Evolution of an Artist
I want to start by shouting out the team on this shoot, there’s something about the culmination of ideas and perspectives coming together to form a greater vision that has become a feeling that I crave from shoots. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at freestyking and using only the bare essentials to freestyle a vision. And though that’s a great skill to be able to just flow with a muse and establish a connection that the audience can sense, the feeling of accomplishing a complete production is much more filling. This year, the main creative goal is to increase the level and quality of production that I am able to see into fruition. This was my first time working with Alison (@alison.jn) and I can honestly say that I enjoyed her willingness to flow with the pace of the shoot but also to remain open to direction from both myself and Jaz (@jazmine_brinkley), the Creative Director behind the project.
This shoot marked a milestone for me that makes the set that much more special and favorable - it was me regaining my ability to create within a scene and that is largely due to the beauty and energy of Sunny Los Angeles. I recently linked up with a new friend/working partner, a photographer with mutual respect for each other's crafts, and in our conversation it seems that an artistic undertone behind one's work as a shooter was the main topic. He expressed his admiration for my work and noted that he always felt that something was being said just from glancing at a photo and it was interesting because in my opinion, that was an aspect that I had lost. But what was great to me is that this set gave me back those unstated words that I felt had been missing. The shots, the expression and the use of location all added to this statement that I am making and I am glad to have that back within me.
Looking at work from my early, misguided beginnings, something in me understood how to incorporate that artistic undertone. Though I was unaware at the time, it existed and was ever-present in the beginning. As I did more work and became discouraged by lack of tangible progress, I began to try and add new elements that I thought people wanted to see, to my fault. Hindsight being 20/20, I wish I had remembered to keep blinders on while running my race but lessons are learned through experience. At my present evolution as an artist, I am at peace with my current place and am excited for the journey ahead of it. My message and the tools I use to convey it have evolved along with me, providing an amazing foundation to springboard off of. Creating these stories, inventing moments and leaving space for real emotion and the inception of new ideas is where my true focus lies in present time. 2018 has taught me a lot about my journey thus far and I am grateful to be in such a great place to receive these truths.
