Creative Types #3: Derek Fulmer


Derek and his wife Anna moved to Chicago last year and I got to talking to them via Twitter and have since hung out with them around the city. Derek photographed me in my studio last month and we had some great discussions about what art means to us and it actually helped me get out of a bit of a artist block that I was having. I had the pleasure of doing this interview with him and getting some more insight in to his work, enjoy! 



What drew you to photography and specifically, what drew you to portraiture? 
I was drawn to photography because my wife has always had a camera and for a long time. I would try explaining what I felt would make a good picture but I got tired of using words and decided to just do it myself. My dad was also a photographer who occasionally did weddings, sports, wild life, landscapes, etc. so I was sort of always around it. The more I did it, the more I realized how perfect of a fit it was for me. I even gave up playing music to focus on making pictures. 

I think I was drawn to portraiture because when I was really young I would draw people, faces mainly. I think it's how I connect with people. It may sound cliche but the face and a portrait can depict a lot. It is also what feel most comfortable doing.  I enjoy people and making connections. If someone is willing to sit with me and let me take their photo, then I will put the effort into getting to know them.  


Your subjects seemed somewhat posed but still casual. Do you direct a person you’re photographing or just let the image create it’s self?
I do direct but not in a "You stand here and give me (insert emotion here)." That just isn't natural. A portrait should be a depiction of that person. I try to have as casual of environment as possible. Light conversation and having a genuine interest in my subject goes a long way. People care that you want to know about them. So, I talk and I listen and I wait for a moment where everything from their glance to their smirk and their body position align perfectly and then I take the picture. 






Depending on your answer above, how do you feel this effects the overall outcome of the image?
I feel that my interaction aides in the final outcome of the image. I have had a lot of subjects who are just as excited and overflowing with ideas as I am and those pictures are ones I feel have turned out best. However, I have also had my fair share of working with people who had absolutely no interest in having their picture taken and were difficult to nudge a smile from. The pictured were technical good, insofar as they were exposed and composed well but there is no emotional aspect, no connection. I have learned to wait during a session. However, I have yet to thoroughly employ that technique. By that I mean to wait for a moment where the subject reveals something so minute about themselves in their facial expression or body language that you can't immediately pull it out of them once they are in front of your camera. So, in a way my non-action aides in the outcome of the final image.  


Do you feel that moving from West Virginia to Chicago has affected your style or inspired you?
My move from West Virginia to Chicago has definitely inspired me. I have many more avenues to pursue here, but I get homesick often and this has become the driving force behind a project I'm in the beginning stages of.  I see the benefits and drawbacks of living in both places, without a doubt. But, geography has nothing to do with ones ability to create things, art or otherwise. 


What kind of camera(s) do you use? 
As far as equipment goes I have used a few different set ups in order to figure out what helps me make the best images without a lot of hassle or excess getting in the way. That said, I'm finally more than satisfied with my set up. I'm using a Nikon D700 with a 35mm f/2 and a 50mm f/1.4 lens. It is a small kit but it is efficient, however I am adding at least one more focal length to round it out.  I'm slowly building up my lighting set up but it will also be small and efficient. 




Finally, what do you like to do for fun? 
For fun I like to read and drink coffee...a lot of coffee. I'm also a Seinfeld nerd of the encyclopedic kind.

Here's where to find Derek:

Creative Types #2- Laura Walczak

Welcome to the second installment of my interview series Creative Types! This is a bi-weekly series where I like to highlight my creative friends because it truly is amazing to have so many artistic friends in my life. Laura and I are long distance friends (Rochester and Chicago) who see each other at The Fest or when Laura is road tripping through Chicago, and keep in touch through all the various social medias and instant message sessions on gchat. Without further ado, here she is! 



What inspired you to start designing and selling your address stamps?
I always like stamps for return addresses, and decided to design one for myself at some point. Which I then, of course, used on EVERYTHING. Including the card to a bride-to-be, who at her shower make a big show of my personalized address stamp on the card to her. I offered to make one for the newlyweds, so they could use it on their thank you cards after the wedding. After a few pages of sketches, I started working on two, and ended up with what is now the Olson design and the Nelson design. I was torn between something really fun and elaborate (Olson) and something more practical yet still eye-catching (Nelson). I ended up making both for them, one as a self-inking, and the other as a regular rubber stamp. They LOVED both. Through the powers of social media, I started noticing people asking the Bride where she got her stamps, and decided to take the leap and list them to see if there was any interest from the general public. There was. At current, I’ve created 150+ stamps, and have added two additional design options to my shop. I’m planning on adding more, as well as expanding to include stationery options as well. It’s been hard work but also fun, and I LOVE to hear the stories -- whether the stamps are for wedding invitations, housewarming gifts, or a fun surprise stocking stuffer for a spouse! I hope to hear more stories and have my stamps and design be part of so many more life events going forward.



