photobooth (at Bootleg Theater)

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:24:28 -0400

at Bootleg Theater

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:17:37 -0400

at Bootleg Theater

05.18.13

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:07:49 -0400

05.18.13

Currently reading:The Way Through Doors - Jesse Ball

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:56:49 -0400

Currently reading:

The Way Through Doors - Jesse Ball

I (still) hate you sunburn.

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:35:24 -0400

I (still) hate you sunburn.

cascades.

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:19:36 -0400

If you could run faster,
how long would go,
If your lungs allowed.
If your pace could stay consistent
If your breath could outlast,
If you could walk further,
how far would you go
If your soles allowed.
if your hands could stay clenched
If your last breath could be your first
If you could crawl again,
how fast would you go
If your knees allowed.
If your teeth could stay tensed,
If your first breath were to be your last.
If you could move at all,
where would you go,
If you could begin
If you could run
If you could walk
If you could
crawl.

Courtney Coles' Thesis Development Blog.: My proposal.

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:29:02 -0400

Courtney Coles' Thesis Development Blog.: My proposal.:

ccolesthesis:

Post-adolescent idealism (942 miles)

I never thought my life was interesting enough to be considered art. Nothing I did resembled anything I watched on Laguna Beach or The O.C.. Granted, I didn’t grow up in an affluent neighborhood and that was probably a contributing factor in my not relating to these individuals, I still never felt as though my story was worth telling. That was until earlier this semester when I was recommended to watch HBO’s Girls and I found many parallels between my life and that of writer and director Lena Dunham’s character, Hannah Horvath. Her seemingly unglamorous life represents everything my photographs are about: the life of a lost and confused post-adolescent idealist navigating through life with her friends and family. This leads me to my thesis: taking the life of a seemingly average young adult and making photographs with writings pertaining to this overly emotional, often unstable, yet pertinent time of self-discovery. This concept is also relevant due to my constant inner battle over what is considered private and what is acceptable to show to the general public; those who may not know me or the individuals in my photographs.

For my thesis project I propose to make a series of documentary photographs of my family, my friends and myself with a medium format film camera and organizing the photographs into a self-published artist book. Documenting my transition from adolescence to adulthood, this book will serve as a collection of text and images to serve as a marker in my life as I see myself almost somewhat reaching that state of adulthood.

My process is spending hours with my friends, listening to music and seeking answers in blog posts and various teen-young adult films. Alida Nugent, my favorite blogger, is a Brooklyn version of me who cashed in on the, “I graduated college with a mountain of debt and an English degree and I’m also a 20-something year old trying to make it in the world!” thing with a book deal. My photographs exist in the world as the still images to Dunham’s moving image and Nugent’s written words.

I find myself inspired by photographers who photograph their loved ones. Mitchell Wojcik, Emma Elizabeth Garr, Lauren Dukoff, Nan Goldin, Jim Goldberg, Carrie Mae Weems, Larry Sultan… These photographers turned their camera onto themselves and their respective communities and were able to capture something an outsider wouldn’t have been able to see. My constant flipping of pages and scrolling on my laptop fuels my drive to turn my own life into art without personal sacrifice so that I may someday see my name added to the ranks of those who inspire me most. I also find inspiration through music. Bands like The Wonder Years and Brand New have songs about growing up and the anxiety that brings and in those songs I find a little peace.

I’ve been working through the notion of finding my home and dissecting what that word means. My foundation is in Los Angeles, but I “grew up” in Portland. With my photographs, I’m trying to find my place not only in the cities I call home, but my place with the people I interact with, my place in the music industry and my place in art school.

The importance of a book is to simulate a diary. Used as something to document events, a diary is something a sitter can spend as much time reflecting upon as they see fit. My photographs don’t belong on the wall where there’s a missing link between viewer and photograph. I see my photographs as the visual component to my diary and putting them into a book completes it. Using a medium format camera gives me the opportunity to print large, if I choose to, but more importantly forces me to think a little more when making an image. Though what I’m doing is snapshot oriented, with a medium format camera, especially one that isn’t a point and shoot, it forces me to spend an extra 5 seconds thinking about making an image. Though my primary camera will be my Mamiya, I frequently use my cell phone to capture moments when my camera isn’t near me. I’m not opposed to using my cell phone, instant cameras or my 35mm film camera. Omitting the other cameras from my process will leave this proposed book to feel incomplete.

Unlike MTV’s late ‘90s – mid 2000s broadcast of their Spring Break related material that depicted your average college-aged co-ed partaking in questionable acts on television and, more recently, Spring Breakers, a film by Harmony Korine, my circle of friends don’t fit into that mold of being wild and crazy and I definitely don’t fit into that world. The media portrays my age group as sex crazed individuals when really, a lot of us aren’t. My photographs show the part that MTV leaves out. My photographs show the self-discovery of finding oneself amongst a community of like-minded individuals. Your 20s are really about self-discovery and that’s something I think isn’t spoken much about today.

Courtney Coles, Spring 2013

Color me amazed.

courtneycoles: It’s Alex’s 23rd birthday and this is how I...

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:22:22 -0400

courtneycoles:

It’s Alex’s 23rd birthday and this is how I greeted him.

Happy Stella day, dude!

FOREVER CLEVER.

This is 23.

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:40:38 -0400

This is 23.

s u n b u r n

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:30:15 -0400

s u n b u r n

XXIII

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:13:11 -0400

XXIII

g r a f f

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:54:09 -0400

g r a f f

enter the void

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:52:03 -0400

enter the void

titles.

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:25:09 -0400

titles.

Part II

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:39:05 -0400

Part II

subliminal message.

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:03:06 -0400

subliminal message.

rain got nothin on me.

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:39:25 -0400

rain got nothin on me.

Good mail day or reasons why Courtney Coles is adorable.

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:36:00 -0400

Good mail day
or reasons why Courtney Coles is adorable.

May 03, 2013

Sat, 04 May 2013 01:32:28 -0400

May 03, 2013

Clinic!

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:49:51 -0400

Clinic!

Alex, Sing Me The Blues!

photobooth (at Bootleg Theater)

at Bootleg Theater

05.18.13

Currently reading:The Way Through Doors - Jesse Ball

I (still) hate you sunburn.

cascades.

Courtney Coles' Thesis Development Blog.: My proposal.

courtneycoles: It’s Alex’s 23rd birthday and this is how I...

This is 23.

s u n b u r n

XXIII

g r a f f

enter the void

titles.

Part II

subliminal message.

rain got nothin on me.

Good mail day or reasons why Courtney Coles is adorable.

May 03, 2013

Clinic!