There’s a pretty nifty project out on the interwebs called “Persona” that has been circulating for some time now. Photographer Jason Travis created the series seven years ago by asking friends, family, and eventually strangers to empty their bags so he could photograph the contents. It sounds pretty creepy, but the end product is anything but. Travis has gained a modest amount of fame by neatly arranging and then photographing the items from these bags, creating photos that are as much beautiful as they are orderly. He then positions these photos below a portrait of the owner of the bag, thus creating a “Persona.” Travis has also delved into the realm of fictional personas, photographing dogs for example and the imagined contents of their bags. College students around the country have created their own Persona projects, so we decided to join the fun and start a fictional, Columbia-specific series.

Our first subject: the Butler Camper.

Butler Camper Persona created by Maddie Stearn.

Many thanks to Michelle Navarro for modeling and Autumn Austin for use of her lamp.