Studio Stories : 001 / BIANCA GARCIA

words by Shahrnaz Javid

Since 2011, photographer Bianca Garcia has shot over 800 portraits (amongst other works). The exact number would rely on a long, tedious process of pouring through a multitude of external hard drives, a process that would only further prove the already apparent level of dedication Bianca has to her work. A Houston native, Bianca has since adopted Chicago as her creative home after moving to attend Columbia College in 2013 as a photography major.

In our first 20-minute Studio Stories, OG Studios hopes to convey the human nature of the creative community and individual secrets to success. Our first guest’s main ingredient is a simple and timeless action, that when carefully mixed with the rest, has proved to be a powerful recipe with continued fruit to bear.

Bianca Garcia is not another transplant to the Greater Chicago zip codes; having moved from a major US city, Bianca’s move contributed a lot of reciprocity and love in relation to her new home. While adapting to the city’s hustle and bustle, she simultaneously softened the creative community with her genuine touch and a purist mentality of getting to know and connect with her subjects. Injecting her arena with a fun and vibrant energy, her innate qualities of being open and kind to friends and strangers alike have opened a lot of doors for her hard work to further breakthrough.

“In general since the beginning of time, my thing has been to be nice to people. I’ve said it a million times and especially in the industry I’m in, do not get caught up in clout chasing.”

Kindness is a fundamental key to living and thriving in any environment and Bianca’s simple approach has allowed her to connect with a diverse community and provided opportunities to photograph nearly everything a freelance creative can hope for. From having her work published in Vogue, photographing artists like Kanye West, Tyler the Creator, Deadmau5, Mac Miller, and more, as well as numerous collaborations with Nike – Bianca’s eye has been a technical and visually stimulating success all thanks to her skill, consistency and basic human element of kindness.

“What we fail to realize is that some people open doors for others just for talking to them. I genuinely enjoy conversation and love to ask how they’re [everyone] doing.” Showing interest has allowed the likes to be interested back.

The simultaneous double-reality is that Bianca’s exuberantly positive attitude can only do so much before the sport kicks back in. “The energy in Chicago is great, but there is constant

competition with the people already here. The creative pool can be so small sometimes that you’re in constant competition with your friends.” Having been a full-time freelancer for the past five years, in addition to her own personal goals, Bianca has a monthly quota for herself and the gigs she takes on to maintain her overhead. “It’s nerve-wracking and cutthroat but we are all in this pool together, you just have to be emotionally prepared and keep your relationships with people tight and up-to-date.”

These scenarios are, however, common in creative communities across the country (and globe) where there is potential for commercial success. This burden Bianca has learned to lessen by realizing the moment and following her intuitive pull.

“It crosses my mind a lot if I moved to a bigger city, would my career take off or plummet. I really don’t know but I don’t see myself moving from Chicago in the next five or six years, this feels like where I need to be right now, and moving isn’t what I feel to be in my direct path at the moment.”

*commentary note* This outlook I found to be increasingly refreshing, especially coming from a millennial whose generation is notorious (along with gen Z) for their high stakes expectations for instant gratification and success, which when not granted can be overwhelmingly demoralizing to a point of ringing anxiety and depression. This is me, the interviewer, advocating that we as a generation rally against the statistics by embracing our surroundings and watering the grass where we are, not longing for another’s yard.

In order to be present, positive, kind, and motivated, Bianca is a proponent of mental health and self-care.

“I make sure I have time to take care of myself, do a mask, listen to music.”

Most importantly from this conversation, Bianca’s biggest advice to her fellow and aspiring photographers is: don’t burn yourself out, don’t be afraid to tell people your worth, it is okay to say no, and next time you’re at an event “networking” don’t just talk to the person in Gucci head to toe. Talk to the person in the corner of the room, because chances are not only are they a good person but quite possibly the one who will open your next door.