We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brianna Ingemi, Courtney Wynn Cooper, and Ekaterina Moysov a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brianna, Courtney, and Ekaterina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
The inception of “Trash Artists” traces back to when Courtney was asked to design a USC thesis film. The project was a short horror film exploring the relationship between a hoarding mother and her daughter. This demanded a significant build. Courtney enlisted Ekaterina as the art director and Brianna as the lead man. At that point, we had been regularly working on each other’s projects. The set, a meticulously designed hoarder’s house, required collecting a wide assortment of “trash,” clothes, and props. Operating on a shoestring budget, we spent about a month finding and sourcing piles of objects and making props out of nothing. We went to Eco Set, an awesome place to recycle used set pieces, combed through FB Marketplace, borrowed items from friends, and salvaged materials from the street. After weeks of tireless effort, the set came to life, adorned with carefully placed debris and discarded treasures. Courtney’s sister, who was helping on the project, remarked, “We’re like trash artists,” as we were placing trash in meticulous piles. At that moment, it clicked. We were all so excited by the phrase that it stuck. “Ya. we ARE trash artists”. It just made sense. Like Banksy’s usage of the image of a rat as a symbol for street artists, ‘trash artists’ encapsulate our identity as ‘underdogs.’ Sometimes, you feel like the ‘underdog’ in the art department. Or the invisible team. You spend so long prepping and creating something from nothing. Then, it magically appears for everyone else uninvolved in the pre-process. Only you and your little team of vagrants know what the process entailed. There’s power in that. It gives it an ephemeral quality. Another reason for the name is that much of the time, we make things out of ‘junk’. A gutted acrylic box isn’t a box, it’s an alien generator, it’s a part of a bookshelf, it’s a toy for a giant baby. Who knows. The possibilities are limitless; when we do it together, it’s more fun, and the results become tenfold.
By then, we already had a small network of people with many talents. We thought, why not make this bigger than the three of us? So, we decided to proceed to form a collective and production company. We provide for clients but also have our own thing going on. We want to make art, tell stories, and encourage people that you don’t need to be big and fancy to do it. Just make art. We want to show people that with our own projects. Anybody can be a “trash artist”.
Brianna, Courtney, and Ekaterina, 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?
Trash Artists isn’t just a business. It’s an ongoing story fueled by friendship, creativity, and a love for artmaking. Founded by three friends – Brianna, Courtney, and Ekaterina – Trash Artists embodies the spiritual process of collaboration and story through creation. So what do we do, exactly? We started out by providing clients with an art department team with an array of artistic talents, but it’s since evolved into our own ventures where we self-direct, design, write, and produce. From short films to music videos to commercials and features, our projects span a wide spectrum, with unique styles and themes, much like the eclectic nature of ‘trash’. What defines us is how we work and how we want to go against the norms established in the industry by focusing on how we collaborate and inform rather than pure profit. We blend our knowledge and styles, gravitating toward ‘art house’ and experimentation. We embrace fluidity, allowing each project to shape our contributions organically.
While Brianna excels in production and aspires to direct, Courtney’s expertise lies in production design, while Ekaterina thrives as a conceptual artist and fabricator. But what sets us apart is our commitment to exploration and flexibility. For instance, while Courtney’s forte lies in design, she also takes on coordinating tasks and scheduling and works as a great lead woman on set. Similarly, Brianna’s multifaceted talents extend to poetry and photography. And Ekaterina likes to transition between crafting and storytelling.
One recent collaboration marked a milestone for Trash Artists as we designed our first feature that illustrated our unconventional approach. We transitioned between production design, art direction, coordination, and leadership. Our diverse work styles required adaptation as we navigated our creative processes. Initially, we gathered together with Brianna, sparking ideas. Ekaterina translated them into sketches, and Courtney utilized her keen sense of geometric shapes, composition, and color to produce rough designs. As we went along, our individual strengths emerged, naturally shaping our roles within the project. Brianna’s expertise in production, coupled with her directorial mindset, made her adept at coordination and communication with producers, ADs, and directors, leveraging her knowledge of cameras and lighting to enhance our designs. Courtney’s mastery of composition and rendering positioned her as our primary set designer. Ekaterina’s creativity flourished as a concept artist and designer, focusing on intricate details and props. This extended beyond us. We had friends who came on as a set dresser and fabricated major set pieces! We found this testament to our collaborative synergy, where we only needed a loose structure. It makes our work, for lack of a better word, unforced. There’s no ‘auteur’ in our process. Even if the process feels random, the dynamic is symbiotic. The result is unique.
