Obsessions in Portraiture

“Obsessions in Portraiture” is a Meets Obsession exclusive photo series that captures the obsessions of emerging talents in the creative industry in a pictorial presentation.

Kate Reeder shot ten artists, designers, musicians and instigators with the thing they cannot live without, from a tower of vintage hats to an armful of Doritos. Their words, their obsessions, zero apologies.

Maia Wojcik

I’ve always been obsessed with clothes, and in a way, “dressing up”... draping myself in jewelry is a really quick way to feel totally exotic, or precious, or just to add color and texture to any outfit. I’ve recently become more obsessed with jewelry than [with] whatever I’m wearing... I can’t leave the house without [my jewelry] piled on. Even if I was wearing clothes, I’d feel completely naked [without it].

Ian Warren

My real obsession is making art, but it fits right alongside my obsession with tools. Whether I’m making giant inflatable sculptures, or site-specific installations, tools are what make it all happen. When you need a freshly-honed Japanese-backed tenon saw, can you really stand for anything less?

Yoko K.

I am obsessed with creating multi-layered tracks to within 0.1 decibels of precision so that I can deliver an intoxicating soundscape that will make you forget everything that is painful, if only for a moment.

Derek James aka DJ Fleccs Kapazitor

Much of my day is spent listening to promos and mixtapes of varying audio quality, and most headphones don’t reproduce the bass, which is arguably the most important part of dance music. I was reluctant to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of Beats headphones, but after hearing them, I ended up getting several different models, so I can listen comfortably wherever I am.

Lillian Crowe

As a person who creates accessories, I’m constantly accessorizing. That, coupled with an obsessive love of thrift stores, estate sales, and anything vintage has led to an ever-growing collection of hats and hair accessories acquired on trips throughout the United States and beyond. Flying in a hat is no fun, but a sacrifice for the greater aesthetic good!

Ellen Bar

When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with New York City Ballet. It was, and is, the best ballet company in the world, and I was lucky enough to be a dancer there for 14 years. Now that I have an offstage role, I’m obsessed in a totally new way; it’s kind of like going on a second honeymoon with my first love.

Yara Flinn

I love their structure and color variations; having them in my studio inspires a lot of the shapes in my work.

Tara St James

Math was a very prominent part of my life growing up and was always my favorite subject in school. I tried not to pick favorites, but somehow the square stood out more than others and really took over my life when I launched my line, Study NY, in 2009 with a collection called The Square Project. I documented the development of all the styles, each comprised of a different number of squares, on my blog, which is entitled 4equalsides.com. Get it?

Philippa Hughes

Everywhere I go, I scan the streets for art and take pictures. I’ve interrupted many conversations and been late to many appointments while taking time to capture these images. I am so obsessed with street art that I have asked several artists to make pieces on the walls and ceiling inside my apartment!

Chris Eldridge

It’s my answer to bird-watching. I compulsively check gas station shelves for new flavors of Doritos, everywhere, all the time. West, and only west, of the Mississippi can you get the greatest flavor of all: Salsa Verde.

From the MO print archive: this story first ran in The Premiere Issue of Meets Obsession Magazine. Titles and roles are as they were when the portraits first ran.

• Photographer: Kate Reeder