Fashion
3 Young Photographers On Staying Inspired & Making Art
It's a challenging time for creatives right now.
It's a challenging time for creatives in quarantine and social distancing. But photographers from Google's Creator Labs, an incubator initiative, are adapting to the times. After the jump, Joshua Kissi, Andrew Thomas Huang, and Myles Loftin talk about their new work and staying inspired.
What was the concept behind your series "From Harlem to Howard"?
It's a portrait series of graduating seniors Ariel, Shamyah, and Cheyenne, who have been a part of "Figure Skating in Harlem" since elementary school. I captured their summer before attending Howard University in Washington, D.C.
How have you adapted to creating while social distancing?
I'm in the industry and market where even when the whole industry is collapsing, we're expected as creatives to stay creative through it all. I'm trying to take as much time for myself as possible while working on projects.
What was the concept behind your series for Creator Labs?
I wanted to create a portrait series that says we among the queer Asian diaspora have the ability to crown ourselves and inhabit roles in which our value is celebrated, venerated, and adorned.
How are you staying inspired right now?
My mornings focus on what matters most to me: writing, reading, activism, thinking, working on my feature film. I also go on daily walks behind West Los Angeles College. The view over the LA skyline has never been more beautiful during this pandemic.
What was the concept behind your series for Creator Labs?
I was inspired by the lack of social interaction and intimacy everyone was experiencing on a global scale. I wanted to use the Pixel to explore the tiny glimpses of intimacy I experienced while social distancing in Maryland with my parents.
How have you adapted to creating while social distancing?
I've learned how to think outside the box and to make use of the things that are laying around in my house. Social distancing has also caused me to get back into self-portraiture since shooting other people isn't as easy at the moment.