Gallery 1 — JOURny Magazine

J. Sybylla Smith

Interview by Frances Jakubek

Creativity is a web, an intricate matrix, tangled, sprawling, and unpredictable. There is beauty in this uncertainty, and there are people who can help us untangle and find clarity within it. J. Sybylla Smith is a living embodiment of ingenuity, casting brilliance across the many dimensions of her life like light spilling through a thousand windows, each reflecting a different hue of wisdom and vision. Her guidance shepherds us toward, without hesitation, the light that reveals the world to us in new ways.

Clarity rarely arrives in a neat package; it emerges through entanglements of perception and sentiment, resulting from the intricate dance between bewilderment, fortitude, and discovery. Sybylla has never walked a straight path, and her identities have gracefully oscillated and synthesized between social worker, fashion designer, educator, curator, and consultant. She knows there is no blueprint to follow, and she welcomes others into this tapestry of connections to find resolve, whether with the development of a book or exhibition or a statement made in the form of design. Her work, teaching, and very being reflect this process; never bound by formula or linear paths, but constantly shifting, ever-evolving, and infused with empathy and boundless enthusiasm.

Her background in social work informs the sensitivity with which she approaches any project. Her ability to listen deeply and hear what is unsaid is an invaluable tool in her creative support. She is a "visual doula," helping artists give birth to their ideas and giving them the tools, support, and permission to explore the full spectrum of their imagination and bring their vision to life. She naturally tends to find "tangible expressions of intangible ideas," and artists have referred to her as their elevator, co-pilot, the person who gave them the confidence to love what they love. She allows others to take the lead while she offers alternative pathways and new ways of thinking; her keyword recipe is to illuminate, elevate, and amplify.

She understands that true creativity requires vulnerability…

Concept Aware®, Syb’s framework developed over many years, is not a set of instructions but an invitation to see, and not just with the eyes. It is a conceptual scaffolding to explore the intersection of expression, intellect, psychology, and output of art. It is a model that dissects the dynamic nature of making, a process of artistic inquiry that is not bound by the conventional, not shaped by the expectations of others. Sybylla creates intricate connections, delicately crafting something whole out of many moving parts.

Carl Sandburg's words, "Poetry is a fresh morning spider-web telling a story of moonlit hours of weaving and waiting during a night," come alive in her approach. Smith moves in and out of this complexity, finding shimmering, delicate, and strong threads built slowly from one idea to the next. She embarks on projects with a wealth of knowledge and experience drawn from countless photobooks lining her shelves and the wisdom woven into the strands of her red curls. Syb has lived many lives, and the curiosity and desire to do more have supplied her with limitless references, joyful anecdotes, and tales of caution. True to her nature, she defies categories.

Her influence reaches a global audience through her podcast, teachings, and consulting. She is collaborative and forms relationships built on trust, empathy, and shared discovery; she becomes part of the story from the inside to project back outward for the world to see and interact with. By highlighting the work and stories of women creators, Sybylla strives to change the narrative around visibility and representation in the creative world. She is breaking the barriers and, at least momentarily, lifting the access gate and finding the human elements to those in powerful positions of disseminating art.

Her curatorial practice is deeply informed by her fashion, art, and history expertise, blending these areas to create exhibitions and projects that resonate with contemporary themes in photography while honoring historical influences. Her brain operates in metaphor, and the photograph is often the perfect medium to navigate ambiguity where we work so hard to apply language. She plays with sequences of images, inviting connections to unfold within themselves, while the synergy of pairings and groupings amplifies the narrative, delivering it with greater impact. In my own experience working with her at the Griffin Museum of Photography and satellite spaces with Digital Silver Imaging, Syb was always more than just a colleague; she was a guide and a mentor and remains, to this day, an endless source of inspiration.

She understands that true creativity requires vulnerability, and she helps those she works with step into that space, embrace it, and confidently move through it. J. Sybylla Smith is a monument of support, generosity, and collaboration in a world that often encourages competition and comparison. She is a prism that refracts light into color, turning a single beam into a kaleidoscope of possibilities.