Personal Projects: Michael Greenberg

The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own.  I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before.  In this new revised thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find.  Please DO NOT send me your work.  I do not take submissions.

Today’s featured artist: Michael Greenberg

The Make Something series was born out of a time when I was writing a lot of estimates and being asked to justify each line item, which made me realize that very few people are privy to the process of what really goes into making a photo shoot. In a broader sense, so much of what we buy and use we have come to take for granted. Consumption is run on autopilot. We order things on Amazon, it shows up in two days or so, it breaks, and the cycle repeats. Or we go to a bar or restaurant, we eat, drink, leave, and it’s just a moment of our day. Many of us have come to settle for things  that are just “good enough” because it’s easy and readily available, and more is just around the corner. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money and I was taught that if I were to buy something, I should seek out quality over quantity which feels harder these days as so much is mass produced in order to be sold at a discount and delivered quickly. It feels like few things these days are still made by hand, so I decided to make a tribute to those people who remain dedicated to the art of making things. It’s about people with a passion for the moving parts.

I chose Transmitter Brewery when I met Rob Kolb (a former Creative Director for theatrical advertising) through a mutual friend. Rob invited me to their brewhouse to document the making of one of their PH sours. He explained to me that they simply make beer that they like, and it was very clear to me that he and his partner Anthony Accardi (a former photo finishing studio owner) truly love what they do. Their brewing process manages to be both wholesome and intimidatingly scientific, and they show their unique personality by experimenting with unexpected flavors. In fact, these are award-winning small batches of beer which are so popular that it took me shooting this to actually get my hands on one! It’s the best reason yet I’ve had to drink on the job.

To see more of this project, click here.

APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration industry since the mid 80s. After establishing the art buying department at The Martin Agency, then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies, she decided to be a consultant in 1999. She has a new Twitter feed with helpful marketing information because she believes that marketing should be driven by brand and not by specialty.  Follow her at @SuzanneSease.