We were fortunate to connect with David M. Bird to learn more about his creative process behind "Becorns." David, a former LEGO designer, worked specifically on the Bionicle series. He shared how that experience taught him not just to build with small pieces but also to tell stories through characters. "I realized that’s what kids are drawn to. After I left Lego, I was sweeping my mom’s driveway and I looked down at my feet, saw acorns and sticks, and had this aha moment: 'Oh my God, I can do everything I did at Lego, but I can create my own world and stories using only natural materials," the artist recalled, explaining how the concept of "Becorns" first came to him.
David told us that the scenes he creates are usually based on random ideas he has. "I generally have a good idea of what kind of story is suited for the picture, and it’s kind of loose. Maybe I’m going to feed a bird blueberries, so I want a Becorn with an outstretched hand. Then, I build the Becorn in that specific pose to fit the story, and after that, I’ll put the Becorn out and just watch to see what happens."
According to the artist, there are always surprises, and what he plans isn’t necessarily what happens, so he watches and makes adjustments to the character if needed. "Usually, it’s not as simple as just sticking him out and getting a picture. It’s more of a process that takes a couple of days or a week, or something like that, before I get the picture. Those initial ideas are usually inspired by something I saw an animal do, or perhaps by something I want to see, like what a glowing flower looks like."
When asked about the biggest challenges in creating and photographing Becorns, David shared that there are many variables that are hard to control. "The first challenge is that animals are unpredictable, and they don’t necessarily come around that often. In a way, that’s fun because I’m always learning about the animals.
The second challenge is that I don’t use artificial light, so I’m really dependent on the weather and the sun. A lot of times, animals would come and do something really interesting, but the sun would come out from behind a cloud, or the light wouldn’t be good. Sometimes, the birds are an inch too far back and end up out of focus. All those variables add up, making it difficult. I guess the other challenge is figuring out the significance of the picture—what’s the idea behind it—because I try to make the pictures speak to the heart, not just be a picture I happened to get."
Besides being challenging at times, David told us that he loves the fact that he’s always being surprised. "There are so many things out of my control that there are always surprises. I’ve done a lot of different art forms in my day—painting, drawing, and music. I feel like with those, it’s all up to the artist to come up with everything because you have control over almost everything. But with Becorns, I’ve found that when I’m building, I like looking at the parts. There are so many, and the parts themselves have their own surprises or suggest body parts to me. I think, 'Oh, I like this texture, I like this shape, I’m going to use it in this one.' So it’s not entirely up to me.
When it comes to the photos, the birds often do surprising things. One time, a bird swallowed a blueberry whole, and I thought, 'Oh my God!' Another time, the same bird twisted its head upside down while grabbing the blueberry. There are just so many discoveries along the way, and it’s really fun to uncover those things. It’s also exciting to think, 'What’s the story behind this? What’s the significance?' The process itself is really fun. And of course, at the end, having the surprise and being happy about it, then sharing it, is really fun too. I don’t know what the most rewarding part is, because I truly enjoy the whole process."
