For today’s Music Meets Travel feature, we have a very exciting guest – one with a unique perspective lens. For anyone who might not know, Ben Morse is an extremely talented and internationally recognized photographer and director. He is by no means limited to one particular area of expertise, but Ben is primarily engaged with music photography and video.
You may have noticed his name in another Music Meets Travel feature, as he works with some of our favorite musicians. To note a few clients, Ben has worked with Universal Music, XtraMile Recordings, and Epitaph Records. Here is the icing on top of Ben’s creative works cake: Ben is also an educator, leading the Drama Department for a high school in England. It’s challenging to imagine how Ben manages all of the above, but he has kindly spared some of his time to give us an idea!
Thanks so much for talking to us, Ben. Let’s dive in:
1. Arts Education is especially valuable because there are so many cross-curriculum aspects which can be incorporated. I am not as familiar with the UK school system, but do you have any suggestions or ideas for ways that Arts Education might become a bigger part of the standard curriculum in schools across the US and the UK, internationally?
Wow. Way to kick off with the big guns! Yes – lots. I’ll try to be brief and interesting, but I promise neither.
In the UK, Arts education happens as an elective subject in 95% of schools from age 13 up. Before that, it’s usually mandatory. It still has a long way to go in terms of being recognized as valuable to a child’s learning, and the Arts are often seen as “soft” subjects. Which is ironic, given how employers at the moment talk so much about how important “soft” skills such as leadership, teamwork, and creative thinking are. Anyway – There are discreet subjects for Music, Dance, Drama (really theater) Media, Art and Photography. These vary from school to school. I’m lucky that all of these are taught where I work, although I only deal with the Drama side of things currently.
In terms of becoming “bigger” – The skills developed by learning Artistic disciplines translate to every subject. Teamwork, discipline, practice, leadership, creativity, willingness to take risks – these are all useful, and schools as they develop at this changing time could do so much more to work with Arts teachers to find common ground, and use the things we do for “fun” to their advantage. I’m lucky to work with some great staff who do this naturally. But I’m willing to bet that as a national (and international) picture, more collaboration could be useful.
![Ben Morse by Ben Morse Photography]( "Ben Morse by Ben Morse Photography")
2. How did you get your start in photography/directing and music photography? Did you take many photography courses and study the subject or was it more “learn by doing?”
I’ve never had a photography lesson in my life. (Which explains a lot of my work, I guess) I came to photography through a lifelong love of film. As a small kid I remember I would steal my dad’s camcorder and make terrible movies with friends. And when I hit my teens, I would watch ANYTHING. My room as a teenager just had a wall of VHS tapes. All my money went to movies. I used to stay up late to see weird movies. I still go to the movies on my own, happily (although if other people are around, obviously they can come too). And when I did my degree (I split it with psychology) the arts side was film focused. I’ve seen so much good (and terrible) world cinema.
Film is the ultimate control freak medium. You are in charge of what angle the audience sees, for how long, what it sounds like, the color and light mood – everything.
So how come photography? Well – are you ready for mega-pretentious? Jean Luc Godard (one of my favorite directors) once said “cinema is truth 24 times a second”. Pretentious, 20-something Ben loved that. I sort of still do. And I took a lot from it. My favorite directors are so visual that you could hang any frame of film on the wall as art – light, color tones, the whole ball of wax. I’d love to have some decent budget to play with equipment that gave me more control over color, but there it is. But the idea of how to frame a shot is basically the same, just the shape is slightly different. So photography is a snapshot of a movie. The emotional power of film (and a good photo) is super important. What intrigues me about photography is also the relationship to memory and mood. Film stops you thinking about yourself, because of everything going on. Photography encourages reflection after the initial impact. I like that.
As for getting started – good old fashioned stalking. I love music, and always have. I was an arts kid. Arts kids don’t feel like they fit, and record companies know that’s a good dollar to exploit, right there. I also grew up with a really limited culture palette. I thought R.E.M. were pretty daring, and I was afraid of the kid on the bus who listened to Nirvana, because I was pretty sure he was on drugs. But then when the internet got going properly, I kept finding great artists I’d never heard of. So I would ask them if we could shoot music videos, or later if I could come and take pictures. Not many people answered – but a few did. One of them was Frank [Turner]. Frank gave us a day, and in exchange we gave him the worst video ever, for “I Knew Prufrock”. It’s AWFUL. But! We location scouted, we hired lights, the whole deal. He was impressed by how we ran the day, and asked me to get involved with some other stuff as Love Ire & Song steamrollered along.