It was challenging with time and budget, but our success was a testament to our resourcefulness. We confronted the need to achieve big results with limited resources head on, a challenge that demanded adept negotiation skills and the cultivation of good relationships with prop houses, small shops, and fabricators. In one instance, we sourced an egg chair and re-designed it into a small space vessel with Gabriel Gonzales of Sci-Fi Studios. Additionally, we expanded our skill set by learning Blendr to render 3D-print files for props and collaborated with talented illustrators like Loren Armstrong to craft movie posters and book covers. Loren is now a big part of the team, acting as admin and co-creator. Our success is deeply rooted in the diverse and passionate individuals who form our network and community.
Our industry’s challenges arise from tight deadlines, limited budgets, and heavy workloads. Yet, we have honed a system that works, relying on open communication and mutual trust to navigate obstacles and foster a supportive atmosphere.
Trash Artists promote accessibility and inclusivity in the creative process. We are aware that entering the industry can be daunting. Oftentimes, people may feel they don’t have enough experience, time, or money or don’t know the right people. All three of us experienced this in the beginning. We reject the notion that entering the industry and art world is a privilege and instead strive to provide opportunities for exploration. Whenever we hire someone, we ensure they feel that they can expand their roles. We have given projects to people who want to try production design. We have brought people on projects who have never stepped on set before and watched them flourish. We believe in providing opportunities for exploration, regardless of background. Our vision includes offering mentorship and courses, welcoming newcomers into our collective to nurture their talents and empower them to explore new roles and projects within our collective. Education is paramount to us, and we are dedicated to continuous learning and reassessment of our knowledge and experiences.
The “Raccoons” are people and friends who have worked with us. They showed interest in continuing to work with us, especially in the art department. It’s so rewarding to get to know people and discover what they like and their talents. Everyone comes from a different background and experience and brings something new and enriching to the table. It stimulates an energy that fuels the process. If someone working with us comes up and says, “hey, I want to learn more about production design. where do I start?” or “I’ve always wanted to make a short film, can you help me?” We welcome them wholeheartedly and give them everything we know.
Looking ahead, our long-term goals include fostering a vibrant community of artists who thrive on collaboration and innovation, pushing the boundaries of creativity while staying true to our core values.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Our journey as co-founders began as a series of serendipitous encounters, each one laying the foundation for the close-knit trio we’ve become today.
It all started in Los Angeles, where Brianna and Courtney first crossed paths through a mutual friend directing a music video. Brianna, behind the camera as the cinematographer, and Courtney, the production designer, quickly discovered a shared passion for creative collaboration. Their professional relationship blossomed into a deep friendship fueled by a mutual appreciation for each other’s talents.
Meanwhile, Brianna’s path intersected with Ekaterina’s during a return trip to Boston, where she lent her expertise to a music video production directed by Jim Dandee, a former professor of both. Ekaterina was designing and art directing as her first paid gig. Brianna and Ekaterina immediately felt connected when they realized they had similar film tastes. Brianna encouraged her to move forward with her move to Los Angeles.
In 2022, fate intervened once again when Ekaterina and Courtney worked side by side as set dressers on a music video. They discovered that they had backgrounds in fine arts and painting. Brianna, recognizing the potential for synergy among the three of them, orchestrated their introduction, igniting a spark to fuel their creative partnership for years to come.
As we continued to collaborate on various projects, we discovered a harmonious balance of talents and personalities that complemented each other perfectly. Despite our diverse backgrounds, interests, and artistic styles, they found common ground in their shared passion for storytelling and visual expression.
