Matt is a 22-year-old artist from NYC. When I discovered him on instagram, this concept immediately sprung to my mind: a boy living in a world of his own creation! I followed his daily routine, creating a portrait photo essay of Matt in his every day environments; central park, his favorite restaurant, his bed. Then I invited him to draw on my images with his tablet as we went, to showcase the alternative creative reality that’s living around him.
Matt says:
"When I'm thinking about what to base my next drawing on, I look around and I imagine these little characters all around me, running around and jumping off things...
I would say the world around me inspires me the most. Without the structures and buildings and roads, I wouldn’t be inspired to create. The world in itself is a canvas, I’m just using its elements (whether they be man made or natural) as props in my own picture.
As for what I thought of the final outcome, all I have to say is FANTASTIC. Ryan made me look Guuuuuud! It was a pleasure to draw in myself, so thanks for setting me up with that. The behind-the-scenes video was INSANE. I'm seriously I’m so blown away. Ryan has got serious professional editing skills and that is going to make my mother SOB. It made my day.
I hope that everyone enjoys this collab, this little doodle fest. It was so fun, thank you for everything!"
Check out Matt on instagram at @placematt and @mattdrawspeople