I’ve worked with other people, but I basically owe my entire creative life to him. I’m proud to say he’s now a good friend, as are the whole band, and to a man they are exceptional human beings. It’s good to be around intelligent, driven people.
Life tip: surround yourself with those sorts of people and match their energy. The dull, uninteresting ones tend to fall away after a while. You won’t miss them.
3. Can you tell us about some of the different places you have visited and traveled to through your work? You were recently on tour with Frank Turner in the US, what was the highlight of that experience for you?
Ugh – so much! I’ve long wanted to live in the USA. I taught summer camps over here 10 years ago, and my best friends live over here. It’s by no means a perfect country, and it has serious deficiencies in some areas compared to the UK, but the pace of life, the openness of people, and the incredible landscape are all big draws. I live on a miserable rain soaked rock in the middle of an ocean, so you could show me Poughkeepsie and I’d think it was beautiful… My best friends live 20 minutes away in the heart of the Hudson Valley, and it’s spectacular.
Highlights of the tour? Canada was very pretty – from the window of the bus, anyway. Wisconsin was super laid back, clean, and lovely. And Portland, Maine whilst rainy was super-artsy, with lots of galleries.
Away from tour, I’ve spent a lot of time in Philly – it’s got such a great music scene, South Philly in particular. It’s grungy, dirty, with great venues – just how I like it! Outside the USA, I’m not that well traveled. I’d have to say that France is beautiful, and southern Spain, although I’ve not been much. Mexico was fun, too.
Emily Barker, by Ben Morse Photography
4. How about outside of work — do you have a favorite holiday destination you have visited and do you travel much when school is out on holidays?
Nope – I’m working on photo/video stuff! Usually in the states or here. Time “off” my main job, is time ON my passion. I’m looking at the balance of that right now, actually… I’m incredibly lucky that teaching and photography both fulfill me, albeit in very different was. Every job has it’s bullshi* too, but this way I get some perspective on both sides of my life. Which I definitely need.
5. Have you been anywhere, in which you were unfamiliar with the language? If so, how did you adapt to the situation or work through the challenge of communicating?
Last year, I went to Mexico. I don’t speak Spanish, but I can get the general gist of what’s being said. Communication isn’t just verbal, (drama skills, here,) so I was OK. In general though, I’m a pretty timid traveller. I have language apps on my phone at the moment, because I’m conscious it’s a weak spot for me, and I don’t like weak spots. So I’m doing Spanish 101. I can get by in French- Je suis le grand fromage dans le Bibliotheque, and all that.
6. Have you spent an extended amount of time living, studying, or working in a country outside of your own? Where did you go and what was the biggest lesson you learned or took away from the immersion experience?
Only the USA – sorry! But – “two nations divided by a common language” is a common saying, and boy is it right. The more time I spend in the US, the more I’m aware of cultural idioms, weird differences, perceptions of other nations, etc. It fascinates me. Because I’m boring.
7. As an educator and artist, what role do you see music playing as a means to help students from different backgrounds connect and learn about new cultures?
Interesting. Music is like a language. There’s lots of dialects, but you need to want to know it. You can go on holiday and sight see the big tourist spots (listen to the radio) or you can take your time to study the part of the language that interests you. Its origins, where its people ended up, how it mingled with others – I’m probably stretching this metaphor way past it’s usefulness, but the point is- It’s a non-threatening way into understanding the language principle.
EVERYONE has a favorite band. I teach kids who love the most obscure stuff – grindcore, accordion – KLEZMA – and they don’t care if it’s cool. They just like it. Learning that it’s all equal, that the different musical tribes are equally important, and that it doesn’t matter if you haven’t heard of a band are all translatable lessons to other countries and cultures, which for some reason seem so much more alien to a forming mind.
