Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Quinn Miller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Quinn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
My newest series /men/tal focuses on illustrating men’s mental health by using black/white photography and the elements of water. Each model is an important male figure in my life. It was imperative that I depicted different perspectives of water in each photo, much like how depression takes different forms in each person. Photos were taken with both my Canon DSLR and a GoPro hero. My goal is to continue this series, and to continue the conversation that so many men are scared to have.
Because at the time, I didn’t realize I was depressed. I had friends, family, a roof over my head, even hobbies! But when I laid in bed, I drowned in a sea of thoughts, reaching out for hours, but motivation couldn’t find me. Nearly 80% of all suicides are men. Men are 3-4 times more likely to kill themselves than women. Why? Is it nature that pushes us to be strong? Is it nurture that teaches us to be silent? No matter how strong the dam is, enough pressure will break it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
One day in Middle School my mother received a chain e-mail that disclosed the work of a Swedish photographer by the name of Erik Johansson. I knew from that moment, that I wanted to be like him, and pursue surreal photography.
I like to think my work creates conversations, and ones that a lot of people tend to shy away from. This may be due to being vulnerable, reliving experiences, or admitting things about yourself. But I like to believe that my work, although dark in subject matter, gives words to the speechless. Being able to create work where people of all backgrounds are able to resonate with the content really inspires me to create more.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
To create tangible things that only existed in my mind, no one else’s. I truly think of it as having a superpower. With the click of one button, I can freeze time. How awesome is that?
I honestly don’t know how others deal with the swarming thoughts that reside in their minds. Creating art is a way to relieve stress, communicate messages, and also way of self-therapy.
The biggest definitely has to be the conversations that are created between two individuals because of it. I don’t think there’s a strong enough word in the English language to describe the feeling I have when someone takes interest or resonates with my art.
But for now, I’ll just say Euphoria.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I would have sought collaboration through artists sooner. What I mean by that is that for a long time, I would simply create, post, and repeat. Here and there I ask for opinions or help from friends and loved ones, which isn’t an issue, but they’re not practicing artists.
The Peach Collective in Palm Beach County hosts a weekly meeting amongst local artists called the Brass Tacks. It’s been an amazing resource for me as I am surrounded by like-minded individuals, who practice all types of mediums. Each week, around 6 people bring up a topic that they would like feedback from the group; Galleries, price points, Handling burn out, etc. It’s been an honor to be involved in the community, especially within the artists’ community.
Now I know not everyone has access to physical groups like this, so I have discovered other online groups through platforms like Facebook and Discord. One of my favorite groups is Art Teachers making Art, where even though we are teaching our craft as a profession, we are still practicing artists. It’s fun to bounce back ideas off of each other, and get perspective through so many different people.
The last thing I had wish I known sooner were call to entry sites, specifically forphotographersonly.com. This year I have been accepted into so many exhibitions, and that’s truly because I have this amazing resource that I check on a weekly basis.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.qmillerphotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/qmillerphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/qmillerphotography
- Other: https://500px.com/p/Muhumanah