Escaping the 9-5 Routine: Interview With Paperboyo
The simplest idea can pave the road to an escape. Rich McCor (Paperboyo) took his hobby to new heights with his clever cut outs combined with landscapes. In doing so, he found a really fun niche combining photography with adventures. Today he shares some insights about his work, passions and plans for the future.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your professional background.
Ever since I was young I knew I wanted to do ‘something’ creative – I remember especially seeing the thumbprints in the early Wallace and Gromit animations and realising that someone had physically made these characters come to life. There was something really inspiring about the fact that hours of craft had gone into it. Beyond that I had no clear concept, so I ended up doing a generic media degree that taught a little bit of everything and I decided I wanted to be a TV Producer, so when I left university I became a runner on a number of TV shows. After a while though it became clear to me that I wouldn’t be able to get as hands on as I wanted to as a producer, so I joined a creative team at an agency in a junior position and spent my free time making short films and music videos for friend’s bands. It was here that I discovered paper craft and began using paper in my projects.
How did you come up with this idea to combine landscapes with paper cut outs? Was there a moment of inspiration while you were traveling?
When Instagram started to get big in 2014, I was re-inspired to pick up photography (I’d learnt the basics at university) and started to explore London with my camera. I was enjoying it, and enjoying discovering new parts of London, but it was pretty obvious that my photos were very similar to most people’s photos of London and that there wasn’t really any creativity in what I was doing. Then in the middle of 2015 I was standing on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben and had the idea to combine my paper craft with landmarks, so I went home and cut out a wristwatch from paper, returned to the bridge and took a photo of it with the face of Big Ben as the watch face.
To do this kind of work, you have to have a very strong artistic vision. Could you tell me a little bit about the process of creating one of your images? Do you scout out locations first and then create cut outs?
I spend a lot of time before a trip doing research around famous landmarks, lesser known landmarks and any un-usual pieces of architecture that might lend itself to what I do. Ultimately it also becomes a great way of planning a trip, because I often come across so many things that I want to go and check out when I travel somewhere.
I’ll often try and find about ten locations in a destination that I can develop ideas around, and when I’ve chosen ten I’ll doodle and draw ideas until I get a range of ideas that excite me. Then I’ll cut them out before I travel there. I still take my cutting board and tools with me though because quite often I’ll come across something whilst I’m out there that will inspire an idea.
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I’ve read that you find the process of cutting out things therapeutic. Do you keep all your cutouts for more projects?
I do keep them yes, it’s difficult to giveaway or throwaway something you spent so long on. Sometimes I re-use them, but I tend to stick them to the wall of my studio as a reminder of previous trips (plus they liven up my otherwise bland studio walls).
What project or photo are you were most proud of?
There’s a photo of Tower Bridge as a rollercoaster that I love because it took me a long time to develop an idea with Tower Bridge that I truly liked. Also it was shot at 4:30am one summer’s day, and nothing beats being in London for sunrise when there’s no one else around. It’s a privilege to experience that.
The artist in you shines through your images, what other art forms do you pursue?
I never took art at school so I think this has been a way of the frustrated artist in me getting out. I’m currently exploring using CG animation to bring my images to life, and beyond that I’d love to go back to stop motion. Perhaps that will be a way of the Wallace and Gromit influence finally coming full circle.
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The world is your playground but where do you think your travels will take you next?
There’s still so many places I’d love to explore- Tokyo and Sydney are top of my list at the moment. But I can also adapt my style to work on a smaller scale so there’s still a wide spectrum of ideas to explore.
What have you learned while working on the project with cutouts and landscapes?
That you have to love what you do. I never had bad jobs before this, but I was never really fully invested in them and therefore I didn’t really excel. This style of photography that I’ve adopted really excites me though, and ever since I took it full time my work ethic has been way beyond what it was before and I’ve been rewarded with amazing travel opportunities and experiences. I love what I do and I wish I’d found it sooner.
As well as that I’ve constantly been amazed by the locations I’ve explored – both in their beauty but also the history and stories that each place has to offer. There’s still a world of mystery out there, one that in my 9-5 routine I was quite ignorant of.
What are your plans for the future? Where will your next projects take you and do you plan on doing something new?
I’m enjoying the ride to be honest. I’m aware that social media can be a fickle area to work in, so I keep evolving my work and I’m being commissioned for projects away from my Instagram so I’m riding the wave whilst it lasts.
