Below are the interviews I have done over the course of the Fall 2009 semester.
Web Genius: Gus Cawley
Creative Genius: Drew Phillips
Creative Genius: Marc Urbano
The first of which is from a gentleman named Gus. He worked on the website for a surf company called Wellen Surf Co. The website is WellenSurf.com. He helped in the design process of not only the site itself but its predicesor as well. Enjoy his interview, it is rather colorful.
1. Do you critique your own work? How?
Yes. I have found the most effective way to critique yourself is to step away from the project shortly after initial completion for somewhere between 3-5 days, long enough to really disconnect from it on a personal level. Then step back in and look at it again, almost as though it was not your work initially, and decide upon the positive and negative aspects of the piece. What works/what doesn't? What could be improved and how? What could be removed and why? Make these changes then step away again for a shorter period of time, come back and finalize it. Obviously this adds a substantial amount of time to finishing a project, the wait periods can be shortened if need be, I just like to really allow myself to disconnect so that I can honestly critique the work without worrying about hurting my own feelings.
2. If you could interview a creative person (past or present), who would that person be? Please explain your choice.
Lil Wayne without a doubt and without question. I do not know of another human who seems to just ooze creativity as naturally as he does. From the way in which he has decorated his body (ie tatoos), to his own personal style which varies from the traditional hip-hop/rap uniform of huge baggy clothing etc, to the process by which he creates his music, to the many different genres of music he has infiltrated and influenced, to the way in which he spends his money ranging from on his mother to on his mouth. He seems utterly determined to be creative, as if his whole existence is dependent upon, not necessarily being the best rapper alive as he is often quoted and referred to but also as the most creative rapper/human/lifeform alive and or dead. Even maintaining a creative way of looking at life to the point at which, when questioned about his addiction to codeine-laced cough syrup (ie purple drank, sizzurp) he says that, "people need to mind their own business, because even if it was heroin in the cup (the styrofoam cup he is often portrayed with presumed to be filled with drank), its still MY CUP...so fuck you."
3. What was the biggest opposing force that you encountered on your creative journey?
I do not think that being creative is necessarily difficult however making a living based on creativity is entirely dependent on your ability to convince the masses that your creativity, or uniqueness, is of interest to the public. Assuming that your creative creations are entirely creative then it can be assumed that they are unique, or have not been actively available to the public eye. The overall reaction of something new can often be negative until someone with enough clout in the industry takes an interest in it and makes the move. For example, we have discussed the idea of a tie-dye tank top for males for a few years now but were not able to release it until this past season for a few reasons primarily due to the fact that we were both a small (unique) company offering a new (unique) product and until we had convinced enough people in the industry that the piece would sell, the fact that we had created it did not matter. Now its a huge hit and both tank tops and tie dye are a staple in almost all men's lines from action sports to high fashion.
Drew Phillips is an automotive photographer. He has shot for numerous websites and magazines over the years. he was able to turn a love of photography and cars into a professional carreer. I love the shots he takes and the cars he gets to shoot even more. I am a car guy at heart but with his massive amount of creativity and exploration of the subject of automotive photography, I am truly inspired to one day, live the dream and shoot cars for a living! His website is http://www.drewphillipsphotography.com/. So take a look an enjoy all the shots that truly inspire me!
1. What is creativity to you? Do you consider yourself to be creative? Why or why not?
Creativity can be so many things. In my case creativity is something I struggle with, especially with photography. It can be difficult to continually come up with something that you haven’t done before. It’s very easy to stick with what you know and not push yourself. In the end, I think creativity is looking to your inspirations and coming up with something unique and original. It seems that about once or twice every year I have a big revelation that evolves how I approach taking photographs, and it always requires me pushing my boundaries and comfort level.
I’ve never really thought of myself as creative, which is strange since technically I’m artistic by trade. I think this is because I’m very methodical, and like I said before, creativity can come hard to me. If you look at my photography it has a very “clean” style, but many times there isn’t a lot of variation in terms of lighting, angles, etc. I can get away with this because I use different locations and different cars, but it wouldn’t necessarily work with other types of photography. This is something that most people wouldn’t notice, but this leads into the next topic…
2. Do you critique your own work? Explain.
I ALWAYS critique my own work. It’s a valuable skill to be self-aware of your own abilities and talents to know where you stand. Perhaps even more importantly, you need to be able to apply what you learned for the future so that you don’t make the same mistakes. Having other people critique your work is extremely important as well. I specifically remember several years ago when another photographer harshly critiqued a set of my photos. For some reason I took it personally, but later on I realized that what they were saying was right. After that I have always been eager to get criticism from others, and I make sure to not take it personally. I may not always agree with what they are saying, but I try and understand why they are saying it and use it to improve.
3. How do you manage to stay both personal and original in your creative endeavors?
Like I said before, it can be difficult to stay original. Many times I find myself going back to doing things that I already know how to do, but it results in the same end product. It’s always the most challenging to come with something original, but it’s also the most rewarding. Whenever I realize that I’m stuck in a rut of not creating original work, it’s motivation to get more creative.
