Creative Sunset Selfies Made From Cardboard Silhouettes

Nine-time Emmy award-winning TV producer and writer John Marshall found himself on Maine's Frye Island with too much time, talent and imagination. The result photo series, which he calls Sunset Selfies, is creative, whimsical and inspiring. I'd be ridiculously surprised if this doesn't spawn a whole slew of creative projects within our community, as enthusiastic shooters start cutting out their own cardboard silhouette to use during magic hour.

What does a grown man do alone on an island with nothing but cardboard, scissors and beautiful sunsets to play with? For John Marshall of Frye Island, Maine, the answer is: make art.   Using simple cutouts he draws by hand, John poses with them at the end of each day, creating a series of silhouettes that have become an international sensation. He calls them Sunset Selfies.   "The cutouts don’t look like much at first," John explains. "They’re rough, held together by duct tape. But when they’re backlit, all their imperfections fall away. I’m always surprised by what I get."   More than the finished results, however, John loves the hands-on experience that his Sunset Selfies give him. "As a writer, I spend too much time sitting down, so I love to step away from all that, get on the floor, draw something, cut it out, and go enjoy the beautiful sunset outside. It’s a very organic process, like being a kid again."   Sunset Selfies is really just the latest project in a series of creative leaps for John. In 2010, he volunteered his way around the globe with his wife and two teenage children, chronicling the adventure in his new memoir Wide-Open World. Then, in 2014, he spent a year living at an Indian orphanage and now spends a good deal of his time advocating for orphaned children worldwide.   "Living at the orphanage and volunteering with kids all over the world were powerful reminders that creative play is good for you. Which is really what my Sunset Selfies are all about. For anyone feeling old, I’d encourage you to get away from the computer, grab a pair of scissors, create a simple character, then go find your own magic. As I’ve seen, when you squint into the sun, there are whole new worlds waiting to come to life."   To see the complete collection, visit www.facebook.com/sunsetselfies.

  1. Mars House of Pizza When Mars House of Pizza says: WE DELIVER ANYWHERE, they mean it.   2. The Chameleon While I was watching the sunset tonight, I couldn't stop blinking. "Hey. Do I have something in my eye?" Iasked Keith, my chameleon friend. "Yeah," Keith said. "It's a bug." "Can you get it out?" I asked.   3. The Flamingo "In the yoga world, we call this the Standing Tree Pose," I said. "Oh. In the flamingo world, we call this standing," the flamingo replied.   4.The Frog Date I was about to tell the waiter about the big fly in my soup when my date cleared her throat. "Are you gonna eat that?" she asked.   5. The Gorilla Today, I was enjoying a sunset banana down by the lake when the most amazing thing happened. All of a sudden, this warm breeze started blowing across my neck and it smelled just like bananas too.   6. The Grizzly Bear When the grizzly bear said he had a frog in his throat, I didn't know I'd need to reach in and rescue it.   7. The Kayak Horse For anyone who has ever wondered if their horse would make a good kayak partner...I wouldn't count on it. Mine didn't pick up his paddle once.   8. The Mermaid When I finally got up the nerve to approach the beautiful mermaid down on the beach, a friend suggested I bring her a bouquet of roses. But I had a better idea.
  9. The Ring Toss I can't think of a better way to wind down at the end of the day then with a little Rhino Ring Toss. For anyone interested: All you need is a rhinoceros and ring and you're good to go.   10. The Shark Enough with the begging. This is why you do not feed pets at the table.   11. Troll Hair Cut Text: The problem with Troll Haircut Day is the brutal monotony of it all. "Tapered to a point?" I asked for the 74th time.   12. The Reverse Angle   All photos were taken by and are the exclusive property of JOHN MARSHALL. Please don't redistribute without his expressed permission