Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Clare Kolbush.
Mary Clare, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My path to becoming a filmmaker and photographer began when I was a dancer at the age of 3. Dance helped me form my creative mind naturally. Between the music, formations, and style of dance, I was a storyteller from a young age without even realizing it. Dance was the first art form that I came to know and love, and at 13 I began traveling and going to dance competitions. When I went to college, I was torn on what I wanted to do for my career just like many students my age. I knew I wanted to do something creative and I wanted to help people, so I began working towards a degree in Physical Therapy to become a Dance Therapist. I was certain that it made perfect sense, combining my interests and direction, but I soon changed my mind. I realized that I needed to take my love for storytelling in a different direction through the medium of filmmaking.
Once I transferred to UGA, I began taking classes in the Entertainment and Media Studies program and fell in love with photography and video, and have found a strong passion for editing. With dedication and patience, my goal is to one day create content for major motion pictures, short films, or social media platforms, such as YouTube or Vimeo, to tell meaningful stories. My goal as a creative now and in my future is to create content that can help a person understand themselves, the world, and most importantly how they can leave a positive impact. Life naturally holds scripts, visual moments, and characters. Not only do I get to work on projects that I enjoy, but new inspiration and ideas are everywhere and within everyone. I believe we are walking stories and should always share our identities with others.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No journey is linear, and I have realized time and time again that the setbacks are what spark the most productivity later on when creating. As much as I love college, there was one point I needed to take a break from the constant routine. I took off the entire Spring Semester in 2019 and focused on my overall health and creative work. I brought my first camera and my dream to become a professional storyteller someday started to feel possible. Taking time away and graduating later than planned seemed like a setback at the time, but now I am grateful that I had the opportunity to have that much time for myself.
It is also a challenge to stay confident in my work when there are so many students and professionals in the same field as me. However, I remind myself that nobody can come from your perspective of life and nobody can create art exactly as you do. That is the freedom of art, it will always be from your own heart and mind. Whenever I start comparing my work to other people’s work, I stop myself and say “Don’t compare, just strive to be a better artist than yesterday.” When I do this, my focus shifts into growing,
curiosity, and commitment.
Tell us about your work – what should we know?
When it comes to photography and filmmaking, there is always a message that someone needs to hear and an emotion about to be felt. When I edit a video, I naturally focus on bringing emotions to the viewer through two elements; sound and color. I focus on invoking their emotions with sound, whether it’s an instrumental piece of music that immediately brings you into a feeling or sound design that helps the watcher feel like they are immersed in a given location. I strive to connect the pace, beats, and mood of the music I include to the visual side of the film. This is important in everything from a character driven script to the company meeting of a client. Coloring, one of my favorite parts of editing, also shapes the viewer’s view of the setting. If they laughed, cried, smiled or felt or hopeful after watching, then I really feel like I did my job without distracting them from the story. As of today, I have worked on content for non-profit organizations, small businesses, and my personal YouTube account.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel like my optimism shows through in my work. Each time I get a new opportunity to create content, I am beyond excited to see how it turns out. The more into a project I am, whether it’s on set or in editing, the better quality it will turn out. If something goes south, I focus on the positives and what is in my control instead of what could go wrong.
Contact Info:
- Website: maryclarekolbush.myportfolio.com
- Phone: 8433381960
- Email: mckolbush@gmail.com
- Instagram: @maryclarekolbush
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFlyDL4nJQm57R1n-rI4-w?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Alisha Kernisant (self portrait)
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