I've said this before, both online and in person to folks, and I'm not trying to be antagonistic here.
I'm just trying to be crystal clear.
I make the art I make because it's the work that genuinely inspires me. That's the entire engine behind it. Because I create portraits, and more specifically intimate portraiture, my process naturally requires collaborators. Usually that's a model, sometimes several people, but someone has to "stand in front of the camera". That's simply the nature of the medium, no?
What my work is not about is building some giant catalog of models, checking names off a list, or trying to feature as many different people as possible so everyone gets equal representation or whatever some may see it as. That's never been the premise.
So please don't message me asking, "Do you have any more photos of xyz model?" or "When are you going to shoot abc model?" or "You photograph Briana Noir a lot. Are you ever going to shoot anyone else?"
I understand why people ask. If you admire a particular model, of course you're going to want to see more of her work. That's perfectly reasonable. Models are artists and professionals in their own right. They have careers, personalities, audiences, and creative voices that exist entirely independent of me. I respect that completely.
But my artwork is not driven by collecting collaborators like trading cards.
You don't tell a painter which brushes deserve more canvas time. You don't tell a guitarist which chords they're obligated to favor because someone misses the old ones. You don't tell a sculptor they're using the wrong stone because another quarry has prettier marble. You either connect with the finished work or you don't.
The collaborators I choose are an essential part of the creative process. They aren't interchangeable, and they certainly aren't products. Quite often they contribute ideas that elevate the project beyond anything I had envisioned by myself. That's one of the most rewarding parts of creating with people I trust.
Yes, sometimes I work with someone new to me. At times I enjoy that, and it'll continue to happen.
But these days I mostly create with collaborators I've already built relationships with. People I know. People I trust. People who inspire me, and who I hope feel equally inspired by the work we create together. Some are here in Houston. Some are scattered across the country. Wherever they are, the projects happen when they happen. I don't schedule creativity around audience requests.
So if you're hoping to see more work from a specific model, I'd encourage you to follow his/her work. Chances are they're creating with plenty of killer photographers besides me.
If you're hoping I'll photograph a specific person someday, I honestly have no answer for you. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows.
And if you think I photograph one collaborator too often, that's ok too. You're entitled to that opinion.
I'm still going to make the work that keeps me awake at night with ideas.
Because at the end of the day, I'm not trying to assemble the world's most complete collection of collaborators. I'm trying to make art that feels worth making. If that means I spend years creating alongside the same people because that's where the inspiration lives, then that's exactly what I'm going to keep doing.
FYI is all.