Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashton Staniszewski.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashton. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
The cliche answer is that it started when I was super young and my parents (Hi guys!) put a camera in my hand (it was a Pentax). They charged me with making the family vacation photos, and I quickly became the kid (think single digits here) directing two very patient adults on where and how to stand in front of the Washington Monument.
The photos from that trip are awful – it was well before the days of autofocus, mind you – but the ability to stop time and tell stories became invaluable to me from then on. When the time came to pick a major in college, I steered in the “safe” direction and opted for a degree in Communication over Art. My biggest fear at the time was that if I depended on Art to make a living, I’d grow to hate it — never have I been more wrong in all my life.
I graduated from college, took a few different jobs, but ultimately landed at a marketing and communications agency in Atlanta as a public relations account executive. I quickly learned that I was better at other things, namely photography, and built a studio practice within the agency making art for companies of all sizes.
After nine years with the agency, I left to focus my efforts on building my own shop — which is where I am today.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’d definitely be lying if I said it was a smooth road. In my experience, it’s been a road with peaks and valleys – thankfully more of the former than the latter. I’m a big believer in the idea that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
With so many insanely creative people out there, I sometimes struggle with the comparison game, which I think is pretty common among creative types. Instead of letting it get the best of me, I try to channel that anxious energy into working harder and longer to push my development as an artist forward.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
By trade, I’m a photographer and art director specializing in commercial, lifestyle, and editorial imagery and cinematography.
Having spent nearly a decade in an agency building a studio business, I’ve worn a lot of different hats in the creative process, which translates into a pretty unique skill set that I bring to the table for my clients. Roles like producer, art director, strategist, cinematographer, and photographer are parts I’ve been able to play to generate an idea, shape it, refine it, and then execute it.
If was I known for anything, I suppose it’d be that I can be a diplomatic creative when it comes to translating client’s goals into creative speak without compromising on either the business objective or the integrity of the art. I firmly believe that both sides of the creative/client partnership can come away with work everyone is proud of if they can speak the same dialect – or, in my case, have a good interpreter.
Recently, I’ve teamed up with a Photographer out of the Northeast to make a podcast called “Office Hours – A Creative Persons Podcast.” What started as a vent session between photographers has become a place where we discuss what makes creative people tick and stuff we struggle with as working artists. It’s been wildly fun and hugely fulfilling!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely, yes! Atlanta is an incredible place with a vibrant creative community. What I appreciate most is the ‘southern hospitality’ mindset behind Atlanta creatives. They’re an encouraging bunch, and I think that’s a foreign concept in other cities known for their creative communities.
I’ve hardly scratched the surface in meeting the depth and breadth of talent in our city, but I’m always in awe of the creativity, ingenuity, and tenacity of the folks that make art here.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashtonstan.com
- Phone: 941-457-9230
- Email: ashton@hybridangle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashtonstan
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshStaniszewski
Image Credit:
BTS Image by Antony Bui
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