Meet Stephen Yeakley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Yeakley.

Hi Stephen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Over the past 15+ years, I have worked as a designer/photographer, creating corporate identity programs for brands small to large, as a visual designer giving design direction for application and website design, and shooting commercial photography, with a focus on portraiture.

When I turned 30, I began to pursue becoming an artist. I read through “Artist Way” and began to be more disciplined in creating my work. It started with a series of self-initiated projects. Up to that point, most of my ideas lived (or more appropriately died) in the pages of my visual journals. By taking the initiative and valuing my ideas, I began laying a foundation for future work to come to life and be published.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The largest obstacle has been myself—to believe that I have something worth offering. Without the support of my beautiful wife, I don’t think I would be the artist I am today. Her unwavering willingness to support me and believe that I have something to offer to the world has made it possible.

I believe artists have a tough calling to wrestle with the big questions of life. What is beauty? What is truth? What is good? We push ourselves to try and take these abstractions and forge them into concrete forms for viewers to think about. Being an artist takes courage, determination, and a willingness to be misunderstood. So, has it been a smooth road? No. But is the struggle worth it? Yes.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Currently, I run a studio/gallery/shop that features limited edition fine art prints and monographs featuring differing bodies of work from over the years. The work varies from pen and ink illustration to 8×10 Black and White Polaroids and (soon) fine art paintings.

At the Studio, we offer the Pop-up Studio where we make 8×10 B+W Polaroids on my Deardorff large format view camera. A session is about an hour-long where we capture and develop the print in 5–10 minutes that is then scanned and sent to your inbox. At the end of a session, you walk out with a fine art print in hand and a digital copy for your archives! We also offer workshops for professionals and advanced amateur photographers who would like to learn the large format camera, giving them a chance to experience hands-on shooting a variety of Polaroid films.

At the Gallery, we have our variety of fine art archival prints that are professionally matted and paired with our custom frames built by the talented Tucson woodworkers at Midtown Artisans. At the Shop, we are slowly building out a series of useful everyday objects that enrich our lives. These are original products that we build for ourselves. It’s also the place to purchase smaller items, everything from greeting cards to small prints, etc. This Autumn, we will be sending the much-anticipated Culture Makers monograph to print and will be available for purchase online as well. Stay tuned!

I feel fortunate to be part of our amazing creative community here in Tucson, Arizona. It’s worth celebrating and stay tuned as more work is released in the not-so-distant future!

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@stephenyeakley.com
• Website: www.stephenyeakley.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/styeakley/

Image Credits
© Stephen T. Yeakley