We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamie Bannon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jamie, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on to date has been an exploration of self-portraits.

To understand the self is to understand one’s place in, and relationship with, the greater context—of the world, nature, community, humanity, history, and so on. That is to say, the idea of the “self” exists not in a vacuum, but as part of a larger conversation with the world around us, before us, and ultimately after us. I think of art in much the same way—not as the thing itself, but rather as the conversation of the thing with its maker, its viewers, its place in time and space, and so on. The art isn’t the thing, any more than the self is—it’s the conversations and relationships that exist in the space between the thing and *gestures broadly*.

This project has developed over the past three years through a perpetually inspiring online community / art challenge called Hue Years, which I have used to confront and examine the idea of the self in different ways, and has informed the rest of my work, both personal and commercial.

The first year, I explored the idea of multitudes in my present self, pairing self-portraits with the work of my kids. Part of the human experience I’ve always been drawn to and resonated with is our capacity to contain multitudes, and I had this initial idea to piece together some of the most integral parts of my being, which intersect to make me the whole person that I am. So with this initial phase, I combined photographs I had made of myself over the course of the year with bits and pieces of things my kids had had their hands in—and so began the project.

Year two, I reached back into my own past, revisiting and incorporating a near lifetime of abstract graphic doodles I’ve been making since I was a teenager, never sure of what they meant (if anything) and exploring my place in my own creative trajectory and subconscious. Finally, this past year, I used the project to expand upon this idea, and examine my place in and influence by the greater context of art history.

Each year, I dive more deeply and intentionally into exploring the world through the self, and vice-versa. It continues to open my eyes into new pathways of thinking, making, being, and shifting my perspective, turning my inward focus outward, and the other way around.

Jamie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been deeply and hopelessly in love with art since the day I learned to hold a crayon. I love everything about it. And I am fortunate to have two parents who are both amazing artists, and taught me from a very early age that there are no mistakes in art (and withheld erasers from me in my formative years to prove it).

I had a long career in the arts before I had one actually making art. In college, I double majored in Painting & Art History, then worked for many years as an art handler and collections manager for private art collections, museums, and galleries. Eventually, I started traveling a lot, and taking a lot of photos of those travels, and that was when I got my first “Can we pay you to take pictures for us?” Now, I am coming up on a decade-long career as a full-time commercial photographer, focusing on creative portraits, lifestyle, branding, product, and most recently, international yoga retreats.

I think that what sets me apart is my path—I didn’t start out as a photographer, but rather as someone deeply immersed in the art world, who found meaning and purpose through sharing my craft with others on their own journey toward the same.

One of the things I’m most proud of is not bending to the pressure of what I’m “supposed” to do. I don’t care about creating content for robots and algorithms. I care about creating art and meaningful imagery with other human souls, and I truly believe that authenticity resonates with people, will outlast every trend and computer on this planet, and that we as people will always come home to human connection, no matter what.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

One resource I wish that everyone could find early in their career is a village of people who value community over competition. When I started out, I was incredibly fortunate to have a very close friend in the industry, to whom I credit much of my success—she shared with me everything that so many others gatekept, and held so close to their chests. I have long credited her with much of my success, and in turn, now as an industry vet, I consider it both an honor and a privilege to do the same for others. I have had the added pleasure of watching good friends dedicate their careers to building communities centered around this exact mission. An abundance mindset is a beautiful thing, and to go back to my point about art and the self not existing in a vacuum, well—I really believe the world is a more beautiful place when we share it with one another, and that there’s more than enough pie to go around. The exchange of ideas, experiences, and insights is one of our most powerful resources as people, and it is truly my hope that everyone starting out finds that early on in their career.

Have you ever had to pivot?

2020 was a rough year for everyone—that goes without saying. I personally had a business that was just hitting a stride, along with a toddler and a brand new baby, when everything…um. Well, you know. I don’t know that I’ve ever had to pivot harder in my life, but I do know that it challenged a lot of my own assumptions, plans, beliefs, and goals.

Having kids had already completely shifted my perspective of the value of my own time, and once everything else shifted, I was left scratching my head, wondering what to do next. What I decided was to change gears, call up my web developer/designer-turned-friend, and launch a joint venture, offering websites with product photography bundled together. It was so beautiful to build something new in a time of such uncertainty and feeling stuck, to be able to create work in a way that felt responsible in the context of my family and community, and to embark on a new creative journey I would never have otherwise set out on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jamiebannon.com
• Instagram: @jamiebannon

Image Credits

Jamie Bannon Photography