Kickstarter

"Crossing the border, after cutting our photographic teeth on China-Lite, herded through the tight chaos of unsmiling, efficient guards, of migrants, of commuters, we’re finally in the Mainland.  And to me, it felt different somehow.  Immediate and surreal.  China proper as opposed to former British colony.  The signs of commerce still existed, only now with the feeling of a certain type of dreariness, of quiet oppression, the cracks in the veneer wider, the machine churning undaunted."  --excerpt from speech given after returning

In May 2006, I traveled to China for twenty-six days on a photography/design trip.  Before this time, China was not on the top of my list for places I would like to see.  Yet after hearing my professor (an amazing photographer from Hong Kong) speak about the country, I could not resist.  This trip changed my life.  It challenged me, confused me, made me see the world in a whole new light, viewing firsthand these topics I had so often grandstanded about.  Globalization, marketing, Westernization, cheap labor, and consumerism, it was all there.  But there was something else, a human connection, people living their lives, another "great leap" into the future.  An economy accelerating so fast that some were left struggling and some saw city life for the first time, the biggest human migration in history.  The people we met on this trip were amazing.  I love China like I love my adopted home of New Orleans, and it is, at the core, due to the people.  I carry both of these places with me daily and thank my lucky stars I was able to see so much of this country at this time in history.

After returning from China, an exhibition was held at the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS , the Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka, KS, and the Lianzhou Photo Festival in Lianzhou, China. Since then, thanks to a full-time job, many of my images have sat unedited and unseen. It has always been a dream of mine to do books based on my photography and writing and I would like to start with this one.

From Hong Kong, to Guangzhou/Shenzhen, to the small village of Yao, to Lianzhou, Chang Yuan, Xi'an, Kind Father Village, Shanghai, Beijing, and every other seemingly random stop we made, I cherish every moment.  I hope to make a book that is all at once thought-provoking, inspiring, beautiful, and eye-opening.  But I need your help to do it.  I envision this book as the first in a series of photo-based monographs involving "fresh perspective".  There is something to the first time you experience a place and a people, something that is hard to regain once time passes.  Whether it be the first time you take up residence in a amazing city, a first visit, or the first time you experience something like Mardi Gras Indians, there is always something special about the first time. 

I have recently quit my "professional" position to focus on making art and making a living. I am committed to this journey because it is all I can do.  I've been an artist, though it feels odd saying it, for as long as I remember. 

All reward items will be professionally printed and I have already begun laying out the book to be self-published, with quality in mind, through Blurb.  Funding will be spent on producing quality items, a quality hard-bound book, promotion, and if the goal is exceeded, throwing a book launch party, to which all local backers would most certainly be invited.

It is my hope that should this prove successful, I would either return to re-photograph China and/or begin a book project about the resurgence of "Made In America", and all that means in this day and age.

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Edit:  It has come to my attention that there may be some who wonder why I'm not featured more in the video.  I realize that this may be what people are looking for, the artist asking the audience personally.  But frankly, I don't think I could get any more personal than asking friends and strangers for money in the first place, more personal that putting my work out there for others to judge.  What I tried to do with my video, in my eyes, falls more on the artistic side.  I want you to back me of course, but based on the work, not how well I can speak to the camera.  I wanted the video to stand alone, the auditory and moving side of this trip that will not be seen/felt in the final product, a sensory piece.  I already feel humbled and a little uneasy about asking for funding, putting myself on camera to do so would just increase this.  All of this doesn't mean I won't do my absolute best or put out a quality book, in fact the opposite.  The minute I include myself, because I am human, and a girl, I will worry about how I look, how I sound, and I want the focus to be entirely on the work, not me.  I realize marketing is a necessary evil, but I have my limits.  I'm asking you to believe in me, in my work and in my words.   And even though I'm asking for help, I still want to do some of this on my own terms, my own way.  In the end, if this goal is not met, I will still do this project, it will just take a heck of a lot longer.  I sincerely thank you for taking the time to look and, hopefully, support, share, spread the word. --Jill Ensley

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