A FASCINATING JOURNEY INTO THE CREATIVE WORLD OF JOEL ROBISON

ART

A FASCINATING JOURNEY INTO THE CREATIVE WORLD OF JOEL ROBISON

Photo credit: Joel Robison

Text: Kate Max

February 6th 2023

Joel Robison is a famous fine art photographer from Canada who creates amazing images where the real world takes on unusual properties. The influence of the author’s inner world is clearly traced in his works. It makes them absolutely unique and highly recognizable. Joel has a great reputation in the world of photography and he has instructed over 900 students in 10 countries in the last 8 years.

His work has been used world wide by clients such as Coca-Cola, FIFA, Yahoo, Adobe, Oprah Magazine, Mariott, ArcAngel, Trevillion, PhotoNews Canada, and many more.

During 2013/2014 he worked exclusively with Coca-Cola and FIFA as the lead photographer and voice of social media on the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola where he travelled and photographed more than 80 countries over a 9 month period.

The events in our life have an impact on our creative path. Can you name 5 events in your life that have most strongly influenced you and your creativity?

I certainly agree that events in our lives really do shape our creative outputs and certainly my own life experiences have impacted me and my work. I think if I had to choose 5 I would choose:

– Attending my first Photography Meetup – I got started in the pre-instagram days and Flickr was where many photographers started to share their work. Through Flickr I was able to meet friends from across the globe and in 2011 a large group of us decided to meet for the first time and have a photography meetup of our own. That experience truly marked a new direction for me, it gave me a lot of confidence and a sense of community with other artists.

– Being Stuck in a Bad Relationship – It sounds bleak but being in a really unhealthy relationship was incredibly pivotal in my work. I needed an escape and photography was exactly that. I spent hours each day outside by myself taking photos that allowed me to live in a more peaceful or whimsical place than I was in at the time. This need for an escape was truly a way for me to develop a personal and connected theme of images.

– Moving To UK – In 2014 I moved to the UK on my own without knowing anyone there. It was a huge step and a big test of my own comfort zone but it really opened up my creativity. I met a lot of fellow creatives while living there and I was able to pursue art full-time for the first time. This experience of being in a new place really pushed me as I had to search for new locations, new opportunities, and new friends.

– Mental Health Struggles – In 2015-2017 I experienced a lot of personal life events that really impacted my mental health. I was impacted by suicide in my family and friends and it really changed the direction of my work for a while, because I needed to find a healthy way of processing all the emotions I was feeling. This really opened my eyes to how art can be used as a way to heal and express the most difficult of emotions.

– Teaching – Over the past 6 or 7 years I’ve been teaching workshops and classes around the world and this opportunity to teach other people has given me a lot of insight onto why I create and how I can help other people find the freedom to create their own stories. It’s given me a lot more of an opportunity to reflect.

Your images have been used to train AI models without your permission or consent. How was this situation resolved? And do you think AI will ever be able to replace people in creativity? Can art exist without a “soul”?

As of right now, the situation hasn’t been resolved. There is, unfortunately, a big divide within the art community and it will take time for the legal side of things to work itself out. I think it will take even longer for the ethics to be defined. Just because something is allowed or accessible doesn’t always mean it’s ethical. I truly don’t believe AI will replace creativity, in my opinion AI Art is an output that someone agrees with, it’s not a creation that exists because of emotion, or imagination, or desire to share a message. I view AI as an image, but not necessarily art.

The real world takes on unusual characteristics in your images. How do ideas for your artwork come to you?

I like to say that I’m a professional daydreamer. I’ve always given myself permission to day dream and try to give myself the freedom to believe anything is possible. Many of my ideas start as a single object or location or word and then morph into an expression of something I’m feeling or thinking about, using that item or object as a visual touchstone. I get ideas mostly from just allowing myself to be alone with my thoughts without any distractions.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of your work as a full-time artist. Please share with our readers which images or stories in your paintings are your favorite.

This image has always been one of my favourites. I created it almost 10 years ago and for me it marks a definitive moment in my life. I took this photo right before I set off on a world tour where I was hired as a photographer. I was gone for 9 months and visited over 80 countries and during that time my entire life changed and this image always speaks to me of that moment just before everything changed.  I remember creating it, it was a very calm evening and I was just alone with my thoughts and it felt like a dance creating it. Everything just worked exactly as I needed and it just fell together perfectly for me.

You have created a set of Creative Sparks cards. They are designed to give new ideas for creativity. How did you come up with the idea of creating this project? Do you use these cards in your creative work?

I created these cards during the pandemic. One of the questions I get asked the most is how I come up with ideas and the second question I get asked is what do I do when I get creatively blocked. These cards were my way of creating a tool that could help with both of those things. I often find that I create better work when I have a little bit of a constraint, a theme to create inside of. I designed these cards to provide that small amount of direction. They’re a helpful resource giving someone an opportunity to build a prompt that includes an item, a location, and an emotion and to create as story from the results. I started using the cards myself in 2021 and I’ve been using them almost weekly since, without fail they help me to find a new image to make.

If creativity doesn’t develop, it dies. What do you think is the way forward for the development of your art? What would you consider your professional victory?

