photographs by kim klassen

hello there once again! i am back with another lovely interview with a lovely gal. she is one well-known photographer, mostly because of the use of textures. she has an extraordinary collection of textures and she has also a lot to offer, concerning photography tips & tricks. by the title of this post, of course, you already know who is this lady… her name is kim and she is the one behind {kim klassen cafe}.

when did you start? i started about 2 years ago. i have been a working artist for about 13 years. i design for print and giftware companies. several years ago our family went through a very difficult time. it was devastating… and i lost my creative drive. i pretty much quit painting.  i allowed myself to be consumed with worry and dread.  that difficult time turned out to be a gift (i just didn’t know it at the time). one day as i sat in my studio, my nikon called to me. i headed to the trail with my puppy dog and the nikon… that was a turning point in my life.  i fell in love with photography then and there. and my creativity was reborn… an awakening. it was the most amazing experience.  i’ve never loved any art form as much as i love photography.

and what photography means for you? photography is a creative outlet… a blank canvas… an empty page of possibilities. photography saved me. photography is my deepest passion.

what do you seek with your eye? i seek simple beauty in everyday life…

as an artist you need to feel inspired and as you mentioned before, creativity may be lost sometimes. where do you seek for inspiration? nature, around our old home, amongst my treasured antiques and favourite things… i find beauty… and try to share it through my photos.

and as a photographer, what are your challenges? i would say my biggest challenge is implementing all my creative ideas. my head swims with them.  i am sure it’s that way for most artists.  we tend to just have one ‘fabulous’ vision after the other. i keep a journal and jot down my ideas as they come. if i get a good idea in the middle of the night i grab my iphone and make a note!! i know i will never get to every idea, but jotting them down helps immensely.

textures are a very characteristic aspect of your work… tell me, why all this interest in the use of textures? hmmm, i think my texture love stems from my passion for the old and worn, chippy and torn… i am drawn to the texture in things.  i always have been. and as an artist… the textures allow me to get ‘messy’… and hands on create.  once i make the texture i love seeing the magic that happens when i combine them with my photos. it’s an art of it’s own… really exciting stuff!

this interview was quite interesting, not only because we got to know a bit more about kim and the challenges she faces with her business, but also how tough moments in our lives drive us towards our passions, though we might not know at that point, just as kim says. i would love to see you on the {cafe}, where kim gathers her friends! she has also workshops and she is a contributor at {shutter sisters}. you can browse through her {shop} and learn your way through photoshop with {photoshop test kitchen} or the {workshops}. anyway, i hope you can learn from kim or at least feel inspired! have a lovely monday my sweet friends! i will be back tomorrow with more photos & news!

images: kim klassen via the cafe (click on each image for further details on the original source)