We recently connected with Mutlu Ozturk and have shared our conversation below.

Mutlu, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I chose “taking a risk”. I think everything that happens in life directly relates to risk. Taking a risk is the starting point of many positive things, even though the meaning may evoke negative images at first. Every decision we make comes with certain consequences attached, but depending on the perceived size of the risk we often ignore it.

The biggest risk I took was moving from Istanbul, the city where I was born and raised, to New York. Starting a new life here has been quite challenging but I have never lost my motivation.

Mutlu, 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?

Hello, I am Mutlu. I am a portrait and street photographer. My interest in visual arts started at a young age. We used to shoot funny videos with our parents’ VHS camera. Photography became my profession about 12 years ago. I witnessed the fascinating creation process of a photograph over and over again during the time I spent in the dark room. That was my inevitable beginning.

In 2018, I graduated from the photography department of Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts. It was in my 20s that photography became my profession.

I think that when a hobby turns into a profession, the feelings it generates change, especially when it is an independent field like art.

Although the idea of combining art and business sounds good, it can sometimes be disappointing to experience that the dynamics are different after entering the field. Especially nowadays, most content is produced with the algorithms of social media platforms like Instagram in mind, and their lifespan is quite short.

While you are the only creative brain in your personal work, having multiple minds contribute to a work in the professional field—and to manage them—is very difficult. The solution to all this depends on how much people listen and tolerate each other in business.

What I am most proud of is that I haven’t lost the childish enthusiasm and passion I had when I first started my journey of photography. I realized that taking photos on the street helps me relax at the end of every stressful day. It’s still a form of therapy for me.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I think that NFTs should definitely be kept an eye on in order to determine the place of art in the world of technology. NFTs entered our lives as a change to which people and even artists approached with caution, just as it is with everything new. The same skeptical approach was observed between Painting and Photography when photography was first invented. The painters of the period always kept their distance from photography. It was not easy for photography to be seen as art. At first, NFTs may be seen as simple, superficial portraits. But changing this perception is in the hands of those who produce art. I think this whole thing is a bit similar to the fact that everyone can take photos. We all have a camera on our phones and we encounter thousands of images on social media every day. So can we say that photography has lost its meaning? I don’t think so. Quality content is everywhere. Sometimes it is in an NFT, sometimes in a museum, sometimes on social media.

Today, thanks to the technological advancements, changes are happening much faster. I think those who can keep up with these changes will continue to exist as contemporary artists, and those who reject the change will not exist in the new world. Of course, I am not saying that those who keep up will be good artists.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think letting others see a piece of your imagination and making the audience dream is the most satisfying part. The work you present becomes a source of inspiration for everyone and makes them look at it from a different perspective.

It’s like cooking—you prepare a meal from many different products with various colors and flavors and present it to those who are hungry. Your reward is the feelings of those who eat the food, the expressions on their faces, given that they’re positive.

Contact Info:

• Website: iamutlu.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/iamutlu