Morganne Boulden and the Art of being Badass-AS #4

Anti-Standard is all about focusing on artists that make work that defies any standard of creating; work from the soul. Morganne Boulden (aka @morbi.d on Instagram) creates work that does just that. Boulden’s badass imagery, use of color and eye for patterns is awe-inspiring in a world of HD retouched portraiture.

Here’s Morganne for ANTI-STANDARD NO. 4

“Now I finally feel like I understand who I am meant to be as an artist”

Q. Your use of color is very present in your work. Do you edit your pictures to look cohesive, or try to find similar color schemes in real life?

A. I really love subtle matching color schemes, like pastels with patterns…kind of like in a lot of vintage design. It feels nostalgic to me!

Q. What’s one word or short phrase you would use to describe your work?

A. Awe-inspiring

Q. Tell us about creating your book, Macabre. What was your favorite part of the process? Are you planning to make another one?

A. I started working on macabre when I graduated high school in 2016. I was stuck in a rut with my work and felt like I was going nowhere with my photos and taking meaningless snapshots. My work felt so empty and it was a very low point in my life because I didn’t know what I was going to do. I discovered Ren Hang’s work and it completely changed the way I vowed photography. I finally could see how this medium should be more fixated around emotion and artistic value rather than aesthetics.

I quickly took inspiration from horror movies, books, comics, and paintings that I always found beautiful but scary and began trying to incorporate similar themes into my work. Macabre became a project that shifted my art completely. It was cathartic to finish it, to say the least. Now I finally feel like I understand who I am meant to be as an artist and how to display that in my work.

Q. Does where you live/ go to school affect the way you create your work. (in other words, do you make different work at home vs. at school)

A. Honestly shooting in New York is hard for me. My work is based around nature most of the time, so it’s hard to find places to shoot in the city. Normally I have to travel upstate or out of the city to find inspiration. I love New York dearly, but shooting there can be troublesome. Where I’m from there are lots of parks and fields. They aren’t the prettiest, but I feel a little more free with what I’m able to do when I’m surrounded by more nature.