Frank Turner Video Shoot Still, by Ben Morse Photography
8. Do you think it is important for students to explore and travel outside of their home country? As an educator, what are the top three benefits that you feel can be gained through traveling and exploring the arts abroad?
Absolutely. I defer to Frank here. I was interviewing him on tour, and he was talking about how travel changes you, because you realize that everyone has their reality, and it’s so vastly different from your own. I think it takes people a while to pop their own bubble. It goes back to the thing about perspective I was talking about.
Experiencing other cultures opens your eyes to new ways of living, of experiencing the world. So one is perspective. Two is food.
Sounds stupid, I know, but again, you don’t get the measure of a place until you’ve eaten it. Apart from Mexico. I probably shouldn’t have eaten those 50 cent tacos…. Third would be beauty. Traveling from England, it’s easy to see beauty. Because we have history in exchange. And history looks like crumbling, rain-soaked old rocks against a grey sky.
9. Is there any culture or country where you have not been and would really like to experience? If you were to move anywhere outside of the UK, where would you like to live?
I’d love to spend some time in Australia, and also India. From a photographic perspective, India would be pretty awesome. I was taken on holiday to Kenya as a teenager, and totally didn’t appreciate it. So that would be back on my list, and other parts of Africa. I’m into people, so the big cities draw me. As far as live anywhere? Hawaii, or East coast USA. Boring answers for a travel blog, sorry.
I was in a bar in Oahu with a guy who had been studying there for two years. He said it was so boring – the temperature never changed, and so summer lasted forever. I’d love to be in a position where that was a problem for me. I could also get back into surfing, which I love, but have little occasion to do. The New York through Washington strip of the USA is full of people who attitudinally make sense to me.
10. Could you offer any advice for the students reading this who may want to pursue a career in music, photography, or film direction?
Advice? So much! Be brave. Find a balance between making a living, and living. Throw yourself into what you love – by that, I mean research. Read, go to shows, listen to albums, listen to influences, nerd out on what you love. I’m a huge nerd for all sorts of stuff. And I’m proud of it. “Nerd” isn’t derogatory any more. It means you have an above average knowledge of something, which means you probably have a passion for it. So go out and grab something. If it’s Balinese dance, then cool. Save up. Visit Bali. Read up on people that did it. If it’s photography, ask for recommendations of photographers. Spend time looking at other photographers work. It’s OK to not like stuff, it’s OK to love stuff no-one else does if you can justify it. Because art is all subjective. Make some money, so you can pursue your dreams. See if you can do it in a way that allows you some time and energy to do that. I realize that’s much easier said than done, though.
And when you do start getting somewhere, don’t sweat other people. The arts world is hugely competitive, and there will always be people that you think are better than you, luckier than you, whatever. Keep working. Work smart. Try different runs at the same problem. Want to shoot bands? Get smart. Go local. Be at shows. Talk to people. Which brings me to the biggest piece of advice – BE NICE. I try to be polite and nice to people. I’m terrible at it. But people don’t want to work with rude, miserable people, or those who don’t have a work ethic or a passion for what they’re doing. It’s OK if you start interested in one thing, and change horses after a while. Just because you have a burning passion for guitar now doesn’t mean that in two years time you won’t realize you like the piano better. Hell, play both.
If you have the time to work on it, and the desire to work on it, then do it. No one else is going to make you. Be a grown up and get what you want, as long as you don’t hurt anyone along the way.
I feel like a lot of what I do is crap – it’s not hard when you’re working with incredibly talented people. I’m pretty critical of everything, and myself first and foremost. That’s not a “boo-hoo me” point, but rather to say that I’ve had to learn to shut that voice up a bit. That helps me focus on doing better work. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone needs to learn. So as long as you’re not lazy, you’re allowed to do that. It’s OK. So stop wasting time, don’t make excuses, and get into what you love. Life’s too short not to. Make a plan, get organized, and get living. How’s that for a soundbite?
I have nothing to add here except a serious thank you, Ben! Extraordinarily motivated by your words right now. Cheers again and for any readers who care to see more of Mr. Morse’s work, you can follow him here on Facebook.
