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Minneapolis based Digital Tech, Retouching and Photography services.  Providing professional digital photo imaging support for both in-studio and on-location productions.

An Interview with Ryan Damian

A few weeks ago I convinced the good homie Ryan Damian to stop by for an impromptu portrait session before we headed out for a Saturday night hang at our mutually preferred neighborhood institution.  Ryan is a fiercely creative and talented individual with a fascinating personal style and an incredible sense of humor.  Every time we hang out, I almost inevitably end up exhausted by the dizzying pace and breadth of topics that effortlessly bounce back and forth between us.  I would imagine that anyone who has spent any time conversing with this genuinely awesome human being has likely experienced the same enthusiasm and insightfulness that make our interactions so memorable.

In addition to his career as a Creative Strategist at a prominent, in-house advertising agency, Ryan channels his abundance of creative energy into writing and recording his own music, as well as sharing his uniquely diverse collection of records hosting a 'semi-regular' DJ night

Though he would absolutely never admit to it, dude is also a very talented artist and photographer (as a testament to his own humility, he keeps his photography website password protected).  Though we had been acquainted for some time, I didn't become aware of his photography work until a few years ago while he has working and living in New York City, before returning to Minneapolis in 2014.  Ryan's photographs have a really familiar, casual aesthetic, but reflect his own subtly distinctive perspective and style.  I'm especially drawn the way he utilizes color and space to create compositions that highlight the beauty often hidden in everyday living.  

Hopefully, one day we can convince him to lift the password protection from his collection of photography.  In the meantime, you can catch a glimpse of the world, as seen by Ryan Damian, by visiting his Instagram here.

Ryan was kind enough to follow up with a short Q & A that we conducted after the shoot, read it below.

 

JS:  What is your current occupation?  What events throughout your career led you to this line of work?

RD:  Professional office clown/coffee drinker?  I work with designers and writers to create ad campaigns, brand identity, and make stuff for the goddamn internet.  I have no idea how the hell I ended up in this field, but I like it, so I consider myself lucky.  I certainly didn't follow the usual path.  I started out as a photo-assistant and just saw little openings along the way and faked my way through them.  [Here's that humility again.]

JS:  Aside from your occupation, what other activities do you pursue that enable your personal creativity to thrive?

RD:  Well, like everyone else in the universe, I like to take pictures.  I also enjoy listening to music, talking about music, and playing records for people.

JS:  What are some of the ways that you exercise your creativity in day-to-day life?

RD:  I like to walk around and look at people doing what they do everyday.  I like to imagine what they did earlier that day.  Where they live, how they live, what they’re like, where they’re going, what they're worried about, what they’re looking forward to, etc.  I like to paint these mental pictures of what life is like for other people and then try to imagine myself being a part of that world.  That’s where I find ideas that might inspire me to make something, or take a picture, or write something down.

JS:  Where do you seek inspiration to complement your own creativity?

RD:  Friends for sure.  I'm fortunate to be surrounded by incredibly talented, intelligent, and interesting people. People who are always introducing me to things I haven’t seen or heard before, people with great taste.  I’m a rich man.  

JS:  Any advice you might offer others to encourage their own creativity to flourish?

RD:  I’m the last person to give advice on anything to anyone, because I’m confident that I don’t know shit about anything.  I don’t know... be weird, curious, and humble.

 

 

 

Joshua SyxComment