Expert Intro—Thomas Welch

Thomas works for Highsnobiety as Lead Photographer.
He shoots famous rappers like Young Thug, Big Sean and Lil Yachty.
Sometimes Thomas shoots people that are not famous rappers like Kim Kardashian and Takashi Murakami.
In his off time, he likes to make clothes and might design a couch one day.
Thomas has created advertising for brands like adidas, Moncler, Levis and Nike.
When he’s not working on this other stuff, he’s taking pictures of plants for a new project.
Thomas lives in New York City, but his heart remains in Texas.
Where in the world are you right now? Where will you be next?
Right now I’m in Clinton Hill drinking iced tea (no sugar). It’s looking like I’ll soon be in Marfa, Texas for a film festival my friend is hosting.
What does “education” mean to you? How would you define it?
For me, education is interchangeable with curiosity. Curiosity created hip-hop beats. Curiosity designed a clothing brand. Curiosity got me a photography job at Highsnobiety. Although I learned a lot in school, most of my tangible skills came from the field or in front of a computer screen.
Where do you think education is headed? Where will it be in 10 years? 100?
The System: Critical thinking is a must — standardized testing does not parallel real life. We definitely need an change. I hope education is headed in a direction focused on not what to think but how to think.
The World: Knowledge will become 100% free but one must have the desire to go get it. This may be hard considering we’re already seeing major shifts in technology and culture like virtual reality, the internet of things, artificial intelligence and the consolidation of power into a handful of tech companies. Why deep dive into existential philosophy on Wikipedia when you could watch Netflix, discover dank memes and summon dinner all on the same device?
Most frequently received (advice related) question?
How do I become a (good) photographer?
Why did you join th-oughts?
I’ve always wanted to know how everything works, at least in the realm of aesthetics. I was lucky enough to grow up with internet forums and Youtube but rarely had people there to help explain. Person to person contact is very important when learning, even if it’s through your mobile device. Th-oughts seems like something I could have used when I was a kid.
