Well it certainly isn’t linear. My interview with Joseph Cultice has given me a lot to think about – both in terms of fame and in terms of sticking to your own creative vision. Joseph has taken many recognizable photos – his iconic Marilyn Manson cover, Ozzy Osbourne in the rain, and more recently, the Jonas Brothers. So he has seen many different sides of fame. One of the things that struck me was the separation he sees between the machine for producing fame and the real person somewhere deep down inside of all of that – the person he photographs.
When Joseph started he was like many kids, daydreaming beneath posters of rock stars. What makes him unique – is he ultimately ended up taking those photos – not just looking at them. When he started out he planned to be in a band – not take pictures of them, but then his friends The Meat Puppets needed a photo for their album cover. He was a Fine Arts major and had been taking photos of the Punk Scene he was a part of musically. The Meat Puppets’ album cover was his first paid job – and the photo they used was actually a Polaroid he sort of took accidentally.
As his band gained local prominence he could see his life and people’s perceptions of him start to switch. Suddenly it wasn’t OK to have a bad day or just be tired in the morning. People had expectations every time they encountered him. He said these kinds of experiences helped him to understand he wanted to be a photographer, not a rock star. The experience of being behind the camera and creating an image – one that uniquely reflects the person he is shooting – this was going to be his career.
Once the realization was in place, he started logging his 10,000 hours. He did whatever it took to learn photography and had many exciting experiences at the New Times in Phoenix. Sometimes this involved carrying equipment, assisting on another photographer’s shoot, or in the days of film – learning how to do his own development. At one point he sold the car his grandfather bought him for college – so he could move to New York. Now that is a leap of faith and one his parents fully supported.
When I asked him how he made it – there was again this combination of finding
people who know how to do what you dream of doing – and then being responsible enough to show up and do what you say. It’s funny how consistent that is across disciplines. Keeping your word – appears to be essential to attaining your dreams. This combination of taking risks and being open to learning helped Joseph to find out what a “photographer really does”. As it turns out it involved more travel, more logistics and more time – than he probably understood in the beginning. But then the photography experience also opened up to reveal parts of people he didn’t know – the way it allows him to see inside their world and behind their makeup.
What I admire about Joseph is his ability to see through the things that might distract others and create a truly unique image that reflect each artist as an individual. He doesn’t just put every subject into his own particular style. He allows a part of them to drive the creative process.
So what happens when you quit chasing fame and start following your creative vision? I think Joseph’s career can show us some of that – especially as he moves beyond the front man to pursue personal projects – and stays true to his own voice. What is exciting – is for each person he photographs – he will continue to find what is unique in them and express that in a beautiful image.
You can See Joseph Cultice's work in St. Louis at S. Carmody Photography
The show is scheduled for April 9th, 2010 from 6 - 9 PM.
2707 Sutton Boulevard
Maplewood, MO 63143
314.401.8089
