Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to James Miille. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi James, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
A few years into my art career, I faced a major creative block. I had recently completed a highly prolific year of creating a new photo every single day, which had effectively become my biggest time commitment, and naturally an important part of my identity. People came to recognize me for the project. It was the way I spent time with friends and made new friends. The year after this project, I went from creating 365 photos to less than 30. After a couple years, I was only making 5 or 6 new artworks in a year. I had officially reached the biggest creative block of my art career.
It wasn’t all bad though! I spent a lot more time on each artwork I created without the pressure of making a new piece each and every day. But, without the structure the project gave me, I felt myself floating without any clear direction. I knew roughly what my style was (surreal portraits made out of several photos), and I kept taking stabs in the dark that felt close to what I wanted to achieve, but nothing felt like it was hitting the mark the way I wanted.
That all changed on one spontaneous trip to Savannah, though. I planned to stop by for a couple days on my way back to New York from Florida to meet up with a friend, but after our plans got cancelled, I decided to keep the trip and use it to try to get my spark back. I decided that the main issue causing this creative block was **pressure** (pressure from the past several years, from social media, from my own expectations of each idea needing to be better than the last), and what I needed was to take the pressure off with a low-stakes creative exercise. I asked myself, “When do I feel most inspired? How can I manifest that feeling?” The answer –– for me –– was music. Besides photography and visual art, singing and listening to music has been my main creative catalyst, so I started with that. I found a spot along the river in Savannah to sit down, and I created what I thought was a quick creative exercise to get the ideas flowing. I already had a playlist of some of the songs that inspired me the most, so equipped with my sketchbook and some noise cancelling headphones, I drowned out the world as I listened to each song on repeat until an idea flowed from my pen.
That was back in 2021, and to this day, music has become the formula all my photo ideas stem from.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a fine art, surreal portrait photographer, and up until this point, my art has been in the backseat to my day job. I am over the moon to share that after ten years, I am taking the leap of faith and making my art practice my full-time career! As I phase into this new stage of my life, I first plan to keep costs low by focusing almost exclusively on e-commerce and online partnerships, but once I’ve established a stable income, I then plan to exhibit in person more frequently and eventually produce my own immersive exhibitions. If you’d like to see more of my work, definitely feel free to check out my website at www.jamesmiille.com or follow me on Instagram at @jamesmiille. Would love to hear from you!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, I would say that trusting myself, accepting support from others, and treating my art seriously have made the most impact on my art career. The moments I’ve had imposter syndrome have been when things come to a standstill, and then that self-doubt becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You might also not always agree with the advice others give you (and it might not always be the right advice!), but if someone is going out of their way to help you, welcome that support with open arms and take the most valuable pieces of that advice with you on your journey. Lastly, treat a creative or art practice as seriously as you would any other job. Just because you actually enjoy something (which is a good thing!) doesn’t mean it isn’t work. Treat it like an actual business, and you’ll see the results.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
As far as right now, the most impactful thing my parents have done for me is support me in this decision to take my art full-time. It’s not always easy to believe in yourself (especially when you’re in the middle of a big decision, and especially when you’re a libra), so the fact that my parents have believed in me and given me advice to make this career shift a success has been very bolstering!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jamesmiille.com
- Instagram: @jamesmiille
- Other: James’ Spark Spotify Playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ip8hc5p7g8r5a2nts40kp?si=8832051c48ed405e
Image Credits
All photos taken by me!
