My perception, my idea, my intention in creating these images………
This is what I believe:

I take photos of people because I’m absolutely fascinated by all of these amazing and diverse faces.

I’m inspired by the wildly different reactions to the pictures. Some of us think the same. Some don’t. But the things that will always unite us are the basic human things. And that is what intrigues me about the photos.

I take each picture and create a portrait. I get very little sleep. I work on each one to create something unique.

I think they are beautiful. Each one.

Not every body agrees on art. And clearly some folks do not like to be cast into it’s net forcibly. But as for the photos on this site. I stand by them. I’m proud of them.

Inspiration is something that grabs you by the scapulas and shoots you down the hallway, you may get a little skinned up along the way but each bump and scar has it’s purpose.

Have I have stolen your soul? Nobody can do that.

An article about my snoozy little web site came out this morning in the Red Eye this morning (Click Here to read the article) . I have to tell you it was totally trippy to be standing there, cell phone in hand, watching everyone read the article.

I’d like to thank my friend Adam Howitt for submitting the story idea to the Red Eye. You can visit Adam’s web site at WalkJogRun.net. His site is about people who walk, jog or run in their sleep, just kidding…but hmmm…… a new challenge?

Anyway, so I’m on the train this morning, and I’m watching all of my fellow train passengers read the article and I set out to get ONE photo… what could be better, a person asleep, holding a copy of the Red Eye. Now, I’ve gotten some comments about the project… good and bad… But today, today of all days, you have the paper in your hand, the article is telling you that I am “OUT THERE” waiting for you to fall asleep….today of all days, well if you fall asleep, that is just downright posing. Can I really be expect to resist?

A big thank you goes out to the Columbia Chronicle for their piece on SleepyUrbanite.com

Stop by their website www.columbiachronicle.com or pick up a hard copy to check it out!
http://www.columbiachronicle.com/paper/arts.php?id=2956

People on the train were pretty awake today. Maybe because it’s Friday, maybe we all got some good sleep this week? I did get a couple of shots though. I did find myself waiting for people to drift off… which leads me to… 

http://www.benharper.com/

Ben Harper Lyrics:

“I’ve been Waiting For You”
by: Ben Harper

I’ ve been waiting for you
I’ ve been waiting for you
Never found enything else to do
but waiting for you

I’ ve been calling your name
I’ ve been calling your name
Never found anything else to say
nothing to say

You can kill a lot of time if you really want put your mind do it
Leave it all behind if you never wanna go through it

I keep hearing your name
I keep hearing your name
Nothing else sounds the same
as hearing your name

You can kill a lot of time if you really put your mind to it
or leave it all behind and never ever go through it

I’ ve been hoping for you
Keep hoping for you
What else can I do
but keep hoping for you?

You can kill a lot of time if you really put your mind to it
or leave it all behind and never ever go through it

We can kill a lot and never really have to go through it

What else can I do
but keep hoping for you?

This is a very exciting day for SleepyUrbanite. I have captured the Tri-fecta. Three people sleeping in one shot. And they said it could not be done. The TRIFECTA! The TRIFECTA. Say it with me, will you? Now say it in a French accent. Excellent. Very exciting.
Are you asking yourself “Why is this person so excited about the Tri-fecta?”, well the real question is “Why AREN’T YOU??”.

View all the sleeping people >> 

When we hit the Grand stop (on the blue line), I turn my ipod down to hear the recorded message: “This is Grand”.

I look around at the sleepy people, the worried people, the space-outs, the “making a list of everything I have to do today”‘s, the “did I lock the front door”‘s, the “man last night was awesome”‘s….

I look around at all of the people, the scenery for the robotic voice over telling us “This is Grand”. I love the irony of that.  Most days I laugh a little to myself.  But then, I always was very easily amused.

“You must have to be very very close to these people to take their pictures with your phone, wow you must be really close right?”

Yes, I have to get pretty close. If you zoom in on the camera the image gets proportionally smaller. So I cannot “cheat” and be on say, the other side of the train car. I sort of dig that I really do need to be in that sleeping person’s space to get their portrait. Being in such close proximity to someone while they are doing this very private thing, sleepying, juxtaposed with the very public setting is really interesting to me.

It’s kind of creepy yes?

My little project was mentioned on Chicagoist.com today. Thanks to them for the mention. Joanna Miller, the writer, asks of the folks who have you’ve found your portrait there “does it creep you out?”.  That is an interesting question. I’d love to hear from you if you’re on the site. I’m probably not the most objective person, being that I am the artist, but I don’t think the portraits are creepy at all. But then, do creepy people tend to KNOW they are creepy? Hmmmm. Probably not. Who gets up in the morning and thinks, “let’s do something creepy today!”. Who knows.

That being said, as the non-objective witness to my own, “in creepy-denial” work, the creep factor is just a by  product of the closeness and vulnerability,  I believe. Yes, I have to be close to you to get this portrait, but don’t worry, I do not have a shrine to you in my house.

It’s a funny thing riding the train. I’ve had many conversations with friends about the ride and how you look around and how most of us are plugged into an Ipod or some other mp3 player, (you know those poor slob mystery brands following apple like spazzzy puppies- ooooh tangent sorry). Anyway- I listen to my music; I see it as this cool soundtrack to an otherwise bland experience (invasive photography project not withstanding). So I have to imagine all of the other people are thinking the same thing. Stoic and bored on the outside, rocking out to a freaky Coen brothers-eque movie you’ve created in your head.

So in these conversations with my friends, we all agree that we should unplug and commune, connect with the people you know? But while that SOUNDS perfectly good and earthy and “buy the world a coke”, my morning freaky soundtrack keeps me going. I need isolation of my Ipod to reset my internal clock. I need to hear my own music over the dull scenery of the day to day. The juxtaposition is just enough to make it seem like a quirky movie starring gritty, breaking, under-exposed actors, or comedians with a dark and serious side.