Photographer, cinematographer, and editor Christopher Parks reflects on building a career in the arts
Welcome to “The Creative Wayfinder’s Compass,” a publication from M.K. Hancock where artists are interviewed about their creative journey. The goal of the 11 Questions interview series is to ask the same deep-dive questions to artists across disciplines to uncover common ground and to highlight real, living creative people making their mark on the world. No two creative journeys are identical, but the commonalities are real and can help others find their way.
This interview is with Brooklyn-based visual creator Christopher Parks. He’s built a career with a camera and an eye for the interesting, one that he’s grown from an undergrad photojournalist to a multidisciplinary media professional with clients like NPR, Paramount, Spotify, Nikon, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Let’s dive into what this freelance creative professional is willing to share.
“Waiting to feel “ready” to do work will have you sitting on your ass wasting your best years. “Ready” isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision to get up and make something that will make someone else light up and take the same step. If you struggle with discipline, try taking control with consistent small steps towards your truth til you find yourself sprinting.”
Christopher Parks
Who are you and what do you create?
I’m Christopher Parks, photographer, cinematographer and editor. Most of my work is in advertising, branded content, and journalism, but more recently, I’ve been playing around in the narrative filmmaking space. I do too much. I’m very tired.
What first inspired you to pursue your creative path, and how has that inspiration evolved over time?
I got my start doing visual art when consumer digital cameras hit their stride in about 2006. In undergrad, I was picked to document my experiences as a freshman. I’d never taken a photo in my life, but I was given a digital camera and carte blanche (s/o to the Kodak Powershot).
I was having fun, so I kept making images for myself. This was also around the time Facebook started to hit, and I found pictures to be good social currency. Suddenly, I’m shifting my major from Comp Sci to Journalism, and shooting for the school paper, which seemed like a prime way to get my stuff out there.
Can you walk us through your creative process? Do you follow specific rituals or habits to get into the flow of your work?
If I’m doing post work, I like to be in a dark room so I can really lock in on the visuals. At the expense of sounding like a hippie, if I’m ever stuck, I just pause and visualize myself *being inspired* and in a creative state. Works every time. I’ve learned that waiting on “inspiration” to strike will have you missing out on what may have been some of your best work. It’s a decision, not a state of mind.
Sometimes you just need to put pen to paper and let things happen. Another way to go about things is practicing viewing the world through the lens of your work. If you make music, that means listening for textures and rhythms in waking life. If you’re a writer, you’ll ask yourself, “Could this be a story?” Learning to view the world in this context will have you primed to create in a way that passive bemusement never would.
Write things down — even the stupid fleeting thoughts. Be prolific in creation, but ultra selective about what gets shared. Pull up and make stuff regularly, eventually you’ll notice patterns and something will stand out that impresses you or pushes your boundaries. You’ll make a lot of garbage, and probably even think that you suck at what you do, but that’s the process. Pound ground til you hit diamonds.
What themes, ideas, or emotions do you find yourself returning to in your work, and how have they shifted over time?
I try to find pretty light, clean framing and expressive moments. It’s fundamental, but I think everyone with a camera can find their mode within those confines. More specifically I hunt for clean silhouettes, clean layers and strong contrast. In post, I try to emphasize color and shadow and in general, just wait for beauty. Narratively I keep things subtle and trust the intelligence of my audience.
What’s been your biggest creative breakthrough, and how did it change the way you approach your art or writing?
Honestly just looking for layers (in photo, that means depth and/or repetition) makes my favorite stuff. Again, to draw parallels with other artforms, breaking elements down into discrete elements and understanding how they interact (and complement) each other makes work greater than the sum of its parts.
How do you navigate periods of creative block or self-doubt, and what techniques have helped you push through?
I just go do different stuff. I’ve never been one of those brilliant nutcases who can just stay locked in and just bang out material constantly. Sometimes you just burn out. It’s good to know when to walk away and take a break and allow yourself to *want to do the thing.* When it comes to self-doubt, I believe it’s all about reasoning out why you started doing your craft in the first place. Very often, creatives can find themselves enslaved to their audiences (or bottom line) instead of their sense of expression.
How do feedback and criticism play a role in your process? How do you decide what advice to follow and what to set aside?
I like feedback, but I find that people are gun-shy about being critical, especially on socials. Honestly, I so rarely get genuinely constructive feedback nowadays, but I try to find truth in whatever anyone is saying without being precious about what I make.
How do you balance personal creative expression with the commercial or external demands of your work?
Poorly. My advice is to take enough time to do your thing off the clock, otherwise what you love can become what you learn to hate.
What’s one of the most challenging projects you’ve worked on, and how did you overcome the difficulties you faced?
I did a pro-social music video project for Paramount mid-pandemic. Aside from dealing with the hurdles of the time, I was also way overbought in terms of commitment. I was doing camerawork, designing tour visuals, doing the edit as well as programming lights for the shoot itself. I wanted to own the project so badly that I was willing to do four jobs at once. I actually made myself sick because I didn’t want to delegate. All the fuss, and in the end, I don’t even show people the project because I wasn’t satisfied with the final. Moral of the story is to not act like Napoleon, and instead lean on your teammates. It’s why they’re there.
How do you stay motivated and disciplined, especially during times when inspiration is lacking or inconsistent?
Waiting to feel “ready” to do work will have you sitting on your ass wasting your best years. “Ready” isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision to get up and make something that will make someone else light up and take the same step. If you struggle with discipline, try taking control with consistent small steps towards your truth til you find yourself sprinting.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out, or to an artist who’s struggling to find or trust their creative voice?
Focus on the process instead of the product. The journey is the destination, and your “voice” is just a reflection of what you like. I can’t say enough how important it is to be prolific so that you can know yourself and your range.
Beyond that, we live in a time where it’s considered normal to monetize all of your hobbies. It’s unrealistic for most creative types to live off their work, but for those who do, it’s easy for the arts to become a yoke. Consider carefully how you interact with your talent, because, again, without proper distance, what you love can become what you hate.
M.K. Hancock here, and I want to thank you so much for reading The Creative Wayfinder’s Compass. This publication is all about bringing light to real-life experiences in the arts. Thank you especially to the artists who share their experiences with the rest of us here. If you’re interested in insights like these in your inbox as soon as they’re published, you can subscribe using the form below.
