We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicola Gell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nicola thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Taking risks has come in many crazy experiences for me both large and small but the moral has been quite the same; if you don’t go for it, nothing will happen. One of my favorite risks that comes to mind: Buy the ticket to that place, then you HAVE to go and the rest will work itself out. In 2007, inspired by my brother who had sadly just passed, I booked a ticket (even though I had no money to speak of at the time) to backpack Europe for the third time. With no real plan and a crazy new idea that fell into my lap, I went Couchsurfing, a sort of international free exchange for travellers. I met so many incredible people, even became the photographer of my first host’s wedding, and the second host became my boyfriend for the next five years. I ended up moving to Switzerland for three years, traveled through more of Europe, took a trip across China, and eventually moved to Australia for a year. That was a chapter in my life I’m incredibly grateful for and it would never have happened if I hadn’t just bought that ticket and went. I made lifelong friends, got to experience culture, art, and languages that have stuck with me and inspired me still. If you ask me, experiences in life are so much more important than stuff. So my advice would still be to just get the ticket, then you have to go! Other small risks I’ve taken: Flew to Mexico City with a friend, we flipped a coin at the airport and jumped on a bus. I also road tripped across the southwest alone, camped in Zion, and ended up canyoneering for two days with the folks camping next to me. I once traveled with a friend across southern Vietnam with no plan and we ended up being invited to stay with a family we met on a bus in a very unique place in the Mekong Delta. So, take your street smarts with you and throw your expectations out the window, see what amazing things can happen… You never know, it could take you around the world!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Nicola Gell and I am a professional photographer and an artist. Creativity has always run in my veins, I was a happy child who was obsessed with drawing early on and I haven’t put it down since. About half way through university, I went on my first backpacking trip through Europe and took a decent camera I had just bought. My friends convinced me I had a good eye for capturing things and I found that I loved looking at my surroundings differently. When I got back to school, I changed my major and graduated with a degree in fine art photography. I didn’t depart from other art though, I took painting, ceramics, and art history all the way through as well. I still bounce between photography and painting constantly. It keeps things fresh and I never get bored.
For photography, I mainly work with musicians and bands. I do a lot of promo work. I love it because every band is different, they all have a unique style about them and it’s my job to make people comfortable with me so they can relax and put creativity forward rather than feeling awkward. I pride myself in this because it’s important that personalities come through in images, and my aim is to translate it artistically. I do love a good conceptual art photo shoot too, this is where I feel most challenged and able to push myself to come up with something compelling.
In painting, I do a lot of large scale works and some murals for businesses. There is something about creating huge art that makes me feel good. I think it has something to do with my disdain for an empty wall. I love big colors and lots of contrast; art that demands your attention. I paint a lot of women and love human shapes, movement, and anonymity. Animals are also a subject sometimes, creatures with a twist of geometry, because, why not? In art there are no right or wrong answers, I think this is why it grabbed me so much, that’s the most freeing outlet you can have. You’ll never please everyone, but that’s not what’s important- you create what you like, it’s an individual filter and anything goes!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I definitely went through a few years of shooting wedding photography. I got into the rhythm of a typical wedding day and I was satisfied. But that was just it, satisfied. After a very busy season, I got burned out. It didn’t challenge me to think outside the box enough. Sure every wedding is different and beautiful but it just wasn’t fulfilling the artistic desire I yearned to unleash. It was time to shift my focus. I started asking musician friends if they wanted to do promo, I even asked some friends to pose for creative artful nude shoots. I soon got a renewed sense of purpose in photography. It’s been fun and constantly shakes things up! I still enjoy doing weddings here and there but- never settle for satisfaction! If you’re not dared to branch out of your comfort zone, you’ll never get the feeling of accomplishment, or the desire for the next challenge. Currently, I’m exploring the world of videography, it’s an entirely new ball game, but I’m all in for it because it’s not easy!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
No one likes to fail. It’s diminishing, and gives a true sense of loss and humility. However, it’s only through mistakes and mishaps that you grow and come out stronger. It’s tough, but when I fail I try to remind myself that I’ll soon look back at it as a learning experience and I’ll be better for it. I’ve come up short a lot and in many different ways. I’ve made countless paintings that I hated. One I remember I just couldn’t get it right, tried to revise it several times and just ended up with such a botched mess that the only place it was displayed was by the dumpster. I wouldn’t dare put my name on the art, however, it would become someone else’s treasure and was snagged later that day. I’m still glad it doesn’t have my name on it though! I’ve had a memory card go corrupt after a wedding. First I panicked, then cried, then called anyone BUT the bride to see if there was a way to resolve the situation. Luckily, there was a calm, tech-savvy person out there who came to the rescue and remedied it. I was forever grateful, but I still have a moment of nervousness when uploading images from memory cards. I’ve submitted numerous applications for internships, and competitions and I’ve gotten a lot of no’s. But I keep trying and I’ve gotten a lot of yes’s too. I think failure is what keeps us humble, it gives us a chance to take another shot, and eventually makes us strive for the next level.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nicolagell.com
- Instagram: @nicolagell @nicolagellphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolagell
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-gell-8588279b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIPyqYM9F72dvs5YajVrWA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/nicola-gell-studios-austin?osq=nicola+gell
Image Credits
All photography, digital work, and paintings by Nicola Gell