Get to know the creative eye behind 3Sirens
ALEX BERGER
Who are you, what do you do, and what’s the last creative project you completed?
I’m Alex Berger, the founder of Weird Candy, a creative agency based here in Nashville. Creatively, I’m primarily a photographer and director, but I also do a lot of coloring and painting at home with my kids. :) I also love to play the piano.
The last project I completed was overseeing two single campaigns for a brilliant new artist named Trenton (out soon!).
What are 3 traits of creativity to you?
Be ready. Ideas are fragile, and love to arrive at inconvenient times. You need to find your your own way to capture them when they hit.
Be silly. Even with dark ideas, creativity is playtime. If I feel like I’m being smart or I’ve found a clever way to express something, I get wary.
Embrace abstractions. Language is usually a barrier.
Who is somebody that inspires your creativity?
There are so many. David Bowie, Tom Waits and Noname have been huge inspirations, but David Lynch is probably my number one. It’s not that I love all his work, but the work I love, I love most. I feel especially aligned with his opinions on creativity and meditation and often recommend his book, Catching The Big Fish as a good starting point for people looking to go deeper with their art (or are considering learning to meditate).
As far as recent inspiration - the film Everything Everywhere All at Once. I cried a lot. Everyone is amazing, but Ke Huy Quan’s character and performance was particularly beautiful and I think also quite important/needed.
Photo credit: @Caylah May
What are you currently working on?
I just produced a music video for a fantastic local pop artist - BIZZY and photographed her for the single cover, so we’re going through those now.
I’m in pre-production for a project I’m producing and photographing for The Grahams (!) - and am looking forward to working with them and the 3Sirens team again!
I’ve also been diving into the somewhat dying art of lenticular printing (ridged ‘moving’ images - these days usually found in kids’ cereal boxes). I’ve been shooting 3D film images for a few years now, and am loving finally being able to hold them in my hand.
Are you a one-project-at-a-time kinda person or do you prefer to have multiple plates spinning at a time?
As a photographer, I like to have one main project in pre/post production and another in development/on the back-burner. As a creative director or project manager, I like to have a few going at once - ideally all in different stages. Naturally, this almost never happens and they usually end up all being in production around the same time - so I’m very conscious of capacity and not taking on too much.
How do you combat burnout?
I know most people say work/life balance, exercise and meditation, but I’d probably have to go with Red Bull and adderall.
What’s your favorite thing about living in Nashville?
I lived in a few US cities before moving here. Like Baby Bear’s porridge, Nashville is just right. Not too hot, not too cold and very sweet (most of the people).
What’s a city that you don’t live that inspires you and why?
There are many. I’ve had the opportunity to work in New Orleans a few times and just love the look and feel of it. Probably my favorite US city to photograph. Vancouver, BC has been a long favorite. It’s on the ocean, surrounded by stunning forests and parks, and just a short drive to the mountains. I remember feeling healthier and more centered just breathing the air. The number one place I haven’t got to yet is Tokyo. I’ve always been hugely inspired by Japanese architecture, landscape and flora as well as the culture and food.
One thing you can’t live without when traveling, for work or for pleasure?
A camera. I feel naked without one. I keep a Pentax LX (35mm) in my everyday backpack. I’m in love with that thing. It’s small, tough and a joy to use. For travel, I’ll add my Fuji GA645i - a point-and-shoot medium format film camera. It’s 25 years old now, but somehow still feels like it’s from the future
Any other work you can share with us?
I was recently given the opportunity to create and share a personal photography project for Mundane Magazine (featured on the cover & pre-order page).
Producer and lead photographer for the latest product launch by one of my favorite brands, Vacation Inc.!
Photographed the artwork and oversaw the campaign for Wild Rivers’ latest single, ‘Don’t’ which I just saw has over a million plays in less than a month (congratulations Wild Rivers)!
Any advice for upcoming creative directors…
Spend a good amount of time creating your own discovery process to gain a comprehensive understanding of where an artist’s project comes from and what motivates it. We treat this like a lawyer/client doctor/patient relationship as things can get deeply personal. There’s lots of good advice and templates out there, but one mistake I see made a lot is applying a process that is really designed for brands and businesses - to artists. For artists, it is critical to only seek answers from within vs questions about external references/analyzing their audience or ‘what does your ideal fan look like?’ etc.
I believe our job is to ensure end results are directly linked to the same source and specific ideas the music came from (ideally in multiple ways). And while some artists love this side of their job and are able to clearly articulate a vision, many really only want to be on stage, or in the studio/writing room and have struggled to find their voice visually. A good creative director in this space will ultimately help them feel as much a sense of pride and ownership over their visuals as they do their music.
“ Weird Gets Noticed.”