When he was younger, Paul Grecian considered being an animal behavior scientist as the ideal career. He majored in the sciences at Arcadia University and got a job in the field, too. However, the high school interest he had in photography glittered but stayed on the sidelines. “It was about five years before I realized that my full-time job was holding me back from advancing my art career,” Grecian says. Now, he is an award-winning Millville-based photographer who often juries fine-craft and art shows and has been featured in various publications and corporate projects.
After college, he began submitting photos to competitions and publications, and the early successes he had fostered thoughts of going full-time. To Grecian, his biggest move was when he began to do fine art and craft shows. Although he left the sciences, he explains that his interest in biology dealt with nature and that his art is another way to explore nature: “It deals with the same emotional attraction to the subject,” he says.
Although high school spawned his care for photography, his stylistic growth has been evolving ever since. “I’m not the same person I was in high school, or even ten years ago,” Grecian says. “My sensibilities have changed, my experiences have driven new work, my exposure to other arts and other artists has inspired new works.”
His fuel to continue his craft comes from “an internal desire to explore everyday aesthetic experiences.” To him, there is a “need to both create and bring beauty into life.” Grecian sees art photography as a multi-stage process where the photographer must first develop an appreciation for what excites them creatively, which is the pre-image making stage. Then, the fieldwork begins, which is the time dedicated to the outdoors or in the studio, preparing mentally. After that, the camerawork begins, where the camera parameters are set for the image intended, which is finalized by pressing the shutter button. Finally, there is the studio stage where the work of processing the image to its full potential is created.
Certainly, this process takes time, and Grecian affirms that “being an artist is not a 9-to-5 thing.” Every day looks different for Paul; if there are upcoming art shows, his brain is bubbling with the logistical aspects of artistry, like printing, matting, and framing pieces to be viewed. When he’s photographing, he’s up early and prepared to move locations to take pictures, but he doesn’t travel far for photos often. Regardless of his to-do list, “every day starts with coffee and reading for about an hour. He reads books and magazines on art, art history, photography techniques, and philosophy.
“There’s never enough time for everything,” says Grecian. Thankfully, his wife, Lin, is an artist as well, and her support in sharing a studio space, doing art shows together, and experiencing life intertwined proves important. And, since his art is inseparable from him, the art-minded friends Grecian has made over the last 20 years are also a source of inspiration and comfort.
Grecian wants to continue his lifestyle of artistry but is ready for new challenges. He explains that he wants to put his work in venues and competitions he disregarded before, and “continue to learn more about all facets of photography and create and exhibit the work I want to be known for.”
Advising younger artists, Grecian urges them to be an authentic version of themselves, to remove pressure to become famous or achieve financial success immediately, and to understand art as a business form as a way of becoming financially smart.
To keep up with Paul’s work and upcoming artistic events, visit his website: paulgrecianphoto.net