Meet Chicago-based Artist Damian Chlanda
Damian Chlanda is a Chicago-based photographer and videographer, focusing on wedding and faith-based photography, and the co-founder of the God Sparks podcast. He also loves sharing his favorite coffee shop recommendations. You can find his work here, as well as on Instagram and X.
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to your current city?
DAMIAN CHLANDA: I am from Poland and been living in Chicago since 2015. I wanted to explore the world so I decided to move to the USA!
How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist?
I am Catholic artist and it is a huge responsibility. I do my work for glory of God and I have to make sure everything I create is aligned with Catholic Church teachings. It is also a great opportunity to share your faith and spread the good news of the gospel. My goal is to promote beauty of all sacraments of the Catholic Church—weddings, first communions, baptisms—but also help to promote stories of others with beautiful photography and videography.
Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
People really appreciate that I am actually a “Catholic photographer,” not just a “photographer.” They know that I will understand the importance of sacrament or simply how to behave during Holy Mass. There are also a few churches who support my work and they understand the power of beauty and how it can attract.
How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?
I think that it is our role to show the world the beauty of the Catholic Church. I think we should be working double to really focus on sending the message to the world about what is real beauty. If they see beauty of the Catholic Church in the form of art, they can be attracted to it. I know myself a few people who converted to Catholicism by interacting with art.
What is your daily spiritual practice?
I do pray the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet, and go to Holy Mass daily. I currently don't have spiritual director, but St. John Cantius would be a great place to find one. I do surround myself with great people, crafting holy friendships. We all are starving for holiness and heaven.
What is your daily artistic practice?
Practice, practice, practice. There is no other way than practice. Do it as much as you can but also create a schedule and routines to not get burnout. Also explore other types of art; it can really make you a better artist. If I am a photographer, it doesn’t mean I can’t try drawing or painting. It will definitely extend your understanding of your craft.
Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.
I recently went to Savannah, Georgia, where I met with my friend Jarred, for only two days. I was interviewing him for my last project on sacred art. It was a great trip where I could visit a new city, talk to my friend, meet new people, and have meaningful conversations. It felt like packing one month in two days, but that is what I love most, and art is allowing me to do it.
What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in your city?
There is one very powerful resource that is free: Google. Maybe it sounds trivial, but you can actually find literally everything there just but typing the right words. That is why I focus on SEO because I know how powerful it is. Don’t be afraid of going out and exploring, reaching out to people and saying hi, even on social media. Connections will come and you will enjoy the process. By the way, I’ve visited over 100 coffee shops in Chicago—you can find list on my website!