Every Saturday, we will be sharing a video as part of our new initiative “Work From Home: Inside the Artist’s Studio." Each photographer will answer three questions while talking about their studio practice.
First up is photographer Jess T. Dugan, who gives us a look into her studio and shares some of her tips on staying motivated.
"My work is so connected to other people and it's really all about connecting with other people, so maintaining my community is really essential to what I do. Although I am choosing to not be in the same space as other people, I am really working to stay connected with people I love and care about. I think that it's important that, even though we might all be physically isolated right now, we don't socially isolate."
In addition to sharing with us how her practice has been affected by COVID-19, Jess T. Dugan also offers advice on how to push through a creative block:
"I think the primary way that I work through any [creative] block is to just keep working. Sometimes it's amazing, and sometimes it's frustrating but you gotta just keep going. When I'm starting to hit a block and I'm losing clarity around my work, I go for a walk."
Jess T. Dugan (American, b. 1986 Biloxi, MS) is an artist whose work explores issues of identity, gender, sexuality, and community. In her series Every breath we drew, she explores the power of identity, desire, and connection through portraits of herself and others. In her series To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults, she documents the life stories of the important but largely underrepresented group of gender-nonconforming older adults. She received her MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago (2014), her Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard University (2010), and her BFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (2007).
View more of Jess's work here.
