The Creatives Project portrait series is an ongoing photographic documentation of the nations creative core. In an effort to pay homage, elevate and connect artists with viewers and with each other, I am building a visual archive of the artists,musicians, and cultural creatives that represent a citys creative heartbeat.
I have always been drawn to the creative culture and thoseparticipants who have existed on the fringe, underground, or outside ofthe commercial world of art and music. Recognizing the isolation thatso often exists for these artists, however, I have sought ways to useher photography to connect and foster a sense of community.
The Creatives Project encourages cross-pollination between visualartists, musicians, performance artists and the audience as a whole to bring exposure and access to the larger world of creatives existing outside of each artists work.
The Project culminated in Atlanta with a massive exhibition and event, Art + Music, in November 2009. The Exhibition featured a selection of Atlantas hottest DJs and producers photographed in their studios with their favorite childhood objects. Over thirty life-size portraits were displayed, including the underground movers and shakers that have influenced Atlantas musicscene, both past and present. Many of the photographed DJs performed,offering the over 500 guests in attendance a true multimedia presentation of their work.
Here are a few of the portraits included in the exhibition. ENJOY!
BLACK SUNSHINE
I've had the Sesame Street blanket for as long as I can remember. It's kind of messed up, but one of the most outstanding memories I have of it is that I watched my first porn film whilst wrapped up in it (it was a softcore feature on Skinemax)
I've had the Sesame Street blanket for as long as I can remember. It's kind of messed up, but one of the most outstanding memories I have of it is that I watched my first porn film whilst wrapped up in it (it was a softcore feature on Skinemax)
CHRIS DEVOE
"My toy is not actually from my childhood. I did however have lots of toys like this one when I was a child. When I was a kid I had my share of noise makers. I’m in my 30’s, my childhood toys are long gone. The toy in the photo is a kid’s toy that I use sometimes for sampling. It’s similar to the Speak and Spell, but without the computer chip."
"I loved being outdoors"
CULLEN COLE
"I received Rom the space knight on my 5th birthday from my 1st girlfriend Alma."
"I received Rom the space knight on my 5th birthday from my 1st girlfriend Alma."
CURT JACKSON
"I loved my collection of MUSCLE figures. I'd hit the drug store everyday before school and buy a few packs of 4 for a dollar. I guess you can say I was always a collector of the bizarre. also, my 1977 mork and mindy styled egg chair."
"I loved my collection of MUSCLE figures. I'd hit the drug store everyday before school and buy a few packs of 4 for a dollar. I guess you can say I was always a collector of the bizarre. also, my 1977 mork and mindy styled egg chair."
DRES THA BEATNIK
"According to my mom, she wasn't feeling good one day and I wanted to cheer her up. So there was an Earth, Wind and Fire (EWF) song on and I started immitating EWF for my mom. I started lip synching 'Reasons' by EWF into an extension cord... she said it made her feel better. My mom was the biggest shutterbug ever, she had to take pictures of everything... so the lip syncs were well documented "
"According to my mom, she wasn't feeling good one day and I wanted to cheer her up. So there was an Earth, Wind and Fire (EWF) song on and I started immitating EWF for my mom. I started lip synching 'Reasons' by EWF into an extension cord... she said it made her feel better. My mom was the biggest shutterbug ever, she had to take pictures of everything... so the lip syncs were well documented "
DJ GNOSIS
"It was a first-generation Sesame Street watcher, and apparently obsessed. Grover was my favorite (so sweet and vulnerable)...yet my first word was "cookie". I also had a Grover statue that my sister gave me. Later, she hid it and told me that he had gone back to 'Groverland', which was a tiny world that existed in the cracks between the bricks in our fireplace. I believed her"
"It was a first-generation Sesame Street watcher, and apparently obsessed. Grover was my favorite (so sweet and vulnerable)...yet my first word was "cookie". I also had a Grover statue that my sister gave me. Later, she hid it and told me that he had gone back to 'Groverland', which was a tiny world that existed in the cracks between the bricks in our fireplace. I believed her"
HAMACIDE
"I can't remember the exact Christmas that Santa brought me the Millenium Falcon, but I do know that it was the most badass thing I owned up to that point in my life. I was more of a collector of toys when I was a kid. I kept the original boxes... I don't remember ever flying it around or playing with it like they did in the commercials. I got you now Darth Vader, prepare to meet your doom! pweew pweew!"
