The Bourbon Sessions: Creativity After Midnight

A photo essay exploring the intersection of craft spirits and creative process.

By Mark Andrew Palmer · · 4 min read

A photo essay exploring the intersection of craft spirits and creative process. Shot over 30 nights in the studio.

Louisville is bourbon country. And when you build a creative studio on Whiskey Row, the spirit of the place seeps into the work, literally and figuratively.

Over 30 nights last fall, I brought my camera into the studio after hours. No brief, no client, no deadline. Just bourbon, ambient light, and whatever the muse decided to deliver.

Studio light through bourbon glass, 11:47 PM
Studio light through bourbon glass, 11:47 PM
The workbench after a 14-hour session
The workbench after a 14-hour session
Sketches and spirits: the creative process laid bare
Sketches and spirits: the creative process laid bare
What happens when you stop trying to be productive
What happens when you stop trying to be productive

The Rules of the Bourbon Sessions

  1. No client work. This is personal.
  2. No editing until the next morning.
  3. One bourbon, neat. No more, no less.
  4. Shoot until the feeling stops.
  5. Never explain the work.

Bourbon doesn't solve problems. But it does improve the meeting.

These images aren't about bourbon. They're about what happens when you remove the pressure to perform and just let the creative process breathe. Sometimes the best work comes from the spaces between the work.

Season two of the Bourbon Sessions begins this spring. Follow along.

Tags: Photography, Bourbon, Creativity, Louisville