is an artist and the founder of Objektiv Press. Working across image and text, she uses the book as her primary exhibition space. She holds a BA in project management and an MA in creative writing.

Taylor Prinsen: When you think back on your career and your artistic practice, how do you feel like your skills, your connections, and opportunities all met?

Nina Strand: I think it’s a little bit of luck and a little bit about right timing and right opportunities. I think it’s about timing in every situation you’re in, but it’s only about timing if the work you’re doing is good enough.

Connection is always a good thing, I think. I’m just thinking that when I got the chance to work with my Swedish publisher, it was because another photographer recommended my work. He said, “Oh, my publisher will love these, you have to send it.” So of course, I’m very lucky that I was able to send it to my now-publisher with the name of my friend with me, right? I mean, that’s the thing. It’s timing, but he wouldn’t have said that [and they wouldn’t have taken on my project] if the work wasn’t strong.

TP: When do you feel like you became taken seriously as an artist, especially as a female artist? And how do you feel like that came about?

NS: I think that my book ‘Dr. Strand’… that one really got a lot of prizes, which was absolutely wonderful for me, and also was bought by the National Museum here in Norway. And, you know, that’s a sort of stamp, isn’t it? So… I’m in! I can feel like I’m an artist now! And then they bought the other ones as well.

TP: And what do you think stuck out about the book to the people at the National Museum?

NS: ‘Dr. Strand’ is such a small art object of its own (and I’m saying this subjectively) - it is designed to look like a moleskin notebook. When it came out in 2015, there weren’t that many small books like that. So of course it stands out. It’s also very easy because it’s red! And the story, about a mother and a granddaughter who have never met. So yes, there are a lot of things I was very happy with regarding that book.