Get to Know Los Angeles-Based Artist Grant Spanier, 

Having trouble reading this email? [Click here]( to view it in your browser [Get]( Know]( Spanier]( Brought to you by: [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] Grant Spanier ([@grantspanier]( is a Los Angeles-based creative. He's a director, designer, photographer and one half of the directing duo DAD®. Along with following him on Ello, check out his work at [www.slashgrant.com]( and [www.dad-dad.com](. Read on to learn a little about the man behind the camera. [woman drinking a soda]( First off, tell us a little bit about how you got into producing music videos and taking photos. I started in writing short fiction, then stumbled into startups and design, then cartwheeled into advertising & add’l advertising bullshit… then I kickflipped into music videos. From the unending complexity of directing videos I sauntered into taking photos because (with all due respect to my photographer brethren) it’s so (relatively fucking) easy, or at least less complex, compared to most of the video work I do. Your videos and photos have a retro-yet-otherworldly vibe. What kind of messages or emotions are you trying to convey with your work? Hold on to what was because impending doom is all around us? I kid. Sort of. Idk I guess I’ve always been pretty nostalgic… it’s almost a sort of supernatural nostalgia since it’s a longing for times & eras I never actually knew. I guess I mostly shoot on film so that’s baked in. I think I’m attracted to what feels like it might be hyper-natural. The process of figuring out what you’re trying to say isn’t always simple. Sometimes you just express and the thesis of it all isn’t totally clear, but the images feel right to you. [man in an evian jumpsuit]( You have [a manifesto]( on your site, which is somewhat unique in the world of artist portfolios/websites. What inspired you to publish it and is it a living manifesto, or has it been solidified for a while now? I’m a bit of a completist and I find that writing things out helps me understand myself. Additionally, being a director forces you to have a point-of-view. And having a point-of-view means understanding yourself (see "02 / know thyself” on the ‘festo haha). So I wrote my manifesto as a way of understanding my own ambitions and guiding principles first. I also wrote it as a thing to point to when younger creatives asked for advice. It’s been solidified for a bit, but I’m sure it could evolve. Perhaps with another iteration of my site. You “like to play in different mediums.” What are you deep into right now? Ehhh. It just keeps me so interested & engaged & a little scared, but mostly excited. I guess my current obsession has been scanning. It’s sort of a new layer I’ve discovered to shooting film. When I shoot film I get a physical item — the film negative — and I love that new layer of “photography” (making images). [Read The Full Interview]( [women listening to music]( [Design an art installation]( for the new Cook’s Club hotel in Crete [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] [Ello]( [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] [Twitter]( [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] [Tumblr]( [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] [Instagram]( [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] [Pinterest]( [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] [Facebook]( [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] [Medium]( Follow us around [Android]( [6b0affbc-f1a0-4c8e-a414-65349607d4cd.png] [Apple]( Download our apps Change your [email preferences]( If you don't want to receive emails from Ello anymore, please unsubscribe [here](. Ello, PBC, 1100 Spruce St. Ste #104, Boulder, CO 80302