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: Ben Franke
Swerve Kings
While in SoHo, I saw a group sitting on these cool looking bikes. I asked to take their photo, which they obliged, and then told me: “watch this.” They stood in front of their bikes to stop traffic on Prince and Mercer and a rider named Obloxkz whipped down the block doing a wheelie and then quickly leaned back far enough to drag his free hand on the ground. This was my introduction to bike life.
Since that day, I have been interested in these bikers and have learned more what draws them to it. Biking gives them a sense of community, which they described as “bikes bring bonds.” While they are swerving through traffic in New York, and sometimes shutting down the streets during rideouts, they have formed a large community centered around riding, wheelies and swerving.
With Swerve Kings, I aim to capture these riders through portraits and in action to try to convey the feeling I first got when Obloxkz flew past me that first day in SoHo.
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.
