Finding Your Artistic Niche

Written by: Stephanie Andrews

Thomas Brasch is a photographer and an entrepreneur based in Toronto. The images in his series, Oculus, are digital manipulations of landscape, architecture, and still life images which are reminiscent of mandalas and kaleidoscopes. After almost three decades as a teacher, Thomas realized that his passion for photography and his notable talent would launch his second career. Now, with two years experience navigating the world of entrepreneurship, Thomas shares his successes, his challenges, and his unfailing vision for the future with Origins Magazine.

Only recently, Thomas Brasch came to the realization that he is an artist. After coming to art from a completely different career as a teacher, Brasch pushed to develop new skills and abilities, but never saw himself on the creative spectrum. Initially, photography was just a hobby, but after 5 years of following his artistic pursuit and a successful last 2 years, Brasch finally considers himself an artist. At first, Brasch turned to photography as a creative outlet for a challenging career. He then submitted pieces to a charity auction and that is when he discovered his niche. It was a prototype of the Oculus series that his work is now centered on today. With the circular and abstract nature of Oculus, Brasch has set himself apart from other photographers in Toronto and around the world.

“I find with my photography, that it is a different experience for everyone.”

You can stare at his work for hours and always find something new. Whatever you interpret from his art can be influenced by your mood, memories, or even the type of lighting in the room. But like any other business, social media is a necessity. Brasch has discovered the importance of Instagram and audience interaction:

“People can take one look at my Instagram or website and know my style and my brand.”

On the topic of price, we asked whether price can add or take away from the value of art. Brach’s answer, it has the power to accomplish both. The problem with charging a low amount for your art is that you are devaluing your own work and everybody else’s.

“You are paying for an idea and the pleasure of displaying your limited edition piece and not just paying for something that covers some blank wall space”.

In the art world, people always look for something new and different, something innovative. Brasch believes that good art is always innovative, stating that it’s when your art makes people stop dead in their tracks, that’s when you have innovation.

Not knowing whether there is an actual definition of success, Brasch has realized that once you reach a goal, a new one has already come along. Success may be realizing that you’re never going to reach the point where you think you should be — you’ll always be moving forward and growing. But in the end:

“Success is the state of finding where you’re happy, but still unhappy enough that you must move forward.”