We recently connected with Supriya Samal and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Supriya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I started my journey into photography while still working as an officer in the bank. It was also the time when I got diagnosed with Clinical Depression.

Hence, photography became a part of my healing process. I traveled with my partner and found a world of art outside the struggles of mind. Photography and digital art made me discover my strengths, mindset, and inner power. I also blend photography and digital art to create subtle yet meaningful abstract art.

Spreading awareness about Mental Health and how Art can be a part of the healing are core focus in my life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Meanderquest is the handle name for all the visual work done by artist Supriya Samal(me). I’m a photographer, digital artist, generative artist, and writer from India, based in Germany.

My photography journey began when I got diagnosed with Clinical Depression while working as an officer in Canara bank. To heal out of Clinical Depression, I started travelling to Himalayas with my partner. During one such trip, I decided to try my partner’s old camera. That became the stepping stone of my photography journey.

It became a part of my healing process. I found a world of art outside the struggles of my mind. Photography and digital art made me discover my strengths, mindset, and inner power. In 2018, I left my job and dived deep into Photography. I honed my skills and got the chance to work with Blacktree Watches, Estalgem Hotel in Madeira, Nokia, Keen Europe etc.

While working with clients, I always value their mission, uniqueness, quality and storytelling. As such images help create that everlasting bond with customers and this is what I’m most proud of.

In 2020, I entered into the world of NFT photography. Here, I took my longing for art one step ahead and started blending photography and digital art to create subtle yet meaningful abstract art. Amidst all this, Mental Health and making Art remains my two core focus in life.

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

I left my full-time banking job in 2018. I started diving deep into Photography. During this my partner and I were in India. Just before, I got the hook of photography and decided to get in touch with clients, we moved to Germany, as my partner Sam got a new job. A new country where no-one speaks your language and not even English, was quite tough on me. Especially, on a dependent visa, I couldn’t work as freelancer and without language I was at loss to find clients. Then in 2020, Covid came and it became a major hurdle to even think of launching my photography career.
However, I never gave up. I had faced the worst during Clinical Depression. So, I again focused in developing my photography skills. Even with language barrier, I decided to reach out to local brands. Towards the end of 2020, I got my first client and after that the work started coming my way.
I feel going through Clinical Depression had taught me to remain strong and never give up on yourself.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

I joined NFT Photography in 2021 and have sold 30 works so far. I feel NFTs will help shade a light on true value of artists and photographers that went missing in the traditional market. It’s still the beginning. Even though crypto market is a volatile one, it has not deterred artists from NFTs. Like every new technology takes time to reach its full potential, NFTs will carve a unique future for both artists and art lovers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meanderquest.com
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/meanderquest
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/supriya-samal-65898453/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/meanderquest

Image Credits
MeanderQuest(Supriya)