja, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

By the time I finished second college, all my peers were already working and had their career set. After that, I came to the US and started my life again. I felt like I was constantly late. Sometimes I wish I could skip my medical degree and go straight to art school. But the truth is that I wasn’t ready for it at the time. I needed to find that path for myself, which took time and internal processes. As long as I follow my intuition, I am right on time for everything in my life.

Maja, 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 am a fine art photographer based in San Francisco. Originally from Serbia.

Photography has attracted me from a young age. But being a photographer then wasn’t a thing, so I became a physiotherapist. In my last year of college, while studying for a neurology exam, I saw a photography course ad in a library hall. I took an 8-month course, and that changed my life. I finished my physiotherapist college but never planned to work in that field. I went to a film school in Belgrade to major in Cinematography.

I find a way to express what is inside of me through surreal self-portraits. Before I found photography, I felt like I was constantly struggling. I knew I had something to express but couldn’t find it. Once I found my expression through surreal self-portraits, it was as if I found my language, and I started talking. And not just communicating with others through my work but also with myself. The process itself it’s intimate. I set up a 10-sec timer and camera on a tripod and go back and forth until I capture the emotion that resembles what I feel. I don’t show my face in my work, leaving space for others to connect.

Even though I do art for myself, because It helps me express my feelings, I realize that it helps others too.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is visiting my client’s home to hang my artwork. Seeing that someone understands, appreciates, and wants to live with my artwork is overwhelming. It almost brings tears to my eyes. Seeing that my art has such an impact on their space and everyday life is a humbling experience. Also, the art that they choose is an expression of my clients. All my prints I made are limited edition, printed on high-quality fine art paper or metal, and I also do custom work.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There isn’t a firm line between creatives and not creatives. Everyone has creativity inside them. If they do something they genuinely enjoy and master that skill, that’s a form of art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.majaplaninac.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maja_planinac_photography/