Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Brodsky.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. It all started in kindergarten back in my previous home, Westwood, Massachusetts. I would sketch my favorite characters from the cartoons I would watch on Saturday mornings religiously. I did this for years until I was old enough to take formal Art classes with my peers, where my teachers would help me facilitate my overactive imagination through different mediums into works of art. In middle school, I fell in love with music, learning the electric bass and guitar, devouring transcriptions of my favorite tracks and creating original music throughout high school, my move to California and through my time in college. My photography career began much more recently.
In April of 2018, I bought my first camera, a Canon T6, with the intention of flipping it for profit. Before I got a chance to list it online, I fell in love with it. I flipped the T6 to buy another camera, which I repeated many times until I had all the professional gear I use today, free of charge. In my short photography career I’ve managed to build a self-sustaining portrait photography business: Retro Balboa Photography and Design, combining my love for both photo and design. Since April, photography has become my go-to form of art and I have a feeling there’s no going back.
Please tell us about your art.
I’m primarily a photographer and designer. My niche is portrait photography as I enjoy capturing human expression more than anything. This translates into my design work, where I make posters and digital collages, focusing on different aspects of human nature. My only goal is to allow people to see all faces of humanity in an equal light. I want people to pay attention to the coin itself and not just its independent sides. My view is that life is an all-encompassing umbrella that shows no preference towards good and bad, and I find equal parts beautiful and terrifying. I find great comfort in a nondualistic view of the universe and I think that others can find comfort in it as well.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
Artists don’t have to starve, but if you’d like to be financially supported by your art, you have to be willing to starve. Don’t let statistics weed you out of being able to support yourself by your art. The greatest thing preventing artists from being successful in my opinion is discouragement. It takes a strong will to continue to create when you’re discouraged, but it takes a certain nurturing of the soul. That’s the key though. Nurture yourself. School does a hit or miss job at nurturing the mind, that’s why you must fill in the gaps and educate yourself where school cannot. This includes education of the soul. Being successful requires a team effort from both your mind and soul so pay great attention to both.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work can be found on my instagram: @retro_balboa_ or on my website: www.retrobalboa.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.retrobalboa.com
- Phone: 7812344807
- Email: theretrobalboa@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retro_balboa_/
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
