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: Mead Norton
Sepak Takraw – The People’s Game
There’s a scene painted on a wall in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha where the god Manuman plays a game with 3 monkeys. The game is called Sepak Takraw, one of Asia’s most oldest and most popular sports. There are references to the game being played as far back as the 1500s. A cross between Hacky sack & volleyball, this timeless activity is the most widely played sport in Thailand. Sepak Takraw is simple; all that’s required is a ball, a net and an extraordinary amount of skill and athletic ability. It is today what is always has been, a game played by gods and by people.
As a child, I grew up playing soccer and when I didn’t have a soccer ball to play with, I spent hours playing what we called Hacky sack- where I would kick a cloth/knitted sac filled with beans around either by myself or with my friends. When I saw Sepak Takraw on a TV show where they were highlighting sports from around the world and I remember thinking that it was a wild sport.
Last year, when I had a chance to travel to Bangkok, Thailand, I decided to use the opportunity to explore the sport and the people who play it. Through the images I wanted to focus on the simplicity of the game- playing with the shapes of the court, net, ball and also the lack of equipment needed to play it- a lot of the players would play the game barefoot and at the same time highlight the athleticism of the players.
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.