4. Has rejection ever affected your creative process? Explain.
I’ve found that I’m more critical of my own work than any editor, so I haven’t had much rejection in terms of my photography. I think this can apply to most jobs – be your own critic and continually push yourself past what is expected of you.
5. What kind of jobs did you have before your career took off?
I have to admit I’ve never had a “real” job, or at least one that I’ve never loved doing. I started fast-autos.net in high school, and that led to my endeavors in photography, so it’s pretty much the only thing I’ve ever done. I still find it amazing that I can make a living doing what I’m doing, and I know that I’m very fortunate.
I sent out many requests for interviews and got a few responses back and instead of only going with one person, i decided to go with two. Marc Urbano is a well regarded automotive photographer. He has been featured in magazines like Road & Track as recently as the November 2009 issue where he shot pictures for the Targa Race. His pictures show character and skill throughout. I truly admire his creative works and i one day will aspire to get to the same level as he has reached. I hope some day I can work for a well known magazine and shoot pictures for it just as Mr. Urbano is able to do. Thanks again Marc! Here is a link to his own personal website --> http://www.marcurbano.com/
1. What is creativity to you? Do you consider yourself to be creative? Why or why not?
I believe in the common dictionary definition of creativity. That
is being original and imaginative. It was what I was taught in
college. But having worked professionally, being creative also means
combining originality with the demands of your client, ie art
director. Almost always I have guidelines from my art director that
include things like locations, style, composition, etc. And those
demands should always be first and foremost. Your client's demands
must be met but that shouldn't kill your own creative input. That is
the beauty of digital photography. Digital photography enables a
photographer to quickly assess a photo, judge if it meets your clients
needs, then shoot your own frames adding any ideas that you'd like to
try. Don't be afraid to try new things, quirky ideas, etc. But
always have that fallback solid idea. As far as being creative
myself, I like to think that I have my moments! I sure give 100%
every time I shoot. And I don't always feel that I am successful. I
also like to think that I'm a very open minded person. So I'll admit
that many of my pictures have been a combination of ideas from others
such as an art director, writer, photo assistant, etc. I'll ask
anyone on a shoot for their opinion. Being open to ideas of others
has been very rewarding for myself. You never know who might have
that one killer idea that makes or breaks a photograph. And I almost
forgot, but you've got to be very sound in photographic technique. If
you are constantly thinking about technique that doesn't free up your
mind to think creatively.
2. Do you critique your own work? Explain.
I absolutely always critique my work. I'm easily my sternest
critic. That is my prime motivation to strive to do better each time
I shoot. Family and friends won't always give you there honest
opinion of your work. Critiquing your work is a definite learning
experience. When shooting sometimes it gets hectic on location or in
the studio, and it is easy to overlook an aspect of the photo that
could be improved. So going back and studying your work point out
things that you could have done differently or better. And those are
things that if you find them once, you'll be more apt to not repeat
those mistakes, etc. It only improves your future work.
3. How do you manage to stay both personal and original in your creative endeavors?
I'm passionate about cars, motorcycles and racing so shooting them
professionally couldn't be anymore ideal for me. If you are just
launching your photographic career, shoot the things that interest you
and you'll be surprised how your knowledge of the subject comes
through in your photography. I truly believe all photographers over
time develop a signature style. And that is a good thing because art
directors like photographers that have their own style. It shows them
that a shooter can be focused and determined. But again don't be
afraid to venture away from the things that are your strengths. That
makes shooting fresh and new. I try to treat every job I do as equal.
Whether it be a large scale shoot for a car manufacturer or a 10
minute grab shot for a editorial client, treat all your jobs as if it
is the most important job you've ever had. I think that drives me to
do well each and every time that I shoot.
4. Has rejection ever affected your creative process? Explain.
Rejection absolutely has affected my creative process. As a
photographer you can't be afraid of rejection. it is a learning
experience. No matter how hard you try, you not going to please
everyone all the time. Sometimes your client has an idea that, even
with open ends of communication from both parties, the end result
isn't always agreed upon. Rejection makes every photographer better.
It drives me to be a better photographer because you absolutely don't
want to hear that your photo is mediocre, or worse below standard.
Don't take rejection personally because you get a lot of it as an
emerging shooter. Try to put a positive spin on it. Art directors
love to see a when a photographer has taken criticism and builds upon
it to make an image better. Rejection is a tough pill to swallow at
first but I definitely have benefited from the critique of others.
5. What kind of jobs did you have before your career took off?
Like most photographers, I assisted others. I didn't do it very
long but in the short amount of time that I did I learned so much. I
think that it is essential for young photographers to assist. Not
only do you learn technique but you also learn things like how to deal
with art directors, clients, models, etc. In college my professors
constantly stressed creativity. But art school didn't teach me nearly
enough about photography as a business and about professional conduct.
Photography is about constantly learning and improving yourself. If
you can try work in the industry. While I was in school I was a color
printer/film developer at a lab. And right out of school when
assisting jobs were scarce, I worked as a photoshop artist for a stock
agency. In all of those jobs I was exposed to the work of others.
Whether it was as a color printer or photoshop artist, I studied the
photo in front of me and tried to dissect it and see what made it
successful, unsuccessful, etc