True to the motto "March 8 is every day", we want to introduce you to FLINTA* from Berlin and her work in this format. Drum roll for Linda Ambrosius! She has been living in Berlin-Friedrichshain for 6 years and works as a photographer and director.

Dear Linda, we are delighted to be able to visit you here in your beautiful studio. What is behind Meta Studio?

Meta-Studio is a photo studio and creative collective founded by Janine Smatzky and Jules Essig. It not only offers space for the realization of artistic projects, but also permanent workplaces for creative people from different areas of the industry. For me, it is a place of inspiration, exchange and artistic freedom, but also a very practical workplace where I can do my desk work in peace. And if it gets too much, a quick chat in the kitchen often helps.

How did you get into photography and directing?

My journey into photography began in 2012 during a trip around the world. With a small digital camera in my hand, I captured everything that came in front of my lens, without the slightest idea that this could one day become my profession.

A year later, I started my degree in online media management without a clear plan of where I wanted to go. The mix of computer science, marketing and business studies sounded like a solid foundation. In 2015, I had the elective subject "Media Production", I ended up in the camera department and was immediately very invested. I peppered my tutors with questions until they finally offered me an internship in their advertising film production department.

From then on, everything changed. I started to work intensively with cameras, photography and film technology, using every free minute to take photos, whether it was job application photos for fellow students for 50 euros or event photos. I also worked in a bar and was on the road as a promoter to finance my studies and my equipment. I took every opportunity to get ahead and gradually realized: this is exactly what I want to do professionally! I made good use of my student status and built up a foundation for my self-employment alongside my studies, adjusting my prices upwards every year. In 2018, I moved to Berlin for a job with a photographer, but unfortunately I learned less than I had hoped and had a lot of negative experiences. As it wasn't a nice place to work and I wasn't paid despite having an employment contract, I quit after four months. I swore to myself that if I ever worked as a photographer in this industry, I would never treat the people I worked with the way I was treated there.

I submitted my bachelor's thesis in 2019 and it was also my first year in which I was able to finance myself entirely through my work as a photographer.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Definitely meeting people, both in front of and behind the camera. I love telling stories visually and getting to know people through my work that I might never have met otherwise. My job also takes me to places that I would probably never have seen without it. This mixture of closeness, curiosity and adventure is what makes my job so special for me.

Can you tell us a highlight of your career and what you are aiming for in the future?

A special highlight was definitely when one of my photos for a campaign was shown in Times Square in New York, it was surreal and a moment I will never forget. Another big project close to my heart was an extensive campaign for Levi's with Stefanie Giesinger. The motifs were played out on a huge scale: in stores, on building walls, in the print edition of British Vogue, simply everywhere. It was a very special feeling to see my work in public on such a large scale, for which I was and still am very grateful.

In the future, I would like to travel more, work more as a director and get to know inspiring people and tell their stories through my work. I am particularly interested in personal projects that convey closeness and authenticity.

How can we imagine your everyday life?

I don't really have a classic "daily routine", every day looks different. Sometimes I sit at my desk for hours on end, conceptualizing projects, researching moods, making acquisitions or updating my website and social media channels. Other times I'm abroad for productions, traveling or working late into the night on a pitch deck.

My life is quite spontaneous, it often happens that requests come in just a few days before a production and then I have to pack up and leave in no time at all. That can be challenging, but it's precisely this spontaneity that I love so much. Of course, there is also a less glamorous side to it: Billing, checking contracts or offers, bookkeeping. It's a colorful mix and that's what makes it special, no two days are the same.

How do you perceive mutual support in your industry?

I now know a lot of great people in the industry, we support each other, exchange tips or are there when someone needs help. I get a lot of support within my network in particular.

However, it wasn't always like that, especially in the beginning I found it difficult to gain a foothold in the industry and meet people who were open to exchange or willing to share their knowledge. But that has changed over time, partly because I've become more active myself and networked more. However, I still have the feeling that photographers in general tend to be loners and that the industry could be much better networked.

What do you wish for FLINTA* people in your industry?

I would like to see more visibility and representation, especially in large projects and in leading creative positions. There needs to be more diversity behind the camera, not just in front of it. It would be great if FLINTA* people were given the space to implement bold visions more often, not just in niches, but across the breadth of the industry.

What does the feminist day of struggle represent for you?

For me, the feminist day of struggle is an important moment of visibility. It's about giving FLINTA* people a stage, telling their stories and raising awareness of social injustices that still exist. It is a day that triggers empowerment, solidarity and change and at the same time reminds us that equality is not a current state, but an ongoing process.

If you could give your younger "self" something from today's perspective, what would it be?

Trust yourself and listen to your gut feeling. Be brave, make mistakes and don't be afraid of them. For a long time, I thought that I had to do everything perfectly and that I couldn't afford to make any mistakes. That put a lot of pressure on me and limited my creativity. Today I know that mistakes are important in order to grow. And self-confidence is something you can develop over time, through experience, sharing and believing in your own voice.

What has changed over the years?

Above all, my self-confidence. I have learned to stop taking things so personally and to trust that my way of working and my style have their place, even if not everyone likes them.

I now know that rejections, lost pitches or criticism rarely have anything to do with me as a person and even if they do... Especially in the creative field, you need a thick skin: it can happen that you lose 20 or 30 pitches in a row, that's hard, especially if you put your heart into the concepts. But I've learned to deal with it, to move on and not make my value dependent on it. But it's still a constant process, sometimes it works more, sometimes less.

What advantages and disadvantages do you see with regard to the Berlin location?

Berlin offers many advantages: The creative scene is huge, there are numerous job opportunities and you have the chance to network with inspiring people. At the same time, I sometimes find the city overwhelming. The competitive pressure is high, you're interchangeable, a lot of things seem non-committal and you often have the feeling that you have to be "cool enough" to fit in. Sometimes I long for more nature, peace and quiet and a place that is less restless. But in the end, this mixture of sensory overload, cultural diversity and creative freedom is exactly what makes Berlin special.

What is Berlin missing?

The proximity to many things. Everything is always very far away from each other here. In the long term, I would also like to live somewhere closer to the sea.

What do you associate with your neighborhood?

Funnily enough, I live in an area where there isn't really a real neighborhood. There isn't the cute café next door. That bothered me at first because it's already very quiet here. Now I really appreciate this peace and quiet in my turbulent life. I was lucky enough to find a really beautiful apartment 6 years ago, which has since become my haven of peace.

Thank you Linda <3

This content has been machine translated.