Morgan Lieberman
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“My greatest joy is to translate my every day empathy into visual documentation! ”
I strongly believe in creating an archive of beautiful narratives of queer identity, women's empowerment, and unique subcultures that make the world the most colorful it can possibly be. I grew up as the "black sheep" of my family and often felt like an outsider, only to discover that the differences we all have should be embraced as our greatest strengths! I look for the quiet moments, the fleeting situations in life that are much louder in their banality.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I struggled a lot! I believe that accepting myself as a queer woman was the first step in my work reflecting my inner most being and how to fully harness confidence in myself and my creative visions. Since I was younger, I didn't believe I could pursue photography as a possible career path due to the stigma of it not being "practical," but once I let go of other people's notions of success, I realized that photography and holding a camera would be a lifelong relationship of taking me to place I could have never accessed without this medium. I constantly put myself on assignment, which includes even walking around my neighborhood on a Wednesday afternoon, blasting Fleetwood Mac in my headphones and pretending I'm in an indie music video. By giving myself work and creating samples when I often did not have any freelance opportunities, I taught myself resilience and the power of making work for yourself no matter the circumstances.
How do you stand out in your field?
I am versatile and I am able to capture a feeling because of my ability to get close to other people. I love having a connection to the people I'm photographing, which is often why I have strayed from traditional routes of photojournalism due to the need to be constantly objective and unbiased. I am an emotionally charged person, so I see the camera as a way to build a bridge to individuals I would not normally have the opportunity to learn from. I feel that when I am photographing, whether it is a draining red carpet event or a personal project out in the middle of Black Rock City, I am very present in what I am observing and I try to see the camera as an extension of my eyes rather than something separate from me. I an empath, so I am sensitive to my environment, which includes bringing a positive and enthusiastic energy to those around me!
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Right now, I am enrolled in the Leica Akademie, where I am a student in the "Memory Play" workshop. Along with ten other students with the instruction of Jennifer McClure, I am reflecting on trauma and narcissistic abuse in my personal life and utilizing the narrative of memory and self reflection in the form of a photo project. This is the first time I have turned the camera on myself, so it is challenging, but definitely going to help me grow as a visual artist and storyteller!
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I enjoy documenting the juxtapositions of life, as well as the quirky and often unseen. I greatly admire Vivian Maier and Lauren Greenfield for their ability to be unforgiving and raw in their storytelling. I am looking to push myself more in the fine art/commercial direction to see how my documentary work translates in other industries of photography.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I would love to work more on my cinematography skills because I often find that the moving image can be more crucial to a story than a single frame. I hope to work on a documentary short film this year so that I can focus on narratives that can accomplish so much more with the voice of the subjects at the forefront. With music, proper editing structure, and immersive filming, I feel as though that documentary filmmaking should continue to be in my toolkit as my career progresses!
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
I want to rebrand my entire website/portfolio, but often find myself making excuses to keeping it the same and not making any drastic differences to the aesthetic. I do feel a sense of urgency to start to fuse my documentary and branded content/commercial work in one site, but I often lack the confidence to know which direction to go. I don't have a mentor, so it would be great to get connected with someone at ilovecreatives to help guide me in a more uniform, streamlined direction! I'd love to shift the focus away from my personal name and more towards a production name that exemplifies my strengths and how I stand out from the competition.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Yoga instruction in my living room??? Maybe a complimentary smoothie at the end? Ok, well now I'm just being frivolous.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
Be patient! Things that are not meant to be are to make room for better things! The path is not clear going forward, but it will make sense looking back :)
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
Getting consistent freelance clients and being able to have creative freedom in big projects.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I am looking to pursue more work in the commercial/branded content space, as well as projects that focus on real people and real stories. I would love to always have a documentary style approach to my work so that visibility is attainable for the narratives often pushed under the rug.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
My most consistent commercial client has been doing social media lifestyle content for MeUndies. I love that I am able to cast my close friends as the models and I am given a ton of freedom in terms of location, tone, and overall creative direction. I love to have clients that trust my vision and know that I will execute as someone who is self motivated and hard working, where I always go above and beyond to make sure they have a lot to work with. My dream clients would probably be Converse or Nike since their art direction is brilliantly recognizable and bold.
Who is a creative that has helped you elevate your work?
Mathieu Young of Art of Freelance has been an incredible advocate for me the last few years! He is a commercial photographer and also started such an incredible collective that has been pivotal to my mentality on self accountability and accomplishing work for the sake of seeing it through.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Best way to get in touch would be email or instagram DM! Please send…First: your vision. Second: your budget! I am flexible with all clients, but I need a creative guideline to get in the mindset of what you need from my end.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Trust Your Intuition, ALWAYS!
This member profile was originally published in April 2021.