Why did you choose to attend OCAD U?

I dropped out of film school and took a year off to focus on my photography music, and sound design.  When I decided to go to OCAD I wanted to develop my practice to the next level.  If anything I wanted to "test" myself - if I was willing to spend four years studying something, I would know I was interested enough to still pursue it afterwards.  And that I did!

 

Please briefly describe your current job / practice.

I am a visual storyteller working in photography, video, sound, text, object, web design, and installation.  I also freelance and teach occasionally.  

 

How did you get started in your career?

I’ve always been doing art. Both my folks were artists that gave up their artistic careers after they started having kids, so I see my career as an extension of theirs.

 

Did you volunteer or work in your field while you were a student?

While I was a student I worked my butt off to get my work out there.  Being a student you’re seen as fresh meat for the art world, so I started applying to as many call for submissions as I could, and even started to curate shows.

 

What were your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work?

I’m not sure if I had policies, I took on each gig case by case and if it was free work I made sure I was either for a friend or it was step in the right direction for establishing a network.

 

What do you enjoy most about your work? What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

What I enjoy the most is where my work takes me, the people I meet in the process, and how much I learn about myself each and every time.  I’m like my mother in that respect - I always love learning and knowing as much as I can.  So while I do have an "artistic practice", it helps that I'm able to sustain a lifestyle as well as giving me ability to say I have a career, albeit a wandering one.  The biggest challenge I face with each project is myself.  I have a dialogue with Wil Kucey where he always challenges me, he will look at my work and be satisfied with it but he knows that I am also capable of even more.  That voice helps me avoid being too comfortable or satisfied with my work, so I will push myself each time in spite of any insecurities or preconceived limitations. 

 

What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field? Is there anything you would have done differently?

From my time at OCAD, I didn’t so much learn how to make art, but rather why I was making art in the first place.  I had some amazing teachers who I prefer to call “guides”, because they allowed me the liberty to be as creative as possible, rather than following an assignment to a T.  Without that experience, I wouldn’t be as invested in education myself nor would I allow my current students to bend the assignment in such a way, which produced results that completely surprised me in the best possible way.

 

What are the key responsibilities you maintain for your practice? 

My practice is fairly research-based, and one thing I am constantly reminded is that there are some things I can’t get from a book (whether that is book-book, an online article, or whatever else).  The process of developing work is made by interacting with people, seeing what they see, and becoming so absolutely obsessed with your research that you start to annoy your friends with how much you know about this particular place, thing or event…  And then I put together an exhibition, a webpage to represent the work, and sometimes a publication just to prove that I haven’t lost my marbles in the process.

 

What are your personal and professional goals for the coming years?

To learn and practice unconditional love, to find humor in everything and professionally; to help establish and maintain an alternative education program in the arts, culture, and history.  

Images: 
Photo of Brendan George Ko
Photo of Brendan George Ko
Infographic of Brendan George Ko's career path
Photo by Brendan George Ko
Photo by Brendan George Ko
Photo by Brendan George Ko
Photo by Brendan George Ko
Photo by Brendan George Ko
Photo by Brendan George Ko
Role: 
Freelance photographer
Website: 
http://www.brendangeorgeko.com
Program: 
Quote: 
Being a student you’re seen as fresh meat for the art world, so I started applying to as many call for submissions as I could, and even started to curate shows.
Program Year: 
2010