Kristie Muller
Her instagram and her tumblr are filled with tons of shots with great composition and interesting content or lighting or something. In all of her work there is something inherently cool. It’s an aesthetic she she has nailed. Or maybe it has nailed her? Either way we like what we see.
What is your full name? Got any nicknames?
Kristie Melissa Muller, my nickname since high school has been 'baller’.
Where were you born and where are you based?
I was born in Western Canada and grew up in Kitchener, Ontario. I live in Toronto.
How long have you been taking photos?
I started taking pictures when I was nine or ten. I was into playing around with disposable cameras. I liked documenting the things around me, and how little the outcome had to do with reality.
Which do you prefer photographing: humans or things
That's tricky. I like trying to draw human-like qualities and character out of objects.
Are you a sunrise or a sunset person?
I like sunsets - I’m a freak for color, and I like how fleeting it is.
If you could photograph a smell what would it be?
Gasoline.
What makes you tick? What fuels your art?
Anything and everything. I get fixated on certain little concepts for weeks or months at a time. I'll get attached to a specific idea that I'll have and it will sway whatever I'm working on. I let these things bleed into my personal and commissioned work. All of the projects I do are a part of something more gradual that I'm working on. I'll slip little tags in secretly everywhere. I'm also really visual and I see things in abnormal ways. Yesterday I saw the ‘G’s” for the first time in the Gucci pattern. Till then I had always seen cartoon-looking vertical ’S’s’ and never questioned it. I think I trust my eye more than my mind sometimes.
Who are your favorite artists? Who influences your style?
A lot of my favorite artists are musicians. In terms of style I don't really have anyone specific that I feed off of fully, but people will often trigger different little attitudes in my work. My friends are really inspiring. A certain joke or word will influence me for weeks. A lot of the lines in my photography are traditional, but I don't approach anything stylistic with full seriousness. For the longest time I was interested in trying to create work that seemed timeless and placeless, but lately I've been slipping in subtle clues that date the image.
Are you competitive? Do you work well with others?
I don't think I'm competitive. I kind of feel separate from everyone. I like working with others in most situations. In terms of creative control I'm really clear in what I think should happen and it feels off to stray from that. When I work with clients I'm obviously expected to compromise, but I often serve them two options, my version and what they've asked for.
Tell us about the very last a picture you took.
I think it was of some trash. I take a lot of pictures, they're like notes. I have over 20,000 photos on my phone.
Images courtesy of KRISTIE MULLER
interview ASHLEY MUNNS
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