Meet Liam Gildea | Photographer

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

Hi Liam, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work life balance is always relative to what is going on in my life. When I was still studying at school it was fairly easy to keep a well rounded schedule because i was surrounded by my creative peers at the same time as creating work, it was nice to be able to bounce ideas off of one another and to be inspired by each others thoughts. Now that I am in post grad, making photographic work is slower until I can afford to have the space for my own resources (dark room, scanning setup, printer) but I continue to photograph through my everyday life, stacking my pile of undeveloped film. On top of balancing my creative career, I have a steady job so I can pay the bills. I have made some sacrifices like not being the most social person, I do make time to see my friends and family. I am not perfect at keeping this balance but its good to sit down for a few minutes every week and evaluate how balanced you are.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Right now I am working at Karhu on their marketing and sales team. In the previous years to being hired for Karhu I had done a handful of photo assignments for them. One of them being some creative still life photography which gave a look into the science of the shoe. After the work had been featured on the brands instagram and website someone from the Helsinki Olympic Museum in Finland reached out to me to ask if they could feature the photo in the museum, so I gave them the permission. Karhu is originally a Finnish company so that is why the museum in Finland reached out to me. I am excited to keep creating content for Karhu, it keeps me on my toes because sometimes I am tasked with a job I don’t have the immediate solution to, but part of the fun is figuring out how to solve the problem.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
eating and drinking is a big part of what I like to do with friends, whether its going out to eat or cooking at home. I would have a night where we cook in and eat fresh seafood, grill, and drink good beer. at some point I would have to bring them to get the best lobster roll in town and some clam chowder. I would also make sure they get a true fishing experience on the water, hopefully my buddy would be generous enough to take us out to pull some of his lobster traps and go fishing, and if we catch anything that’s what we would be making for dinner. I would also take them to one of the museums in Boston, ICA, Isabella Gardner, or the MFA.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank all of the professors I had at SCAD who made an impact on me, especially the ones in the photo department, I would like to thank my friends and family who have supported me in my journey as a creative.

Website: liamvgildea@gmail.com

Instagram: @liam.gildea

Image Credits
All images created by me Liam V. Gildea