PHOTO : FULL NAME
Joel P. West
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Location: San Diego, CAAge: 25
Occupation: High School Teacher
Website: www.joelpwest.com
Interview conducted over email on April 25, 2010
GC : What pays the bills?
My bread and butter is teaching graphic design and digital media full-time at a high school, and I usually have a freelance design project or two going on at any given time.
What would be your dream bill paying source?
For a long time I haven't had one because I generally don't like mixing creative work with money, but last fall a friend commissioned me to compose music for a documentary and it's gotten me really fired up to pursue more opportunities to score for picture. I always have images in mind when I make my own music so it feels natural to me, and I really like having the specific starting place and goal. And I am probably too far behind in my music studies to ever become a symphony composer, but film provides an opportunity to dabble in a broad range of composition and instrumentation. My dream right now is to find the funds to be able to spend most of my time composing symphonic music for films that I believe in and continue making my own music without much money attached to it.
Who do you think your major influences were when you were growing up?
I grew up in a household that listened almost exclusively to religious music. I don't think those songs had too much influence on me as a musician but, as I remember, each of my parents had only mainstream pop tape and fortunately they were good ones: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road for my mom and Graceland for my dad. I still think the songwriting on both of those records is about as good as it gets. I'm finding that much of my natural tendencies in music are more tied to movie scores because film is where I first saw how music can shape the way that image and narrative are interpreted and experienced. One of music's most sacred qualities is its ability to keep and categorize memories including sights, smells, and even feelings, and I'm realizing that much of that goes back to music that made moments in movies emotional and memorable.
You're a man of many talents, whats your medium or instrument of choice?
With music, I've always been most interested in the way that all of the elements interact and and my choice instrument lately actually has been other people, mainly string players. I'm getting really into writing arrangements and although sometimes I get really sad that I can't play cello or violin, I'm finding a lot of satisfaction in assembling notes for people who can and then hearing them come to life. It's a pretty amazing feeling. I've also gotten back into film photography for similar reasons as I mentioned about music. Candid everyday photographs taken by friends and family never fail to pull up these rich, nostalgic feelings that make me remember that existing, no matter what state I am in, is always something to be thankful for. I'm trying to pack a camera and shoot from the hip more consistently with the intent of photographing seemingly insignificant things that gain significance later in the way they describe what was normal and routine for a season.
Do you see a relationship between your music and art?
Absolutely, they are the same thing to me and one of the reasons I have never pursued anything creative on a full-time basis is that I like the freedom to roam between media. When I make visual art, I find myself referring to Björk's process and when I take a photograph I always have music in my head guiding the image. I approach all projects the same and have a similar workflow and philosophy throughout anything I'm working on so it all seems very connected to me.
What was the last roll of film you shot?
Some 120 around my neighborhood for a client, but my last personal roll was some 35 in a plastic-lens camera on a little overnight hike to an oasis in Anza-Borrego with my girlfriend.
Canon, Nikon or Leica?
Holga until that dream bill-paying source comes through and I can pick up a Leica.
Best way to travel cheap?
Staying with friends, families of friends, friends of friends, and people you meet along the way. It saves huge on lodging and in my opinion, traveling is simply visiting places that are home to other people so the experience is always more rich when you can be a part of people's normal lives. Being hosted is always a great honor and it seems like on trips where I stayed in people's homes, I end up remembering conversations over coffee and homemade meals with them more than I remember the things you can find in a travel guide.
Favorite Road Trip Music?
Road trips make me think of summer and friends, and I always love a good windows-down summer record. All Things Must Pass by George Harrison, Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman, Upper Air by Bowerbirds, Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors, and Ode To Sunshine by Delta Spirit come to mind. And always, always Lee Hazlewood and Nico.
Shout Outs?
A big thank you to all of the friends who go out of their way to tell me that they enjoy what I make, there's no way I could keep putting the hours in without hearing those encouraging things every now and then. And some love for The Tree Ring, my favorite musicians and some of my best friends, you guys make me want to keep studying and writing music and I learn from you every time we play.
