Today we’d like to introduce you to Josie Eckerman.
Hi Josie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It feels cliche to start out by saying “as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an artist.” But truthfully, when I think back to my youth, I always recall the same flashback of me at 12 years old missing my mother who was deployed in South America serving in the Air Force. I spent weeks drawing her an entire book of farm animals from scratch, so eager to gift it to her upon her return. When I think about myself then and now, I still see the similarities.
Growing up, drawing and creating, it only made sense that I would go to college for a degree in the arts. But during my first year at the Kansas City Art Institute, I had no idea what that might actually look like. I chose to pursue a directed study in the Fiber program at KCAI and learned many magical processes and techniques, also releasing many tears – they never told us how crazy art school would be. My sophomore year I decided to buy a 35mm film camera to capture the clothes and costumes I was creating.
But I soon began to develop a deeper relationship with photography, realizing that perhaps I like the process of capturing the pieces I was creating more than the actual act of making them. My professors were supportive of me when I continued to base my work more and more on a still image. My thesis combined my film photography with projection and reflective surfaces to simulate an immersive experience that closely related to how I was feeling inside.
Since then, I have continued to explore the expansive world of film, acquiring new cameras and seeking knowledge in undiscovered spaces. My biggest wish is that I never stop.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There is no rulebook on how to be an artist, an artist can be so many different things. For me, I have always wanted to continue along the path of an artist to bring emotions to the surface of others but maybe more selfishly within myself. I think there will always be endless discoveries in this practice. That is the biggest reason why I continue to seek knowledge and create – there is a freedom in it that is hard to find in many other areas of life.
I think one of the biggest struggles for an artist is knowing why do you make the work that you make. Is it to make money? Is it a passion? Perhaps a hobby or a way to connect with others. Whenever I am feeling less sure of myself or question why it is that I never want to let go of a continuing practice – I tell myself to simply make for you. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter why you make art, if something lights you up don’t let that go.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I still consider myself a seeker of knowledge; not a professional, just a photographer trying to grow and feed her craft. I never gained any formal training as a film photographer, so now I am going through the slow process of learning and trying to teach myself the ins and outs – trial and error. I am now an employee at the Kansas City Art Institute after graduating in 2019.
I hope to partake in a number of the photo and film courses KCAI offers to its employees and continue along this journey. I think I am most proud of myself for sticking out the craziness that is the human experience and still has the yearning to be more and more. That is all you can really ask for.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
For me, I always wished that I had not let so many fleeting moments get in the way of my forward momentum. The word or idea that I hold most dear is balance. Every aspect of life is just you and the universe finding that balance. I see it come through in everything I do. My advice would be to always seek that balance to bring peace of mind and never be too hard on yourself. Your best is always enough.
Contact Info:
- Email: josielaineckerman@gmail.com
- Website: (Coming Soon)
- Instagram: @josieeckerman
Image Credits
Josie Eckerman
