As a photographer youtube became my #1 resource for learning about lighting, composition, and more. I found Anita a few years ago and have been a fan ever since. With her entry into NFTs, I thought it was time to finally reach out and say thank you (and ask for an interview). Today she drops her first piece on SuperRare and the timing of this interview couldnt be more perfect.
Anita, Thank you for agreeing to do this NFT interview. Please tell the NFT Culture community a little bit about yourself!
I was born in Poland and moved to Ireland at 14. I started photography at 16. I’m a very hot/cold person when it comes to hobbies and this one really stuck.
As soon as I finished school, I moved to the capital to study photography. I hated the curriculum itself and it really struggled financially. I had some photography gigs, enough to survive, but not enough to live.
I ended up quitting school in 3rd year. I felt like I was not getting the value I hoped for and it was affecting my ability to actually work as a photographer due to lack of time.
In 2012, I started shooting for fashion clients. The money was bad and the photos were really boring and repetitive. I continued to struggle financially as well as mentally, wanting to give up and feeling continuously burned out.I felt hopeless and stuck in a cycle where my work was undervalued and not appreciated. And then 7 years ago, a shift happened. Out of desperation to do something i actually enjoy, I started a YouTube channel. I taught people how to take photos, using mostly natural light. For the first time, I got traction. It was not making money, but I finally felt seen. People came to me and asked for my help. It felt amazing.
Fast forward 2 years, I saved enough money to start travelling. I spent 3 months in South Africa and discovered my love for swimwear photography. Months later I left Ireland and went to Bali. It was life changing. What was meant to be a month stay, ended up being 2 years.
4 years ago, My friend and I Filmed a video about posing and it went viral. My channel, still relatively small (40k), blew up to almost 300k. Sponsorships came, I was selling a digital product and For the first time, I was able to financially support myself and actually save money.
The following 2 years I lived in Bali and travelled around the world. It was incredible. And then covid hit. Panic set. I went back home, and spent over 5 months there. Then, spur of the moment I went to Mexico and from there Hawaii. Spent almost a year there and eventually moved to the east coast. Since I’ve been in America, I got to work with some of the best brands. I secured YouTube sponsorships with Sony, Capture One, Tamron, Squarespace and many others. But something was still missing.
I always knew that I want to shoot nudes. It made me happy. But social media is not a nude-friendly space. So I always pushed it away. And then I started hearing about twitter and the NFT’s and I’ve finally seen the possibility to pursue it.
I got into the NFT space in January, strongly pushed by my friend who was in the space.
When did you mint your first NFT? What platform did you choose and why?
I minted my first collection, Curves and Ledges on OpenSea, 13th of January 2022. It was a collection of 11 images of nude women I photographed on New York rooftops. It sold out within 5 days and I was just over the moon. I chose Opensea because I thought it was a good platform to start on. It was also much easier, and cheaper to mint which was definitely why I ended up going with it.
Can you tell us one thing you cannot live without? (and why)
Let’s be honest, my iPhone. I’m a Twitter addict and it’s how I connect with all my friends who are spread all over the world.
Who is your favorite artist(s) (Non NFT)? What about their style resonates with you?
One artist I’ve always looked up to is Lina Tesch. She’s a German photographer that specializes in fashion and nude. I’ve always admired how subtle yet powerful her work is. Color has always been super important to me in my work and I absolutely adore Lina’s color schemes and skin tones she produces in her work
Who is your favourite NFT artist? What makes this artist unique?
There are soooo many talented artists I admire! One of my favorites must be Kaiwan Shaban. The mood he creates in his work is absolutely incredible and each piece he releases really makes me feel something.
What made you pursue NFT art?
My friend, Megan Batson. She’s been in the space since march last year and kept bugging me to join. I was very resistant to the idea at first, as I was hesitant to start on yet another journey from scratch but she eventually convinced me.
Biggest piece sold? https://foundation.app/@Sadowskaphoto/the-oasis/2
What is the one piece of NFT art you wish you had purchased but missed out on?
Where My Vans Go. Hands down. I really admire Drifter and his story, not to mention the incredible photography he produces.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? Why this location? What are your other passions besides art? Why?
I’ve travelled a lot before covid and it’s something that I miss dearly. I made Bali my home for over two years and there isn’t a day where I don’t think about it in some way. I would also love to see more of Australia and to finally visit Japan and South Korea, I’m really fascinated by their culture, the cities filled with neon lights and the amazing food. The list goes on.
As about my passions, traveling and exploring nature has always been on top of my list. I am a very outdoorsy person and find it hard to sit still- anything from skating, surfing to skydiving – count me in! I also started pole dancing a few months ago and I’m really enjoying the process.
Do you make other forms of art?
Photography is the art I feel most passionate about and do the most. I also dabble in videography a little.
How did you come up with your specific style?
Years of trial and error. I’ve been doing photography for 14 years now and I definitely see how my style has evolved. It’s not necessarily something I’ve come up with, but rather something I’ve grown into. As years passed I’ve noticed I was always leaning towards certain poses, frames and colors in my work and I just worked on polishing it.
How has your style evolved over the years?
Quite drastically I would say. I started my career as a mostly portrait photographer. I shot at f1.4 and mostly close up and half bodies. Over the years I’ve embraced shooting on Higher apertures and lower angles, to create distortion and make my subjects look more powerful. I’m also shooting mainly nude now, so I’ve lost some clothing along the way 🙂
What is coming in the near future?
I’m dropping a new piece tomorrow, so that’s for the immediate future. Besides that, I’m planning on shooting more beautiful Nudes in Hawaii this month, including a potential self portrait collection to celebrate turning 30, creating and releasing videos on my YouTube channel and feeding my Twitter addiction of course 🙂
If you could collaborate with one artist who would it be?
Drifter! Collection of nudes on the craziest rooftops called Where my Buns go 🙂
Do you have any upcoming drops?
I was recently invited onto SuperRare and I’m about to drop my Genesis on there called Cosmic Sentience. It was one of my favorite shoots I’ve ever done, can’t wait to share 🙂
What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?
I like to look at my failures more as lessons. Throughout the years I had to learn how to stand up for myself and how to value my skills and my work as an artist. If I won’t stand up for myself, nobody will. I’ve spent way too much time trying to please and do favors for others and I’m finally at the point of my career where I know my worth and I will not allow anyone to undermine that.
And also learning about patience, I’m hot headed so still working on that 🙂
Anything else you’d like to share?
Thank you for having me! 🙂
Where can collectors find your work?
Link to Website: https://anitasadowska.eu
Social links:
https://twitter.com/sadowskaphoto
https://instagram.com/sadowskaphoto
NFT marketplace links:
https://superrare.com/sadowskaphoto
https://foundation.app/@Sadowskaphoto
https://opensea.io/sadowskaphoto