FLOCC Studio Oak Cliff

Come join us this Wednesday for FREE waffles!!! MVP Coffee will be our special guest serving coffee.

Don’t miss out on becoming a part of the best Oak Cliff creative coworking community on Edgefield Ave!!!

Apply at:
floccstudio.com/internship
coworking

What do you want in an instant? “The entire Fendi collection.”

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What Inspires You ? I am inspired by candid moments, vulnerability, dramatic lighting, and talented
artists in all creative fields. The movie that made me want to become a photographer
is Meloncholia, “an apocalyptic drama art film,” written and directed by Lars von Trier.
How’s that for dramatic? I’m also influenced by and and how they continue to push boundaries with color and technique in their art.
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FLOCC Core Exhibition - BALANCE. Friday, October 7th from 6-9pm.

What Do You Want In An Instant: “A flight to the Maldives.”

FLOCC community space is great for a change in scenery and to catch up with your work buddies throughout the day.
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HumansofFLOCC: I’m a photographer and I write Poetry, so as an artist I would kind of put myself as an Urban Landscape sort of photographer. A lot of concrete, a lot of nature reclaiming what man has built sort of thing. With poetry I spend a lot of time trying to translate feelings into words and with photography its so much easier because you can kind of create a feeling or find a feeling in a premade space and capturing that is something that I really love and really inspires me. I didn’t really start thinking of myself as an artist until probably high school. But I didn’t really have a name for it or consider it as something I can do long term. So, I was always managing my own expectations of being an artist and most of the art I had done was pretty mediocre. I was like this is something I really love but not something I’m terribly good at. And then, I’ve always liked taking photos and I don’t know why it never occurred to me to be a photographer until a good friend kind of was like, “Why don’t you take photos?” But like I always took photos on my phone but I never really considered professional cameras to capture what I was already capturing. Right now, I feel like is more of a poetry phase for me than it is a photography one. I’d really like to have a collection of both or have a zine or something that includes both. I’ve always felt a pressure to make it professional but I think my art thrives best not being paid for it. Right now, with photography I feel like my art is taking me to go a little bit more liminal, more spaces that look curated but are found or are created and are found. Something that’s inspired me recently has been ‘The Dream Pools’ by Jared Pike. He’s a 3D Graphic Designer, so they’re not real spaces but those are the kind of spaces I try to capture in real life. With poetry I feel very much on my own with where I’m going artistically. But I’d really like to have something published, a collection or something.

What Inspires You, Jessica?
My photography is inspired by my love for nature which is why I’m drawn to open rural landscapes. As a country raised girl I love landscapes that remind me of my childhood home in Utah. I love capturing the tranquility of open natural spaces and enjoy creating moments of isolation with perspective and cropping.
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Family Member Profile: Kelsey is our Friday afternoon intern. She has her bachelors degree from UNT in Studio Art, concentrated in photography. She is a lover of all things fashion and all things coffee. Not only does fashion motivate her professional imagery, but it also inspired her cat's name, Fendi. Thanks for being a part of our FLOCC fam.
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I don’t know that I identify with the words artist or creative, even though I realize photography is a relatively creative field. I just know that I really enjoy meeting people and taking pictures.

I’ve always been kind of interested in both analytical-type things but also creative-type things, but by the time I finally got to college, I was interested in fashion. I went to school for marketing and fashion merchandising and wanted to be a buyer and was pretty sure that once I graduated from school, I was going to work my way up through the ranks and basically become like a VP.. When I first started working, I had a really strong drive to climb the corporate ladder, and I did that for almost ten years. My evenings were free so I picked up a few different hobbies and one was photography. So, I started taking courses at Collin College, just for fun. But, I had really great teachers at Collin and pretty much all of them were working photographers, and that was the first time I realized that photography was something somebody could do as a living.In 2018, I finally decided that I was going to register my business and I didn’t know when, but I knew that I was going to leave my corporate job.Then, 2020 hit and everything kind of shut down.

When Covid hit, I was furloughed from my job and no longer having that job was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. So, I was like, “Okay, let’s make this happen.”

