I was born in Warsaw, Poland, lived in the midwest and east coast, and spent a significant period of my life in Santa Cruz, CA. I am currently finishing my graduate studies in Integral Counseling Psychology at CIIS in San Francisco, and working as a therapist at Golden Gate Integral Counseling Center.
Art is a beautiful complement to therapy. I get to take a break from focusing on others and replenish my energy by listening to my heart and following my creative whims.

I taught myself Polaroid manipulation nine years ago through trial and error after buying an old $3 camera at a garage sale and realizing it took the old SX-70 Polaroid film. I bought a Daylab printer (a kind of Polaroid darkroom in a box) to let me make manipulations from slides that I project onto an SX-70 base. The Daylab turned out to be great for making Polaroid transfers when used with a base of peel-apart film. Sadly, Polaroid has discontinued all film production, although The Impossible Project has bought the old factory and is working on bringing the film back. I have a mini fridge full of 669 peel-apart film that I use today to make transfers and to give workshops to the public in Polaroid transfers. Learning the technique is easier than you think, and I so enjoy teaching people how to make these unique prints.

I have loved photography since I was a child. What I enjoy most about alternative process Polaroid photography is that it allows me to engage in a more active creative process with the photographs, and also to play with the element of randomness. Both of these processes rely heavily on incorporating unpredictable influences into the finished product (as ambient temperature, time, and small differences in pressure all effect how the images turn out). That openness to discovery that I feel when I create this art is an attitude I try to cultivate toward life in general. I am so grateful to have this creative outlet that also serves as a spiritual practice: reminding me to live life with an openness to the beauty of the unexpected.

email :   polaroidartatgmaildotcom
phone :   fouronefive.fiveoneseven.seventhreefournine