Bursts of Inspiration

Photography by Drew Wilson

Love and nostalgia with photographer Drew Wilson.

New York City, USA

Drew Wilson first picked up a camera at the age of 15 after looking up to an older friend who was into photography in high school. “I saved up for a long time and got a Nikon N55,” Drew remembers, “and I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I hadn’t really developed much of a style in my early stages, I mainly just carried my camera with me everywhere and shot everything that peaked my interested. A lot of those first rolls of film are filled with skateboarding, sunsets, and teenage partying. “

As he began to develop his eye, Drew discovered that photography was more than just taking a picture. “I’ve always felt like a sensitive person and I think my photography really amplifies that,” he says honestly. “I struggled really bad through high school, mainly with my attendance and being present. I was always off in my own world, or believing there were more important things I could be doing. If it wasn’t for photography and having something to really focus on, I might have taken a bad path during those years.”

Photography also brought him people that really inspired him. “I had an art teacher in school who was really there for me. She kept me motivated, and kept me afloat. And even though I didn’t end up in college like my other classmates, photography saved me in a way. It gave me something to translate all those daydreams I had into. It gave me an emotional outlet. “

In his photographs, Drew tries to convey a mood or feeling instead of telling a story. “I want to almost capture nostalgia,” he says. “I hope that some people will look at my work and get the same sensation they get when they smell an old book, hear a song their parents used to play, or remember a feeling they thought they forgot. I’d like for people to see my work, and relate it to their own story. “

Drew uses himself in many of his photographs, something he doesn’t consciously do. “It was never like ‘Oh, I’m really comfortable with myself, I’ll be the subject,’” Drew explains. “It was sort of the opposite. I saw it as a challenge to become more comfortable in my own skin. I’m also not the greatest at communicating what I’m trying to create, so I don’t have the struggle of trying to direct someone on what to do.”

One constant feeling Drew has in his images is the feeling of love and romance. “To me, it’s one of the strongest emotions we feel as human beings and it can be so captivating in that alone. It drives us to extremes and has so many light and dark sides to it. Some people get really down about heartbreak and tend to shut down. I’ve always been really freed by the feeling of it. I get bursts of inspiration when I feel those heart strings being pulled. When it comes down to it, the best films, music, books, and art are all about love in some way. “

When asked what the next step in his photography is, Drew isn’t entirely sure. “For now I’m pretty happy just being able to scrap by and shoot when I can. I’d love to create a more comfortable life from it all, but I’m a really simple guy so I don’t need much. If there’s one thing I’d like to pursue more of it, it’s video. And I’m actually in the process of doing more and more of it these days.”