Waking up isn’t easy. Saying yes to getting out of bed does not always come naturally. In his latest project with Starbucks, artist The Selby had the opportunity to follow three city dwellers who always say yes at the start of their mornings.  For Selby, the collaboration was a perfect match. “My whole interest is about interesting creative people and their spaces and getting to know their lives,” he explained about why he found the project so fulfilling, “I really love photography and film making and illustration and so when I was approached about this Starbucks project, I was super jazzed. It’s always a dream to get hit up about a job that fits so closely to your interests.” As director, photographer and illustrator of the project, Selby was able to fully immerse himself in the creative process. The concept for the project grew into conversations with each of the creatives they shadowed, which ultimately led to the final ideation process. Selby was involved every step of the way. He added the final touches to each image or motion piece with his illustrations. “Eighty percent of projects at this point for me are mixed in terms of film and photography, photography and illustration, or illustration and film; which is really fun.” Selby is always wearing many hats on a single project, “Integrated film and photography is definitely what I’m doing most of the time,” he noted. The entire project took 3 days to shoot. In three mornings, he got to know the New Yorkers, their lives, and their morning routines. Working on the campaign was intensive but rewarding, as Selby was able to create a connection to each of the individuals. “What’s great about this project to me is that the talent and the people are so inspirational. Jaamal works for a nonprofit and gives sneakers to kids in his community, and he walks his sisters to school everyday. Amber has her whole concept around yoga and broadening its appeal and she has a unique sensibility. Haley is a very special person in the world of fashion design - she’s really embracing all kinds of different people and sizes and color and body positivity. Love of color and pattern is definitely something that I’m really into; we definitely connected on our aesthetics.” Through this organic connection and process, Selby was able to bring to life the most special and intimate moments in their mornings.

Personal artistic endeavors allow creatives to express their uninhibited imagination. Photographer Liz Von Hoene recently had the opportunity to come together with multiple like-minded artists, Creative Director Amy Osburn, Sculpture artist Mimi Haddon, among others, to execute a shared vision in what they refer to as a “hashtag passion project”. “We connected on a creative platform of liking the same things, inspiration and liking each other’s work. We had been talking about doing a creative project where I could shoot something for her,” said Liz on working with her personal friend. “Late summer/early fall we started collaborating and bouncing ideas back and forth. Amy came to the table with different concepts, and she really wanted to work with this sculpture artist, Mimi Haddon, who sounded very inspiring. She wanted to do an abstract portrait story in a more urban environment and loved the sculptures for that idea. I pulled up Mimi’s Instagram which started the conversation and it grew from there.” The result was a pleasant surprise for the group, but admittedly wasn’t entirely unexpected. “Once we had a plan and an idea of where we wanted to start, we left room for the passion,” stated Liz. “You need to leave that door open and let the element of surprise happen so you’re led to something you wouldn’t normally do.” Amy agreed, “There is definitely always a road map but the road map is there to allow room for play.” Allowing room for the creative aspect to occur in an organic way was key in their planning process. “When you’re embarking on a creative endeavor, when it's a collaboration, everyone needs a voice. This project was one of those rare moments when it all sort of comes together and all the artists feel the same way,” said Amy on the collection of talent. Their project, Wear The Wild R, sets an eerie stage of an urban world filled with vivid neons and different shapes that allow the model, wardrobe and sculpture to intertwine to become one. The artists used different natural elements, shape, light and shadow to elevate their work and create a playground to celebrate their vision. Amy went on to stay, “For me the biggest components that brought the shoot to life were the sculptures and the styling. All of the elements were able to work in tandem - it doesn't always happen that way - for a beautiful piece.”

Magazine covers serve as a representation of all of the creative and journalistic work within. In his latest project for Computer Arts Magazine, Joshua Davis set the stage for their newest issue. Unlike traditional editorial covers that are shot by photographers or designed by illustrators, Josh focused his expression into writing a computer program to create the artwork. Joshua’s computer-generated project involves a process with two different systems: one that creates the composition, and one that disrupts and remixes the original system. The processes behind covers are more intricate and involved than the computer programs most individuals are comfortable using. “Simple systems are to thank for these complex compositions. In it, 200 particles are created on screen, each picking a random art asset. The system then uses a flocking behavior to separate, align and unite one another. Each particle can be seen as a brush stroke leaving behind a trail as it paints itself across the canvas. After the particles have “painted” the screen for a set duration, we then have a semi-final composition” Joshua explained of his design system. “So a second system now takes over, sampling the semi-final composition, and beginning to disrupt it into parts. Here, an invisible grid samples random sections of the composition and creates a new version with displayed splices. Finally, each cell of the invisible grid makes a 50/50 decision; either display the sample as is or pick the first column of pixels from the sample and stretch” Like most powerful works of art, change and displacement from the familiar is where the true, raw, creativity happens.  The disruption in Joshua’s program informs the whole body of work. The theme of these covers is Be Disruptive, and his work does just that.