Even though I technically feel like I started this journey like a decade ago, I still feel like I’m at the very beginning of it. And the more experience I get in this field, the more at the beginning of it I feel I am. I realize how intense some of these photoshoots can get and the level of talent that’s out there. So, right now I feel like I am just still trying to get even better work for my portfolio so that I can attract bigger clients. And that’s the other part of it right… continuing to build my network. It’s really just continuing to make friends with people that you really vibe with and hopefully the people in your circle see your talent, then they put your name out there and let your portfolio speak for itself.

Family Member Profile: Cameron Pitts joined us as one of our interns and is really getting to know every member here with his "Humans of FLOCC" interviews and portraits. He has quickly become an assistant to many creatives here as he grows his own photography business. Once Cam makes up his mind he finds a way to make it happen. We're glad you're here. .on.canvas
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Instant Series:
, What would you like in an instant?

A Dr. Pepper
📸 .manos.photography

HumansofFLOCC: I am an architectural photographer specializing in commercial properties, interiors and exteriors. I mainly shoot for architects, commercial architects and builders or general contractors. Every once in a while, I’m hired by a specific company. I just shot for Capital One for a new lounge they have at DFW Airport, but those kinds of jobs are little bit more rare.

My whole life I grew up drawing and painting and doodling and making stuff. I ended up going to art school here in Dallas to the Art Institute of Dallas where I studied Graphic Design.The photography side was something that I taught myself. I learned that on my own, which started as a hobby and grew into something that I wanted to do more than the graphic design, and I eventually switched over.

I’m still always learning. I’ve been doing photography now for like 12 to 15 years. My business has grown from just me, now to having three other people working with me all the time and sometimes bringing on others as well. So, it’s been nice to see that journey. As far as architectural photographers go here in the Dallas area especially, I’ve made a good name for myself. I have a lot of really high-end, well-known clients, especially architectural firms and stuff, but still have aspirations to do more all the time.

I would love to shoot bigger and better projects over the years. I’d like to shoot even grander architectural projects… more elaborate, more modern projects than I do now, and I’d like to see that take me overseas to Europe or Dubai or wherever giant buildings are. I think that’s where I hope to go in the next five to ten years.

I would like to do more personal projects where the real artistic creative stuff would come in. I would love to be able to maybe publish some kind of book one day. I’ve shot a lot of black and white images in my travels. Usually, wherever I go I try to find some cool places that are kind of funky or not known about and shoot them with my phone or even with my film camera.

What I get more inspiration from now is following a lot of modern-day photographers on Instagram and seeing what they’re shooting and what is changing in photography in general. Wade Griffith Photography

📸 .on.canvas

Family Member Profile: Taylor de la Fuente has been with us for a little over a year. She started out in one of our 1/4 studios but has upgraded to a larger studio space since. Taylor is a copywriter specializing in all things wedding industry. She's a lover of fun quirky copy that grabs your attention. Follow her for tips on copy and being a small business owner. We're so glad you are here and are so happy for all the exciting things that are happening for you this year. 📸 Justin Clemons Photography

Instant Series:on.canvas, What do you want in an instant?

The Creator
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What inspires you, Luke?

My images are most directly inspired by cinematography. The work of Grieg Fraser(The Batman and Dune) and Wally Pfister (Inception and The Dark Knight) comes to mind. I initially fell in love with film but I found that the challenge of creating a story in a single frame was fun (and much cheaper). Recently I have been entranced by post-war Polish artists along with water color by Kasiq Jungwoo, and have been working to find a way to incorporate that into my style. Luke McDonald

📸 Lauren Levi

Instant Series:the.photographer, What would you like in an instant?

Ice cream 🍦😋
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Instant Series:dlc.photography, What would you like in an instant?

My girlfriend👩‍❤️‍👨❤
📸 .manos.photography

Instant Series:
, What would you like in an instant?

