[T]oday we got some good press… As I woke up to friends tweeting and texting me I hesitantly went to read the article. I’ll be honest, reading about your work from someone else’s perspective is always terrifying. Do they get it? Do they even like it? Are we on the right path, saying the right things? Sometimes, when you are “in it” its hard to see the bigger picture. I read this article and looked back on this crazy cinemagraph journey that started 5 years ago and I have to say, an overwhelming feeling of pride and love came over me. I love my work, I love that I get to do what I love as work, and I feel so, so, very lucky that people like it. That there is a digital audience to even see it and if we do a good enough job at reaching an emotional string- share it with their own networks.
Last summer I read a book about Edward Weston where he said in 1930:
“If this could happen- a beautifully printed book of my work- it would ‘make’ me. And the wider distribution of my work, -knowing that it was being seen by hundreds or thousands, instead of the handful who come in here, would have a fine, strengthening effect upon me.”
With digital art the internet is our book and the fact that millions of people have seen some of our cinemagraphs from around the world gives me some sort of greater fulfillment even if they don’t know our name. To share images that tell a story of the times, that can take you to a place, that can remind you of the way something feels or even maybe dream a little is a my own dream job. As a photographer, don’t you want as many people as possible to see, share and respond to your work? I know Weston did and I know I do too.
Sometimes people have certain connotations about commercial work or commissioned work by brands with artists. I actually love working with brands. Understanding their message, finding how I fit into their world, what it is about their idea or product that inspires me into resonating a vision in my mind. Telling brand stories is a creative challenge and finding the balance between you-pay-me-to-work and I-make-something-meaningful-as-an-artist is always a struggle, but the one thing I will not sacrifice. That makes it possible when stepping back and looking at 5 years of work to feel proud of what you made because it came from your heart. Of course, not everything we do is commissioned by brands such as the examples in the article, sometimes we catch it blowing by in a moment in time or glimpses into our own life.
So we hope to continue to fill your feeds with beautiful cinemagraphs to the best of our ability. We hope to spend our life giving you something you want to look at for as long as possible.
Thank you for the support.