Audio By Carbonatix
When we last put the spotlight on 100 creative forces in Phoenix, it was no secret there were more than 100 individuals who were making waves in the local arts community. So as we count down to our annual Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome (back) to 100 Creatives
Brad Armstrong is a photographer whose work has been showcased in the journalism, fine art, and commercial worlds. He says he currently works with small and large companies to communicate a mission through visuals.
“Being self employed means churning the butter every day,” he says. “The learning curve is steep and I had to work hard and fast to make things happen.”
I came to Phoenix with . . . when I was an 18-year-old from Long Island, New York. I was alone with a suitcase and an ambition to get an education and to compete in Track and Field. The rest I would have learn and discover.
The first two years I was a student a Phoenix College and then I went to NAU. Go Jacks! From Flagstaff, I chased my then girlfriend to Sun Valley, Idaho where we were married and had our first child. We moved back to Phoenix in 1983. I had a ’66 Ford pick-up truck and a wholesale wine sales job at a Scottsdale distributor called Vintage Selection. It was shortly after moving back to Arizona that I realized I wanted to pursue a career in photography. I wanted to put my passion for photography and my education in journalism to work. I quit my sales job job and decided to dedicate myself to getting a job as a photojournalist.
After making the commitment it took three years of pounded on doors before I got a break when I was hired at the Scottsdale Progress Newspaper. Shortly thereafter the Progress was bought by the East Valley Tribune. I finally had a career and stability for my wife and two young boys. Seventeen years later I was promoted to Director of Photography. I managed the still photographers, the imaging department and created a video department. In 2009 it all came crashing down when the parent company went into bankruptcy and I among 140 other people jobs were eliminated. Two months later my wife was laid off from her job of 14 years. It was scary time. At an age where most people are thinking about retirement I knew I lost my career for ever. I knew I would never work in the news business again but as a freelancer I was in my prime. I knew someone would appreciate my experience.
I spent 20 years telling other people’s story. It was time I started to focus on me and my story.
I make art because . . . All I know is this, if I’m not evolving creatively, I become extremely frustrated and difficult to live with. I have to stay busy both intellectually and physically. It’s all about growth for me. My fear is if I become complacent with my work it becomes predictable and formulaic. Not good for a creative person.
I’m most productive when . . . I have the camera out of the bag. Working a shoot is my comfort zone. It’s always a challenging endeavor that requires the breath of my experience to pull off. Nothing is ever perfect so you have to think on your feet and figure things out. It’s trouble shooting and if you have the time it’s making a series of little tweaks until you have it dialed in. I try to hit out of the park every time but sometimes a lemon is a lemon.
My inspiration wall is full of . . . Years ago it was iconic photographers, images and reading books by the masters. Now my wall is full of lists of things I need to be better at. Networking, using social media, getting my name out there, meeting people and when I have time do a spec shoot to build my portfolio with diverse images.
I’ve learned the most from . . . Doing! Practice makes better. I’m self taught through making mistakes and learning from it. I’ve always been on my own. That’s not by choice it just happened that way. I started my full-time professional career at 35 so people assumed I already new what I was doing. I wish. I had mentors, but this is a competitive profession so getting someone to teach you everything they know never happened for me.
Good work should always . . . Have content that has relevance to our experience on this planet. You can have all the filters and apps the digital age can offer but it always comes down to content — a moment, feeling, mood, interaction. Even abstractions have to communicate something. For me an empty moments are visual failures.
The Phoenix creative scene could use more . . . People like you. It seems the Valley’s mainstream media couldn’t care less about the arts. Newspapers even when things were good dedicated very little resources to the local art scene. Beyond things to do this weekend I rarely saw in-depth profiles on artists of any kind. I don’t know, but maybe Valley residents don’t care ether. People are focusing more on survival right now.
From my perspective the people who are creating the art in this Valley are as much a part of the historical record as the people and places they depict. There seems to be very little respect for the creators and or the arts in this Valley. I’ve been to two historical museums in the Valley and in both I found photographs that have no attribution to the photographers who created the work. Personally I want to know who these pioneering artists were. To me it’s inexcusable.
The Creatives, so far … (And while you’re here, check out 100 Tastemakers on Chow Bella.)
100:Lara Plecas
99. Isaac Caruso
98. Brandon Gore
97. Kelsey Dake
96. Hector Ruiz
95. Caroline Battle
94: Jennifer Campbell
93. Jeff Chabot
92. Tiffiney Yazzie
91. Daniel Germani
90. Irma Sanchez
89. Daniel m. Davis
88. Kirstin Van Cleef
87. Emmett Potter
86. Sarah Hurwitz
85. Christine Cassano
84. Fred Tieken
83. Lindsay Kinkade
82. Ruben Galicia
81. Robert Uribe
80. Heidi Abrahamson
79. Josephine Davis
78. Travis Ladue
77. Taz Loomans
76. Mikey Jackson
75. Alex Empty
74. Joe Ray
73. Carol Roque
72. Daniel Funkhouser
71. Carla Chavarria
70. Hugo Medina
69. Cavin Costello
68. Claire Carter
67. Lindsay Tingstrom
66. Catherine Ruane
65. Christopher Crosby
64. Aaron Johnson
63. Brenda Eden
62. Colton Brock
61. Ernesto Moncada
60. Benjamin Phillips
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