Photographer in white sweater with decorative camera strap sits by window examining vintage camera in rustic studio space.
A photographer wearing a white sweater and decorative camera strap holds a vintage camera near a brick wall.
Photographer with a vintage camera sitting casually on ground against brick wall wearing white sweater and distressed jeans.
Photographer wearing white sweater with decorative collar camera strap takes photo with vintage camera against brick wall.
Stylish man in brown leather jacket and white hoodie wearing sunglasses poses on city street.

The Art of Inspiration.


It's funny how life happens. Back in 2008, I lived in Venice Beach after I had graduated from SDSU with a shiny new film degree,  jumping headfirst into my short-lived film career. At the time, I was working as a PA on reality TV shows and part time at the Groundworks coffee shop on Westminster.


Working at a coffee shop on the boardwalk made for many opportunities to meet colorful people. One of which was a homeless entrepreneur named Art.


Art found a digital camera on the beach and had an interesting proposition. No, it wasn't me modeling!  Although, thank you for thinking that. ;) He had taken pictures all over Venice and wanted me to burn them onto CD's for him to sell to the throngs of sun soaked tourists that paraded down the sandy sidewalks of this eclectic beach community.


Bringing my laptop the next day, I burned a stack of CDs and aptly named them "The Art of Venice". He sold them for a couple of months for $5 a pop. Eventually, the season changed, and summer was upon us. Unbeknownst to me, he was actually a carny in the Midwest over the warmer months. Go figure.


He asked me if I wanted to join. Perhaps in another life, I could have been a ride operator at the Iowa State Fair! I respectfully declined, and Art disappeared into the recesses of my memory and off to the deep fried, cheap beer swilling, patriotic folks of the heartland.

Person in brown leather jacket and sunglasses sits casually against blue painted wall on urban street.
A person wearing a brown leather jacket and gray sweater smiles while standing against a graffiti wall outdoors.
Photographer wearing brown sweater and suspenders holds vintage camera while standing near leafy garden wall.
Person in brown sweater relaxing on steps in front of ROARK storefront with palm trees in sunny California backdrop.

 

The Art of the past.


It's experiences like this that can inspire and give way to new ideas. Sometimes it's a unique character, other times it's the city itself, many times it's both. They breathe life into creative projects, new concepts, new experiences. A photograph can be many things from pure art to simple documentation, but what all of them have in common is that it's a moment in time, a memory from the past.


With Art's memory in mind, I set out with Sam to capture a little bit of that distant artistry of a homeless carny who, despite his meager means, wanted to create something tangible from his life, his city, and his memories. Or perhaps he just wanted to make money. Lol.