drawingfromusic

Travel..Travel..Travel..

I started this year off with a New Years resolution to travel more frequently as well as made it my personal goal to connect with SGs/hopefuls on my travels and hopefully come home with new sets shot. We are six months into the year and I've successfully visited somewhere once a month and have met and shot with some amazing ladies as well..This seems like the perfect opportunity to also mention this summer's travel plans. I've kept a pretty tight lip (aside from some girls I've shot with) on this, hoping not to jinx things..But in about three weeks I'll be crossing the Atlantic and starting a six week trek that will begin in Ireland..Needless to say I will be meeting up and will be available to shoot SGs/Hopefuls interested in collaborating together during my time abroad..After about seven to nine days in the land of leprechauns we'll be making our way across more of the Atlantic into the United Kingdom. Beginning somewhere around Liverpool and navigating a nice route throughout the UK ending somewhere near Dover. Finally if all goes as planned we will cross one more body of water, the English Channel over to France where we'll meander for a bit over there..I will post something closer to the trip with more specifics since there a some pretty exciting SG things in the works for the trip but I don't want to get too off topic..Also if anyone has any recommendations on places I should stop through while across the pond..I'm all ears..That will probably be the biggest of the trips for the year but by no means the last one. I would very much love to return to the BC area and meet up and collaborate with @shaine and @psypher both ladies are super gorgeous and crazy talented. I'm also really dying to get back up the PNW and I've been dying to see Philly as well as a few more places I have some plans in the works and hopefully pan out. And as always I'm open to suggestions of places I should visit and shoot.

Sell..Sell..Sell..

When I shot my first set for SG back in October, so many thoughts and concerns overwhelmed me (angles,themes,set order,aesthetic) and above all putting together this perfect little set that could get accepted in the queue. I didn't necessarily know what that meant and what would happen once the set made it into the magical member review..I got a lot of great advice from existing photographers in the beginning which I'm much appreciative for and that the idea of becoming a staffer isn't something that just happens overnight..it was all just this unknown for me..Well, I can honestly say it took me a few sets to finally grasp what SG looks for in their sets and try to adapt those aspects into how I shoot my sets. I mean my overall goal had been to create a collection of images that showcases both how gorgeous and awesome the SG/hopeful in the set is while trying to keep a creative approach in the set's overall aesthetic. Anyway, I'm babbling off topic a bit..my point is I'd really love to become an SG staff photographer no matter how difficult may be, I'm up for the challenge. I'm a pretty determined guy, always evolving with my work, learning from my experiences and adapting them as a visual artist. We are only as good of an artist as much as we allow ourselves to be. I grew up with my parents doubting the idea that someone could make a living as an artist, this is always something that stuck with me and was enough for me to constantly challenge myself to succeed and to also prove it is possible to achieve what we can put our minds to accomplish. My personal goal for this next year is to have five sets purchased by SG. Originally, that's all you needed in order to apply for an opportunity to become a staffer but that bar was recently raised to ten. Regardless of the number of purchased sets required, I'm up to the challenge and feel I'm always learning from the successes of staffers I've met and traded notes with. I love that I had the opportunity to spend a week with @milloux and learned so much from her as a photographer.

There are a number of my sets currently in queue, I'm excited and confident could do very well and am excited for you guys to see. Not to mention a new set I just shot this past week with @janelane I cannot wait to get submitted..

I also have three sets currently in member review I'd love to see on FP..If you haven't yet, please go give all these ladies the love I know they deserve.

@hensely Eat Me Drink Me

@zelena Acquainted

@manic Wanderlust

Chicago Shoot Fest...

So this goal sort of goes along the same lines as my previous one. It's an idea I've been tossing around for some time and have discussed with a few different SGs who'd be interested in flying in and joining in the fun. I think it'd be a great opportunity to get the girls we have in the Midwest area and am hoping with the recent arrival of hopeful @midnightsun I may have some reinforcements to help plan and lure some other ladies from all around. I've taken a lot of notes from the Orlando shoot fest that @lilymai planned and would love to discuss the idea with @maud and see if she'd be interested in flexing her muscles as a shooters and join in the local fun..Also @milloux has been saying forever she has to make her way back out to Chicago..cough..hint..hint..cough.. But for now it's all just wishful thinking and a hopeful goal..If anyone would be interested in helping make this a reality or have needed an excuse to visit Chicago..please DM me and let's see how we can make this happen..Chicago is so fucking awesome and would be such a great place and so fun to coordinate some SG excitement in..

Building a Website...

The ultimate thorn in my side, is my personal procrastination to find the time to put together a website. Most people have hesitation because they don't feel that they have enough content for their sites or at least enough of a variety. That's never really been the case for me, if anything I get overwhelmingly anxious about having to sort through eight years of work and sort through what photos would be represent my work. It seems like I'm constantly going and if I'm not being a dad or working or traveling or shooting..I spend whatever additional time shooting other projects or editing sets for SG. I know..I know..I'm probably holding myself back from bigger opportunities or more exposure as an artist, believe me if I could snap my fingers and have it done I would..I honestly think it's a mix of my semi ADD I have, constantly starting new projects and a lack of time management. I need to sit myself down, much like I do when I'm editing work and make myself focus solely on sorting through my work making the selects for my site and put it all together. I can't use the excuse anymore of saying I don't know code so I can't build a website, with the conveniences of Squarespace and The Grid all I need to worry about are overall aesthetics of the site and a variety of work samples. I think I'm figuring if I put this out there publicly it will be the right sort of motivation for me to finally just do it..

Drawingfromusic : Artwork

A big personal goal of mine is to get back into painting again on a regular basis. I'm constantly inspired when I see SGs and members like @skyhook and @foodone always working on new pieces. For the longest time I didn't have the space to work on projects I wanted to and I'd start on a new piece then would have to pack things up when we would have guests. Now that I'm in a new space now, things are gonna change, art has always been my zen and I feel for so long since I haven't been able to create work outside of for jobs I feel like my anxieties have heightened. SG has been so therapeutic in some senses because it's allowed me to get more creative with the work I'm shooting and has inspired me to paint more often. I have so many unfinished pieces I'd love to go back through and complete and put together as a printed project encapsulating those unfinished years when I stopped painting/drawing and feel it's be a nice way to transition to working on some newer projects that have been conceptualizing during that time. I'll touch upon it in more detail in part two of my Life Soundtrack @bloghomework but Drawingfromusic derived a personal desire I had to pay it forward to many of the indie musicians/bands I got into while in grad school and was truly the beginning of the age of downloads. The idea was to create a music blog that featured the music and bands I was following at the time in these posts that married the idea of artwork and music. In the beginning, it started off nicely but then the realization set in, with daily posts meant artwork everyday, and slowly that progress began to lag. The upside was a variety of music outlets began to hire me for my creative writing and then ultimately my photo work as well and my blog had to go on hiatus.

The name though has lived on throughout the years and I'm excited to breathe life back into this concept with an updated face and more realistic objective in mind.

Like New Years resolutions I'm sure there are more goals I could come up with for myself to achieve. But let's be realistic, it makes way more sense to keep goals more attainable versus making up an oversized less impactful list and still working on the same goals in a years time. Right now, all I can do is focus on the quality of work I create both for SG and professionally so I can hopefully gain more exposure as a photographer as well as the opportunity to shoot with some the SGs on my own wish list.

Finally..my newest set, Play Crack the Sky with the super gorgeous and extra awesome @keekeez is now in member review. Please keep an eye out and give her all the love she deserves..I'm super proud of the set and would really love to see it on FP and make her PINK it's her time!!