Holiday traditions bring warmth and togetherness to the winter season. In their long-standing tradition, Kiehl’s continues the annual Limited Edition Charitable Holiday Collection artist collaboration to do just that.  This year, the family-founded skincare brand selected Andrew Bannecker as the artist to illustrate their campaign to help end hunger, and it’s the whimsical festivity that we’ve all been waiting for. Andrew’s signature use of bright and vivid colors illustrate these quirky characters, evoking the festive spirit throughout this collaboration for the holidays. But the collection raises more than just awareness. During a segment on her daytime talk show, Ellen Degeneres featured the project and announced that 100% of the net profits will be used to provide over 1 million meals to Feeding America. Inspired by the spirit of holiday collaborations, Bernstein & Andriulli brought some of our artists together. Creative studio Bewilder gave life to the otherwise 2D characters from the Kiehl’s campaign. In this short holiday message, you can meet some of the illustrations Andrew featured throughout the collection and share in the holiday cheer. From all of us at B&A, we hope you have a great holiday season.

Deciding what you want to do with your career is as important as buying a house or choosing a partner to spend your life with. Most people spend as much, if not more, time with their coworkers as they do their friends and family. As a young and not yet experienced Director, Christian Rivers did not know where his career would take him, but he knew exactly who he wanted to be taking him along for the ride: New Zealand’s most successful filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson. Photographer Hugh Stewart had the opportunity to shoot the creative team 30 years after a fan letter brought the duo together for The Hollywood Reporter. Sir Peter Jackson, who at the time of the letter was known to the world as just “Pete”, received the fan letter from a young high-school aged Christian Rivers from Whanganui, New Zealand. He had just seen Sir Jackson’s self-produced film, Bad Taste, where he made his directorial debut, and young Christian knew he had found his match. He mailed the director some drawings and a note, where he mentioned his love of the film. Years later when Sir Peter was prepping another feature and wanted to include a storyboard, not being able to draw himself, he knew exactly who to call. The photoshoot took place in familiar places for the team, one of them being a quaint shop in Wellington at Hobart Takeaways up the road from their office. The men look comfortable, in the space and sitting next to each other; it’s easy to see that the two work closely together. In the article for The Hollywood Reporter, Christian reveals that he and Jackson don’t exactly need words to communicate their creative process to one another. "We have such a history together that we have such a shorthand — we can sort of finish each other's sentences," he says. Although incredibly humble throughout the article, the opening image features the modest creatives in an opulent theatre where their ideas and films come to life, and allows the reader to feel the magnitude of what the two can create. Hugh Stewart is represented exclusively through our Sydney office.

The end of the calendar year evokes feelings of warmth and togetherness with family, friends, and loved ones. The winter season feels synonymous with going home for the holidays. For the December issue of Vogue Australia, set designer Sophie Fletcher brought us into the dear childhood scenes of Adut Akech. Adelaide’s own Australian-Sudanese supermodel returned home for the winter months after being on the road all around the world. Not one of the images in this cover story were taken on a set, but in the very town that the model calls home. Sophie takes us back to Adelaide, to the house where Adut grew up and the the school where she met her best friend. Every shot of the nostalgic photoshoot was filled with Adut’s siblings, her friends, or her Mother with backgrounds that were unexpected. The natural, raw, and lived-in backdrops make each bold facial expression and vivid high-end design feel deliberate. Leaning against the outside brick wall of the model’s home, standing in the living room turned wardrobe closet, and striking a pose in the middle of the neighborhood street; Sophie kept the tradition of being home for the holidays alive. Sophie Fletcher is represented exclusively through our Sydney office. Credits:Photography & Film Direction: Charles DenningtonStylist & Creative Director: Jillian DavisonSet Design: Sophie Fletcher Make Up: Victoria Baron Hair: Alan White Cover Collage: Cynthia Swanson