This interview was curated by START Shows

RJ Wafer is a 360 photographer from Brooklyn, NY. He’s made a career out of bringing new technologies to market, including work with 3D printing, telepresence robotics, VR and AR projects, and for the last 25 years, he’s also taken pictures and shot video for live music. 

What inspired you to pursue your dream, and how did it all begin?

I picked up a camera professionally for the first time in 2002, frustrated by the friends I was hiring to help out with live music production shoots we were doing. It was a side hustle for the last 20 years. I suffered a traumatic brain injury from a car accident in LA, leaving a shoot at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles in 2018. In 2023, I received a second TBI during an armed robbery in New Orleans. In both instances, light and sound became difficult to handle, and I needed ways to get back out into the world while maintaining control over his environment. So I'd don noise canceling headphones and dark sunglasses while taking pictures. 360 Photography became my way of easing back into the noisy, chaotic world around me.

Can you share a defining moment in your journey that shaped your perspective and fueled your passion?

Seems like every 5 years, the universe has tried to kill me. 2013 the stress from my tech job was so bad, i nearly had a stroke. It started a decade of healthful improvements. The brain injury in 2018 made me a stranger in my own head, which was scary, and I had to kind of rediscover how I worked. ASt the time, I was building and testing VR cameras. When Covid hit, i leaned into shooting even more, fascinated by the 360 work I'd been doing, and started shooting stills.

How do you handle setbacks and keep pushing forward in the pursuit of your dreams?

At this point, and I am hoping I don't get another scare in the next 3-4 years, I just lean into the joy. I also treat this like the other businesses I've built, and try to remind myself that those took a long time, too.

Are there specific individuals who have inspired you along the journey?

Honestly, the embrace this community has offered has been wonderful, from David Ellis at Not another Gallery, to Sophocles at START Shows, to James and Alex at Superfine, and my artist friends who pushed me in this direction to begin with like Kim Bloomberg in Chicago and Ashley Zelinskie here in NYC, there's truly been a lot of love. Of course, my Mom is also running out of room on her fridge. :-)

How do you maintain a balance between pursuing your dreams and handling everyday responsibilities?

Very poorly. Haha... I have a startup I am slow rolling, and I make sure to run as much as possible. It is part of my process, especially when visiting a new city. I run around and find places to shoot, thankfully my cameras are small enough to bring with me.

How do you overcome self-doubt and stay confident in your abilities?

Art fairs are great, a few days of people telling me I am wonderful is pretty terrific. Truly though, I just try to channel the weird and wonderous shit that I encounter, of which there is no shortage in this world. I hope that folks dig it. I hope that the number of them continues to expand. That's all I can do, keep showing up and doing the work. Nothing happens if I don't show up.

Can you share a memorable success story or achievement that resulted from your determination?

Ignorance to how I am supposed to operate within this community is my greatest strength, outside of my photos, I think. Kim Bloomberg who I grew up with and hadn't spoken to since maybe right after high school? She saw my photos and suggested I go to the One of a Kind Show in Chicago. I did. It was crazy. I sold probably 75 things to about 50 people in 4 days. Broke even without a clue as to what or how to handle any of it. So i treated it like any other trade show and it worked.

In what ways do you stay motivated during challenging times?

Eat a gummie and go out shooting. Preferably on a really long run, sunrise or sunset. Something where I am going to see some colors and be reminded of my place in the universe.

What dream are you living right now?

I'm in the middle of throwing everything at the wall right now. I just showed at the Hamptons Fine Arts Fair, and next week, I am headed to Paris to take pictures around the Olympic Games, before shooting in London and Dublin. I am showing at The Other Art Fair in LA at the end of September, and at the Tokyo International Art Fair in November.

What advice would you give to someone with a dream?

If it is in your brain and needs to get out, let it. Encourage that catharsis and give it room to live and breathe. If it dies, it dies. If it asks for more of you, you'll be compelled. Just don't stifle it.

Photography credit: me, myself, and I

Website: http://rojoroach.art

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