NATRICE MILLER
About Natrice
NATRICE MILLER | WWW.NATRICEMILLER.COM| @NATRICE.MILLER
Natrice Miller is an Atlanta-based documentary and portrait photographer whose personal work focuses on documenting the Black experience in America. Clients and publications include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The United Negro College Fund, The Kresge Foundation, Creative Loafing and The Marietta Daily Journal. Her work has been exhibited in multiple shows in Atlanta and across The U.S. Currently, her personal work examines Black humanity, Black beauty and the traditions and stories that have been formed by Black Americans as a result of racism and exclusion. She graduated from Florida A&M University with a B.S. in Journalism and Graphic Communication.
The Interview
Tell us about the music you chose to build your playlist and why you picked these songs.
I call this the Lust, Synth and Soul playlist. It is a sample of the vibe I love to create when I’m working at night. If a song is sexy and has bass guitars, synthesizers or voice boxes I probably love it. Although I was born in 1983, I really think I was supposed to be born in 1963 or 2083 because I love 70s and 80s soul, as well as experimental, futuristic spacey music. I really connect with sonically complex sounds because they allow me to get into another zone. This playlist ranges from classic funk and soul from artists like The Ohio Players to the experimental sounds of Daft Punk, and the songs that fall in between the spectrum.
Does the music you listen to inspire any of your work?
Music is one of my biggest inspirations because I can see it. Years ago, I asked someone if they saw visuals when they listened to music. I was completely shocked when they said no! No matter what I’m doing, when I hear a song, I start seeing visuals and a lot of that imagery has inspired photos, ideas and short films. When I’m out and hear an amazing song, I immediately Shazam it. While dining a couple of years ago, the restaurant was too loud for Shazam to pick up a song I heard so I asked our waitress if she could find the playlist and tell me the name of the song. It’s really that serious for me. Music is so important to me in my work that I even work with a fantastic producer to create original music for my films.
Who is your top artist and why?
I have two. Michael Jackson will always be my favorite artist because of his timeless music and how he used it to completely revolutionize another medium (the music video). I love the layers of his harmonies and the ad libs. I can listen to an MJ song 20 times and hear something different each time and I love that. My other is Solange. I adore experimental R&B music and she has done an amazing job of playing with new sounds while still making deeply emotional music. Any artist that isn’t afraid to try new sounds or bend genres is always inspiring to me. I listen to MJ and Solange every single day.
Tell us about your process and how you tune in when you are ready to begin creating.
I have a one-year-old at home with me, so I do all of my work at night and weekends. The first thing I do before working is take a power nap because I’m in a constant state of exhaustion these days. Once I’m up, I light a few candles at my desk, turn on my music, make a cup of coffee and do some writing in my journal. I write down ideas, thoughts, sketches and whatever comes to mind. Work for me ranges from editing, researching, sending emails or just sitting and thinking. Writing and manifesting while my music is playing gets me in the zone. Me getting out and shooting is actually a very small part of the photographic process. The real work is in conceptualizing, planning and researching as well as post production. Those are my favorite parts of the creative process but also the areas that require the most focus.
Tell us more about your practice. What inspires your work and how does your playlist inspire you?
My photography bounces between photojournalism, documentary and fine art. With my personal work, I document the different facets and elements of the Black experience that aren’t particularly related to racism. So much of our culture has been formed as a result of exclusion, but because we're so resilient, amazing music, food, clothing, dances and customs etc., were birthed as a result and I absolutely love creating work that counters the negative imagery of Black people that has been shown to the world for so long. I am always digging deep within my own experiences as a Black woman, and music is a huge part of the creative process for me. Hearing certain songs take me back to different moments in my life and spark ideas for subjects or projects I want to document. Most of the artists on my playlist are innovators to me because they weren't afraid to step outside the box and try new sounds while staying true to themselves and that is what I hope to do with in my work. I also just really like sexy songs and synthesizers.