as a photographer, inspiration is so important. i love how wikipedia describes it – “an unconcious burst of creativity…” it’s the ingredient that sets your photos apart from the billions of other photographers around the globe. it comes in so many different forms – a friend, a film, a quote, or a song. for me (allie), it came from a stranger’s blog.
i came across katie sokoler’s blog, color me katie, a few weeks ago and spent hours looking at it. her blog recounts the projects she works on and, sometimes, the process she goes through. she even has fun stories about her boyfriend, matty, and her adorable kitty, moo. the creativity that flows out of her is unreal! instead of admiring from afar, i decided to get to know her and share her awesomeness with all of you through a little interview!
the*reason : tell us a little bit about yourself
katie : i’m a 22 year old freelance photographer and street artist living in brooklyn. here’s a cool video that shows how katie works.
how did you get into photography?
i picked up my dad’s old camera when i was 17 and thought it would be fun to do photo shoots with my friends. i thought it was so fun that you can create your own world through photographs. it felt right for me so i decided to go to art school!
what do you shoot the most? what do you enjoy shooting the most?
i try to split my time up equally to shoot personal projects, weddings, portraits, restaurants, and events. i can honestly say that i enjoy shooting everything and don’t have a favorite! i love to exercise different ways of being creative by shooting new things each week.
what inspires you?
the people in my neighborhood inspire me the most. the kids at the playground, pet owners at the dog park, the drunk guy that always hangs out at the corner, shop owners, the neighborhood cat lady, this is where the inspiration is at! a few hours sitting at the park or walking around the streets observing people gives me tons of new ideas.
is your head just swimming with ideas?
oh yeah. sometimes my head gets too full of ideas and I just need to get them out or else I’ll explode!
do you also create the art you use in your photography?
yep! i love being crafty and wanted to include it in my pictures.
do you think it’s possible for someone to learn how to be as creative as you, or are they born with the creative bug?
i think everyone is creative but in different ways. the trick is to find what you like doing and just let your personality come out in it!
what/who do you love the most and why?
i have so much love for my pops. he’s always been so supportive of me and his lessons really helped shape who I am today. he taught me how to see the bright side of every negative situation.
one of our favorite photos is the girl with the umbrella and all the swirls on the wall. can you tell us more about this image – how you came up with the idea and how you executed it?
i made this for a collage assignment back when I was in school. i didn’t want to make a typical collage on a small piece of paper so I looked at my white walls and realized they’re just like paper, but bigger! i really wanted it to be something that i could interact with so i cut up pieces of paper and made a giant gust of wind. i took a photograph with every 5 pieces of paper i put up and turned it into a little video so that you can see the process.
how much fun do you have doing what you do?
i do have fun but it’s also a lot of hard work and can get very stressful sometimes!
katie’s business card :
also, check out this cool website that katie mentions a lot on her blog – they have some awesome projects : improv everywhere.
what inspires you? we’d love to know!
katie, thanks for showing and being inspiration! you might get a call from us if chris and i ever head up that way, we’d love to work with you. :)
have some ideas for “the reason we love…” posts? email us and let us know!
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