We were lucky to catch up with Steve Wewerka recently and have shared our conversation below.

Steve, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

December 17, 2022 I was stuck down with a hemorrhagic stroke. From the blood leaking into my brain, my left side was paralyzed. As I lay in the hospital, needing assistance to move, I had to re-evaluate my self worth and my creative future. My identity as a artist was deeply intertwined with my physical self. After months of rehab I am able to walk again,

I make my living selling my interpretive landscape photography. I don’t care about equipment, The camera is simply a light-tight box to capture the electrons bouncing around. My art is an expression of my emotional experiences. I pull memories from my past to inform my story telling though emotional connections.

When everything I identify as myself was stripped away I was left with, well, just me. No masks to hide behind. No identity of the “Artist.” Only and simply me. The one thing I did know was I needed a creative outlet. Because I realized at my core I am a story teller.

I am fortunate that my fundamental approach to work and life are based in the idea of adaption and flexibility. This gave me the tools to continue my artist aspirations. I realized my artistic voice was not limited to photography. My creativity reaches into every aspect of my life. It’s not the “craft” or nuts and bolts of creating that makes me an artist, it’s my desire to share my experiences and insights. Looking at my “dramatic life change” from a healthy perspective, I’ve just been handed a gift. A new way of understanding the world. And I could use my decades of creative experience to further share my journey. I began to write. My goal: to everyday share my recovery experiences.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Through my art you should know who I am. See my heart and feel the essential secrets of my personality. Know my disposition and be introduced to my creative perspective on life. As you look into the building blocks of my soul, my art should generate a revelation of who I am, and it should speak to you on that unconscious emotional level.

Taking you somewhere and reveal something you cannot make sense of all at once. It will plant a question in your mind or transport you to another place. An image reveals its full potential when it leaves you with a story. It could be about the photo itself or about a time from your past lifting your spirits and unlocking feelings.

My photography embodies the ideals of a visual haiku. Evoking and sharing my emotional connection to natural world as I feel and witness its unfolding in front of me.

My photography is a form of storytelling, leading viewers through images in a narrative process built upon suggestions, connections, and impressions. As an artist, I create visual metaphors that shape the emotional experience, opening up a dialogue between my images and viewer.

The colorful cultures of the people and the natural beauty of Northern New Mexico inspired Steve from an early age to pursue photography as a career. After graduating with a degree in Fine Art Photography, he worked for a number of newspapers and periodicals. At the same time he launched a successful career as a freelance photographer and has since worked for many companies as well as national and international foundations covering a wide variety of issues.

His work has been published worldwide, appearing on the cover of Life Magazine, and in Newsweek, Time, Sports Illustrated and The York Times amongst others. His assignments have taken him to some of the most photogenic places in the world.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I make my living selling my photography. Annually I sell at 15 to 20 art fairs around the country. There is a countless pile of obstacles. Bad weather, the economy, travel costs, inflation, Covid….. I could go on and on……

At the core selling art is a business. I run my art life as a business. Having financial stability frees my mind to be creative.
If I am worried about bills and debts I am distracted from doing what I love. I run my business and a cash business. I never spend what I don’t have. I also tuck away a percentage of my earnings, above what I invest in retirement. for the rough times.

When the economy crashed in 2008 I deep in debt. I had two kids at home ect. I was not sleeping at night I was so worried about controlling and managing my mountain of bills. At this time the bulk of my business was commercial photography. After months of a sleepless nights and endless calls with creditors I realized I was approaching my financial problems as a victim, not as someone in control of my life.

I broke the problem down to small simple steps. Instead of looking at the whole mess as one problem. I created a plan and gave myself years to solve it. It took me years to get into trouble after all. Over the next decade I dug myself out.

Today I have a huge medical bill. But I am not worried because I know how to manage my responsibilities.

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

Honestly it is simple: I am free to follow my passion. I touch the lives of so many people. I am a seeker of answers. I don’t care about the questions. I find those when I find the answers. Living the artist life is the freedom to be me.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stevewewerka.com
• Instagram: #steve wewerka

Image Credits
Steve Wewerka