the protection of important things In Shaden's world we encounter layers of metaphor that carry lives of their own, sometimes revealed, often not. The great mystery here is intact and part of the encounter with these images is about leaving us open to ourselves. Not all art achieves this state as seamlessly or as beautifully, though sometimes painfully, as Brooke Shaden does. Taking inner states and casting them out like a net into dark waters, it is the environment, the landscape that gets caught up in the catch. The two come through intertwined, almost indiscernible, personal narrative, myth, idiom, and above all mystery. Imagine Virginia Woolf and Carl Jung, out of a shared, unshakable longing, setting out to sea in search of the great, beautiful, terrible unknown. Their suitcases, upon return, would be filled with photographs such as these. Each one fragments, captured states of all that may be fleeting yet is still so necessary. AHC: What first drew you to art? Was there a specific moment in your life or turning point where it became clear to you that you were being called to create? Brooke: I have always felt like creating was an intrinsic part of myself. I never considered that I wouldn't lead a life centered around creating, though photography was not always my focus. My first passion was writing, which turned to filmmaking in high school when I took a course that I loved. I went to college and studied Filmmaking and English Literature and graduated with degrees in both. Right around the time of graduating, however, I had a creative breakthrough. I had been creating short films that were dark, creepy, and surreal but never fully connected with the process. I love to work alone and create quickly, but film doesn't allow for both of those things to happen. I found myself frustrated with not being able to get all of my ideas out. That was when a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to take self-portraits with her, since we lived in different states and didn't see each other much. I thought it would be fun so I pieced my equipment together and began taking self-portraits in my small apartment in Philadelphia. After the first few shots I was absolutely hooked, and I never looked back. It was the first time in my life where I felt completely free - from collaboration, from constraint, and from judgment. waiting for mother AHC: Could you talk some about your overall process, themes & inspirations? Brooke: My process is very rooted in theme. I love to think of one or two words that encompass the message of the image and then plan from there. For example, some themes that I love to deal with are "life vs. death", "decay", and "fragility". Other slightly happier themes would be "finding hope in darkness", or "overcoming adversity". Given the theme, I then start to ask myself why I am drawn to that message and what statement, specifically, I am trying to make. After I have the "why" down, I begin to ask the literal questions, such as what prop/wardrobe/color/location (etc.) would bring this theme to life. From there I create the image and usually spend about 2-4 hours average in Photoshop after. the world above AHC: Who are some of your artistic influences? Is there anyone outside of the art world whose work has impacted your own, or who just generally inspire you, writers, filmmakers, musicians etc? Brooke: Yes absolutely! I love books and paintings very much. My favorite book is Dune by Frank Herbert (I even have a quote from it tattooed on my arm). I love anyone who can create totally unique worlds while still maintaining an interesting and important message. I love the Pre-Raphaelite painters as a visual inspiration. My favorite movie is Pan's Labyrinth which inspires me endlessly for the visual representation of theme. catharsis AHC: One of my favorite pieces of yours is one entitled 'catharsis,' visually it's amazing but also metaphorically it feels very meaningful and layered, could you talk some about the inspiration behind this piece? Brooke: Thank you for saying so, as it was my personal favorite piece that I created in 2016. It felt more personal than the rest of my images. I remember really feeling like I looked like that on that particular day. It was unnerving and refreshing to feel something so deeply and then accurately represent that in an image. I remember feeling like my skin was crawling. I felt like I was not myself, like I was just a hollowed version of her. So, I created an image with stuffing coming out of my back. It was sort of the visual representation of "having the stuffing knocked out of you". To me, there are infinite ways of telling a single story. For this image, I chose for it to take place in a bed due to the intimate nature of the space. It felt like peeking into someone's private world. The lighting had the effect of making the situation seem very poignant and reflective. And the deep blue colors gave an overall feeling of melancholy, as did the hunched pose. finding your place among the stars AHC: You've written that self portraiture is not autobiographical in your mind and work, that it's the environment that tells a different story or changes the meaning and layers of the work, could you talk some about the role environment has played in your art as both a driving force and narrative tool? Brooke: I have a strong belief that in a lot of art, there are many elements that go into making an image successful. There is prop, theme, color, location, wardrobe, character, pose, etc. All of those things are present, therefore they all need to have meaning and articulate the story. When we focus so much on what we are feeling and how we personally would portray that, the story can turn into something so personal that it doesn't translate. I create for myself, yes, but very much for other people to feel their emotions more deeply. So, instead of focusing on how I feel and how I would do something, I try to put equal emphasis on all elements so that they work together to universally tell a story. Environment in particular is important to me because it mixes my personal sense of inspiration with a timeless beauty that I think my work needs. For example, I am very drawn to forests. I love being surrounded by trees and creeks and dirt. It is my happy place. But it is also timeless. It is also dark and mysterious. And those are elements that play to my advantage in my work, so it ticks all boxes. character of the world AHC: What is the first work of art you encountered that took your breath away? Brooke: I was in 6th grade, so about 11 years old, and my school class took a trip to an art museum. We were told to walk around, choose one piece of art that we loved, and to write about it. I settled on a piece, which I'm not sure was a photograph or a painting, of a man's arm. It was very simply his arm with rope tied very tightly around it. I remember finding a beautiful and honest balance between strength and weakness. in and of earth AHC: Are there times when you become blocked creatively? What do you do to rekindle inspiration? Brooke: I can say honestly that my creativity is never blocked, but sometimes it is not fresh. I can always find an idea, but that idea isn't always up to par with where I think I should be in my creativity or career. The times when I feel I don't want to create are when my desires and dreams have moved beyond the ideas I can come up with easily. I want there to always be some tension in the creation process. Usually I take a short break. I spend more time reading or watching movies and doing things that inspire me. I always spend more time asking myself WHY. That is the all-important question that, when answered thoroughly, gives birth to better ideas. holding on to broken pieces
AHC: Do you have any upcoming exhibits or new projects you'd like to tell people about? Brooke: Yes! I have an exhibition up right now of my newest series in New York City (Chelsea) at the JoAnne Artman Gallery. I'll be announcing my third annual Promoting Passion Convention soon, which I'd love to meet new people at. It is a coming together of an incredible community with inspirational speakers and educators. Comments are closed.
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December 2024
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