I think for me the way forward is to challenge myself to learn new skills and to work on projects that are just outside of my comfort zone. Over the last few years I’ve taken on client projects that are largely within my skillset but often contain one or two things that I have to push myself to meet. This helps keep me learning and progressing and also thinking of new ways to share my work.
For me, I think a professional victory was last year having 3 different solo exhibitions. I was able to show my work in my hometown for a 4 month show. I had a month long exhibition inside Blenheim Palace in the UK and then had a weekend show in Vancouver. It was really reaffirming to me to be able to see my work printed, and sold.

You had an exhibition at a gallery in Vancouver where all the images center around the importance that art and photography have had on your mental health. This is an important topic. Please, share your thoughts on the psychological aspect of art.

Photography and mental health have always been hand in hand for me throughout my career. I think that there is something truly therapeutic about taking emotions and thoughts and creating something from them. It allows us time to process them, to name them, to face them and to put all that energy into something that exists outside of our minds and I think that can be incredibly healing. There are so many ways that art can help us process things, and I really encourage anyone that is struggling with their mental health or having a hard time processing things, to try and show what it looks like. Draw or paint or photograph what it looks like for you and it can be really freeing and helpful.

Books take an important place in your life. Do you have a favorite book? And how do books influence your creativity and how are they reflected in it?

I’ve always loved reading and I’ve found it be a great way to get lost in a new world for a short time. For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved Alice In Wonderland simply because it blends reality with whimsy and surrealism in a really original and creative way. I also really enjoy the work of TJ Klune, especially The House in the Cerulean Sea.
It’s a book that again blends magic and reality with heart and a message of hope.  Books influence me because they’re like portals of magic, they’re simple objects but they contain entire universes inside them and I find that endlessly inspiring. I use the imagery of books often because I think of myself as a story teller, a visual one telling stories that could exist inside the pages of the books I use.

Art is supposed to make us better, to develop our personality. Are there any social themes that you would like to reflect in your art in the future?

I would certainly like to keep using my art and my platform to champion social issues that I care about.  This year I will be photographing a Pride themed series in my hometown, celebrating members of the LGBTQ+ community, I would love to be able to continue to use my work to uplift voices that need their stories told.

Your images often show unusual places. How do you choose your locations? What is important to you?

I love wandering and I love being outside (often by myself) so a lot of my locations are found just from me walking or cycling and finding an interesting spot. I’m always looking for good fields with nice clean lines, I like neutral locations that don’t have a lot of busy backgrounds so that I can make them feel like they could be located anywhere. But I also like using interesting one of a kind spots too, like castle ruins or old buildings to use a backdrop. I feel like it’s my way of adding to the lengthy history of stories told in those spots.

What words would you give to fans of your talent, visitors to your exhibitions or creative followers?

Don’t ever feel like your story isn’t worth telling. Our community is richer because of all the diverse voices that sing, dance, paint, act, sculpt, photograph, and share what the world looks like to them. You’re the only you we have, and we need you.

COMMENT

LEAVE A COMMENT

Actually, this article could
be in your email

Featured materials from FOXYLAB MAGAZINE
are available in our newsletters.
Subscribe and get a dose of inspiration!

SHARE THE ARTICLE

more articles

 

Since few seasons we have been assisting the triumphal comeback of denim. Behind this fashion trend there is mainly one man, The Perfect Designer of the Year according to Katie Granthe, Glenn Martens.

ART

This article is about his artistic path, friendship with Andy Warhol, his relationship with Madonna, the tragic addition to the “27 Club” and his current relevance to the NFT.

ART

Stress as a trigger to the emergence of the surrealistic digital collages. Spanish couple co creates art as a way to survive.

New York’s Gilder Center of American Museum of Natural History is now open. Stunning architectural wonders, fresh exhibitions, and immersive encounters…

Step into the world of Kachorovska’s Cherilyn, where unique enhancements combine style and comfort effortlessly…

logo form

want to share your story
with the world?

We're open to collaborating with creative and talented individuals like you. Leave us your email below, and let's connect for interviews, articles, and more.

don’t miss!

New drop
foxylab ny x Edward Acosta

New drop FXLB x Edward Acosta

A thin edge of seduction and the consumerism fetish is thoroughly blurred in Acosta’s art in the use of both light, and dark tones. Bold lines serve as a fashionable juxtaposition of a peaceful dream-like state and a vivid color, representing action and presence in the moment.

black tee awaken

OVERSIZED BLACK TEE

$160

white pullover dress awaken

WHITE FLEECE DRESS

$230

BLACK FLEECE DRESS

$230

black fleece pullover awaken

BLACK FLEECE PULLOVER

$260

white tee awaken

WHITE TEE

$160

READ MORE ARTICLES

 

Since few seasons we have been assisting the triumphal comeback of denim. Behind this fashion trend there is mainly one man, The Perfect Designer of the Year according to Katie Granthe, Glenn Martens.

ART

This article is about his artistic path, friendship with Andy Warhol, his relationship with Madonna, the tragic addition to the “27 Club” and his current relevance to the NFT.

ART

Stress as a trigger to the emergence of the surrealistic digital collages. Spanish couple co creates art as a way to survive.

New York’s Gilder Center of American Museum of Natural History is now open. Stunning architectural wonders, fresh exhibitions, and immersive encounters…

Step into the world of Kachorovska’s Cherilyn, where unique enhancements combine style and comfort effortlessly…