Instant travel
📸 .manos.photography

Designed by Lane, Gamble, and Associates, Exchange Park was built in 1956 and the 14 story tower was the first of a much larger planned complex. The original plan of the complex was never actualized, but several other office towers were built around Exchange Park. Now owned by UT Southwestern, there are plans to demolish the building in early 2022, but it hasn't happened just yet. Hopefully UT Southwestern will find a way to repurpose this historic building instead of bulldozing the lot.

What Inspires You, Mark? “Lately I’ve been finding a lot of inspiration in my surroundings and my feelings. Being conscious of who I’m around and checking in with myself more often. Observing more, absorbing less. I’m on a therapy journey, which is bringing a lot of healing and empowerment. This has been leading me to create or concept work that is delightful, vibrant, and brings a sense of ease. Also, a lot of my inspiration comes from clothing and style — creativity usually starts for me in the morning when I’m composing an outfit!”

-Designer, Director and Member Mark Baker-Sanchez

📸 Lauren Levi

Family Member Profile: Chris Prince, , is a talented photographer. He's a guy our members frequent for conversation, especially with any tech questions. Unfortunately he's leaving us at the end of the month, but we are happy he found a home in a neighborhood of his dreams. Chris, thank you for sharing your creativity and knowledge with our community.

HumansofFLOCC: I am a painter. I want to be an artist that is not just painting what I think feels right or looks the way that I want it to, but I want my art to help people understand themselves or understand something that might have been unclear to them in themselves.The way that I make people feel is important to me. As an artist and as a person, I can be highly empathetic and I think that definitely bleeds into my paintings.

My artistic journey began as soon as I could like pick up something up and draw with it. So very early, there’s pictures of me painting when I was like 2, 3, 4 , 5. I definitely destroyed a lot of my parent’s furniture when I was younger. I’m definitely at a place of more motivation than I’ve ever felt, but I’m also at a place of wanting to expand more than just painting. Like, I’ve been doing a lot more installation and display work. And I just love it! I’ve realized that I love creating an atmosphere and sometimes I feel like I can’t always do that with a painting.

Really anything I can get my hands on like fabric, dried plants, sculptural things, any type of material. I mean I love to DIY stuff. Anything I can form into other stuff works for me.

Francis Bacon, Georgia O’Keeffe, Gustav Klimt.They’re all very different, but they’ve definitely shaped me growing up. I think for different things.

Francis Bacon his paintings are very dark and very harsh and can probably be like triggering or intense to look at, but I love how honest he is. He definitely goes outside of the box. Georgia O’Keeffe is definitely an inspiration as far as like form and flow and her colors. All of her pieces are extremely calming to look at. Gustav Klimt, he’s just wacky! Like he puts gold in his paintings and I’m terrified to do that. Gustav Klimt has always painted and drawn figures which is something that I love to paint.

I would love to be in galleries all over the world. Obviously, that’s like the big dream. But just be able to travel with my art would be amazing, because I love travel and to have the two connected would be amazing. But, really just getting to share my artwork with other people is my consistent dream and goal.

“I am primarily a photographer, but recently I’ve been adding photographer/visual artist, to the end. I’m starting to branch out into different areas and photography is kinda not viewed as an art form anymore, it’s just so accessible to everyone. So I say, “I’m an artist” and then people are like, “What do you do? Oh a photographer?” It kind of dampens the term artist when you put ‘photographer’ to the end. So, in general I just say I’m a photographer/visual artist.

I think my artistic journey began when I was young. I remember in kindergarten, we’d be given the little cartoons where you have to fill in the colors. I’d always like go crazy and draw outside the lines and be expressive with what I was doing, and I actually got in trouble in Kindergarten for drawing outside of the lines. My mom got mad at that kindergarten teacher and confronted her and was like, “Don’t you dare tell my kid to draw inside the lines.” So I was very supported and my parents very much encouraged the artistic expression.

I think right now in my artistic journey. I’ve had a lot of fun trying different things and trying different avenues and I’ve narrowed in what I feel I’m really good at and what I love doing. But that doesn’t mean I’m not trying new things. I’ve been very heavily focused on only photography, only editorial photography or environmental portrait photography for the last few years. So, I’ve kinda had my hand in a few different pots, ya know, with some different things that aren’t necessarily photography but are still just fun and creative stuff that I love doing. I’m just trying to like figure out my niche and get really established in it.

