Meet Elizabeth Kosowesky | Photo Retoucher & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Kosowesky and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was younger I was always into art. I can’t say my stick figures were anything to brag about but when I was younger buying a disposable Kodak camera was always so exciting. Back then using film always gave you the excitement on how the images would turn out after they were developed which I believe is when I started getting interested in photography. In middle school I was fortunate enough to have a photographer come into the school to teach a photography class where we shot with film, developed, and then used Photoshop. Since then I’ve taken any photo or photoshop class that was provided in high school and then I went on to college where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. Being within a creative field has always seemed like that’s the direction I’ve always was meant to be in even though while in school it was frowned upon a lot when I was asked what I was majoring in. There’s always been a sense of comfort being in a creative field whether it be working for clients or on personal work.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Years ago after I graduated from college I had an idea how my career path would go but life decided that wasn’t going to happen. For about a year and a half after graduating and applying for over a hundred job postings I was at a dead end. I didn’t have many connections within the photo industry nor much experience to showcase so it was really rough time. As we all seem to do in a time of need I got to googling on how to make some money online. I happened to stumble upon a reddit forum and people talking about a websites you can offer creative services. I tried several websites with no luck but happened to hear about a website called Upwork. Currently it’s a lot more known but back then it was two years after the company was founded. I started my Upwork account as a Photo Retoucher, bidded on projects until I got my first project ,and the rest is history. Dedication and patience is what got me to where I am at today. I had never thought I would become mainly a Photo Retoucher but didn’t realize that it was a better fit until about two years after I started. Since then I’ve expanded my clientele by just having my profile on Upwork along with my website. I can’t say projects flooded in at first but after time instead of having to approach individuals for work it’s been the opposite. I’ve been fortunate enough to have such great clients that have passed my name along which has given me more opportunities. Although I had a career plan in mind, I’m happier with the path I’ve stumbled upon.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In the part of the country I live there isn’t too much to explore unless you take an hour drive to Chicago. I’m from a small town in Indiana where a lot of the shops are antique stores. Up north is the Indiana Dunes which is a popular spot along with some coffee shops such as FLUID coffee. If you cross the Indiana/Michigan border there are so many nice orchards along with plenty of beaches. Michigan was one of my favorite places I’ve lived and is where I met some of the greatest people I know.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Marc Ullom & Dave Sherwin

Website: elizabethkosowesky.com

Instagram: Paintstarsinthesky

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-kosowesky-50766b72/

Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheUnwrittenTale?ref=profile_header