Christy Brown

Year of Birth: 2001.
Location: Lexington, Kentucky.
Education: University Of Kentucky, Bachlors In Digital Design and Media.
Describe your art in three words: Expressionistic, Personal, and Bizarre.
Your discipline: Photography, Graphic Design, and Poetry.
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What inspired you to start exploring photography and graphic design?

I’ve been drawing on every piece of paper in sight ever since I was a kid, I always knew I was bound to work in some kind of creative field, but I was never sure what. But then I found graphic design, and I realized its potential opportunities.

Graphic Design permeates our lives, when you go to work, buy a product, or even walk down the street and see a poster or sign, that piece was made to attract your attention and curry your favor to buy it. Its both artistically and psychologically interesting. Plus it also makes for a somewhat steady job.

Photography was also something I got into at a young age. I used to steal my parent’s small digital camera and take pictures of everything in sight. It wasn’t until I became a teenager that I fully understood the artistry of photography and how it can be used to create an interesting visual style.

How do you approach the creative process when working on a new project?

How I approach a project depends on how I come upon a subject or idea. I’ve often been inspired by films I’ve seen, books I’ve read, or images or phrases that pop into my head. Sometimes I have experiences and times in my life that way heavy on me, so I have to process them into art. Last summer I was going through a bout of insomnia, so I ended up taking those experiences and turning them into a series of photos that later got made into a collage. The series of photos here were inspired by the fact that I had discovered a love for wearing dresses. This made me question the meaning of an identity and what it means to be a person. The confling ideas and emotions that can fill someone. But sometimes its not as philosophical as that. Sometimes I get a new piece of equipment that can open up a new avenue of ideas and possibilities. Many things can give me ideas on where the project should go. Even during the development of the prints, they can give me some good ideas. It just just depends.

Can you tell us about your favorite project to date and why it stands out to you?

I’d say the one that I’m presenting in this magazine is my favorite. I was pleased with where it went and how it turned out. It had to do with the form it took, but also the subject. The many layers of a person’s identity, what it means to be a singular person, and what conflicts come from that. Its something that still fills my head.

How has your education at the University of Kentucky influenced your work?

The University of Kentucky really helped me broaden my horizons when it came to my perception of art. U.K. is where I learned the end and outs of photography and how to develop and make prints. I got a more explorative look at art history. I knew a little about a few movements, but I learned about multiple movements, the artists, the works, and what they meant within they’re history context and to us today. But what it did was loosen my preconceptions of what could be considered art. From Dadaism to Post-Modernism, I realized what made art was a wide margin. Whether it was good was, of course, subjective.

How do you stay inspired and continue to grow in your creative field?

I always try to keep my mind open to new and interesting things I see around me. Like I said before anything can stir up a new idea within me, so always being open to new methods, ideas, and styles, helps me keep from going cold. Life experiences are always important sources for ideas. But there are still times when I do hit a slump and I have a hard time coming out of it. With this its always important to know when to press on and when to step back and take a break. I have found that taking a break can often help refresh you artistic mind.

How do you balance your work between photography and digital design?

It can be hard to balance, especially when photography usually takes longer to do, especially with film. But I usually find myself working with photography more because I find it more interesting. I can usually take a photo and build off that with how I edit it or print it. But I do like when I am able to combined both to create much more interesting piece. Things like ads, posters, and album covers often please me just as much as a simple photo.

What advice would you give to aspiring photographers and designers who are just starting out?

The advice I would start with is don’t be afraid to go to more vulnerable topics, either personal or not. It can be very hard, especially for someone like me who can be very private, but I think if you fine a good way to express it I think can pay off in the end. For a while I felt that my early art work, while good, didn’t really have that dept and that my work had when I became more open with the subject matter I tackled. Another I would advise is to leave time to play. Some of my best ideas and pieces came from a fucking around and seeing what might come out of it.