Jeremy Schilling
I’ve been a big fan of Jeremy Schilling’s work ever since I saw it at a local vendors market a few years back. I reached out to him with the concept of my project and luckily he was down to participate. Jeremy was kind enough to let me photograph him in his apartment/studio space. It was the first time we properly met but we instantly got caught up in conversation for almost an hour before we started shooting. I got the chance to look through all his work and a piece he was still finishing up for his astronaut series, which is my personal favorite. The isolation and self reflecting aspects of that series really connects with me since I’ve always been a loner and am constantly reflecting on my life for a better understanding. Thanks again to Jeremy for the opportunity. Check out some questions he answered for me down below.
1. Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get inspiration from a number of places. Thematically, film and classic cinema play a large role. The medium is a powerful storytelling tool and the merging of images, time passing, and sound create some intriguing concepts and emotions. I enjoy taking these inspiring concepts and emotions and try to build a single image capturing these same elements.
2. As an artist, what are some of the biggest obstacles you've overcome to get this far?
Myself. It is one thing to create a piece of work, it is another to present that work and put it out into the world.
In regards to creating, I have had to become familiar with myself and be honest what my needs are as a person. I am lucky in the sense that I do well working by myself and I am good at finding things to occupy my time. However, I am excellent at procrastinating when it comes to actually beginning to create a piece. This was a great source of anxiety and guilt. Over time I have become comfortable with the act of steeping as a form of work and productivity. Just because I have not physically produced something tangible at the end of the day does not mean I was not working through the piece or concept in my head while I wrote emails, worked on promotional material, or did social media posts.
When it comes to putting the work in front of an audience it took me a while to have an honest conversation about it. As a visual communicator, I've come to learn that being able to speak about your work enhances people's viewing experience as well as strengthens your concepts. Sometimes ideas make sense in your head, however when you say them outloud you discover the holes in the original idea or concept. You are also opening this very personal act of creation up to receive feedback which I have found to be profoundly helpful in strengthening my own ideas and consider the ideas of others, which I had not previously taken into account.
3. What does your work say about you?
I create a lot of figurative work whether it be pure examinations of the figure in space or depictions of isolation and connections from my astronaut series. People's actions and interactions interest me. I feel my work is a process of gaining an understanding of my place in the world and the cause and effect of that positioning on others.