For Grace Anderson, art is everywhere. From photography to music to medicine, she sees God’s hand in it all.
Anderson is a junior at Taylor University and a longtime resident of Third East Olson. Majoring in human physiology and preventative medicine, she hopes to become a physician assistant (PA) and work in an emergency room.
However, her interests extend far outside the medical field. Anderson also loves art in a variety of forms. As a worship leader in Taylor’s chapel band, she enjoys singing and music as well as painting, reading and poetry.
She also loves creating art in the form of photography.
Anderson began exploring the photography field her junior year of high school. At first, she just snapped photos for fun with friends and family. But by the time senior year rolled around, she found herself taking senior pictures for people in her circle.
Eventually, she realized she wanted to pursue photography at a higher level.
“(Photography) is something that I always wanted to do, and I didn't want it to just be a side hobby anymore,” Anderson said. “I wanted it to be something that was really a part of me.”
She also appreciated the flexibility photography offered and was excited that people wanted to see and experience her art.
The summer after her high school graduation, Anderson finally pulled the trigger and started her own photography business, By Grace Noelle. Now, three years later, her business is flourishing, with her Instagram page boasting over 2,000 followers.
Anderson said she typically photographs individual portraits and couples, adding that her favorite photoshoots involve couples.
She described her style as “storytelling.”
“I just want it to look like it's just a screenshot of a movie that someone's watching,” she said.
She likes to give prompts to her subjects, making them feel more comfortable in front of a camera. Completing an action adds a natural element to her pictures, Anderson said. Instead of posing her subjects, she encourages them to move around, shooting the scene like a video rather than a portrait.
Anderson loves how photos can capture so much emotion, detail and meaning without any written description. She also enjoys seeing people at their best, capturing moments when they feel beautiful.
Her ideal photoshoot would be a couple’s session in a cozy cottage or cabin along the Oregon coast. She loves the dreamy, overcast aesthetic of the rainy coast combined with the comfortable and intimate atmosphere of a home.
Anderson appreciates how photography allows her to express her God-given capacity to create. As a Christian, she believes that all people are made in God’s own image and thus share his innate creativity.
“That's one thing that I always think about, is I get to create because my Creator created,” Anderson said. “And so it's something that's really cool that we get to share with him … we both get to be artists.”
Anderson plans to continue her work in photography after graduating from Taylor next J-term. She hopes to take a gap year from February 2025 to January 2026 and then begin PA school at the University of Evansville.
Though art and medicine are often viewed as separate spheres, Anderson sees a strong connection between the two fields. God intended for his creation to live a fulfilling life, and he enables human beings to experience more of that fullness through the gift of medicine, she said.
“People might find healing in medicine, but they find real healing in the arts,” she said. “And I just think it's beautiful.”
As she pursues her many interests, Anderson relies on good scheduling and planning to balance all her activities and classes. Being able to say no is another important skill, she added. While life offers many amazing opportunities, everyone has a limit.
Comparison is another challenge, especially at Taylor, she said. Different people have different workload capacities, and it is easy to envy another person’s ability to juggle multiple activities.
“Your limits are going to look so different from other people,” Anderson said. “Some other people are going to be able to just always handle more than you. And that doesn't mean that you're a failure or that anything is wrong with you.”
Busyness can also be an opportunity for pride, Anderson said. Successfully managing multiple activities can feed a person’s ego, so busy students must be intentional about staying humble.
Ultimately, Anderson believes each person’s routine will look different. There is no “one size fits all” approach.
“I think that (for) each person, God has a different plan (for) what busyness looks like and what fullness of life looks like,” she said. “And, yeah, I think it really takes slowing down and being able to find time to listen to him.”
As she embarks on her third year at Taylor, Anderson continues to pursue her passions. Whether snapping photos on a country road or helping a patient in the ER, she enjoys playing an active role in the masterpiece her Creator calls life.
To learn more about Anderson’s photography or to book a photo session, students can contact her through Instagram @bygracenoelle.
