Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Dziura.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My dad was in the military when I was a kid so we moved every two years. It instilled in me a courage, a broad comfort zone, and an excitement for adventure that has continued to take me around the world. I decided I wanted to become a documentary filmmaker because I saw it as a way to give me access to an infinite number of cultures and environments that I might not have, otherwise. I could go on tour with a rock band or make a movie about gun violence and spend time with gang members deep in the hood. Or I could make a tv show about alligator hunters, deep in the swamp. Or I could ride freight trains and explore the culture of modern-day hobos. I have done all of those things and more. My work has taken me to some far reaches of societies and to countries across the globe.
My hunger for exploration is expressed in my personal life, too. I don’t always want to drag around a bunch of video equipment but I still like to document my adventures, so I often shoot photographs. And I am drawn to the more minimalist nature of just me and a small camera. I have focused a lot of my personal photography work on shooting portraits of people who live on the fringes of society, like residents of Skid Row in Los Angeles. I am panning to travel to Africa in the fall to shoot a portrait series on the indigenous Bwiti practitioners who work with a powerful psychedelic called iboga.
Please tell us about your art.
I want to dig deep into the less-explored pockets of culture and society. I am intrigued with people who live on the fringes. I want to expose myself to those areas but I also want to expose the world to them, to open peoples’ hearts and minds to all of the rich elements of the human experience. I like to get right into the heart of the experience and my work has been described as being “in-the-pocket.” My work has also been described as having an “outlaw” quality. I think there is a lot of love and compassion to be found in struggle and so I am often attracted to things that others might feel are dangerous.
I hope people take away from my work a broader view of the world and other people. I hope my work breaks free the conventions of mainstream opinion. I hope it imbues people with a deep reverence for the human experience and sheds light on love, compassion and hope. And I hope it inspires people do their own seeking and exploration.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
Hmm… I think it’s different for everybody. One of the perennial challenges is figuring out how to keep the integrity of your work while supporting yourself, financially or otherwise.
As far as other challenges, I think it depends on a lot of things- some artists require a lot of space for their work, some artists are struggling to find their voice, some artists are struggling to develop their technique.
For me, my biggest challenges are working through my own fear because I often work in dangerous or scary environments. I also face challenges of making connections and building trust in marginalized parts of society where outsiders are often viewed as a threat.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My website:
www.boomswagger.com
My Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jimdizzy/?hl=en
Some of my work can be found/ purchased on iTunes and other places.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boomswagger.com
- Email: jim@boomswagger.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimdizzy/?hl=en
Image Credit:
Jim Dziura
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