Photographer, biker, karate chopper, student, store manager and life enthusiast, Suzette Lee has managed to imprint her smile and personality into the minds and hearts of nearly everyone she meets!
This young lady never ceases to amaze me, she's survived a horrid bike accident that left her exterior scarred, she's balanced school life and work life (and not to mention party life) for as long as I've known her and STILL I'm left wondering, "HOW does she do it and STILL stay on point?!" Suzette's eye for beauty in all things living and non-living has presented her with many open doors for the future, but where she will go, no one yet knows, not even her. For now, let's just get to meet the girl behind SmallMediumLee and the crooked smile =)
name/site/occupation or trait
Suzette M Lee -- SML -- smallmediumee
http://www.smallmediumlee.com /
how long have you been here in ny? and what made you move from the bay area?
I've been living in New York for three years now. I came here twice before making the move, all within a two-month time frame. I felt like New York was faster paced than San Francisco, which inspired me to work more efficiently. There is also something self gratifying about finding independence.
why did you choose photography as your major and what is it about photography that inspires you to work so diligently?
As a kid, I was obsessed with nature and art (movies, pictures, anything visually stimulating) so I wanted to be a National Geographic photographer -- mostly for the travel and the love of life itself. I was raised by my dad and surrounded by two older brothers during most of my childhood. We used to watch a lot of movies because my dad was a film geek. At one point, he enrolled me into several types of martial arts -- which is where I learned most of self-discipline and perseverance. It was he who taught me to do things just "for the love of it". My brothers and their peers were really into skating while I was growing up, so I really enjoyed watching documentaries and became interested in the visual image. I decided to receive my first degree in Cultural Anthropology because I was interested in how people live.
I was most inspired when I was offered to attend the Eddie Adams Workshop in upstate New York. Basically, an intense 4-day prestigious workshop working with the world's top photojournalists, but only 100 students are handpicked out of the thousands that apply worldwide. The workshop was very encouraging and emotionally driven as we were lectured for hours on end a day, while being showcased hundreds of monumental images throughout history. I decided to go back to school and study photography because I felt passionate about visual arts and wanted to "do more" for myself.
how would you describe your artistry?
No limits. The visual image inspires but does not limit me to just photographic print. I like building and creating anything and everything and how organic art feels. I used to make frames and frame artwork. I learned a lot about archival materials and wood work which changed the way I saw presentation. I'm constantly searching how to prsent the image, without it being just printed on a piece of paper. I work better under pressure.
who are your favorite artists or people you admire in and out of your interest in art?
My dad because he is a kid at heart and enjoys life but can maintain a vigorous work ethic. My mom because her love is unconditional. The Grouch because his music hits me.
how did the playground contact you to participate and who else were amongst the artists?
Hana Leigh Productions hit me up one day, and asked if I'd like to join The Playground. I said, "sure, I'll come out to play." We all thought it was just one of those rainy day ideas, but then the brainstorming started getting more serious. After the honeymoon phase of scheming, it all started taking its own organic form of cohesiveness. Some really rad artists in the show include Claudia Bumbac, Scott Shannon, Tim Diet, William Robbins, and Dana Goldstein.
why a teepee? tell us more about your piece.
I moved to New York with $300 dollars in my pocket, two suitcases, 3 large boxes of negatives, photographs, and camera equipment. I've always felt like a nomad, where I can just pick up and go, without really looking back. I lived in a man-made 'fort' out of bed sheets in a living room in Brooklyn for over a year. It was then, where I became interested in the concept of space - whether it be mental, physical, or emotional. The Playground's theme was resurrected on the idea of trying to escape your childhood through the emergence of adulthood. Children build forts to feel comfortable and have their own 'space'. I was interested in the relationship between mental and physical space in New York and how it is not easy finding a new apartment in New York that you can really call "home".
I erected a teepee because they are the most primitive forms of shelter by Native Americans. Not only are they nomadic, the teepee was also designed for mobility. The circular plan mirrors nature: the earth, the sky, the seasons, life itself. In creating the piece, I inverted several black and white mural-sized photographs of New York as the jacket of the teepee skeleton. These images were based on transportation -- subway, riding a bicycle, traffic, or walking. They are symbolic because New York is constantly on the move, yet these images were grounded by the symbol of a teepee. Thus creating a bind between mobility and stability; childhood and adulthood.
what are your plans, rather, desires after graduation? will you pursue photography?
After graduation, I would like to travel more while still being able to make art and work with creative people. I'm interested in joining the Treehouse Foundation -- they build some of the most amazing tree houses all over the world.
speak on it - anything else you'd like to let the people reading this interview know about you? any last thoughts?
