On Point With: Seek Axiom

Currently one of Brooklyn drag’s best known and busiest portraitists today, Ryan Kell aka Seek Axiom is bringing out the monsters this spooky season.

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Thotyssey: Ryan, hello! This must be a busy time for you… drag folks gotta get their Halloween looks on their socials and show flyers! Have you been overwhelmed with spookiness recently?

Seek Axiom: October honestly always feels like Pride 2.0, especially in the Brooklyn drag scene. With so many iconic horror films that came out this past year, there’s so many iconic references to make along with the classics… and of course, the original looks. And yes, there’s been absolutely no downtime in the studio. In fact, just this past weekend I took on over a dozen shoots specifically just for Halloween looks, featuring some Brooklyn drag icons like Miss Malice, Amanda Tori Meating, Dawn, DropDead Joe, and so many more. And it’s only just the beginning. With Dragula premiering, there’s also some exciting things to look out for around that.

Generally speaking, when you’re doing these editorial photoshoots of performers… are the ideas coming from you, or the subject / client?

It’s always a combination of both. When I’m working with a performer, we talk about what their goals are, what the vibe is, and who the character is that they’re portraying. Knowing that helps me determine the visual story we want to tell. For example, Miss Malice recreated a look she had done before of Vampira. And because she’s such an iconic character, I look to references of Vampira to emulate those visuals directly, and to expand on the visual story. I wouldn’t be posing Malice the same way I would if somebody were to show up in a showgirl look, because those are just too very different characters. So in short, every single project and every single performer is different, and it’s important to be that creatively flexible.

Did I see that you do some garment making as well?

Oh no, nothing serious by any means. And definitely not any looks for other folks at the moment… or probably ever to be honest! Though I have been dipping my toes into the world of makeup and trying out different techniques on my own face, because I do think that understanding the process of getting into and being in drag will only make me a better photographer of drag.

Can you share a bit of your origin story: where are you from originally, and were you always pursuing visual art of some sort while growing up?

I’m from a small town in Western New York call Jamestown, and I really was always pursuing visual arts as far back as I can remember. Even as a little kid, I would do chores around the house and in my neighborhood just to save up a few dollars to get a disposable camera, and then bring it to the Walmart one hour photo to get them developed. Then I would tape them to the walls and put on little gallery openings and try and sell my photos to my family members. My Grandpa Jim had the largest collection of archival Seek Axiom.

An auspicious beginning! How did you find yourself amongst the NYC nightlife dragons?

It honestly felt like a natural progression to end up in the drag scene, because I was primarily doing fashion editorial work prior to really focusing on drag photography. Like I was working with designers and models, but a lot of that work felt empty and uninspired — at least in contrast to when I was hoping to achieve with my career. And then a couple years ago I forced my now good judy, Kiki, to be my friend and take me to all the best places around the city to see drag. I really thank her for being the catalyst that introduced me to so many incredible people that have now become my chosen family.

What’s the story behind the name “Seek Axiom?”

Oh, this one’s a little bit silly… and I’m exposing myself here for how much of a baby I am. But I also love it. Because I do everything creative under the sun from photography to video to design, I didn’t really just want to be “Ryan Kell Photography” which sure is pretty much what 90% of photographers do. But being someone who’s so obsessed with branding and visual identity, I didn’t want to be that. I also have a distaste for my middle and last name, so I just knew I didn’t want to use that.

Anyway, back to where the name Seek Axiom came from: the word Axiom was the name of the ship from the Pixar movie Wall-E. I thought the name Axiom was so fierce, so I looked it up, and the textbook definition is “an absolute truth that requires no proof.” And that to me is something that I’m always trying to accomplish with my work. I’m always trying to seek that absolute truth.

Is there anyone in the drag world or beyond that you’d love to shoot, but haven’t had a chance to yet?

