The Artist Project

Welcome to The Artist Project

An artist is always creating. Their art is not confined to their stage, their painting studio, their sheet of music, or their instrument. The creativity doesn’t cease when they step out into the world. The creative is always drawing upon their experiences to add to their art. But they aren’t separate from the rest of the world. They are among us every day, living, eating, playing, and creating.

This site was born out of a desire to show the life of artists, and the juxtaposition of their daily life with their art. To tell a story about their life, and recognize their amazing creative talents.

To the artists of the world: we see you. We share your struggles and your triumphs, and we want to tell your story. Thanks for checking out The Artist Project!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Courtney | Nashville Author | Sneak Peek!

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Hello everyone!

After far too long of a hiatus, we are so excited to be back to photographing artists! Today’s session with young adult author Courtney was absolutely amazing. Her debut novel is in the process of being published, and we’re so glad she allowed us to photograph a glimpse of her life as a writer todayCourtney is one of the most beautifully inspiring people I’ve ever met, and I can’t wait to share more of her story later on! But for now, here are just a few favorites from today, including an iPhone shot (the second image)!

Thanks again, Courtney!

And thanks to everyone for sticking with us through our winter break! You can also join us over on Facebook to stay up to date with our new sessions.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

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Friday, November 30, 2012

Andy Musser | Seattle Illustrator

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Hello friends!

I think I spoke too soon on Anna’s post saying it was the longest between the shoot and the full post haha. We met and photographed Andy back in October, then November has been a complete whirlwind! But I’m so happy to finally be sharing his story! And super thankful to our friends Carrie and Austin for introducing us to Andy!

Andy is an illustrator, currently living in Kirkland, WA. He studied children’s book illustration in school, and so much of his work tends towards that direction. He is absolutely incredible (as in, I hope to have him do some custom work for our very far in the future children’s nursery some day!)! He just recently went full time as a freelancing artist, which can definitely be scary. Listening to him talk about the way he arranges his day, and the way he nourishes his creativity is completely awe inspiring. This is a guy who truly loves what he does, through all the ups and downs. The apartment he shares with his sister is practically wall to wall with both their creative endeavors. One half of the living room is a sketching table, computer, and tablet where he does his digital work (no tv to be found!). And in the other room, is his painting studio. He told us a lot of his day involves using the computer, the opposite of what you’d usually expect from a visual artist. But his painting studio, where he does his fine art work, is where his true love is! We got to watch him work on a painting during our session, and you could practically see him transform.

For Andy, a big part of his every day life is working in his studio. But he also knows it’s important for an artist to draw inspiration from other experiences. So when he’s not working on his art, he can often be found playing his ukelele, or spending time along the Kirkland waterfront (one of my new favorite places!). So anyway, here is a peek into the life of an illustrator

This adorable older couple were walking along the opposite pier, and Andy decided to sketch them

Andy said this was his favorite street in Kirkland, and I have to agree! All the leaves were gorgeous!

Waiting for coffee at a favorite coffee shop

Thank you so much for allowing us to photograph you, Andy! Your artwork is so amazing, and I’m glad we got to know you

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Saturday, October 27, 2012

Andy Musser | Seattle Sneak Peek

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We are in Seattle this week, and today we got to photograph illustrator Andy Musser! Of course the Pacific Northwest is gorgeous, then getting to meet and photograph awesome people on top of that? Yeah, safe to say it’s been a great tripI can’t wait to share more soon, here’s just a quick peek for now!

Thanks for showing us around Kirkland today, Andy, and for hanging out with us! And a big thanks to Carrie for connecting us with Andy, this was the perfect session for our Seattle trip!

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Monday, August 6, 2012

Anna

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Hello all!

We are so excited to finally being sharing the full post from our session with Anna in Portland! I think it’s our longest delay between shooting and posting, and I’ve been antsy about getting it out here. Plus, Anna’s session marks our fourth artist, which was my unwritten benchmark for when we would finally share The Artist Project on our main photography blog. Eek!

So anyway, Anna was the perfect fit for an Artist Project shoot. If I’m being honest, the way we go about contacting artists for shoots is slightly stalkerishChris or I will have an idea for a type of artist in a certain city, and then we start Googling. So we had a trip planned to Portland, OR, and knew we couldn’t pass up the chance for an Artist Project shoot. I randomly had it in my head that it would be awesome to photograph a cello player, and some googling led me to the Portland Cello Project Facebook page. I picked a few names off their list of members, did some more searching, and decided to email Anna. Here’s the cool thing we’ve found out: usually the people who will respond to our emails are the ones who “get” what we’re trying to do with the Artist Project. And that’s awesome.

During our pre-session Skype chat, Anna told us about how she started playing classical music at age 4. She was a classically trained cellist as she grew up, but soon found herself being burned out. Her personal journey brought her from Wisconsin to Portland, and she completely fell in love with the city. A brief time in NYC cemented her love for Portland, and she returned and embarked on an amazing journey. She discovered a new love and combated burnout by writing and performing her own music, and she’s also been touring with the Portland Cello Project for five years. She is an extremely talented and dedicated musician, and we are so thrilled she took the time out of her super busy schedule (she’s working on a new solo album!) to let us photograph her! Here are some favorites from our session:

Anna and her adorable dog, Cricket

Some of Anna’s friends and fellow musicians we met as we were heading on to our next location!

Due to her rehearsal schedule, Anna literally ends up carrying her cello everywhere she goes! Library, grocery store, restaurant, etc. Can’t leave it in the car, so it goes with her!

Thanks again, Anna, for allowing us to photograph you, and for playing a little bit for us. You are amazing!

Also, Anna has a Kickstarter project that ends August 21st to fund her new solo album. You should all definitely check it out, because I know it’s going to be fantastic!

Have a great week, everyone!

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Monday, July 23, 2012

Anna-The Portland Cello Project | Sneak Peek!

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**Update 7/30: Anna just launched a Kickstarter campaign for her new solo album, and you should definitely check it out! She is crazy talented! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1092588804/the-gospel-of-tree-bark-anna-fritz-records-a-new-a**

We are in Portland for a conference, and are so excited we were able to line up a shoot for the Artist Project! Anna is a cellist with Portland Cello Project, and I can’t wait to share more about her story later! But here is a sneak peek for now!