Meet Quinn Thomashow | Cinematographer/Filmmaker/Musician

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

Hi Quinn, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I was lucky enough to grow up on a farm in rural Vermont, where my mother raised our meat, and I became inseparable with the animals and nature. My life was one of constant world building, because growing up in a town of 1,000 people, with no cell service, you were forced to be creative and live in a world of embellishments and fantasies. I believe strongly that I chose a creative path in life because storytelling (which for me in the essence of filmmaking, music, or just art in general), has been engrained in me by the product of how I was raised. I continue to choose this path because being an artist allows me to explore memories, community and my inner child every day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am so grateful for the journey that has lead me to build enough confidence to apply to the American Film Institute and take the leap of moving to Los Angeles to become a cinematographer. I feel like I have lived so many lives leading to the one I am a part of now, where I got to be a little girl in Vermont, playing music with my dad, riding in a horse circus, living in Iceland training horses, touring with a band, organizing drag and film festivals, making music in my band shrimp mash, falling in love, and through all of this, growing. I think this is what makes me the artist and person that I am. I have been fortunate enough to be encouraged to be fearless, and even in the aches and pains of what it is to feel rejection, to come to age during a pandemic, to explore being a women, a queer person, a human being in our world, I have somehow always been able to make my dreams feel like they can be a reality. I think the reason I have been able to overcome the hurdles that have inevitably faced me, is because I grew up in a small town where I was encouraged and lifted up by community. I have learned from a young age that we are not incredible on our own, but incredible because of those we surround ourself by. This is something that I think is reflected in the art that I create and am proud to be a part of.

While my art spans from music to film, right now I am focused on my career and art in the visual storytelling medium. As a cinematographer, I am always inspired by how to externalize the internal feelings and emotions we all have. I am also inspired by cinemas history, unheard voices, and combining my experimental/handmade cinema background into more narrative and grounded structures of visual storytelling. Most recently (with the help of so many talented humans) I was able to make a film called “Are the Stars Alive?” that helped me visually connect both my experimental background and my cinematography skills to tell the story of forgotten women in history. I love when art brings people together, or allows you to learn about something new.

Being a cinematographer allows you to collaborate with amazing humans who have important stories to be told. Using light and cameras as a way of helping someone else express their stories is something I really love getting to do everyday. This life is too short to get to become an expert at everything, but this life is also so fascinating that sometimes I feel it can be hard to decide on just doing one thing. This is why I love getting to work in the film industry, because there are endless films and stories to be made, that allow us to dive head first and learn about something new, whether that be a historical figure, or another persons personal experience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When my friends are in town, I like to take them to places that have help to ground or inspire me to keep going and chasing my dreams. My ideal day with my best friend visiting would be to first take them for a walk to the local cafe Kafn in Adams Hill Glendale, the people who work there are always so nice, and I love getting to check out all of the beautiful gardens and homes on our walk. After our coffee and stroll it is always fun to take a drive to the Watts towers. I am so inspired by the art community center there, and the story of Simon Rodia, who built these incredible towers full of colors, shells, plates, etc. It is always inspiring to learn about other artists. After our trip we would drive to Angles street tacos on Eagle Rock Blvd for the most incredible tacos of all time. After that, we would catch a show at the Bob Bakers Marionette theatre. I am so inspired by their shows, and dream of getting to collaborate and play a music show there one day. (Plus I became a member because marionette theaters are hard to come by, and their storytelling techniques and community are remarkable). Finally, we would get a night cap at the Glendale Tap because their beer selection is affordable and so yummy!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to Abraham Ravett, my professor in college who showed me the film “Mothlight” by Stan Brakhage. This film showed me that cinema has a power to help us externalize the internal. Abraham’s love for the moving image, his encouragement of students and awe is a huge reason I ever had the confidence to apply to the American Film Institute and take my career as a cinematographer and filmmaker seriously.

Website: https://quinnthomashow.com