More Than A Friend: Collaborative Impact

More Than a Friend (MTAF) is the fine art and design studio of artists Krista Bursey and Jason Wasserman. MTAF is the ultimate expression of artistic collaboration. From the very start, Bursey and Wasserman have combined unique skill sets to develop projects that have been exhibited internationally, as well as contract illustration and graphic design work for clients including Osiris, Universal Music, Fox and BBDO. Bursey and Wasserman took some time to share insights on their collaborations as well as the challenge of balancing contract work with self-initiated projects.

Contract projects provide more than just income for artists. As Wasserman explains it, "Finding time to create fine art from just the two of us is crucial to our development. But design contracts keep us on our toes, necessitating the ability to work within someone else’s framework. At first I thought it would be just a matter of scheduling time to make art and time to make money. But more and more contracts are just as interesting as our self-initiated projects." To manage the balance between the two, Bursey and Wasserman plan out their work a year in advance, revolving around exhibition dates, and they fit in contract work as it comes up along the way.

Bursey adds that, "Some of the greatest frustrations throughout the years have been convincing the fine art world that design can be art. The definitions of "Design" and "Fine Art" are often blurred with MTAF and we take pride in doing so. But the old school mentality of what fine art is supposed to be pops up and is often against any 'Design tactics.'"

The MTAF collaboration has been so successful as a result of Bursey and Wasserman’s diverse but complementary personalities and skill sets. As Jason describes it, "We constantly bounce ideas off each other for imaginary concept shows, paintings, whatever, always trying to take the other person’s idea to the next level. We try to bring a diverse aesthetic to the table and then render it any number of digital or analog mediums for the best result."

Along the way, there are some pieces of conventional wisdom that the pair has defied. For starters, Wasserman questions the notion that "artist and designer are separate." As he explains it, "My favorite artists transcend both industries and just make killer work. The intensity of design jobs taught us to work fast and flexible, and the fine arts gives us the experimental and analog approach."