I don’t want to ever be bored doing what I’m doing. I think where I wanna be is being known as like, “The guy who tells your story.” My end goal is to have a studio setup and if people want their picture taken and they want their story told, they know to come to me. Whatever that looks like, whether they need a headshot for their portfolio or they just want to be seen by someone and so they come to me and I do that. I think that would be really sick to just have a space where people can come and experience that.

What Inspires you: “I think what it comes down to is peoples stories, and nature.

People are complex, full of nuance, rich, capable and resilient – they surprise you- and they make each other’s stories more fulfilling. I feel inspired when I see people being human.

Nature makes you feel alive in a way that can only be comprehended in a feeling- in that way nature inspires me.”

-Lexi Altschul, member and filmmaker

Digital Painting Thursday with .

‘I am forever chasing light. Light turns the ordinary into the magical.’
-Trent Parke

A Silhouette of .on.canvas by

What Inspires You: "I'm inspired by the dynamic interaction of the human form and its surroundings. How is the body interacting with its environment? And what kind of story is it telling us? The beauty of being human is in our capability to feel and experience immense emotion just based off of another person’s facial expression and body language. Relating through emotions and sharing parallel experiences is what often ties individuals and communities together—it's what makes me feel connected to my viewer. When creating, my goal has always been to compose a striking image that makes the viewer want to stop and take a closer look. We take in so much visual information per day, so if I can create a piece of work that makes my audience slow down and connect with it, then that's a successful photograph to me."

-Member and Photographer, Kelsey Reid

📸 Lauren Levi

FLOCC turned 4 this month and we couldn’t be any more thrilled with the amazing community that makes FLOCC the special place that it is!!!

Cheers to 4 years with this band of people! We’ve met and collaborated with a lot of great people in this creative space. 🎨

What is Soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is but, it's a force that can light a room.
- Ray Charles

A Silhouette of created by

A FLOCC illustration inspired by .magill

What Inspires You Anna?

What Inspires You, Anna? inspired most often by run-down or abandoned buildings. The state of disrepair and neglect of man juxtaposed to the reclaiming and nurturing of nature will always get my attention. I love capturing our world as a form of time travel, either in the most dystopian angle possible or with a more vintage aesthetic."

-Member, Retoucher and Photographer, Anna Boling - .e.boling

Dallas Architecture with : The J.F. Parks Estate is a mission style residence built in 1924. The Parks donated the home to the YMCA in 1957, who occupied the building until it was sold to private owners in the 1990's.

Family Member Profile: Today we highlight Dev. Devn. Devin. - . This guy is so talented that he has three names, but he’s not a one-man-band. He has a production company that is bringing talent together to create something extraordinary. Devin brings over 10 years of experience in art & creative direction, software engineering, and camera systems to FLOCC. Hustle mode is always turned on when you see and work with him. He is a cool & determined human who loves to cultivate new visual experiences for his clients & consumers.

Family Member Profile: Kent Barker captures high-end headshots & portraits for corporate and professional clients. Kent is a beam of light & a wealth of knowledge with over 20 years of experience. He has a deep technical knowledge and can light beautifully, both in and out of the studio. And finally, he is uniquely skilled at giving direction. .barker knows how to help you relax and how to direct you to look your very best.

Creative composite of illustrator, Eldrich Torres
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What Inspires You: "I get inspired by the constant drive of wanting a meaningful life, the same goes with my passion of being a photographer. I’m always searching for something meaningful in things that are known as ordinary. As I’m looking for a photo, something will show up to my attention and I have a deep visceral feeling to take the shot. It could be the available light in an area that catches my eye, the way things are placed in a certain environment, or the essence I feel in an atmosphere I’m in. Whatever the case may be, I try my best to find what’s meaningful about it and how I could capture that. I guess as I keep thinking about it more, I try to capture the divinity in daily life, and chasing that divinity is what inspires me."

-Member and Photographer, Cesar De La Cruz

📸 Lauren Levi