1. Where are you from and where are you living right now?
I am from Montvale, New Jersey. I recently spent the last 5 years living in Philadelphia where I studied Photography at The University of the Arts. Philadelphia is really where I found my voice as an artist, it is filled with so many incredible and inspiring artists, it was really bittersweet to leave. But who knows, maybe I’ll move back someday!
2. Does the place you live in affect your art and practice?
Currently living in New Jersey has both been a struggle and an advantage when it comes to my art practice. Being away from the city and having nature more accessible to me has been the best. I’ve gotten really into the Cyanotype process since I’ve been here and have a tiny studio / dim room set up in my basement that makes working very easy. I feel I’ve been able to play a lot more since being out of the city, I’m not sure if it’s the change of scenery or that I just have more space to spread all my stuff out in. As much I love being close to nature, I do miss the excitement of the city and have been looking for opportunities in other cities around the country.
3. How does being a female photographer influence your work? Do you encounter any challenges in your practice related to that?
I found that as I have grown as an artist, I have also grown alongside the most amazing and supportive group of female, trans and non-binary artists ever. We all cheer each other on and support each other’s practices, and I believe that type of group dynamic is really hard to find. So I feel incredibly lucky to have had that in my life for the last 5 years. I think it’s our job as people to support one another and never tear each other down and I’m so glad I’m apart of a group of people who understand that as well. When it comes to my work, I’m interested in telling my story, which does not always fall into that particular category of the female experience. I often try to shift my attention to the experiences that have shaped me as a person. A person who struggles with mental illness, who has experienced loss, who is bisexual, who loves and cries, who has passions; but also a person who identifies as female and feels those struggles every time I walk out into the street or enter a room full of men with my guard up. My art certainly makes me feel empowered at times and that is one of the best damn feelings ever.
4. Do you want to share something about your body of work? What are you working on right now?
“Loose Ends” is a complete body of work, but the topic that it represents is still very much alive in the new work I’ve been doing as well. It follows my own self discovery through aimlessness and solitude both in the physical and mental space. Consisting mainly of self portraits and landscapes I’m depicting an often avoided experience: allowing myself come to terms with an unpredictable existence and submitting to the many avenues my life could potentially follow. I have discovered a particular bravery that comes with letting oneself to completely let go and purposelessly wander the space around me and how I as an individual fit into that space. As a result of these experiences, I am creating images that reflect small windows of time that exist solely in a specific and intimate moment. In my most recent work, which is still in the works, I’ve been exploring this same theme of aimlessness and asking myself “what the fuck am I doing on this earth and does what I’m doing even matter?”. I know that mindset might sound a tad pessimistic, but it is a question we all have asked ourselves before and I think it is something we should become familiar with, rather than shy away from. Bottom line: facing your own insignificance is totally okay and encouraged! I don’t even know if everything I just wrote makes sense, but who cares, I’m putting it out there anyway!
5. How do you get inspiration? Who do you admire?
I find inspiration in a lot of ways and from many different sources. My go-to way to be inspired is to scour the internet for new artists and work to fall in love with. But my two favorite ways to get inspired would be 1. art books and 2. long conversations with friends about art. I think books, especially photo books, are the absolute best way to experience a body of work. It is so intimate and personal to each individual who picks it up and flips through the pages. It’s like a tiny museum in your hands and you can curate it in your brain however you like. To be able to hold a piece in your hands, I think, makes the experience far more memorable.
6. Do you shoot mostly color or black and white? Why?
I shoot mostly in color, but I love working in black and white just as much. They both have their own struggles and I think I deal with the struggles that belong to color photography brings to the table far better than I do with black and white. I truly envy photographers who have such an incredible grasp on black and white photography. I also get a pretty envious of amazing color photographers, like a “damn, why didn’t I think of that” sort of thing. They are both beautiful ways to capture an image and if you asked me to choose one over the other I think I’d spend the rest of my days constantly deciding and then changing my mind.
Follow her work here: http://www.caseymeyersphotography.com/
All images and texts are protected by Copyright and belong to the Artist.
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