We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bridger Swinimer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bridger below.
Bridger, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
during the pandemic in 2020 at the age of 22 I quit my job as a carpet cleaner, packed a bag and moved into a van. I traveled the country leaving everyone and everything behind.
I wanted to see more of the states and photograph the cities that I visited.
I photographed beauty pageants and racing events all over the east coast to fund my travel.
I lived on the road for 2 years meeting new people and seeing new places everyday. I wasn’t making a living but I was able to have experiences that I otherwise wouldn’t have had if I didn’t take the risk.
Bridger, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Photography has been a part of my life since I was a child,
growing up homeschooled I had (and still do) intense social anxiety that prevented me from talking to anyone.
I used photography to crack myself out of my shell.
When I started traveling in 2020 I made a goal with myself to take portraits of strangers when I found myself in a new city.
My camera became my ultimate ice breaker and slowly I began to become bolder in my approach.
I fell in love with meeting new people and photographing events that I would never expect myself going to.
I want my images to reflect how I see the world, documenting the human experience unscripted and unfiltered without bias or prejudice.
Everything I do is unpaid so I make DIY zines that I hope someday will help me fund more projects but as of now I work an office job doing product photography and using the weekend to fuel my passion.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I think we live in a society that is obsessed with self image, everything seems like a scripted play and the world is the stage, Nothing is real.
With photography I want to photograph behind the scenes and take a look deep inside our experience as humans, unscripted and without bias
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think the best thing anyone can do to support an artist is through buying their zines/artwork or simply following them on social media and share their work.
An artist won’t get anywhere if no one knows who they are so by sharing their work or by directly supporting them by purchasing their art you can make an impact.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humans_unscripted?igsh=MXJvbDRla2VhY3BuYQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: On instagram at @humans_unscripted or to buy zines @Bridgersprintproject
Image Credits
Images by me Bridger Swinimer