10 Questions with Tyler James

Tyler James (b. 1992) is an American photographer and filmmaker born and raised in New Brighton and Golden Valley, Minnesota. James is known for using banal scenes to tell stories, evoke the emotions he feels, and document places before they are forgotten. Using a stream of consciousness approach, James makes photographs of anything he looks at twice, letting the subconscious mind inform the choice of subject. James photographs while experiencing different emotions, imprinting emotions subconsciously into the works. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions around the United States, as well as in select hotels and luxury apartments that hold his work in their permanent collections. He is the only artist ever featured at the Wesley Andrews Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. James currently resides in Houston, Texas, and is self-represented.

firsthandaccount.com | @firsthandaccount

ARTIST STATEMENT

“Ever since I started making photos five years ago, I have wanted to live in Northeast Minneapolis. This area of Minneapolis is truly inspiring to artists of all kinds. This fall, I was fortunate enough to move right between Northeast Minneapolis and the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood. This series of photographs were made during the first month of living in this incredible location. Many people know Minnesota for the harsh snowy winters. This series aims to show the beauty of fall in the city. Every day I would go for walks with my sister and her French bulldog, bring my camera along, and do one of my favorite things, walking meditation. These are the photographs I made along the way.” - Tyler James

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. What are your history and your artistic background?

My name is Tyler James, and I was born and raised in Minnesota! 

How did you discover photography? And what inspired you to pursue this career?

When I was 13, I begged my parents to get me a camera for my birthday that year. When we went to the camera store, I spoke to an older gentleman who was very traditional in his views on learning photography. He instructed me first to read the manual, then read it again, then read it until I knew it inside and out, THEN start using the camera and making photographs. I followed his advice and ended up making a lot of photographs of my family, flowers, and sunsets, the typical subject matter you start out loving as a beginner photographer. Over the years, I left and then came back to photography many times. I've never been someone that has had a lot of self-confidence, coupled with my need for everything to be perfect. It makes for a cocktail of procrastination and self-doubt. I really started taking it more seriously in 2015 when I was living in Tampa, Florida, and had an extreme amount of support from my friends there. They pushed me to get back into it and try to make a career out of it, and I will forever be grateful for their push. I guess I truly didn't believe in myself at anything until I found photography, and once I started to make images every day, I was hooked for life.

Your photos have a retro look and often depict "places before they are forgotten," as you state. What do you hope that the public takes away from your work? 

I hope people take a moment to cherish the things they grew up with, the places they went to eat with their family their entire life. I hope people value the long lasting family businesses that America was founded on. 

What are the main themes behind your work? And how do you approach and incorporate these themes in your production?  

Kenopsia is a prominent theme in my work. The eerie atmospheric loneliness in previously occupied spaces. I try to imprint the emotions I experience into the works themselves. I use a subconscious approach and let my emotional state change and flow while photographing to see how it affects the outcome. 

Where do you find inspiration for your works? 

My inspiration comes from found scenes, my current emotional state, and studying contemporary and classical photography greats. Some of my photographic influences are Stephen Shore, Alec Soth, and Todd Hido. 

And how did you evolve this way of working?

One time I did a project for a class at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where I had to make a series of 10 photographs, print them out, and then present them to the class. The class noticed that my work had a lot of lonely emotional qualities, and it was definitely a subconscious imprint of me moving back home to go back to school and not knowing anyone. 

The past years have been a turning point for many of us. What did you learn about yourself through the pandemic? And how did it influence your work?

I learned to take more risks and experiment more as an artist. I found the #Web3 space through the app Clubhouse and started to learn more about photography through a daily group on the app. It was an extremely important period in my journey as an artist and one of the first times I introduced myself as a photographic artist. 

Let's talk about the future; where do you see yourself five years from now?

I see myself continuing to take photos, learn, experiment, adapt, and have a lot of fun. My life as an artist has changed so much in the past 6 months that I can't even begin to predict the future, but I am enjoying the ride!

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future work-wise? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

I am currently finishing up the curation/sequencing for my newest book "A Dying Light" which will release in December! 

And finally, do you have any upcoming exhibition, publication, or collaboration where our readers can see your work? 

My work is currently being shown at Curator Galleries in NYC and will be shown there again in December!