DEBBIE CARLOS

Debbie Carlos, independent photographer. A nice conversation about her creativity.

«I live in Chicago, in the U.S. This is a great city. 

Having lived in L.A., Manila, and in the Boston area, I think Chicago is the first city I’ve lived in that I’ve really felt a connection with. 

There is such a great sense of history that you can feel everywhere. You get the cultural happenings, the hustle and bustle of a large city, but there is also a really nice Midwestern relaxed attitude. 

You will also find a different set of neighborhoods surrounding downtown, and I think these communities make the city really interesting.  Also, the eating is pretty excellent.

I think I make my most interesting pictures when I travel or when I’m in nature. I love to look at art, especially self-taught art. 

I also draw unlimited amounts of inspiration from my friends.

Most of my imagery plays on a feeling or a mood: I try to document moments of everyday life that have a dreamlike, strange, or surreal quality. 

The images show events that happen in my life, but they are also not about me. I am absent, so that the viewer draws their own meaning from the image. My work aims to be universal.

I shoot both film and digital, but I have always loved film the best. The quality of film is so much weightier than digital. 

Digital can produce a great image and the process is a lot easier, but film will always have a certain look that produces a feeling that suits my work especially. 

I do also use re-purposed materials for my sewing projects. I love going to thrift stores and sifting through the pillowcases, bedsheets, oversized clothing to find materials and inspiration.

Having a camera on me at all times is the most helpful part of the creative process: sometimes there is nothing to take a picture of, but sometimes there is.

I make sure to take a lot of photos, even if I don’t feel very strongly about the shot, because I like to leave room to be surprised later.

I think the best thing is to always be open to the idea that anything can happen, at any time. 

Ideas, excitement, energy, a willingness to learn new things. This is creativity for me».

ODETTE NY_ Creative Wax

Jennifer Sarkilahti for  Odette NY: jewelry inspired by organic forms and industrial materials, natural, ancient artifacts and memorabilia.

Wax, ancient and modern techniques of carving and processing by hand.

Each design begins with a pencil sketch, which is accurately reproduced in wax as a small sculpture, only to be thrown into the metal.

Born in Virginia, Jennifer designs her handcrafts  product in New York, in her studio in Brooklyn.  

ODETTE NY combines the sensitivity of art and the evolving of fashion.
Traveling to far away places, art, walking through the woods, looking at an historical images collection, browsing through old books.

Wax and metal. Silver and gold, even non-precious metals such as bronze and brass.  

Jennifer is interested in the patina that develops over time.
Working with wax is like a sculpture. Each design has its own mold, where the jewels are replicated and then solidified.

Sometimes Jennifer prefers the freedom to create any designs. But others, it's nice to develop and explore a theme.

Bullet hole, animals, nature, circles, petit, sea: Odette NY collections. 

The last is based on the Scandinavian mountains, cutting out several variations of peaks to the right shape.

Jennifer does not want to communicate something specific: she just wants to create something beautiful, interesting, unique, authentic. 

The craftsmanship and the selection of her works move away from what the designer said.

A classic style, a bohemian flair.  

The distinctive sign of Odette NY is a biological aestethics.
Her creativity is something that is impossible to separate by, as a guiding force.  

The expression of what she sees and what she is able to shape with herhands.

GEORGINA CAMPBELL_ Go out and shoot!

Georgina Campbell is an indie photographer, who lives in Whitechapel, east London. 

A multi-ethnic and multicultural place, where Georgina perceived stimulus and new sensations.

Inspired by art and science, and how they weave themselves. 

But also steampunk, vintage photographs, old objects and situations, the strange and mysterious side of the past.

Random inspiration. Each work comes from a different idea. Fragments of memories or dreams, portraits to inspire the viewer.
As if they were 'nonsense to hang on the wall'. A sort of porthole to another world.
The creative process? Go out and shoot! 

Georgina always creates sculpture, crochet and knit.
The photography, however, is its primary expression: Holga camera, lenses, plastic and vintage analog process.

ERINTREES_ Mixed Media Nature

London. Jo Bower is the artist behind Erintrees.

"My source of inspiration is mainly nature. I am passionate about trees and the infinite patterns and shapes represented in nature. It is a never ending quest and I shall never run out of motifs to inspire me.

I try to show my enthusiasm in many different ways, I am fortunate enough as a teacher to be able to express myself in a number of disciplines painting, print, textiles and jewelry.

Whatever is necessary to communicate my passion.

I work as Head of Art in a sixth form college, preparing students for an Art Foundation or Degree course. It helps me keep up with trends and issues that artists and designers have to deal with. However this does mean that my own work has to be fitted into the evenings and weekends. This can be very frustrating when your mind is constantly pulling you towards thinking about your present project. To me an artist or designer doesn't switch off very often

but is always immersed in their creative thoughts. I love this about it."

VENUS SOBERANES_ Dreamlike Jewelry

Timeless Jewels.

Recycle and reuse. Vintage pieces and found objects. 

The beauty surrounds the imperfect sense of time. 

Dreams are the primary source of inspiration: that images so powerful, also the materials come from them. 

Dream images that create unique pieces. Dreams immortalized inside jewelry. 

A surrealistic creativity.

The jewels of Venus Soberanes trying to communicate a sense of mystery and awe. 

Creativity as the instrument of expression, awareness of the mystery of life, the riddle of this world through old things.
Yeah, old things: dolls of 1890, unearthed in Germany, called 'Frozen Charlottes'.
Pieces of dolls, vintage stones, crystals, brass, Swarovski stones and elements of fresh water.
An organic process of creation: Venus combine items, gems, crystals, stones, silk until the creation is balanced, even if asymmetric.
Looking for a sense of equilibrium and harmony: ancient necklaces or silk ribbons to wrap around the neck. The silk sari gives an old touch, but colorful.
Venus spent her days through its various art forms: painting, collage, jewelry, film maker.
Venus Soberanes believes that every human being is creative by nature. 

Children are spontaneously creative, while adults can be so only if they let theirselves be overcome by creativity. 

Write, paint, make films, create jewelry. How to express herself, creativity is the common thread.

Irrational Creativity. Everything comes from the imagination.