[ X ]

Drew Fishburn

For the first Pleaser interview I had the pleasure of interviewing Drew Fishburn, also known as Fish. Drew is a photographer and visual artist who I originally found on Silknode. As soon as I saw his work, I knew he was special. Recently, Fish shot a lookbook for the up and coming designer Drew Cwiek. It stands out to me for its collage like compositions, as well as its natural yet deep colors. Continue reading to find out more about Fish’s life, work, and philosophy.

Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do?

I am Drew Fishburn. Born in Portland, Oregon & raised in a rural area in Washington called Ireland. I didn’t have internet or TV until I was almost 15. In the last few years, I lived in San Diego, Prague, Portland & Oahu. Right now I travel, skip rocks & take photos. I’m going to advertising portfolio school in case all else fails.

I loved your series of self portraits you recently posted. What was your process for shooting that? How did you go about posing/styling yourself?

Honestly, I partied hard the night before, I was hungover making my coffee, I saw the lighting on the porch & visualized the first photo in the series. I wanted to feel productive. From there, I visualized how I could capture more scenes around the house as metaphors to vanity & self-perception. Because I didn’t have a tripod, I was stacking pillows on chairs & backpacks just to get angles right.

I’m practicing being okay with imperfection, so I made sure to add details like a food wrapper or a dirty shoe in the corner of each photo. I was living in Hawaii at the time, so I just put on my favorite shorts to lounge in. I have these terrycloth Alexander Wang shorts that I want to be buried in. I’m a big proponent of large shorts.

It seems like you really enjoy rock skipping. Why? How does it make you feel? What is the most skips you have gotten in a single throw?

Skipping stones is the most natural thing I have in my life. I’ve actually never counted my skips. I think I can break 25.

As a kid, I was a pitcher. I’d always practice my baseball windup, throwing rocks at tree trunks & stuff like that. It’s never really been something I thought about.

My meditation is going down to a stream by myself, finding perfect flat, broad stones & throwing until the sun goes down or my arm falls off. I like skipping in glacial streams, the blue tint in the water feels like a cartoon world.

But as I’ve learned the science & art of skipping stones, it’s made me a better artist. I think it’s like dancing, although I’m not good at dancing. There isn’t really a correct way to skip a stone; you have to turn off your brain & let it come naturally. I’m probably approaching the 10,000-hour mark for skipping rocks.

I’m entering a random lottery to join the World Stone Skimming Championship in September. It’s in Scotland & I’d go with my 87-year-old grandmother. She’s been to 108 countries, I love traveling with her. I’ve also been told I have good luck, so if I get in.. maybe I’ll win.

What are some of your biggest inspirations? (can be an action/person/place/etc) How do you feel it influences your work, if at all?

My biggest inspiration in life is myself as a kid. Making forts, believing in magic, playing pretend, just having a frivolous love for life. My goal is to be the person I needed to meet as a kid. I vividly remember one last day of school, my 2nd-grade teacher, Mrs. Faddis, breaking down in tears & telling the class that we could do anything we wanted to. It was the first time I remember an adult crying. I sure believed her. I still do.

I’m also inspired by the people in my life. My friend Mitch is in dental school & puts in 12 to 14-hour study days for weeks at a time. I’m more than inspired by that crazy motherfucker. The same goes for my friends in general. I’m lucky to have the friendships I do. Everyone is going their own way, it’s fulfilling to watch.

Then there are the people & things that shaped my taste. Tom & Jerry, Jane Goodall, Chief Keef, Ralph Lauren, & Brandon Roy, to name a few. It’s a strange mix, but I think all of it influences me.

Malia Sine, Shot by Drew Fishburn

What is your creative process like? How do you go about planning shoots? Is there a specific style you would classify your work as?

My creative process starts with trying something new. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. It could be as simple as having a conversation with a stranger or a weekend in a new city. Actively experiencing the world with a childlike sense of openness & curiosity allows ideas in my subconscious to bubble up to the surface. From there, I do what I am good at & find a way for my friends to do their thing on it too. I always think of that Kevin dude on Vine that would feed the deer & say “everyone eats”. I agree.

For planning shoots, it usually starts with a daydream. I like photography as a tool to shape reality into my own world. I think photographers are generally unaccepting of reality, at least I am.. If I want something to exist, it will. I shoot how I see the little world I’ve created for myself. It’s not a perfect world, but it makes me feel whole.

I’m not sure how to classify my work. I draw stylistic parallels to what Hunter S. Thompson was doing in the 60’s. My photography is very ‘Gonzo’ style in the sense that I don’t want to miss out on the emotion I express in my work, so I incorporate myself & my personality into it, which hopefully makes photos feel immersive to someone. I get into character like my models; if they’re barefoot, I am too.

I used to give tattoos in college. The connection & intimacy between myself & the subject was strong, causing someone pain & giving them art that lasts forever, under two layers of their skin. I feel that same connection when I’m taking someone’s photo. There is a lot of nonverbal communication involved, & I think combining empathy with photography makes magic real. That’s when I feel like I can capture something powerful, we both feel each other’s emotions & that connection is beautiful to me.

What is your dream project?

This morning, I’m obsessed with this editorial idea for a road trip to Wisconsin in a silver & chrome Maybach GLS600 with a driver, journalist & Xaviersobased. In Wisconsin, there is a period in the fall, right after the leaves turn orange & the first frost, when a warm wind blows through for a couple weeks. You can be out on a lake like it’s a summer day & experience fall at the same time. It sounds funny in writing, but I’ll make it happen.

I also want to make a cookbook. One day, I’ll start a creative agency, too.

Recently, you shot a lookbook for Drew Cwiek, loved how it turned out. What was the process of shooting that like? What was your biggest hurdle? Do you have a favorite photo?

That was a fun project. Things definitely went wrong. I wanted a project I could fully throw myself into, & Drew gave me a great platform to do that. A lot of it came from this idea I had in high school about using personal objects in still-life images to tell a story. I’ve always liked making things with my hands more than messing around on a computer too much, I’m pretty novice with computers. I like when details are there in real life.

The biggest hurdle was adjusting. Cameras broke, the weather changed & plans shifted. But honestly, that’s usually when the good stuff starts happening. When everything is too perfect, it can get kind of stale. If something goes wrong, I have to respond, & that usually leads somewhere better.

Looking back, I couldn’t pick a favorite. I’m lucky to have met the people I did. I put a lot of personal meaning into the photos, especially in the arrangements. Some of them include inside jokes with me & the person in the photo. I like the photo of Francessca & Havana as Silhouettes. Right before that, we tried catching this huge dinner-plate bullfrog. I don’t think I’d work well with someone who wouldn’t try to catch a frog with me.

Is your name really Fish?

Next question.

What do you hope for in the future?

I just want to put all my homies on. I also want to get married to a cool girl & live in a cabin on a lake somewhere. It’ll have a big hearth & an outdoor shower.

Do you have a message for anyone reading this?

Next time you’re on a plane, watch Iron Giant by Brad Bird.

Thank you Drew Fishburn for taking the time to answer my questions so thoughtfully. <3 Check out Drew’s instagram here, and his Silk blog here.