2015 was the year I put myself and my work out there. Working on such a personal series can make one feel vulnerable. I was never confident that I had a body of work solid enough to show to the industry. That changed when I was about 3/4 into my series, Seen Not Heard. I signed up for the Photolucida review in Portland last April. For someone who had never participated in a review, this one was a doozy. There were 16 to 18 reviews in four days. I found this overwhelming and exhilarating all at once. I received great feedback and put my work (and face) in front of gallerists, editors and curators. The trip paid off. Since Photolucida my work has been featured on the PDN blog, exhibited in the Soho Photo Gallery, and gained representation from the 555 Gallery, with shows booked for 2016 at the Camerawork Gallery and 555 Gallery.
The most unexpected highlight from the reviews was meeting other photographers. I made many new friends and hope to continue to see them at future events.
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| Best part about photo reviews: new friends. Molly Lamb, Marina Font, yours truly (and a few others crammed in the back) squeezing into a downtown Portland photo booth. |
I continued to work closely with musician Cashavelly Morrison in 2015. I met her and husband, Ryan Macleod, in 2014 for our first session together. We shot two more sessions in 2015 for their album and promotional materials. Their music is breathtakingly beautiful. I am so proud to have my photography on their album cover.
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| The Kingdom Belongs To A Child Cashavelly Morrison Album Cover |
Another highlight of the year was the group exhibition, Wild Is The Wind, at Snap! Space Orlando. This was my second exhibition with the gallery. Owners Holly and Patrick Kahn and their staff are some of the warmest people in the industry. This was the first time prints from Seen Not Heard were exhibited at the large size. I was thrilled to see them presented in this manner.
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| Wild Is The Wind Exhibit (Photo credit: Tina Craig) |
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| Wild Is The Wind Exhibit (Photo credit: Tina Craig) |
Of course these are just the highlights of the year (involving cool travel). Most of the year was spent in our North Carolina home slowly working on my series, Seen Not Heard. I took time this year to sit with the work and look at the series as a whole. This month marks two years since starting the project. I would have never thought when shooting the first image that it would lead me down this path. I am grateful to have been able to share this experience with my daughter for the past two years, and ready to see how the next project will unfold.
2016 brings with it feelings of terror and excitement. My first monograph with Flash Powder Projects is coming out in the Spring and my work will be exhibited in Nebraska, Portland, Boston and Colorado shows.
“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”
― Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
I'm just going to go with that. Wishing you all the best 2016. -Heather
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