Montserrat Andrée Carty
About
Montserrat Andrée Carty is a Spanish-American writer, photographer, and arts educator. She also hosts the podcast Musings of the Artist. Her writing and / or photographs have been published in journals including Longreads, Bellingham Review, The Sun and Poetry Northwest. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and other degrees from Boston University and Berklee College of Music.
Scheduled to Teach
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LACP Interviews Montserrat Andrée Carty
LACP asks Montserrat Andrée Carty ten questions about their background, career in and beliefs about photography.
Los Angeles Center of Photography: What kind of photographer are you?
Montserrat Andrée Carty: I am both a writer and photographer so when I choose to make photographs, it is usually to tell a story that words can’t reach. I tend towards landscape photography, but these days I’ve been working in a variety of modes including more and more image / text and visual poetry.
LACP: How long have you been photographing?
MAC: I’ve been playing with a camera since I was a child but I didn’t begin studying photography until much later. I started with digital and then, one day Aline Smithson lent me her Hasselblad, and it changed my life.
LACP: Where did you get your training?
MAC: I got my MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts but a lot of my photographic training has come from being a TA for other photographers over the years!
LACP: When did you know you wanted to devote your life to photography?
MAC: I’ve known I wanted to devote my life to the arts for as long as I can remember. In my pre-school in Barcelona, Spain, I am told that I convinced the school to let me put on a play. In so many photographs from my childhood I see myself holding a camera. I have a background in music and writing, too. For most of my career, though, I’d been a support to other artists (in various roles for Sony Music, the Boston Ballet, Pandora, San Francisco Symphony, Goodreads…) and it was only about seven years ago that I began to take my own art seriously.
LACP: Did you ever come close to giving up?
MAC: Nope! But, the great thing about working in multiple disciplines is that when you are feeling stuck or disheartened by one, you can dip over into the other.
LACP: Have you sacrificed anything by being a photographer?
MAC: Financial security. A few years ago, I left my job to pursue my MFA. I don’t regret it, but I did give up a stable income. I’m living a life I love: making and teaching art, but it can come with financial struggles.
LACP: What have you gained by being a photographer?
MAC: So much! Most of all: nourishment, community, and the way it helps me see and feel the world more deeply.
LACP: What classes do you teach at LACP?
MAC: I recently taught a webinar titled Words & Frames: Merging Writing and Photography for Deeper Storytelling.
LACP: What do you love most about teaching?
MAC: To help someone discover something that will enhance their art – or life (!) is the most meaningful thing. So many teachers have done this for me and it’s an honor to pass that on.
LACP: What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making a career in photography?
MAC: Experiment, play, try new things! You never know when you’ll stumble upon something you absolutely love. And never stop learning!