It would be Julie J. I’ve been lucky enough to get photos of her performing, but I would love to work with her on an editorial project. She truly is the mother of Brooklyn drag, and I put her on such a high pedestal of not only drag — because I think she transcends so much beyond that. She’s on that pedestal because of the good that she puts into this world. She is not only the definition of trans excellence, but also human excellence… and she will always be an inspiration and a personal hero of mine.

Mother! And, do you have an all-time favorite shot that you’ve taken?

Oh God, I couldn’t even pick just one and truthfully; my choice could change a minute to minute. But if I had to pick one at this very moment… it would have to be the clown photos of Xana Whoria because visually they are so impactful, but more of the story they put behind it and that we told through the images brings me to tears every single time I go back and look at those photos.

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A post shared by Xana Whoria (@xanawhoria)

So what are your thoughts on *long dramatic pause* AI? I can’t help but think it’s fun and cool to enter some prompts and see what AI does with them, but of course it’s just “stealing” bits and pieces from artists like you and is in danger of replacing all visual artists across the board. What are we gonna do with this!? And what might your advice be to anyone who’d consider using AI instead of a real photographer / artist for their image needs?

I like to think that I have a very nuanced perspective on AI. Especially now that these AI image generation tools are getting better and better, there will be people that will be using it instead of hiring a creative to do it for them with their own skills. We’re already seeing people like Taylor Swift, a multimillionaire (is she a billionaire? I have no idea, I don’t care about her) who could easily afford to hire a team of artists, but instead her team who is hired by her is using image and video generating tools for her music, videos, ads, and quite possibly even her lyrics.

Bringing it back to a more local level, there have been plenty of drag artists and other creatives jumping on this AI generation trend, most recently with the one where they’re in a bed and the killer is behind them. I’m seeing these while at the same time seeing incredible local photographers are offering discounted photo sessions. That to me hurts my heart more than anything, because there’s so many of us out here just trying to make a living off of doing what we love, while there are people actively sharing AI slop and calling that art. It’s unoriginal and it’s uninspired.

Now I would be remiss to say that I don’t use AI tools. I use them as just that — tools, because if they disappeared tomorrow I would be just fine. I say “tools” specifically because I’ll use AI to clean up lace from a wig or extend a background. Using AI as anything other than a tool is a chop.

I also want to give massive credit to Crystal Envy who saw the AI prompt trend like I mentioned earlier and and she said “fuck that, I’m going to make those images for real.” And you can see in her comments, the audience agrees.

Collaborative art is the way to go! So what’s in store for you this season?

I’m looking at the mountain of sets that I have to edit, so you can expect to see a lot from Seek Axiom of this month. I’m also working on a long awaited project that has been months in the making with a roster of incredible drag artists called “Botanica” — more than that soon. I also have some fun projects with some cast members of Dragula. I’ll be photographing “The Villains Ball” hosted by Suddenly Audrey [on October 30th at 3 Dollar Bill]. I haven’t quite finalized all of my October / Halloween plans just yet.

You are also gonna be a judge pretty soon.

Yes, I am a guest judge at Dropdead Joe’s horror drag competition, “Witches & Stitches,” happening on October 19 at All Night Skate!

Anything else you want to share?

I do wanna mention that as much as I am known for my studio work, I am looking to do more on location photoshoots — which is really where I fell in love with photographing people in the first place! And speaking of spooky, a lot of my older editorial work from about 5+ years ago took place on location in a lot of abandoned buildings and locations around upstate and Western New York. I kind of wanna get back into that again.

That would be amazing! In closing, who or what is the best Halloween monster / killer of all time?

My favorite Halloween icon, who himself is a gay legend, is Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare in Elm Street. I actually think I’m going to be breaking out my Freddy Krueger claw for a look this year. Something about him just diving into people’s nightmares and finding out what makes them really scared and really just fucking with their heads… it’s just so fun and scary. Though, I wish he didn’t have to wear that red and green sweater.

Call the nightmare fashion police! Thanks, Ryan!

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Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Ryan Kell aka Seek Axiom’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram and his website.

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