Today we’d like to introduce you to CC Weske.
CC, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
When people ask me what my story is, I find it difficult to answer in any one specific way; My story has only just begun, and I’ll keep writing it until the day I die.
I am a Los Angeles native- born, raised, and still remaining. I love my mother and my father deeply for the life that they were able to provide for me, and for helping me become the person who I am today; I am also so thankful for their patience and understanding while they stood by me through my darkest and most trying years, without those times as well, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
When I was 13, I received a Canon Rebel XTi camera for Christmas. My parents knew my spirit for the art, this spark for photography followed closely behind my passion for creating and editing musically timed slide shows and stories on Microsoft PowerPoint when I was 11 years old. I can look back now, almost 15 years later, and see where this all started, and realize this has just always been in my soul, it’s always been my story.
That camera allowed me the freedom to express my pain and depression and darkness that I felt when I was a teenager; photography helped me cope and it helped me heal, without that as an outlet, I do not want to think about where I would be today. So, for more reasons than just the pure love for creating moving images, I feel that I owe it to the art to be the best I can be, always.
I have been a professional video editor and photographer for 4 years now; I did not attend film school, I did not have a mentor, I did not learn how to do what I do in any traditional way, except by just doing it. I took one 5-day intensive Final Cut Pro 7 course when I first began, and the one thing that class taught me more than anything else was the importance of organization and care in your project’s creation. By the end of the 5 days, my teacher then brought up an opportunity to work for him, starting to edit some of his projects, get some real experience. I said yes.
Years later, I was working full time as a Post Production PA for a network television show, baby-sitting, possessing, teaching fencing, and working as a partner in a small production company that my best friend and I started up and began accumulating clients in: I was 19. My desire to make things happen far outweighed the fear of possibly failing at any one of my 5 jobs, the only thing that mattered was progress. I worked for years for pennies, for free, and being verbally and mentally abused by employers and bosses, and I’m so thankful for it all.
I am 25 years old now, and I feel as though I have only just begun. In my photography and editing career I have created for and been featured in National and International Companies such as Tempest Freerunning, Billie Eillish, Ashe, Rainsford, Vogue, UK Frowning Magazine, MuvMag, JoJo Electro, Lady Groves, Fiasco Daniels, Lucid Eyewear, Iron Lily, and many others. I have been a stunt woman in television, commercials, live shows, and more. I have produced, directed and acted in many projects.
I am excited for where the future will take me, there are some pretty incredible opportunities on the horizon that terrify me, but excite me even more. I am thankful for all of the opportunities I said yes to even though I was scared, I’m thankful for the courage to step up and get the job done, and I’m so thankful for my friends and family who have always stuck by my side and been there to encourage me and support me when I feel like I might be losing my mind. And so, the story continues on…
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Since I was 11 years old, the art of capturing emotion in editing, photography and filmmaking has been my undying passion. Being a self-taught artist has truly been the biggest blessing in my professional journey; it has forged in me an inextinguishable fire to create new ways for people to see their environment and those around them.
I have had the incredible opportunities to edit and create projects from music videos, to feature films, to educational videos, to clothing spots, and more. I have had the honor to photograph some of the top companies, athletes and artists in the world. Through all of these experiences, I have come to realize that no matter what I am shooting or editing, the only way to produce the results I expect is to fall fully in love with the person, the project, and the moment that is in front of me.
In creating a style, I have taken all that I have learned, all that I have experienced, and combined them; pulling from wedding inspiration when I shoot athletes, pulling from athletes’ inspiration when shooting Behind the Scenes. The common factor is the most important nuance, and it is that we all share: humanity. We all share the same abilities to love, to fear, to inspire, to move others and to be moved ourselves. This is what is the most important concept for me in creating as an artist, but first and foremost, as a human being.
I love that through my many ventures as a photographer, and the many types of projects and subjects I have shot, I have a different way of looking at the world. Most wedding photographers have never shot equestrians or freerunners, I have. Most action photographers have never shot maternity, boudoir, or engagements, I have. The ability to capture all different types of activities, faces, realities, and environments and am able to tell their story is a huge pat on the back for me and my work, as that is what truly matters to me at the end of the day. Seeing the satisfaction and joy from my clients when they receive their photos or projects back truly is my favorite part of my job.
Every artist has their canvas, every athlete has their ability, every person has their story. The story, the journey, the getting there, is what drives me every day to embody through a lens; to make the visible connection into the heart and soul of a human, that is what I am about.
I feel that it is my upmost duty to create something that will be printed forever in the hearts and minds of my clients. My favorite responses when I deliver photos is “I can’t stop looking at them, I am obsessed.” That is one of my favorite responses, and one of the ones I get the most often. It is so important to me to bring an alternative perspective and real authentic emotion.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I think it’s a truly beautiful time to be an artist in the world that we live in today, and I don’t believe there will ever be a time when art is not important to our humanity. It is concerning to me when people make the mistake of telling themselves or others that they “just aren’t the creative type” or “they aren’t creative people”, because it simply isn’t true. Bees make bee hives, beavers make dams, humans make civilizations, technology, medicine, art; we are creators in every way possible, it is what sets us apart from everything else.
I think what is so awesome to be living in a time like now is the very obvious and intense push towards letting our inner creative come out and make itself known; in the past, that idea has been pushed down and society demanded we be sit down, be quiet, and do what we are told to do. What excites me is that today, instead of persecuting one another, we are celebrating our uniqueness and embracing who we really are; I believe the unveiling of our inner art and creativity are at the center of this movement.
What will always continue to drive me and my pursuit in creating is knowing that by me being brave enough to freely express myself through my art and my medium, it is giving others the strength and the courage to be able to do the same. We are called to lead by example, and I think that’s one of the most beautiful things that we as artists get to do for others, show them a real-life example of what it means to live an artist’s life, and there is by no means a right or a wrong way to do it.
We are all so beautifully unique, we are so magnificently different, and I believe that in our art is how we will always and have always created a physical, visible and visceral example of our minds, hearts and souls. What a gift.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Anyone can see my work by heading over to my website, www.ccweske.com. My work has been published in UK Frowning Magazine, featured in Vogue, MuvMag, and can be seen in other brands and companies.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ccweske.com
- Phone: 8185157771
- Email: ccweske@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccweske/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cc.weske
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