The Art of the Personal Project: Mark Laita

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:  Mark Laita

I’m always working on personal projects and a few times art book publishers have decided to turn my projects into books, like Abrams did with Serpentine a few years ago. I use my personal projects as a way to do something pure which is in no way aimed at generating money. Ironically, they usually do in some way, either as a published book or gallery show or as an advertising project. I’ve shot many campaigns that art directors admitted were meant for me from the start since their ideas come from some of my personal images. For me, Serpentine was simply a project about form and color with a little danger and symbolism thrown in for interest. Personal projects always draw me back to why I chose photography as a career as a teenager. To this day they’re the life blood of my career as well as the key to my fulfillment as an artist. As with any marriage, it isn’t always perfect, but my advertising work and my personal work have a symbiotic relationship. Commercial work funds my personal projects and personal work inspires my advertising images.

 

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.  Instagram