Meet Matt Cardinal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Cardinal.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Around 9 or 10 years ago my parents bought me my first DSLR. I’ve always been a creative mind however something about cameras kind of intimidated me. After high school, I was lucky to find a passion for video and that’s when everything took off. I studied Film Production at Scottsdale Community College so that I could take my love of movies to the next level. From there, learning the ins and outs of videography, it sparked my creativity to try my hand at shooting stills again. My passion only grew from there. So, while I have technical trains in film, I’m self-taught in photography. In my mind there are no rules when creating art, and from that my artist persona bird sounds was born.

Please tell us about your art.
The simplest way I can put it is that my art is me. I’m a well-rounded self-taught photographer/videographer who specializes in music and concert photography as well as portraits. When you look at my work you will rarely see lots of color. I tend to stick to the darker side with either black and white or heavily muted color tones. I do this mainly because it’s easy for me to create from pain. Anxiety and depression have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and taking photos or shooting videos was the perfect outlet for me to express it and make it something visual, not just for me but for anyone who would look. A style or theme that my art kind of strives for is distortion, glitches, etc. I do this not only because I think it looks cool (and fits with a lot of bands I shoot for), but as a look into my own state of mind. I want to create beautiful images that appear to be barely holding on. Like a single image shifting the perception of reality. My style is different and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Too many artists are similar, cookie cutter, trying to be something they aren’t just for the sake of trying to remake something they saw on Instagram once. I want people to look at my work and immediately know it’s mine.

Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
Like I said earlier, I feel like most artists (especially what’s popular or trending) are trying to copy or imitate something they are not. It is very frustrating to see art and creativity tainted by money and greed. However, I have faith in the roles of artists. Whether it’s photos, videos, illustrations, music, dancing, whatever. Art is a universal language and every artist has a voice that needs to be heard and seen. I don’t think local, national, or even international events affect my art. I think they affect me directly. As time passes and things change, I do too and so do my thoughts. I’m in a constant state of evolution and my art changes as a side effect of that I suppose.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
@bird sounds on Instagram is my main platform to showcase new things I have been working on from photos, videos, and graphic design. If anyone would like to support my work it can be as simple as a follow, messaging me to have a conversation, or booking a shoot.

Contact Info:

• Email: bird.soundsaz@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bird_sounds/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.cardinal.507

Image Credit:
Featured in my work above are myself, Valerie Leyva, Shea Forte.
Bands- Sundressed, Holy Fawn, The Living Receiver, and Nominee.

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