I Photographed My "Tulips" Series With The Human Lips.

I was once a fashion and nude photographer that was gaining recognition and building a brand I was never sure of, regardless of the success that was coming to me. I can't even remember a time when I felt happy after a set. I felt accomplished for using my technical skills and completing a project, but I certaintly felt lost. Conceptually I was blind and afraid yet overwhelmingly passionate. This went on for 7 or 8 years. Sure the work looked magical and was well-received, but I couldn't figure out why my lust for progression felt like a war against myself and the taste level I was chasing was someone elses.

Some terrifying things happen in my personal life, and I was left with nothing physically and almost mentally. There was this breaking point around the time I didn't shoot for almost 6 months. I couldn't, I had no gear and barely a place to rest comfortably. I ended up buying a ticket to Baltimore from Miami. What was supposed to be a week stay slowly transitioned into 3 months. I rented a camera during a couple of weeks, and told myself no matter what... I was going to creatively pivot so damn hard. I had always been in love with the human lips, and I've seen many great photographers shoot them in wonderful ways. I wanted to create a space and a style that I can't I've seen before. I ran with my vision.

The human lips are the gates to the magic of taste. Our soft palettes and wild tongues grip flavor and send beautiful messages to both our brain and our “hearts.” The majority of what I’ve discovered in the past has felt far too cosmetic and generally falls into the beauty/advertisement category. Then you have the most free-spirited photography celebrating sensuality for the sake of complex human nature. I wanted to find my own style with an understanding of the latter. I wanted the lips to feel like a landscape where even though you know it’s a mouth… It’s living as a feeling and not just some anatomical feature. And then I built from there. For me, photographs without a message of some sort weren’t going to jolt me enough to work on an infinite series for my days on this Earth. And if I felt like I’ve seen it before or felt the same way… something had to change.

The greatest cure for creative sadness will always be creation and love. Are you creating a space that hasn’t been created yet? I know I fell to the knees a myriad of times by pleasing others as well as my own comfort zone self. Is what your shooting making you laugh or cry with tears of accomplishment? Are you catching those quick blips of sparks that fly through your mind disguised as baseless ideas? Those are your creative impulses. You need to tell your stories without fear of whether others will get it or not. Chances are if you are passionate enough… those that will get it will follow your lead. “Tulips” for me was about charming viewers with my warm weirdness, and I hope I did that for you.

More info: jasonbassett.com | Instagram @jsnbassett