HEATHER "b"
"As a child I grew up in the middle of nowhere TN. Besides playing with all of my fathers tools in his shop I started very young with my love for dirt. Good stuff comes in dirt...mud pies. I started collecting stones and gems very young in life. My grandfather would take me to the gully and we would sift in the creek for garnets. I would make mud pies and place rocks in them and bring them inside for my mother. I never understood why she was not impressed."
"As a child I grew up in the middle of nowhere TN. Besides playing with all of my fathers tools in his shop I started very young with my love for dirt. Good stuff comes in dirt...mud pies. I started collecting stones and gems very young in life. My grandfather would take me to the gully and we would sift in the creek for garnets. I would make mud pies and place rocks in them and bring them inside for my mother. I never understood why she was not impressed."
J STROKE
"Couldn't find my first/favorite which was a ratty old beanbag frog with a busted eye. This one was a close second hand-me-down from my mother's childhood days. An antique Jerry Mahoney dummy. Never got the gist of ventriloquism but loved his creepy grin and beat up wooden head. It also turns out my grandma made the suit after the original got worn out. This quite possibly led to my affinity for custom tailored suits and bow ties."
"Couldn't find my first/favorite which was a ratty old beanbag frog with a busted eye. This one was a close second hand-me-down from my mother's childhood days. An antique Jerry Mahoney dummy. Never got the gist of ventriloquism but loved his creepy grin and beat up wooden head. It also turns out my grandma made the suit after the original got worn out. This quite possibly led to my affinity for custom tailored suits and bow ties."
KAI ALCE
"I just remember playing with Merlin all the time. It had different games in it such like Simon (another favorite of mine), Tic Tac Toe. It was between music and playing the Merlin that my mom would be able to see if I was up past my bedtime in room!"
"I just remember playing with Merlin all the time. It had different games in it such like Simon (another favorite of mine), Tic Tac Toe. It was between music and playing the Merlin that my mom would be able to see if I was up past my bedtime in room!"
KARL INJEX
"the Diana-F.. a lovely piece of plastic in the form of a functional medium format camera. It was love at first sight."
"the Diana-F.. a lovely piece of plastic in the form of a functional medium format camera. It was love at first sight."
DJ KEMIT
"I started collecting match box cars around the age of 6. My favorites were always the Porsche and the Aston Martin series that played off the James Bond movies. Box cars were the status symbol of my neighborhood as I grew up. From wheels on my matchbox cars to my records whatever i'm spinning it's gotta be fresh. "
"I started collecting match box cars around the age of 6. My favorites were always the Porsche and the Aston Martin series that played off the James Bond movies. Box cars were the status symbol of my neighborhood as I grew up. From wheels on my matchbox cars to my records whatever i'm spinning it's gotta be fresh. "
KEVIN O
" The Gi Joe Snow Cat is the toy that my brother and I played with the most! You could not take it away from us back in the day."
" The Gi Joe Snow Cat is the toy that my brother and I played with the most! You could not take it away from us back in the day."
LADY EVE
"I’ve always loved musical toys, from a miniature piano given to me by my Grandpa or my first cassette deck. When I received a Simon, I was intrigued with the combination of rhythm and memory games. It kept me busy for hours. Of course I didn’t realize that Simon would lead to my passion for abstract rhythms, and it just so happened to be shaped like a vinyl record!"
"I’ve always loved musical toys, from a miniature piano given to me by my Grandpa or my first cassette deck. When I received a Simon, I was intrigued with the combination of rhythm and memory games. It kept me busy for hours. Of course I didn’t realize that Simon would lead to my passion for abstract rhythms, and it just so happened to be shaped like a vinyl record!"
LEB LAZE
"My green worm toy was bought in my Dad's hometown of Georgetown, South Carolina at Rose's Dime Store when I was about 2 or 3 years old. According to my Dad, he went into the store with me to buy a newspaper and in passing I grabbed this toy and would not let go. He had to buy it for me. I referred to this toy as "my wum."
