These days, for better or worse we have more access to public figures’ personal lives than ever before. Whether through Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, the image that an artist (or, more cynically, their PR team) cultivates is an increasingly key part of their fan interaction and following. The old days of looking through issues of Spin or NME for photo shoots and interviews are gone, replaced by a near-constant and even expected stream of quick peaks into the lives of our idols.
Tepsic Magazine has found a balance between these two ideas. Creator Morgan Tepsic’s wonderfully simple idea was to give artists personalized disposable cameras and let them shoot whatever they please. Reaching out to everyone from A$AP Rocky to Toro Y Moi to Anthony Bourdain, Tepsic has each issue assembled a cadre of interesting figures with very differing styles and allures. The results range from shots with friends to exhausted backstage hang-outs to weird stuff they found on their travels. Yes, it sounds like any old Instagram feed, but through both the off-the-cuff feeling that a disposable camera inspires and the gloriously high (though slightly grainy) quality of the analog photography, the pictures just seem more earnest.
For the fourth issue of its bi-annual production, Tepsic has turned to the popular crowd-funding website Kickstarter for support. Issue 4 will have offerings from jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD, Korean singing sensation Jay Park and many more. And as always, it will be printed on oversized poster-quality paper. AP chatted with Morgan Tepsic himself about the project:
Allston Pudding: How do you link up with the artists you feature? Do you connect through mutual acquaintances or just send out cameras and hope they send them back filled?
Morgan Tepsic: It all started with me e-mailing my favorite artists telling them about the magazine and selling them the idea before it even materialized. From there it started happening through mutual connections, my personal prospecting and rarely via submission.
AP: You individually decorate each camera for every artist. How do you choose designs?
MT: It all depends on what’s available to me at the moment and I will do with what I have. While I have been moving from Oklahoma to Northern California, I painted all of my cameras in gold spray paint and Krink ink. Frequently I will wrap cameras in vinyl decals that I feel the artist will enjoy and want to show to the people around them.
AP: Why don’t you feature the cameras themselves in the magazine? They feel like such a unique and important part of the project!
MT: That’s funny you say that because that’s honestly the first time someone has mentioned that to me. They are an integral part of this project, because it’s supposed to be anything BUT a camera. I want every camera to have its own specific energy and connection with the artist. Although I love personalizing these cameras, I am my own worst critic, as I will focus on imperfections that I find not worthy of printing. Not against the idea in any manner, though.
AP: Have you ever gotten a camera back with images that weren’t good enough to print?
MT: I haven’t been trolled intentionally by an artist, but I have gotten some really bad pictures. Some artists have come back to me asking for another chance and camera to take better pictures. Sometimes I have sent out cameras that were a complete waste of time, it just is what it is.
AP: What’s your process for putting the magazine together?
MT: It’s often a very high-paced environment that happens very organically. I like to lay out my favorite pictures for every artist and then it feels like it just comes together on its own. I added a new element to issue 4 which focuses on taking these artists out of this world. Really making them bigger than life and kind of going against the previous minimal style I’ve become accustomed to.
AP: With the rise of social media, there’s more access to artists’ personal lives than ever before. What would you say sets a digest format like this apart from, say, browsing an artist’s Instagram?
MT: It’s a completely different format that provides an exclusive look into the personal lives of these artists, rather than what they choose to post online. There are many aspects of their lives which include business, creative and personal…which is what I’m trying to tap into the most.
AP: Do you have one dream artist (living or dead) to give a camera to?
MT: Kanye West. Everyone has their opinion on him it seems, but personally I think he is a living legend. I want to provide him a format to just do or say or create whatever he wants, without changing a thing. Just put it all together and call it the Kanye issue.
AP: This is your first time using Kickstarter instead of taking traditional preorders. What drew you to that platform?
MT: It’s hard not to get inspired by the amazing projects being funded on Kickstarter these days. What I love most about Kickstarter is the feeling of community that all want to support the same cause. It’s also extremely easy to keep track of orders and keep in contact with your backers.
If you’d like to fund Tepsic Magazine’s 4th issue, head over to its Kickstarter. Rewards include a copy of the magazine, t-shirts and even a guest editorial position!