Now is the time. If you fall down, get back up.
where can we find your works of art? online? publications? etc?
www.smallmediumlee.com
for more links on Suzette check these out
www.eddieadamsworkshop.com
www.america247.com
www.nothingfancyvolumes.com
www.thememagazine.com
www.vaporsmagazine.com
name/site/occupation or trait
Suzette M Lee -- SML -- smallmediumee
http://www.smallmediumlee.com /
 |
how long have you been here in ny? and what made you move from the bay area?
I've been living in New York for three years now. I came here twice before making the move, all within a two-month time frame. I felt like New York was faster paced than San Francisco, which inspired me to work more efficiently. There is also something self gratifying about finding independence.
why did you choose photography as your major and what is it about photography that inspires you to work so diligently?
As a kid, I was obsessed with nature and art (movies, pictures, anything visually stimulating) so I wanted to be a National Geographic photographer -- mostly for the travel and the love of life itself. I was raised by my dad and surrounded by two older brothers during most of my childhood. We used to watch a lot of movies because my dad was a film geek. At one point, he enrolled me into several types of martial arts -- which is where I learned most of self-discipline and perseverance. It was he who taught me to do things just "for the love of it". My brothers and their peers were really into skating while I was growing up, so I really enjoyed watching documentaries and became interested in the visual image. I decided to receive my first degree in Cultural Anthropology because I was interested in how people live.
 |
I was most inspired when I was offered to attend the Eddie Adams Workshop in upstate New York. Basically, an intense 4-day prestigious workshop working with the world's top photojournalists, but only 100 students are handpicked out of the thousands that apply worldwide. The workshop was very encouraging and emotionally driven as we were lectured for hours on end a day, while being showcased hundreds of monumental images throughout history. I decided to go back to school and study photography because I felt passionate about visual arts and wanted to "do more" for myself.
how would you describe your artistry?
No limits. The visual image inspires but does not limit me to just photographic print. I like building and creating anything and everything and how organic art feels. I used to make frames and frame artwork. I learned a lot about archival materials and wood work which changed the way I saw presentation. I'm constantly searching how to prsent the image, without it being just printed on a piece of paper. I work better under pressure.
 |
 |
who are your favorite artists or people you admire in and out of your interest in art?
My dad because he is a kid at heart and enjoys life but can maintain a vigorous work ethic. My mom because her love is unconditional. The Grouch because his music hits me.
how did the playground contact you to participate and who else were amongst the artists?
Hana Leigh Productions hit me up one day, and asked if I'd like to join The Playground. I said, "sure, I'll come out to play." We all thought it was just one of those rainy day ideas, but then the brainstorming started getting more serious. After the honeymoon phase of scheming, it all started taking its own organic form of cohesiveness. Some really rad artists in the show include Claudia Bumbac, Scott Shannon, Tim Diet, William Robbins, and Dana Goldstein.
 |
why a teepee? tell us more about your piece.
I moved to New York with $300 dollars in my pocket, two suitcases, 3 large boxes of negatives, photographs, and camera equipment. I've always felt like a nomad, where I can just pick up and go, without really looking back. I lived in a man-made 'fort' out of bed sheets in a living room in Brooklyn for over a year. It was then, where I became interested in the concept of space - whether it be mental, physical, or emotional. The Playground's theme was resurrected on the idea of trying to escape your childhood through the emergence of adulthood. Children build forts to feel comfortable and have their own 'space'. I was interested in the relationship between mental and physical space in New York and how it is not easy finding a new apartment in New York that you can really call "home".
I erected a teepee because they are the most primitive forms of shelter by Native Americans. Not only are they nomadic, the teepee was also designed for mobility. The circular plan mirrors nature: the earth, the sky, the seasons, life itself. In creating the piece, I inverted several black and white mural-sized photographs of New York as the jacket of the teepee skeleton. These images were based on transportation -- subway, riding a bicycle, traffic, or walking. They are symbolic because New York is constantly on the move, yet these images were grounded by the symbol of a teepee. Thus creating a bind between mobility and stability; childhood and adulthood.
 |
 |
what are your plans, rather, desires after graduation? will you pursue photography?
After graduation, I would like to travel more while still being able to make art and work with creative people. I'm interested in joining the Treehouse Foundation -- they build some of the most amazing tree houses all over the world.
speak on it - anything else you'd like to let the people reading this interview know about you? any last thoughts?
Now is the time. If you fall down, get back up.
where can we find your works of art? online? publications? etc?
www.smallmediumlee.com
for more links on Suzette check these out
www.eddieadamsworkshop.com
www.america247.com
www.nothingfancyvolumes.com
www.thememagazine.com
www.vaporsmagazine.com
interview conducted by Jessica
produced by Courtney