Our friendship flourishes as we continue to form a community of like-minded artists and creatives. Together, we continue to embark on adventures, explore new artistic mediums, and nurture each other’s creative growth. Whether shooting pool, indulging in art-house films, or simply sharing late-night doodle sessions, our bond keeps growing.
It wasn’t long before we realized the untapped potential of our collective talents. Inspired by a shared vision and unwavering commitment to artistic excellence and authenticity, we envisioned a future where we could bring our creative dreams to life on our own terms.
With the foundation of trust, mutual respect, and camaraderie we continually build, we took the leap of faith and officially founded our own company. Fueled by a shared passion for art and storytelling, we embarked on a journey to create something together.
Thus, Trash Artists was born – a testament to the power of friendship, collaboration, and the boundless possibilities that arise when like-minded souls come together in pursuit of a shared dream.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Courtney: I love the pure act of making. It helps me manage my anxiety and depression. My favorite part is problem-solving. How do you make this weird thing exist? It can be challenging, but making something beautiful and meaningful with your own hands is always rewarding.
Ekat: Creating something out of nothing. Looking at objects that spark that A-HA that can lead to a moment. I once had a professor call it “the visual kiss,” when you’re tinkering and playing until something hits you like your first kiss. It feels like being in love all over again. It makes those particularly stressful trials and tribulations in between worth it. Courtney talks about the act of making, and it hits the nail on the head: it’s the process. You learn something new each time you make something. And even if it isn’t completed, it still enriches you as a creative.
Brianna: By making art, we escape while expanding on the world simultaneously. What’s rewarding about it is that it can also be un-rewarding. It’s a never-ending journey, managing to express what’s in your head in hopes that someone can relate or seek that similar feeling. It’s a perpetual process of learning, growing and changing. It’s not work; it’s play. I realized play isn’t encouraged as an adult, even though we make discoveries as children through play. But it shouldn’t just be for kids. Play is necessary for adults to be people and to connect with the world around them. And with art, we get to keep playing.
Another one I think we all agree on is sharing. This extends beyond the final result. Sharing the process alone can make it worthwhile. Sharing with other creatives with different experiences and perspectives can spark new ideas or lead you down a new path. That cliche phrase, “It’s all about the journey, not the destination,” resonates in the world of creation. It’s essential to us, like breathing oxygen, and it is extra gratifying when you can do it with others who need it just as badly as you do. It makes you feel seen; when you have that experience, you want to make others feel seen. It spreads like wildfire. All you want to do is make it so you can live that way for the rest of your life.
The beauty of art is that you don’t always know where inspiration comes from. It could come from a frightening experience, a passing stranger, a stand-out color on a walk, or a feeling when an old friend reaches out for coffee. Seeing potential in ‘nothing’ means combining our inspiration and ways of seeing to build upon anything. Even a crumpled napkin on a table could be part of a sculpture or a prop somebody uses. The possibilities are endless. Sometimes, we approach a project and have no idea what we will do or how we will start. It’s daunting. But when we come together and ingest bits of research, have conversations, and find objects that spark an idea, we try to translate it into a language we can all understand and then begin to build. The vision begins to clarify. We find that building together makes it a more symbiotic process. It’s almost like what results comes from something beyond us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trashartists.co/
- Instagram: @ trash.artists.llc
Image Credits
Image 1: Joanna Fernandez, Ekaterina Moysov, Christophe Merriam, Pardis Eslamieh, Brianna Ingemi, Courtney Wynn Cooper, Nicole Albright Image 2: Louise Nouvellon, Chloe Glass, Ekaterina Moysov, Courtney Wynn Cooper Image 3: Ekaterina Moysov, Courtney Wynn Cooper Image 4: Belle Fall, Meg Murphy, Courtney Wynn Cooper, Ekaterina Moysov Image 5: Courtney Wynn Cooper Image 6: Brianna Ingemi Image 7: Loren Armstrong Image 8: Ekaterina Moysov Cover: Brianna Ingemi, Ekaterina Moysov, Courtney Wynn Cooper