Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Clausen.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I didn’t grow up with a camera in my hands, I honestly don’t ever remember taking a single picture in my life until I had kids. Funny story: The first images I ever took were pressing pause while recording on my hand-held video recorder. I have probably 5 or 6 hours of tape that’s nothing but still frames with audio clips running behind it. I found out later that that video recorder could take pictures the whole time I just didn’t know it :). I feel this anecdote accurately describes how I not only got into photography, but the process of developing my skill and artistic voice. I have no training, had no mentor, I just bought a camera, started shooting, and began ‘figuring it out’.
Please tell us about your art.
I am a photographer and I shoot weddings. I love shooting weddings. All kinds. Destination, Indian, and intimate affairs in the back yard.
A quote from the Ethos page on my website sums up the ‘why’:
“Life is an odyssey.
Every day tells its own story.
To participate in this life at all, leads to countless sojourns, some small, some so prodigious they change the very course of who you are.
I believe marriage is one of these.
To laugh, cry, and rejoice on so many wedding days, at the onset of the most monumental saga of every one of my bride and groom’s lives, is nothing short of an honor.
Stories are powerful.
Stories are how we remember.
Every moment of every day for every person has a story, and every story is unique.”
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Obviously, everyone defines success differently, and to be honest, even in my own life the definition changes depending on the situation. The overarching theme of success to me would probably be to maintain the ability to ‘be moved’, or to let life shape and change me. I think we all spend WAY too much time trying to defend the way we believe. Not just verbally, but in the way, we live our lives, what we get upset at, what makes us happy. We live a life that says, “I have it all figured out” while privately frustrated by how life is actually turning out for us and terrified that we won’t achieve all that we want to. We resist change and different ideas and call it ‘morality’. It’s all so incredibly exhausting. It really takes a lot of energy to stay the same.
This ‘philosophy’, for lack of a better term, is exactly how I approach my art as well. I have developed a ‘style’ or a ‘voice’ I believe, but I am always open to seeing things from a new perspective. My ‘art’ is ever evolving, and I endeavor for that to continue as long as I am shooting.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My website can be found here: www.erikclausen.com. There you can explore my curated portfolio with signature weddings as well as an updated Journal with my latest work. You can support the work just as you support any of your favorite artists, add me on social media (https://www.instagram.com/erikclausen) and tell your friends 😉
Contact Info:
- Website: www.erikclausen.com
- Phone: 469.831.1441
- Email: erik@erikclausen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikclausen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikclausen09
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/erik_clausen
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/poserimage (I am a hobbyist DJ as well)
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas 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.
