Exploring Artistic Freedom and Social Responsibility with Sonja Stich
Embarking on a creative journey that defies conventional norms, Sonja Stich, originally a designer, found her true calling in photography, a medium that transcends the boundaries of artistic expression. In a candid reflection on her career, Sonja shares, "I started my career as a designer. But after a short time, I realized that this profession is very closely linked to the capitalist system and involves little artistic freedom."
The turning point in Sonja's life came with the birth of her children, prompting a courageous decision to break away from the constraints of traditional education. "When I had children, I quit with no regrets. I wanted my children to grow up as free and close to nature as possible and looked for ways to let them follow their interests rather than being educated by the 'system'," she explains. Thus, the Stich family embraced unschooling, a path that led Sonja to discover her passion for photography.
Relocating from Germany to Spain, Sonja's lens became a powerful tool to document their free-spirited life. "During my first years as a photographer, I documented our free life. Photography was part of my life; it gave me the freedom that I had previously been missing in design," she notes. Not content with personal liberation, Sonja's photographs became a source of inspiration for other parents seeking alternative and more natural approaches to parenting.
For Sonja, photography is not merely an art form but a means of communication and social responsibility. "As a photographer living here and now, I see it as my responsibility to use our medium to contribute to the issues of our times," she asserts. Venturing into projects addressing climate change, Sonja's lens captures the urgency and beauty intertwined in the environmental narrative.
Two years ago, fueled by a passion for empowering fellow female photographers, Sonja, along with a friend, co-founded Inspiralab, a photography community that seeks to nurture confidence and creativity. "We believe that every single person can contribute a lot to a more beautiful, loving, and connected world if they dare to do so. Art is a powerful voice," Sonja emphasizes, encapsulating the essence of her artistic journey and commitment to creating a positive impact through photography.
Your greatest inspirations or influences
I am inspired by artists who are curious and think outside the box, who constantly reinvent themselves and who are not satisfied with the status quo. Currently, I am inspired by Spanish photographer Cristina de Middel, I like how she combines art and activism and finds the balance between intuitive and conceptual work.
What do you think about the role technology plays in visual media and the art world in general.
In photography, I don't believe that technology plays a decisive role. The individual artists, their life experiences, and their individuality are much more important than the camera they use. I love photographing with limited technical means, the limitation makes me more creative. I much prefer an old analog camera to the best digital camera with the most expensive lens. Likewise, I prefer an imperfect photo to visual “perfection”.
As a photographer, I am therefore not afraid of AI technology, it has no soul, nothing to say, its only goal is visual perfection. However, I do find artificially generated images frightening in a political context in which so much truth is attributed to photos.
What does well-being mean to you?
Wellbeing for me means that my inner and outer worlds are in harmony. When I don't have to pretend, when I can live my values no matter what environment I find myself in. As a designer, I often felt a tension between my values and interests and what my clients wanted. As a photographer and teacher of photography workshops, I currently feel very much aligned with my values and this contributes significantly to my wellbeing.
Sonja, please tell us about your creative process.
My creative process is very intuitive. Photography is an expression of myself, and I photograph just as spontaneously as I communicate or make decisions. I take my best photos when I make them very personal. When I have tried to plan a photo session, I find the resulting photos usually too distanced. But my way of working, where I have to feel every photo 100%, is also a problem. Because I can only take good photos when I'm emotionally involved.
What is something you wish for in 2024?
More and more I feel how everything is connected to everything else. That applies to nature and society. Right now, the prevailing indifference towards climate change and the war against the Palestinians leaves me feeling extremely disheartened. It makes me angry to see again and again that power and money are more important than life.
For 2024, I wish that many more people would trust in themselves and their moral compass instead of delegating their opinions and decisions to others. I hope that we can all learn from indigenous societies who have always known that we can only survive together, together with other people and together with nature. I hope that I can contribute to this in my work as a photographer and teacher.
View Sonja Stich's Climate Change Projects
Portrait by Sonia Epple
