Interview With Brooke Shaden!

Lucky me!! I got the pleasure of asking Miss Brooke Shaden a few questions! She's such an amazing artist with an awesome vision. You can find more about her and view her photography here! On to the interview! I know you're tired of reading me yack! :)

What made you decide to initially get involved with Photography? What did you do to practice/progress?

I began photography the same month that I graduated from film school. I had gone to Temple University to study English and Film, both of which I have degrees in, and I thought that would satisfy me. However, after writing and directing a short film that last semester of school, I had the nagging feeling that filmmaking was too long of a process for my taste. So I picked up my camera when I had some down time and began creating images. I had seen flickr and was excited to see all of the self portraiture and conceptual imagery. To practice I started creating self portraits. I thought long and hard about what I wanted my photography to be like. I always had a very particular style so it wasn't hard to carry that over into a new medium.

Where do you get your inspiration from? What inspires you the most? What do you draw from?

The most common occurrence is that I have a story in my mind that I want to tell. I'm full of them. I always have some sort of concept to pull from that fascinates me. I want to bring light to a lot of different scenarios. I also love the pre-raphaelite painters. The way that they use the female form is beautiful, and I like the colors and whimsical nature of it.

What do you enjoy most about your art?

I enjoy that all of my art has an intent. I have never created something without having a reason behind it. I love that they are all exploring new, unusual worlds which I think is enhanced by the square crop and painterly aesthetic.

What suggestions do you have for someone who wants to pursue photo manipulation?

I would say that you shouldn't rely heavily on tutorials because teaching yourself and practicing like that will help you tremendously in finding your own style. If you remember that just about anything is possible with editing programs these days, it helps give that boost of confidence that if you look long enough you fill find a way to do something. Also, for most people a good manipulated image is a seamless image where the "how" of the image is not first on the list of questions, but instead the "why" and "what does it mean". So don't settle for an image that doesn't look right to you. If it doesn't seem right to you, it won't seem right to other people.

What's your ultimate goal for your career?

I very simply want to create works that will make people think and that will challenge the way we see life. I want to touch people and make them forget about our world and instead step into the worlds that I am creating. Practically, I want to continue exhibiting my work, creating dialogues with people, and one day I'd like to own a gallery of my own.


Thank you SO much, Miss Brooke! I wish you so much success that you don't know what to do with it! :)