What drew you to Etsy?
I had created an account a few years ago, 2007 probably? I had talked with my roommate at the time somewhat extensively about starting some sort of crafting shop and what we’d sell. Nothing really came out of that, but I think some time in 2011 I decided I might as well try to sell some of my existing letterpress prints there, as I don’t really need 20 extra prints of a poster I’d made. To this day, I’ve sold one through my shop.
How do you manage working for your day job and working on your art/design work? Do you find anything helpful for managing your time?
I’m working on working on that balance. It got REALLY crazy for me in December, as I was working full time, teaching as an adjunct, and suddenly I was up to my eyeballs in orders for Christmas. I didn’t sleep much to be honest. It was a really rough month. But I’ve been working on strategies to keep myself sane since then, and my volume isn’t as high as the holiday rush. Namely, keeping a spreadsheet of all the orders is super-helpful. I also have tried to streamline when I design, when I send proofs, and when I’m planning to ship so I’m not scrambling every day of the week with all of those tasks. I try to do about two waves a week to keep on schedule.
I’m sure there are things I could be doing better, but I guess I’m figuring it out along the way. I’m open to suggestions or recommendations if anyone has any!
Where do you find inspiration?
It feels cliche, but Pinterest. I have a board for type and lettering, and am lucky to follow some folks that have similar aesthetic appreciations as me. I’ve always been a fan of letterforms and type, it’s nice to have a place so  image-focused. The internet amazes me daily.
I’m also a huge fan of Jessica Hische, though have not yet tried to directly channel her in my work, which I probably won’t ever, but seeing it is inspiring enough! She also makes me realize that I’m not too young to be awesome, as we’re just about the same age, and she is certainly awesome. Time to step up my game!
Type that I like to use often comes from Lost Type and You Work for Them.
What is your workspace like?
A mess. I’m a queen of clutter and piling. I’ve got a sewing table holding my iMac, nested next to book shelves, butted up against a letterpress cabinet, with an organ to my left. I leave things on top of all these things all the time. There’s an armchair behind me that the puppy like to snuggle up on, and I love having her there keeping me company. I recently bought an actual desk that I’m looking forward to assembling and setting up in the dining room for a little more space, and a better view of the TV. I’ve watched SO much Mad Men since starting this stamp business, I’m almost through all that is on netflix.
Lastly, what are your favorite things to do for fun?
Snuggling my puppy is definitely up there! I’ve always been one for going to shows, and when I can I still like to. Punk, indie, ska, chiptune, whatever. I quite enjoy cooking and baking, and have recently started up a dinner party event thing, which is one part social experiment, and one party tasty times. You can check it out at ate-rochester.tumblr.com , we’re on facebook and twitter too!
I’m just starting a 5k training through a local organization, I’m excited to start running, and to do this with a large group. The 5k is in April!
Sometimes I can be a beer/wine snob, I really enjoy trying different craft brews and visiting nearby Finger Lakes wineries.



Here's where to find Laura:


Creative Types #1- Interview Series




Welcome to the first interview in a new bi-weekly series I am doing called Creative Types. This idea came about when I was thinking about all the amazingly talented people in my life and the people and their work that I am a fan of and constantly find inspiration from. First up is my friend Rosie Peri, who I came to know through some mutual friends in Chicago about 4 or 5 years ago (man, time flies!). Without further ado, here it is!

What inspired you to start pursuing the arts?
There was no singular moment. I grew up in a creatively charged household, where I was given the freedom and encouragement to be weird from the start, so it felt like a pretty natural progression. Funny enough, I didn’t direct this energy toward painting until college. Once I picked up that brush, though, there was no going back- I was in love.

You use people and food as the subjects of your work often, what draws you to this?
I suppose it has to do a little bit with convenience, but the main reason is I’m a nostalgic sap. The food and people I paint are usually images I associate with home (New Orleans), and a gateway to memories of a past life. Always chasing whimsy.





How do you manage working for your day job and working on your art/design work? Do you find anything helpful for managing your time?
I don’t! Kidding... kind of. Balance is an elusive beast.
For years, my own projects operated on a completely manic schedule. Meaning, I’d get tunnel vision on a project, to the exclusion of all else for a month. But be so burned out at the end that I wouldn’t make anything for 6 months afterward.
These days, I’m shooting for more consistency by treating my art as a second job and scheduling time into my calendar (which, if I remember correctly, you suggested I do- Thanks!). Sounds like a buzzkill, but it’s actually gone a long way toward evening out my productivity swings and keeping me on track.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere, really. Conversations I overhear on the bus, things I see while walking to work, music, dreary mornings, strangers on the street, memories, daydreams, friends, art by other people, you name it. I used to just open the dictionary and point to words as a way of spurring something.

What is your workspace like?
A controlled chaos.

Lastly, what are your favorite things to do for fun?
Well, aside from the art, I captain a skeeball team (not to be confused with “I’m good at skeeball”), experiment with food (as in, for eatin’), drag friends to potentially terrible open mic comedy nights, as well as explore all the other bizarre outings Chicago has to offer.
I’m mostly just a bookworm with crayons, though.



You can find Rosie on these corners of the Internet: