Woodchuck 30th Anniversary Artist Spotlight- Grace Kim
November 12, 2021
BIO:
Name: Grace Kim
Age: 26
Location: NJ/NYC
Profession or specified field: Travel photographer + blogger
How long have you been participating in your specified field: 2 years
Welcome to our Woodchuck 30th Anniversary blog series where we will be highlighting hand-selected creatives every week through the Fall. This year marks our 30th Anniversary and we have asked 25 creatives from across the country to help celebrate 30 years of creativity and innovation by sharing with us what creativity means to them. We sat down with each creative to hear more about how they use creativity on a daily basis and what influences their work. See below for our conversation with Grace!
Grace Kim is a digital creative from New Jersey. All her work is dedicated to sharing her daily lifestyle. Her work includes her travel adventures, upcoming trips, and motivational reads all inspired by personal experiences and relationships built with people from all around the world. Grace’s content is portrayed through visiting some of the most fascinating places, as she continues to learn more about photography and blogging along the way. From not conforming to societal norms to living a nonlinear lifestyle, Grace continues to storytell on the road. And as her journey continues to lead her to chase total life freedom, she hopes to influence others to do the same. Check out Grace’s travel blog for inspiration on your next trip!
W- Hey Grace! Thanks for taking some time to chat with us today! You life seems to be consumed by travel and photography. Can you tell us about how you got your start in the world of photography?
G- I got into photography with a close friend at the time. We bonded through constantly talking about photography, traveling and cameras, and grew within the space together. This was also around the same time I started blogging, which goes hand-in-hand with photography. The more I learned about the field, I started reaching out and networking with other bloggers and photographers, whether they were within proximity or not. One thing led to another and within a few months, I ended up quitting my job to pursue traveling full time. It’s been two years since then and with everything that comes with this lifestyle, it’s more than anything I could’ve asked for.
W- Wow! That certainly takes a lot of commitment to completely shift gears like that and quit one job to pursue a completely new lifestyle. What an awesome story! Through your travels and your growth as a photographer, what tends to act as a source of inspiration for you? Are you drawing inspiration for creativity from intrinsic sources or is it more external?
G- My creativity stems internally as a way to express emotion, as I’ve found it the most liberating and influential when sharing my thoughts with others. Whether it’s writing or editing photos, I like to keep my content as raw and authentic as it comes! I think considering external factors is important, but I also make sure to create content that makes sense to my audience and to keep a cohesive, travel-like brand. When I first started creating and sharing with others, I didn’t really have goals with social media and didn’t know where my social platforms would actually lead me but now, I do my best to help uplift and influence others within travel and photography.
W- Totally agree! creativity allows us to experiment with things that may be outside of our own norms. On that note, what exactly does “creativity” mean to you as someone who uses it in their daily life?
G- Expressionism. Relativity. Creativity means and does something different for everyone. For me, creativity has allowed me to find mental and emotional sanity, and has opened up doors to self-discovery. Creativity never came naturally and it took me longer to be comfortable with my art but with time, it’s become such a huge part of my lifestyle and being. Now, I’ve never been more open to creativity, and I’m excited to see where it will ultimately lead me next.
W- Being creative doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people, if not most people. Sharing your own ideas with a large audience can definitely be somewhat frightening at times as you are not exactly sure how that idea is going to be received. Year in and year out, those same thoughts are experienced here at our cidery. We have a good grasp of what people are looking for and we try to bring our own style or our own twist in hopes that our fans and cider drinkers alike will enjoy the fruits of our labor when it comes to developing a new cider. We’ve had a lot of success in that regard, but sometimes things don’t quite hit the way you had expected. If anything these experiences are super valuable because it allows you to reevaluate.
W- This one is more out of our own curiosity, but prior to joining us for our 30th anniversary celebration, what was your connection to connection or relationship with Woodchuck, if any at all? Was there anything that you learned about us along the way that you’d like to share?
G- Before the 30th Anniversary Celebration, I didn’t know much about the brand. However, after chatting with some of the Woodchuck team at the Cidery and finally trying the cider myself, I see why the brand takes so much pride in it’s craft and belief in the longevity of their beverages. The cider is extremely rich in flavor, easy and fun to drink, and I will definitely be looking for these packs whether it’s for trips or casual outings.
W- Well, we’re glad we made a good first impression! Thanks so much for joining us in our celebration. We look forward to seeing more of your work from behind the lens!
Grace was recently on a trip to Chicago and she shot an awesome photo for us that brings a little bit of fall scenery to an urban landscape. Head over to our Instagram, Facebook or Twitter to check out Grace’s capture!
Be sure to check out our online cider store and online merch store. Ship some of your favorite cider right to your front door and load up on some all-new wearables, glassware and other swag!
Cheers, and happy cider sippin’!
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