Artist Feature: Myles Loftin
Part of the new vanguard of image makers, Myles Loftin is an artist, storyteller, and creative collaborator based in Brooklyn but very much on the world’s radar. Brands like Prada, Nike, and Adidas commission him for ad campaigns, and publications like Garage, i-D, and The Fader turn to him for editorials that resonate with discerning audiences. His work, known for an often playful sensibility and an intimacy that unite viewer and subject, is driven by his desire to show up for marginalized communities because as a queer Black man, he knows the power of visibility.
Photography by Myles Loftin
Q: Can you share something you've learned from creating this body of work that would resonate with our community?
ML: I’ve learned that images can be a gateway into worlds we’ve never explored. They offer a chance to show a different perspective, and make us reconsider what we think of as normal or beautiful or anything else.
Q: Tell us about your work process! Do you plan your images ahead or are you more improvisational?
ML: My work process is usually pretty fluid. I don’t like having too much structure when it comes to approaching art, for me it takes away the feelings and emotions you experience when capturing authentic moments. I do conduct visual research a lot of the times before shooting, especially if its for a project. I find images online, in books, in magazines and I save them until I find a use for them.
Photography by Myles Loftin
Q: What types of expectations for artists are most challenging to you today?
ML: I think that for a lot of marginalized artists we are expected to create work that channels the “traumas” of our lived experience into our work. Theres also an expectation to always be working. We don’t give artists the room to rest which I think is extremely neccessary.
Q: What is your advice to young and aspiring photographers?
ML: Know your history! It’s great to look at what photographer’s are shooting now, but I think a large part of my understanding of photography came from diving into the past and learning about those whose work came before mine.
Photography by Myles Loftin
Q: What does being a feminist mean to you?
ML: To me being a feminist means advocating for a world where we recognize the differences we have but don’t discriminate because of those differences.
Q: Do you have any upcoming events, exhibitions, or news you'd like to share?
ML: I’m in a group show right now at the Leslie Lohman museum called ‘Chosen’ it’ll be up until August 1st.
Follow @mylesloftin and view more at mylesloftinphotography.com