GC : What pays the bills?
My bread and butter is teaching graphic design and digital media full-time at a high school, and I usually have a freelance design project or two going on at any given time.
What would be your dream bill paying source?
For a long time I haven't had one because I generally don't like mixing creative work with money, but last fall a friend commissioned me to compose music for a documentary and it's gotten me really fired up to pursue more opportunities to score for picture. I always have images in mind when I make my own music so it feels natural to me, and I really like having the specific starting place and goal. And I am probably too far behind in my music studies to ever become a symphony composer, but film provides an opportunity to dabble in a broad range of composition and instrumentation. My dream right now is to find the funds to be able to spend most of my time composing symphonic music for films that I believe in and continue making my own music without much money attached to it.
Who do you think your major influences were when you were growing up?
I grew up in a household that listened almost exclusively to religious music. I don't think those songs had too much influence on me as a musician but, as I remember, each of my parents had only mainstream pop tape and fortunately they were good ones: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road for my mom and Graceland for my dad. I still think the songwriting on both of those records is about as good as it gets. I'm finding that much of my natural tendencies in music are more tied to movie scores because film is where I first saw how music can shape the way that image and narrative are interpreted and experienced. One of music's most sacred qualities is its ability to keep and categorize memories including sights, smells, and even feelings, and I'm realizing that much of that goes back to music that made moments in movies emotional and memorable.
You're a man of many talents, whats your medium or instrument of choice?
With music, I've always been most interested in the way that all of the elements interact and and my choice instrument lately actually has been other people, mainly string players. I'm getting really into writing arrangements and although sometimes I get really sad that I can't play cello or violin, I'm finding a lot of satisfaction in assembling notes for people who can and then hearing them come to life. It's a pretty amazing feeling. I've also gotten back into film photography for similar reasons as I mentioned about music. Candid everyday photographs taken by friends and family never fail to pull up these rich, nostalgic feelings that make me remember that existing, no matter what state I am in, is always something to be thankful for. I'm trying to pack a camera and shoot from the hip more consistently with the intent of photographing seemingly insignificant things that gain significance later in the way they describe what was normal and routine for a season.
Do you see a relationship between your music and art?
Absolutely, they are the same thing to me and one of the reasons I have never pursued anything creative on a full-time basis is that I like the freedom to roam between media. When I make visual art, I find myself referring to Björk's process and when I take a photograph I always have music in my head guiding the image. I approach all projects the same and have a similar workflow and philosophy throughout anything I'm working on so it all seems very connected to me.
What was the last roll of film you shot?
Some 120 around my neighborhood for a client, but my last personal roll was some 35 in a plastic-lens camera on a little overnight hike to an oasis in Anza-Borrego with my girlfriend.
Canon, Nikon or Leica?
Holga until that dream bill-paying source comes through and I can pick up a Leica.
Best way to travel cheap?
Staying with friends, families of friends, friends of friends, and people you meet along the way. It saves huge on lodging and in my opinion, traveling is simply visiting places that are home to other people so the experience is always more rich when you can be a part of people's normal lives. Being hosted is always a great honor and it seems like on trips where I stayed in people's homes, I end up remembering conversations over coffee and homemade meals with them more than I remember the things you can find in a travel guide.
Favorite Road Trip Music?
Road trips make me think of summer and friends, and I always love a good windows-down summer record. All Things Must Pass by George Harrison, Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman, Upper Air by Bowerbirds, Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors, and Ode To Sunshine by Delta Spirit come to mind. And always, always Lee Hazlewood and Nico.
Shout Outs?
A big thank you to all of the friends who go out of their way to tell me that they enjoy what I make, there's no way I could keep putting the hours in without hearing those encouraging things every now and then. And some love for The Tree Ring, my favorite musicians and some of my best friends, you guys make me want to keep studying and writing music and I learn from you every time we play.
