Meet Stu Chapman | Creative collaborator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stu Chapman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stu, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to create a unique environment for a project that would inspire creative humans to interact and contribute a part of themselves through the process of art, in particular film photography.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ll tell you a little story about a film photography project I founded in December 2012. I called the project Indisposable Concept. The aim of the project was to create something pure and free of creative boundaries. The plan was to share the lives of 15-20 people in an exhibition environment. Armed with a disposable camera, one week and 24-30ish opportunities to capture the unique world around them, the exhibition would feature and showcase the rolls of film shot by the various family and friends I’d selected to be involved. I social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Tumblr and Twitter to share the process of the cameras being posted out and the camera coming back a week or so later to be processed. Over the next few weeks and months the project began to grow organically thanks to the reach of social media (back in 2012 you could actually connect with real people and grow your community wihtout paid advertising etc, it was a dreamy time haha). The project started receiving rolls via the post from all corners of the world. I was receiving disposable cameras usually accompanied with letters from Japan, California, London, Germany, Paris, New York and more. It was such an inspiring and unique feeling to be able to connect with people through a little film project. I was buzzing.

6 months on and Indisposable Concept had it’s first exhibition at Bleeding Heart Gallery in Brisbane, QLD. AUS. The exhibition showcased the various rolls that the project had received so far. It was such a special moment to acknowledge how the project and community had grown and also a wonderful celebration of the people who had shared their stories. Capturing your world with a roll of film and one week really created a special connection between photographer and their world. With only a certain amount of shots to share your stories it made the photographer think about what really is important or “Indisposable” to them.

Fast forward to 2023 and the Indisposable Concept project is in it’s 11th year and continues to connect and inspire film photography enthusiasts around the world. The project has received over 4,600 unique rolls of film and continues to share rolls of film from all corners of the world. It’s still exciting to connect with old friend we’ve met along the way who still share their film rolls with us and is always a buzz to connect with new people who have just found out about the project and want to share their first roll.

Indisposbale Concept is truly the most beautiful and rewarding thing I’ve done in my professional and personal creative career. The project has given me a creative outlet to express myself through creation and development of a unique brand, a brand that is based on the thriving sense of community and collaboration. The project has bought happiness and inspiration to so many people, myself included. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and connect with the most incredible humans all around the world thanks to Indisposable Concept who have connected via the joy of shooting with film and sharing stories.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ not actually from Phoenix or Arizona but would love to visit and explore the area. Maybe you can provide me with an itinerary of the best things to do and see?

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
That’s a very broad question that I find hard to answer directly. Every experience and interaction kind of leads us to where we are. So I’d have to thank and give kudos to all the people that have travelled through this life with me, be it for a short or a long time, a good or bad experience. I’m grateful for it all. I’ve been fortunate enough to have many great people enter my life and share their ideas and thoughts and worlds with mine. I’m grateful for the general energy and world around me and the opportunities I’ve had to grow and develop within myself with the gift of being able to share my life and my ideas with so many wonderful humans around the world.

Website: https://linktr.ee/stuchapman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indisposableconcept/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartdavidchapman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndisposableConcept

Other: https://indisposableconcept.com/