Today we’d like to introduce you to Meaghan Garrahan.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My interest with photography began with a disposal Kodak during high school. I always carried one and would incessantly annoy my friends by forcing them to pull over so I could jump out of the car and snap a photo of the clouds. I have always been astounded by the sheer beauty of nature and beauty in general, and a camera, whatever one I could get my hands on, granted me the ability to collect those moments that kept me in such awe.
Growing up a competitive dancer, I put my passion for photography aside and focused on dance, becoming a Dance major at Umass Amherst and dancing professionally for the NBA. For a long time, I thought nothing would ever make me as happy as dance, but slowly began to realize that taking photos and sharing them provided me with the same creative satisfaction and captured a similar feeling of expression, of being or creating something “larger, more beautiful, more powerful”.
Besides an Into to Film Photography taken my freshman year of college, I am completely self-taught. I have also been very fortunate to have some incredibly creative and talented friends who have inspired and helped me along with way. I bought my first camera (A Fuji X100s) 5 years ago off of Instagram of all places, from a photographer I admired that was selling theirs. This past year, an incredibly kind and generous friend gifted me their Canon 5D Mark III, my dream camera. Now more than ever I am motivated to continue to grow and learn as much as I can about photography, feeling as fortunate as I do to have all the tools necessary to create amazing images.
Please tell us about your art.
I take photos of anything I that find beautiful, or that I think might evoke some kind of emotion or mood for the onlooker. I don’t really have a process, besides picking up my camera and heading out the door. It forces me to pay attention to the little things, the details that are easy to miss when we are stressed out or texting or chatting to someone about our problems, and as cliché as it sounds, just be present. We miss so much when we don’t allow ourselves this stop and take a moment to enjoy and appreciate it. I hope my photos bring a sense of wonder, and portray our world as it is, with just a little more magic.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
I think for the most part things have become much easier for artists today. Social media has allowed so many artists to have the kind of exposure that otherwise wouldn’t exist, or would take years and years to attain. It has also fostered an incredible community of other like-minded people to be able to share with one another and inspire each other.
I think cities like Boston should continue to help artists thrive by continuing to push for fair housing opportunities like the Artist Space housing program through the BPDA, offering artists live/work spaces at fair prices. I believe the biggest challenge facing artists and creators is the necessity of also having to work a full-time job to pay rent, especially in cities like Boston or San Francisco where they are more and more astronomical each year. I’m so lucky to live in a city that acknowledges the importance of having art and artists in the community, and hope that we continue to see more programs that give them opportunities to both live here comfortably and be able to create in abundance.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work is available to view on my website, www.meaghangarrahan.com, with prints available starting at $15. I also post on my Instagram pretty regularly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.meaghangarrahan.com
- Email: meaghangarrahan@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meagahan/
Image Credit:
personal photo of me is by Jesse Ferreira
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