"My green worm toy was bought in my Dad's hometown of Georgetown, South Carolina at Rose's Dime Store when I was about 2 or 3 years old. According to my Dad, he went into the store with me to buy a newspaper and in passing I grabbed this toy and would not let go. He had to buy it for me. I referred to this toy as "my wum."
LIL STEVEN
"When the gaming system was first introduced I begged my parents to get it for me months before X-mas. My older brother and I combined our wish list in order to insure it's arrival. Our first games were Asteroids, Missile Command and Space Invaders. We had just graduated from our original Atari Pong game console and were blown away at the graphics of the Atari 2600. Later came Defender & Pitfall, then we never left
the house. "
"When the gaming system was first introduced I begged my parents to get it for me months before X-mas. My older brother and I combined our wish list in order to insure it's arrival. Our first games were Asteroids, Missile Command and Space Invaders. We had just graduated from our original Atari Pong game console and were blown away at the graphics of the Atari 2600. Later came Defender & Pitfall, then we never left
the house. "
DJ LINDSEY
"This was my first record player ever and I drove my parents crazy with it! I had a Sesame Street alphabet record (my favorite song was the D song). I had a Strawberry Shortcake record (my favorite song was Strawberry Rap). My first real record was a 45 of "Rapture" by Blondie. I played it so much that I burned out the record and had to get a new copy!! I used the player from time to time as I got older when digging for records at shops that didn't have listening stations. Now, it mainly collects dust, but I will most likely keep it forever."
"This was my first record player ever and I drove my parents crazy with it! I had a Sesame Street alphabet record (my favorite song was the D song). I had a Strawberry Shortcake record (my favorite song was Strawberry Rap). My first real record was a 45 of "Rapture" by Blondie. I played it so much that I burned out the record and had to get a new copy!! I used the player from time to time as I got older when digging for records at shops that didn't have listening stations. Now, it mainly collects dust, but I will most likely keep it forever."
DJ MAFIOSO
"My toy is a pillow that my brother Louis made 1980... Funny cause I dont remember him ever sewing or doing crochet but I guess it was one of those junior high projects. We lived in New York at that time and Hip Hop was exploding around us...So of course the pillow has a B-Boy figure on it with a afro standing next to a boombox with some Lee jeans, some addidas and a turtleneck.. typical fashion at the time.. I was like 4 or 5.. He brought it home and it laid on his bed like a trophy..I loved that thing like it was mine...
"My toy is a pillow that my brother Louis made 1980... Funny cause I dont remember him ever sewing or doing crochet but I guess it was one of those junior high projects. We lived in New York at that time and Hip Hop was exploding around us...So of course the pillow has a B-Boy figure on it with a afro standing next to a boombox with some Lee jeans, some addidas and a turtleneck.. typical fashion at the time.. I was like 4 or 5.. He brought it home and it laid on his bed like a trophy..I loved that thing like it was mine...
MARS HALL
"we used to take or remote control cars and race them as if we were running the 100 yard dash"
"we used to take or remote control cars and race them as if we were running the 100 yard dash"
RASTA ROOT
"I started playin' soccer when we moved to Spain. Our visa status kept us from leave Spain for vacation etc... So, I spent a lot of weekends and summers kickin' my soccer ball against the wall in front of our apartment. Literally hours and hours... I think of three noises: me kickin' the ball, the ball hittin' the wall, then my foot trappin' the ball. It was very rythmic... almost like a drum pattern over and over. My ball was my instrument... it kept me sane all those days and summers...
"I started playin' soccer when we moved to Spain. Our visa status kept us from leave Spain for vacation etc... So, I spent a lot of weekends and summers kickin' my soccer ball against the wall in front of our apartment. Literally hours and hours... I think of three noises: me kickin' the ball, the ball hittin' the wall, then my foot trappin' the ball. It was very rythmic... almost like a drum pattern over and over. My ball was my instrument... it kept me sane all those days and summers...
ROBERTO LANGE
"When i was born i was really sick with chicken pox and i was on the verge of getting reye syndrome so i was in the hospital for a while and that was the dude that took care of me."
"When i was born i was really sick with chicken pox and i was on the verge of getting reye syndrome so i was in the hospital for a while and that was the dude that took care of me."
