Boogie to young creatives :Limit your exposure to other people’s work if possible

Cristina Blanaru Creativity, Festivals & Awards, People

Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Boogie began photographing rebellion and unrest during the civil war that ravaged his country during the 1990s. Growing up in a war-torn country defined Boogie’s style and attraction to the darker side of human existence.

He moved to New York City in 1998. He has published nine photo monographs, It’s All Good (powerHouse Books, 2006), Boogie (powerHouse Books, 2007), Sao Paulo (Upper Playground, 2008), Istanbul (Upper Playground, 2008), Belgrade Belongs To Me (powerHouse Books, 2009), A Wah Do Dem (Drago Publishing 2015), It’s all Good Anniversary Edition (powerHouse Books, 2017), Belgrade Guide (New Moment, 2017) and Moscow (powerHouse Books, 2019).  He has shot for high profiled clients and has been published in world renowned publications.

Boogie lives and works between Brooklyn, New York and Belgrade, Serbia.

Because he is a juror for Young Drummers competition organized as part of Golden Drum, AdHugger had the chance to ask him a few questions and the answers are below.

  1. As a juror, what will you be looking for at this year’s Young Drummers contestants? What are the features they need to have a chance to win?

You can never tell in advance… some works just hit you, some don’t. You need to feel the energy, you just know somehow. And in my case for example, I never look for technical perfection. I think that’s overrated, I think that beauty is in imperfections.

  1. What do you think it is the most important thing one must consider when entering a creativity festival such is Golden Drum?

I think you just keep your mind open, relax and you’ll be fine.

  1. How important is to capture the local spirit in the creative work? Is the local flavor an element likely to grant success at international scale?

Well, the way we grow up, and where we grow up, affects us and our work for the rest of our lives. In that sense, you can’t avoid local flavor. But I think that great work knows no boundaries, it’s gonna be great in Serbia and Africa, no problem. So I think it doesn’t matter.

  1. What is your advice for the young creatives looking to make their way within the industry?

Limit your exposure to other people’s work if possible.

  1. In a world filled with all sorts of content, can you please suggest a few inspiration sources that the young (and not only) creatives could use to guide their steps towards creating quality creative work?

I think young creatives should stay away from ‘sources’ as much as possible, and just do their own thing. There is no need to prove anything to anyone except yourself.