Junkie XL = Solid

In order to throw a little non-photo related creative juices you way I would like to introduce you guys to the dynamo that is Junkie XL. Music producer, editor, and all around creative genius Junkie XL has produced (in addition to his own albums) music for the Matrix, the Oscars, the Superbowl and a whole host of others. Through a combination of dense creativity and an amazing work ethic (he works up to 18 hours a day, but caps it there to have a social life) he has produced an amazing body of work. Junkie XL was profiled last year by Apple, a story you can read and benefit from by clicking HERE.

On the odd chance that you don’t follow through and check out the article, below is a snippet from one of my favorite parts. I cannot possibly hammer home hard enough how much I want you guys to push the envelope creatively. As you guys go through the year, whether you are working on a class assignment or something for the Kernel do whatever it takes to push your thought process, and yourself personally as a photographer, a little bit farther, a little bit harder. This applies to your individual images, but also the assignments that you generate for the Kernel. DO NOT sit around a wait for great assignments to be given to you, or you’ll spend the next four years shooting lame pictures for lame stories and you’ll be perpetually unfulfilled. We’ve talked about some really exciting ideas for both larger projects and some smaller assignments this semester, and to emphasize what I said earlier, I cannot encourage you enough to take charge of that creative process and run with it.

““I was always pretty cutting edge with whatever I made,” says Holkenborg. “I was never conservative.” But that musical experimentation didn’t always fly. “That’s how I got kicked out of music university,” he says. “Instead of studying my skills, I took a cassette and recorded 90 guitar notes — with distortion and without, with reverb and without, you name it. I cut the tape in 160 pieces, smashed it up, and put it back together randomly. It sounded really Philip Glass, really repetitive. It felt like a pulse.” The young student played the tape for his professor. “He didn’t dig it at all.””