Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Cody.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
As a photographic artist, I started constructing and creating images with close family and friends in my latter half of high school. As a teen, I was still finding who and what I wanted to be. After shedding my identity as an athlete, I found that I was more drawn to the arts and creating frames that took me out of the reality that was around me. For instance, one of my first photographs was of my cousin Glory, who I dressed up to be an African girl in her backyard. That was the spark and I later won an award with it which sold the idea of becoming a photographer.
I later attended SCAD Atlanta in 2012, where I eventually ventured into fashion photography to facilitate my photographic voice. I always had the intuitive spirit to make images that felt from another place or time. And after time I felt a greater strength in the aesthetic that was developing. I used the environment, different cultural ques, and fantasy to create new worlds around me. I experimented and played constantly. I’d spend hours on end in a lab with my colleges, editing, creating, and critiquing the work. In school I was encouraged to explore my deepest ambitions under the criteria which really pushed me to grow. I learned who I wanted to become here.
After graduating in 2016, I moved to New York where I was thrust into the arena of fashion that I wanted to be a part of. I worked in Production at Heroes Models in Soho for a few months which exposed me to the inner workings of the industry. I began to realize the kind of work and projects that inspired me even more as I managed the data and jobs that were being sent back from the models we represented. Here in New York I also worked as an assistant on a few high-profile jobs like V Magazine and Models.com which gave me more of a taste of what to expect in my future. Even though I loved working in New York, I knew I wasn’t able to produce my shoots on the level that I wanted scale-wise, so I moved back to Atlanta to continue working on developing my voice.
And since I have been pleased to work with recurring clients like Nordstrom x Nike and Ashya, as well as contributing to Office Magazine, V Magazine, Vanity Teen, Cake Mag, Harper’s Bazaar, and other publications. This year I also signed with native Atlanta creative agency CADRE Artists by Ivon Alley that launched this year. In addition to that I’ve also began working as a director and growing under that scope. All in all, Atlanta has been a creative haven and home for me since moving back and I’m excited to grow with the city and also as creator for the world.
Please tell us about your art.
I use my environment and culture combined with fantasy to focus on creating new definitions of beauty in black identity, with the intention to push the black narrative forward. I’m inspired to recreate a lot of the aspects of life that we do on the daily except I aim to incorporate my personal relation to them while glorifying that idea.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
This definitely hits close to home, since I have worked as a freelancing photographer of all “genres” to pay bills when it was time. I remember having to collect change to put gas in my truck to get to small gigs but with that being said, what I kept doing was searching for more ways to make money specifically in the realm of art that I wanted to make. The more logical thing would be to have a side job that supports your craft, but I’m sure that like me, creatives want to work solely for themselves today.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The main way to see my work right now would be on social media (Instagram @christian__cody) or on my agencies site which is cadreartists.com/christiancody. I’m currently building a new site that reflects where I am currently. People can support my work by passing it along to others because in the end I’d love to be an ongoing source of inspiration to the world of creatives and my community specifically, especially in a time where we can relate to each other work even more fluidly
Contact Info:
- Address: 700 McGruder Street Atlanta, Georgia 30312
- Website: cadreartists.com/christiancody
- Phone: 7708709800
- Email: chriscody24@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christian__cody/
Image Credit:
1. Molly and Reese Blutstein for VMagazine
2. Nordstrom x Nike Pick-Up Game
3. Hommeboy for Office Magazine
4. Lotlizards for Cake Magazine
5. Ashleigh Baugh
6. Morocco @ DNA Models
7. Nordstrom x Nike Pick-Up Game
8. Anika Elle
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