URBSVOX

The Interview: Photographer Neal Santos

Neal Santos works as the Chief Photographer for City Paper. His style caught my eye over the summer with a series of photographs from a piece penned by Drew Lazor about the impending explosion of ramen in Philadelphia. His photos have a very clean aesthetic featuring a fantastic use of light and color, as well as strong compositions and styling.

Photo by Neal Santos

He shot another series that I was really impressed with featuring Chef Chris Kearse of the newly opened Will BYOB on East Passyunk Ave. Neal’s photos have a fine art aesthetic that I really appreciate, and it’s a style that really mixes well with the stories his work is usually attached to.

Photo by Neal Santos

As with most Philadelphia Creatives, Neal is also involved in another project that he is passionate about; Farm 51 in West Philadelphia is run by him and his partner Andrew.

I’m the lucky bastard that gets to grow food and document it professionally in a city that I love.

I went to visit this amazing project last week and spoke to Neal about working as photographer, what it’s like to run an urban farm, and how it impacts the neighborhood he lives in.

The Interview: Artist Dewey Saunders

Photography by Swabreen Bakr

Young creatives these days are multi-taskers, they’re not defined by one job alone, some might be working two or three jobs at once. They’ve got the one job that pays the bills and the other job(s) that fulfill their passion. It’s been said a lot lately that the jobs millennials take aren’t defined solely by income potential, but by happiness and how creative and personally fulfilling it allows them to be. I find that mindset to be pretty accurate among the Philadelphia Creatives that I’ve profiled so far.

I came across Dewey Saunders work on Instagram a few months ago. He was posting previews for an art show called Indian Summer. A bright collection of work that combined painting, pencil sketches and collages made from vintage photographs. The work had a beautiful and bright quality to it; loose lines created a nice flow in each piece.

I didn’t make it to his show on opening night but I went the next day, and was really impressed by what I saw. Dewey designs album covers, makes music and is the creative director of Bold New Breed, an independent record label-slash-creative collaborative for artists, musicians and cinematographers.

I visited his home in South Philly for our photo shoot and to get to know more about the process behind his work.

How did you develop your artistic style? Who or what inspires you?

I have many styles and I am inspired by David Hockney, I really enjoy John Baldessari, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Leonard Baskin, Ben Shan and Van Gogh. I am also inspired by my collections of printed matter, vintage ephemera and old publications. I archive my findings and collages on the Humble Wonder tumblr.

The Interview: DJ Chaisley Lussier

Photography by Swabreen Bakr

There’s a generation of young people around now that are constant hustlers, they’re trying to make their careers on their own terms while doing work that fulfills a goal that gives them more than just monetary rewards; the Philadelphia Creatives encompass that generation of people.

I met Chaisely about a little over a year ago, she’s a DJ and creator of Chick-Decks.com an online resource for her fellow female DJs. In our interview she breaks down the challenges female DJs face, what trends she’s sick of, and recommends some hot tracks to listen to, plus some advice for aspiring female DJs. Check it out!

What is your background? What got you interested in DJing? Were you self-taught?

Music has always played a really important role in my life. I started dancing at the age of 3 and continued until college. I wanted to be a ballerina growing up, but the company I was with told me it wasn’t a realistic goal for someone who’s only 5ft. Before I even thought of DJing I liked to produce and mix beats. I was also a huge nerd for mixtapes. I used to throw house parties in high-school just so I could play my CD mixes. I didn’t realize at the time, that that was DJing. During my junior year of college, I was living in NYC; while I was out one night I saw a girl at a small club manning an iPod. She didn’t have tables or any of the usual gear, but that’s when it dawned on me that I could do the same. I shopped around for the necessary gear and bought everything the next week. Everything I know was self-taught, with a few new tricks here and there that I pick up from other DJs that I get to know.