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 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: Kris Davidson
As an immigrant, Kris Davidson’s personal work considers the American experience. She’s recently embarked on a new project that will touch ever state in the union. The American Imagination: Myths, Tall Tales and Legends in the United States is a writing and photography project that seeks to contextualize stories from each of the American states as an entry point to looking at modern American culture. Stories — in particular, myths, tall tales and legends that incorporate elements of the fantastical and surreal — all contain fragments of truth, holding the history, fears, hopes and aspirations of a people. The fantastical elements of a culturally held story allows for heady hyperbole in celebrating triumphs, while also providing a buffering analgesic effect in making sense of dark tragedies.
Kris projects that it will take 8 years to produce the work; she’ll be rolling out the first few states on her website (www.krisdavidson.com) in a couple of months, but for now you can keep up with the progress on her Instagram (@hellokrisdavidson)
Researchers at the UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico adjust a malfunctioning display. The New Mexico chapter of The American Imagination considers the tale of the Roswell alien crash in 1947 as well as the state’s enduring nuclear legacy.
Watery reflections undulate in opaque waters that feed into the Weeki Watchee River in Weeki Watchee, Florida . The Florida chapter of The American Imagination takes a look at the whimsical origin story of Ponce de Leon and his question for the Fountain of Youth in this sundrenched state surrounded and defined by water.
Girls at their first communion at the Santa Monica Church in north Dallas. This image is a part of the Texas chapter of The American Imagination, which considers the JFK assassination and related stories and conspiracy theories.
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.