History is filled with artists who dared to try to make positive changes to their world, even when it was dangerous or unpopular to do so.  Today, the social and political landscape is unstable and many artists are taking a stand.  Chris Jordan is making his voice heard in a unique and wholly impressive way.

(Depicts one hundred million toothpicks, equal to the number of trees cut in the U.S. yearly to make the paper for junk mail in epic format.)

Five years ago, Chris Jordan – a lawyer who grew up with artist parents – made the decision to give up law practice and immerse himself in an artistic career.  He had always had an interest in photography, but life led him down another path until he realized that he just couldn’t continue practicing law.  This turned out to be a momentous decision for him and for every person that would eventually be touched by his art.

Chris Jordan’s unique style blends biting social commentary with subtlety and a genuine passion and caring for the human race.  Whether he is documenting the aftermath of a tragic storm or illustrating how out of control our consumer culture is, his photography has the power to make us stop and really consider what we, as a species, are doing to ourselves.

The complicated part of Chris’ work is that he, as an environmentalist and as someone who truly does care about our future, is actually profiting from the waste and excess that he is trying to fight.  He sees the irony in the situation, but hopes that by bringing the public’s attention to the extent of our greed and consumerism, he can effect at least a small change in the way we live. Click images to enlarge: