Today we’d like to introduce you to Jack Roberts.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
When I was in middle school I got into free-running which was basically outdoor gymnastics. After doing that for a year or two I started filming myself on my old iPod Touch. That was the initial spark into the world of cameras. One day in high school I thought it would be cool to capture myself in mid-air doing a backflip. I knew my iPod couldn’t do it, so ran into my house grabbed my dad’s nice camera and set it up on a timer and was successful. I was in awe that a camera could capture such interesting moments. After that I started walking around my house to see what else it could do. It took off from there.
The hiking and outdoor photography came from my friend Mike bringing me on a hike up Mt.Lafayette in the late fall my freshman year in college. I had never taken my camera on a big hike before this one. I ended up having it out the whole time snapping photos of the whole experience and it was incredible. It was the hike that pushed me to want to capture more and more in the wilderness. Ever since then my creative interests and love to travel have been constantly developing into what it is today.
Please tell us about your art.
As of now I take photos of my travels wherever it may be because I love to take home memories to share and inspire others to get outside and see the world under their own feet. I love taking photos and videos of the places I go because I tend do go certain places more unknown from the masses in times where the average person wouldn’t go.
For example, hiking a mountain below zero at 3am in the middle of winter to see the sunrise. Only a small percentage of people do that for fun and the experience is unlike all hiking I have ever done. So I bring my camera to capture the surreal moments to share and show how beautiful and incredible places are that are not far away from us. Also, I simply just love to create images. It’s very satisfying to make a final product. There is nothing more that I love to do.
Then there are two other parts that I am very, very passionate about to why I specifically share my work in the way I do.
My goal was never to brag about the fun I have to friends and family. I would see people sleep the day away and then binge watch TV for the remainder of the day. I’m not saying I don’t do that, because I totally did. It’s nice to unwind and relax for the day every now and then, but I saw people doing that for the majority of their time every single day every week. It kills me to see people stay inside and play video games/watch TV all day every day. Then again some people love that, so you do you.
The worst part to that was when those people kept saying that it was crazy how much I travel and that they could never have time to do the same. Which made me so upset because literally everyone has time to do what they want if they make an effort to just go do it!!!
So I made it my personal goal to see how much I could actually do in the time I had off and the results were incredible. I maximized my time on the weekends and some weekdays and went everywhere I could during my time at school to show people what was possible as a full time student in college.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
I wish someone told me to stop trying to do what everyone else was doing. Nobody ever made an original idea by trying to copy someone else. Follow your own creative spark and it will flourish in time. I tried for too long to be like all of the other cool photographers/adventurers. Do whatever lights a fire in your heart and makes you want to wake up with purpose every day, especially if it’s something different than what everyone else is doing. And if you want to get good at whatever it is you do, do it every single day you can.
Most importantly, surround yourself in a community or with people with the same values who truly care about you because others will try to discourage you because they see you doing something they won’t try.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have a website where people can view my work.
https://jprobertsphoto.wixsite.com/jproberts
I am also on Instagram as @jproberts
https://www.instagram.com/jproberts/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jprobertsphoto.wixsite.com/jproberts
- Phone: (603)809-8626
- Email: jpr136@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jproberts/
Image Credit:
Jack Roberts
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager 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.
