Both haunting and inspirational, Philip Robbins' collection of photographs "Faces:Newfoundland," is just plain good. Philip has created a moving set of portraits (and beyond), and now his crowdfunding campaign aims to bring these images to the world.

We spoke with Philip about his inspirations and what the future brings:

What was the inspiration behind the photography project you are currently running on RocketHub?  

The inspiration for my project, Faces: Newfoundland, is a little complicated. The ‘Faces’ series started as a video projection called Faces: 4min13sec that was made for a ‘guerilla’ DIY drive-in organized by local artists [Daniel Payne, Jillian Parsons, Gerri Lynn Mackey, and myself] last summer. Since then I have created a 4’x8’ triptych/billboard, many smaller prints, and a video installation called Faces: Broadway. This last projection was a series of a dozen faces [including a local politician, musician (Allison Crowe), actors, and artists] projected onto the windows of a local business.  The common theme of each project was the intentional creation of implied narratives. I removed the context, audio, and descriptions allowing the viewer to fill in the blanks. The resulting scenarios develop and change based on what the viewer brings to the installation. 

My proposed process is simple. Travel to locations where I know people [to cut down my costs] and create dynamic portraits outside, using natural light, and making them equal by using a common backdrop for each. The process evolved from my fondness for Richard Avedon's In the American West series. Avedon traveled the American west creating outstanding portraits of the people, and characters, he found along the way. Each portrait was made in front of a white backdrop and then printed at human scale.

The exhibition images will be large, 36”x22”, black and white digital prints named for the volunteer and the location in which they were taken, ex. Philip (CornerBrook,NL). 

The inspiration to launch the project on RocketHub came from podcasts. It seems that many indie ventures are trying this method of fundraising and I decided to take a rick. To put myself, and my artwork, out there and see how people responded. Worse case I would raise $0 and best case I would have enough money raised to finalize my project and maybe print a small artist’s catalog.

We're big fans of Avedon's work at RocketHub HQ as well - a worthy source of inspiration. Why is it important to you, your team, and the wider community of Newfoundland?

The project is important to me because I had an idea that I just couldn’t shake. I researched RocketHub and I felt nervous, uncomfortable, and inspired. I decided it was better to try crowdfunding and fail then never having tried it in the first place.

A unique element of crowdfunding is that it only works if your family, colleagues, and community get involved and show their support for your project. Their contributions are a tangible symbol of their support and energy towards you. It’s amazing what a community can do when it comes together and supports its members. In the end it’s not important how the work itself is received but the process it took to get it made. However, like all artists, I do hope that my photographs are successful and engaging to everyone who sees them. 

I named the project Faces: Newfoundland to give the portraits context and to promote the island. RocketHub is a world wide organization and I hoped that people would stumble across my project and want to get involved. Newfoundland and Labrador is a beautiful province and is renowned for its scenery and its  people. It’s the people who live, visit, and move here that I want to document. Unfortunately, it’s not within my budget to travel to Labrador at this time as part of this project. However, I would like to complete that element of the project sometime soon.

My goal is to document a journey and the characters I discover along the way. The journey forces me out of my comfort zone, it forces me to interact with strangers, and to alter my boundaries. It allows me to re-visit locations I can’t get to regularly and to re-establish contacts and friendships along the way.

In a less obvious way Faces: Newfoundland is also about the limitations of arts funding in Newfoundland and Labrador. There’s one source of arts funding, they awards grants twice a year, and they are difficult to get because they aren’t distributed proportionally across the province. If I were to apply for a regular grant it would likely get rejected. How can an artist develop if they’re never given a chance?

You're doing quite well engaging your community. How has your experience been as a crowdfunding pioneer in the world of photography - how are your supporters responding?

I’m glad I tried this experiment, but I have mixed feelings about crowdfunding and my role as a ‘pioneer’. When I signed up for RocketHub I had no real expectations, but I wanted my project to succeed. I just felt compelled to try. I wondered if anyone would donate their own money to me and what people would think of my project. Filling out the project profile turned out to be harder than writing a regular grant proposal because I knew it would be visible to the world.

I must admit that, initially, I wanted people to stumble upon my project and feel compelled to donate. I soon discovered that self-promotion requires a lot of hard work, a plan, and determination. It was a struggle to publicize my project and not spam all of my friends and family. I had to target my message and social media tools effectively.

The response from my supporters has been phenomenal. I’m lucky to have such a supportive infrastructure of family members, friends, and colleagues who donated what they could. It means the world to me that the people I respect deeply supported me. However, I must admit a little hesitation in discussing my ‘success’ because if it wasn’t for a huge donation from my twin brother I wouldn’t be close to my goal. 

It seems that you've found the right balance of promo and family support. Any advice for Creatives looking to crowdfund a similar project?

I don’t know how qualified I am to make suggestions, but along the way I have been given good advice. 

Be clear about what your project is, what you need, and document exactly where the money is going.

Make the rewards as fun as you can.

Make a video, be on topic, and don’t take to long to make your pitch.

Engage people, find unique and meaningful ways to solicit donations, and try not to spam your family and friends.

Contact local media.

Be yourself.

Now you are crowdfunding veteran. Click here to get involved in this cool project.

-Vlad