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: Ryan Dearth
“Heartland is a project that actually started as a documentary news assignment for the Daily Telegraph UK. It was as an outside-in spotlight on Rural America shortly after the 2016 election and eventually turned into a personal project as I came back of my accord to build the project into a more in-depth piece. The photos take place primarily in and around Wallace County, Kansas, which has a population of fewer than 1,500 people and is consistently one of the most overwhelmingly Republican counties in the nation.
The project eventually took hold for me and became a personal exploration of external factors on internal notions. I wanted the images to consider the relationship between rural communities and their surroundings, as well as the juxtaposition of isolation vs. desolation. At times these areas feel nostalgic – like a world left behind. At other times, the community feels vibrant and completely relevant in today’s world.”
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
Success is more than a matter of your talent. It’s also a matter of doing a better job presenting it. And that is what I do with decades of agency and in-house experience.
