At The Bag we get many opportunities to go outside the office and be enriched by people that are successfully living a creative life. At the last CreativeMornings, we had a whopping 12 Baggers attend to hear the photographer, designer, and illustrator, Jason Travis, speak to the city of Atlanta—where Jason originally began his work.
Watching Jason Travis flip through his portfolio, I kept thinking how neat it must be for someone to discover so much with what seemed to be so little time in-between projects. Every slide he flipped through was fresh and enjoyable. How does Jason have such a wide variety of work that is captivating, memorable, and unique?
I think the answer is found in Jason’s process for coming up with concepts. He continuously explores ideas and executes them without letting a thought of negativity stop him for even a moment. He marries objects and people together with no fear in thinking it may not come out right or if people would disapprove. I get the sense that if anything crosses his mind for a concept he will explore it and as a result his photography becomes a unique and creative portrayal of the photographer himself.
I left CreativeMornings that Friday feeling immensely inspired by his work and his attitude toward creating living. Jason Travis is a great example of not letting project fails stop him and not letting doubt lead his life, because doubt of your own thinking can discourage you from asking yourself good questions, discover and try new things, and what you truly hope to accomplish. Being a photographer and designer myself, I now have a eager new attitude to further explore the things I am truly interested in. And not be afraid to keep asking myself the question, “What if?”
The photograph on the left is inspired by Jason’s persona images that displays flat-laid objects that are inside someone’s bag accompanied with the individual themselves. These objects are particular to the person’s personality and creates an open window into their world. In my own version, I laid out some of the most meaningful moments of my life on a vibrant Brown Bag colored background. My collection left me feeling nostalgic and inspired to continuously build a creative living that I am personally most proud of.
What are the objects in your collection? Or as we ask around here, what’s in your Bag?