Meet Jacob Aguon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Aguon.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
A few years ago I was living a pretty comfortable life. I worked in tech and made just enough to live the “American Dream”. A friend of mine recommended I read a book called “The 7 habits of highly effective people”, which I did. A concept that was presented to me that changed my life was the idea of telling my own story. I realized at that moment that I was living a life that society deemed as acceptable, but it wasn’t the story that I would want to later tell to my grandkids or the legacy that I wanted to leave. This is when I began my journey in living a chosen life and I really started to learn what were the things that made me happy, not necessarily what was “right”.

This change in mindset guided me away from old habits and towards getting outdoors, hiking and adventuring. More recently it’s taken me into learning about life logging and finding ways to better tell my story. Whether it’s for my memory later in life, or to share with others and eventually I discovered photography. It’s become my creative outlet for capturing my perspectives and adventures. Instagram has become the platform that I can share both my pictures and my story.

Please tell us about your art.
I’m a photographer and I make moments. I only started shooting a few years ago with my canon T3i and 50mm lens, but have since upgraded to a mirrorless camera for its weight and versatility. I shoot because it’s my way of capturing my moments. The idea originated after watching Harry Potter and watching Professor Dumbledore take his memories and placing them into his pensieve for later retrieval. Unfortunately I’m not a wizard and can’t just relive memories out of a memory well, but I can use modern technology to take pictures and tell the stories to the best of my ability.

I’ve been life-logging for about 3 years now anywhere from audio clips on my phone to video logs that I keep on a private server. It all started with a big decision that I just couldn’t make up my mind about. I logged my thoughts and a few months later I revisited the logs. After confirming my thoughts and feelings about the subject I went through with my decision. After this happened I just never stopped and I’ve learned so much from each experience.

Having worked in IT for more than 8 years I’m a very technical person, but I’ve never had a way to share my thoughts in a creative way. By wanting to tell my story and using technology I’m able capture moments with a lens. My art isn’t photography, but rather my story and how I choose to live it.

What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
As I’m a new artist to the art scene in Atlanta I don’t know how things were before. As a technologist and knowing what is available to us today, I’d like to say that it’s easier for us to share and connect. We need to encourage each other and promote the art scene here for us to further thrive. Attend events like the guys over at @familyhoodatl and don’t be afraid to approach artists or make new friends. Talking about art is what’s going to make art in Atlanta thrive.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My Instagram @jacobjohnaguon.

Just engage! I’d take a DM over a like any day of the week. Let’s start conversations! My posts are stories or concepts that I learn. If something speaks to you let’s start a discussion 🙂 I’m almost always open for coffee or a drink 🙂

Contact Info:

• Website: jacobaguon.com
• Phone: 770-634-0080
• Email: jacob.aguon@maadcloud.com
• Instagram: @jacobjohnaguon

Image Credit:
All images were taken or produced by Jacob Aguon

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.