DJ SWIVEL
"This Sesame Street record is one of my first records. I got if for my 5th birthday. My parents were fed up with me playing with all their records. Before I knew how to read, I would use a crayon to mark the songs I liked on the record labels. So they started me off on my own collection. I have learned how to scratch with it and have been collecting music ever since. Now I have all my family's records. "
"This Sesame Street record is one of my first records. I got if for my 5th birthday. My parents were fed up with me playing with all their records. Before I knew how to read, I would use a crayon to mark the songs I liked on the record labels. So they started me off on my own collection. I have learned how to scratch with it and have been collecting music ever since. Now I have all my family's records. "
TAKA ANAI
"Growing up in Japan, I watched this 1960's Japanese sci-fi / super hero show called Ultraman. Ultraman has an extensive family and each family member is a super hero. I would collect them.When Ultraman came on, I would record the show's theme song using my father's boombox. This was a common practice because I would do the same for all my favorite shows. I guess you can say that was my first mix tape."
ROB WONDER
"When I was a kid I didn't have the biggest bedroom so i liked to
collect small things. Like small TV's, boom boxes, and M.U.S.C.L.E.s. When I saw the Transformer on the shelf I flipped out because it was the best of both worlds, a super dope action figure and a small boom box. I'm a collector at heart so that's the reason why I kept it so long."
"When I was a kid I didn't have the biggest bedroom so i liked to
collect small things. Like small TV's, boom boxes, and M.U.S.C.L.E.s. When I saw the Transformer on the shelf I flipped out because it was the best of both worlds, a super dope action figure and a small boom box. I'm a collector at heart so that's the reason why I kept it so long."
TRACI STEELE
"My favorite childhood object was a guitar. As a child I loved playing with any musically instrument but I was drawn to the guitar because in my eye it symbolized a rock star which is exactly what I wanted to be."
"My favorite childhood object was a guitar. As a child I loved playing with any musically instrument but I was drawn to the guitar because in my eye it symbolized a rock star which is exactly what I wanted to be."
DJ TRAUMA
When I was a youngster, my birthday was approaching one year, I asked my grandfather for a base ball bat and ball. My day came and I was so excited to find the big red bat i had asked for. It became my toy of choice for days, weeks on end. Couldn't get enough of it.
When I was a youngster, my birthday was approaching one year, I asked my grandfather for a base ball bat and ball. My day came and I was so excited to find the big red bat i had asked for. It became my toy of choice for days, weeks on end. Couldn't get enough of it.
VICKI POWELL
"I loved anything with wheels… skates, bikes, motorcycles, go-carts, skateboards, hot wheels, big wheels, the green machine, BMX, unicycles, turntables, WHEELS. I like to go fast. The motorcycle was my favorite because it would go the fastest and I could jump things and… my dad gave me this motorcycle �" he brought it home in the back of his truck one day."
"I loved anything with wheels… skates, bikes, motorcycles, go-carts, skateboards, hot wheels, big wheels, the green machine, BMX, unicycles, turntables, WHEELS. I like to go fast. The motorcycle was my favorite because it would go the fastest and I could jump things and… my dad gave me this motorcycle �" he brought it home in the back of his truck one day."
VIKKI VADEN & SUZY Q
Vikki
"I started playing with super-8 film when I was in high-school. I used to live in a movie theater, so being surrounded by film reels, the sounds of an old projectors, moving light beams coming out of the lens; all that stuff makes me feel at home"
Suzy:
When I was 10 my father bought a video camera for me and my brothers to create movies at home. We ended up making bad music videos by singing along to whatever was on MTV at the time
Vikki
"I started playing with super-8 film when I was in high-school. I used to live in a movie theater, so being surrounded by film reels, the sounds of an old projectors, moving light beams coming out of the lens; all that stuff makes me feel at home"
Suzy:
When I was 10 my father bought a video camera for me and my brothers to create movies at home. We ended up making bad music videos by singing along to whatever was on MTV at the time
ZANO BATHROOM
"My toy is Godzilla. I always loved Godzilla growing up, and I had a toy version of him. The one in the picture is not the same one, it's a little bit more awesome than the one I had."
PROJECT PRESS: ATL
PHOTOS + MUSIC EVENT PRESS: ATL
