Meet Elizabeth Gottshall | Filmmaker & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Gottshall and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I didn’t know I was going to pursue a creative career, but I should have known because ever since I was a kid, art is what made me happy no matter what was happening in my life. Having a creative outlet when I was younger helped me tell stories, express my emotions, give me perspective, and meet some of the most amazing people. I find art to be incredibly unique to the human experience and key to connecting with others.

In elementary school, drawing and painting always seemed like a fun hobby to have. In middle school, the art class was my favorite elective course to take, and the teacher allowed me to work on different and more advanced assignments once they noticed my interest. In high school, I was given more freedom to explore different mediums from printmaking to analog photography. That was when I realized how much I loved visual storytelling. Ultimately, I majored in studio art in college and began to develop my own style and focus more complex thoughts and feelings into pieces.

Connecting with other artists and filmmakers showed me how I could continue to make art throughout my life and eventually build a career around it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started my journey with studio art, which was drawing, painting, and printmaking. I love being hands-on and getting down and dirty to put everything I have into a piece. My work focuses on motifs and themes of escapism, exploration, emotional states, time, relationships, and femininity. I love that my artwork may have more than one meaning for the viewer based on their own experiences and knowledge and a viewer’s interpretation may differ from someone else’s interpretation.

I never wanted to settle with one medium and I moved towards photography and later filmmaking, which bridged my love of visual art and storytelling. I began my journey into film by taking courses in college and having internships in production. With filmmaking, they say that a project is written three times: when the initial script is written, when the script is filmed in production, and when the footage is taken in to be edited. I loved being able to work through these different stages to craft a story and I especially enjoyed being able to collaborate with others.

The path to get to where I am today has been bumpy, but I really wouldn’t change anything about it. Following my time in college and my internships, I attended the Georgia Film Academy to learn about being on set and I later earned a camera internship to learn about how to be in the camera department. It took a lot of time to learn about camera because it’s not something that can be taught in a class. I had to work in a rental house, take small jobs on set to make connections, and talk to people who were willing to teach me about camera etiquette and all the gear. Eventually, I was able to establish myself as an AC and union utility here in Atlanta and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to venture into the realm of being a camera operator.

Challenge wise, there was a lot of learning from mistakes, taking bumps and bruises, and understanding there was a give and take with everything I did. Film itself is a very difficult industry to be a part of due to the heavy physical toll you take moving equipment, working incredibly long hours, and trying to learn how to have a proper work life balance. With my projects, behind and in front of the camera, I want unseen and unheard narratives from people who are under represented. Being a part of all these different communities really sets me apart and gives me another perspective for creation. I can’t wait to see more stories that focus on intersectionality and continue to push untold stories to the forefront.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many iconic places to see as well as hidden gems in Atlanta. As for iconic places, the Jackson street bridge, the Beltline, and the Georgia Aquarium are some of my favorite places to go. It is always fun to check out the exhibits at the Fernbank Museum, take a walk around Piedmont Park, and catch a show at the Fox Theatre. My favorite hidden gems are a lot of different restaurants, mostly on Buford Highway. I love trying new things and connecting with people through food. There are also so many amazing food halls like Ponce City Market, Krog Street Market, and the Works. I definitely suggest taking friends from out of town to Savannah, Georgia, or to the mountains in North Georgia for a few days on top of exploring Atlanta.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to dedicate my shoutout to two people in my life: my mother and my high school art teacher, Mrs. Jamison. Of course, I have to give many thanks to my mother for encouraging me to pave my path into a notoriously difficult career. She never tried to steer me away from what I wanted to go after and she would do everything she could to help me. To this day, she still supports me and sends me news articles about the industry.

Mrs. Jamison was my favorite teacher in high school and I don’t think I would be where I am today without her guidance. I took an introductory art class with her and I had the privilege to take more classes with her to learn about painting, printmaking, sculpture, and photography. She helped me shape my thoughts and turn them into art pieces I could be proud of. She took the time to give me the attention I needed to push my art to the next level. Everything she taught me, I took with me to college where I further developed my practice and matured as an artist.

Website: https://elizabethgottshall.wixsite.com/portfolio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizgott22/

Other: https://linktr.ee/elizabethgottshall

Image Credits
Photos taken by Cookie, Carlos Cuervo, Kynder Bonilla, and Art Brainard