MICHAEL

What activities/art-form did you pick up as a kid that shaped you into the artist you are today ? In what way do YOU think it shaped you ?

“As a kid I’ve always been interested in anything that has to do with cameras, whether it’s photography or videography. My mom‘s brothers were both in the film and photography industry and their careers always peaked my interest. I started filming skateboarding when I was 15 and I feel like it shaped my entire life for my teenage years. I even went to summer camp for it, and I was taught by some of the most well-known skate filmers in the “industry.” I met a lot of people through something skateboarding when I was like 15 I was hanging with people that were like 12 to 30 years old so introduced to real life at kind of a young age. I feel like I grew up really sheltered until I started to skate. Filming really helped me see the real world.”

Were you picked on as a child ? If so how ? How do you think that affected your life today as an artist ?

“I was bullied a lot as a kid, never anything physical, but I was called a lot of shitty names as a kid like “f*g” That was a big one. Not until I turned 16 I was like really small for my age and I got picked on for my size a lot and it wasn’t until I got sent away to boarding school where I really started to grow and like actually get tall but even after that, I’ll still picked on a lot. I feel like I’ve always been kind of an easy target. I was mostly picked on kids by my own age so I started hanging around kids that were older than me and I was introduced to like a lot of art and music and just everything because I was hanging out with people that are much more “mature” than I was. Looking back, they probably weren’t the best role models but I would say I am the artist I am today due to the fact I was kind of getting shunned by people my age.”

What daily activity makes you feel most connected to your hands within your Art-form ?

“This may sound cliché, but I feel like walking really helps me. Savannah is such a sick small city and I feel like if I didn’t walk everywhere I would really under appreciate it. Walking around helps me notice things that I wouldn’t really see during my day to day life. Sometimes I wish I carried my camera with me everywhere though.”

What do you appreciate most about how YOUR art makes you feel ?

“I speak on this a lot whenever someone asks me whether I prefer film or digital. I appreciate film photography more because I think it takes more talent. I appreciate that I have to take my time with every shot. I can’t just hold down the shutter and hope for the best. I have to take my time for every shot I take. I feel like film photography makes me a more resilient person. I’ve lost loads of rolls dude to user error but I just had to move on to the next.”

What pushes you to be a better artist today ?

“I am really hard on myself when it comes to my art. I think it can be beneficial for me sometimes because I really try to push myself to do better. I think being critical to myself can be healthy in some ways. I think if I wasn’t so critical I wouldn’t be where im at today with my photography. I know it’s probably not the best that I set such high standards but I try to look at it from a different perspective. For example, I’ve thrown away rolls of film that I wasn’t satisfied with the results, kind of as punishment to myself. It teaches me to learn from my mistakes and I always try to shoot a better roll than my last one. Even though I’m my own worst enemy, I feel like it’s beneficial to myself.”

BONUS QUESTIONS.

Do you have any tattoos ? If so, which is your favorite and why ?

“This is a super tough question. I would say the dog on my stomach. It represent my two dogs back at home. Ethan over at in the moon tattoo in San Diego had it on one of his flash sheets. It looks exactly like my dogs so I knew I had to get it. I only have it on one side and maybe I’ll eventually get it on the other but who knows.”

Do you have any scars ? What is the story on them ?

“Yeah I got a couple. I got one on my neck. It kinda looks like someone stabbed me in the throat but I actually have parathyroid surgery when I was 15. I had a tumor and got it removed. I also have one on my collar bone. I snapped it in half when I was 16 and I got surgery twice on it. That shit was so rough. I also got some on my thighs. They look like self harm marks but I promise they’re not. My mom saw them once and asked me to roll up my shorts because she thought I had cut myself. The story is super fried actually. I was trying to do a wheelie on my friends electric dirt bike and I slipped out right away. I layed the bike down and Cut open my thighs.”

Favorite quote ? Why ?

“I love this question. I used to play a lot of CS:GO growing up and I always remembered this one quote that was on the loading screens for when your about to join a match. The quote is, “He who strikes terror in others is himself continuously in fear.” -Claudius Claudianus. I think that quote kinda helped me through a lot. I played Csgo all throughout high school especially around when I was getting bullied. It kinda made me realize that the dudes who were calling me fag and stupid shit like that were just insecure themselves.”

How do you wish others describe you ?

“I hope others see me as creative. I try to present myself as an open book but I think that sometimes comes across as sensitive and vulnerable sometimes. I usually try to represent how I’m feeling emotionally through my photography and I hope people catch on.”

What are your favorite pair of shoes/boots, and why ?

“Oh, I gotta say my Solomon’s. They are my daily drivers for sure. I got them this past winter and I wear them almost every day. They are all black so they go with everything. I also love my merrell Moab’s but the Solomon’s are my favorite right now.”