Jo Tammaro Interview
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interview belongs to Ovenden Contemporary (Art
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(c) 2008 Ovenden Contemporary (Art Promotions)
Limited
Continued...
By now, we have decided that we wont be having
lunch at this particular establishment. The wind
outside seems to have raised it's game in the
time that we've been talking and Jo is keen to
get out there and remind me of what I left behind
when I relocated. I'm not so keen of course! I
don't appreciate the wind at the best of times-
it makes my eyes leak. When that wind is carrying
a tonne of superfine sharp sand, it's even less
appealing.
We put on our coats, pay for the average coffees and leave the restaurant with a tirade of 'dirty' looks from the young waitress who didn't appreciate us being there in the first place. We are taking a short walk to the end of Broadstairs harbour wall. Several 'hoodied' Seagulls approach us in the expectation that we will throw them some scraps; I don't dare to shoo them away.
"You referred to your graphic design experience earlier Jo. How's business going these days?" Jo took a life-changing decision to return to full-time education several years ago and embarked upon a Media Studies course at Canterbury Christ Church University. She has since become a freelance Web-Designer and does quite well for herself.
"It's going well. I run a few sites of my own, for various things, which allow me to experiment and try new things - then I can pass that experience on to my client's. I have to admit though, as much as I enjoy web design, I've recently been turning work down in favour of spending more time doing graphic design. I'm currently sub-contracting for a company that produces CD's of graphics; I'm in the middle of making my first CD. My own trademark has recently been applied for, which means I'll be doing it under my own label, which I'm really excited about."
"So your decision to return to education was a good one then?"
"I did that when I was thirty years old- that was such a dangerous age for me! Talk about crisis! I could have ended up doing anything! I'm concerned now because I turn forty in two years. I wonder what I'll hit everyone with then! But yes, the decision to go off to Uni' was the best thing I've ever done. It really opened my eyes, design wise, and my confidence really grew. I hadn't realised how narrow-minded I'd become."
"How do you mean, narrow-minded?"
"I mean I was in my own little, insulated world, with no real feeling of what else was going on out there and no real desire to know. Going to Uni' opened doors in my mind, so to speak. I learned the why and how of design, the theory behind it. Although it all made perfect sense, it's not something that I am aware of filtering into my photography. I don't take a photo once I've worked out if it complies with the 'rule of thirds'. I take a photo because something inspires me to, because I am blown away by an image. Technical theory stuff doesn't come into it for me, I've got to 'feel' the image."
The wind is really howling across Viking Bay and hitting me straight in the face. My eyes are watering and I'm grateful for my scarf, although that wont protect me from the spray that is easily clearing the wall of the harbour. I notice that we are the only people here. Everyone else must be in that restaurant watching us. Mediocre coffee seems like an interesting proposition after all. We stop at the end of the harbour wall and stand at the railings. I receive an instruction...
"Look at that Craig." Jo points with her right hand at the sea, forcing me to look into the wind. I oblige, somewhat reluctantly. "The sea is ferocious; the waves are rolling in incessantly crashing into the harbour wall and drenching us in waterfalls of salty water. The mere sight of those dark heavy clouds that have appeared in the last hour, coupled with this biting wind and our drenched faces urges you to back away."
It does...it really does.
"It's like the sea is tempting us to get closer to see it's beauty; close enough that it'll grab hold and sweep us away."
Right on cue, a large wave breaks against the harbour wall, sending icy cold spray up to us.
"But look, can you see that?" She points again to a small dot in the waves, outside the harbour walls.
"In the midst of this chaos is a lone surfer, sitting on his board, silently willing the waves to get larger, more powerful; waiting for the big wave that will take him into the bay. He's insignificant in the power of this whole picture in front of us; insignificant in the midst of nature. This is something worth capturing."
I return to my car soon after our discussion at the harbour wall, having said goodbye to my cousin and promising to keep in touch more regularly. I sit there for a moment, pondering Jo's rather poetic words. Her suggestion that the full force of nature makes us insignificant is quite true and it's worth remembering every now and then. Engaging with a bad tempered sea, even from the apparent safety of the harbour wall, is a sobering, cleansing experience- like an 'enema for the brain'. It flushes away the detritus of everyday life, bleaching out the stresses and worries so that you can restart your thought processes. It's worth doing as regularly as possible- even if it does make your eyes leak...
We put on our coats, pay for the average coffees and leave the restaurant with a tirade of 'dirty' looks from the young waitress who didn't appreciate us being there in the first place. We are taking a short walk to the end of Broadstairs harbour wall. Several 'hoodied' Seagulls approach us in the expectation that we will throw them some scraps; I don't dare to shoo them away.
"You referred to your graphic design experience earlier Jo. How's business going these days?" Jo took a life-changing decision to return to full-time education several years ago and embarked upon a Media Studies course at Canterbury Christ Church University. She has since become a freelance Web-Designer and does quite well for herself.
"It's going well. I run a few sites of my own, for various things, which allow me to experiment and try new things - then I can pass that experience on to my client's. I have to admit though, as much as I enjoy web design, I've recently been turning work down in favour of spending more time doing graphic design. I'm currently sub-contracting for a company that produces CD's of graphics; I'm in the middle of making my first CD. My own trademark has recently been applied for, which means I'll be doing it under my own label, which I'm really excited about."
"So your decision to return to education was a good one then?"
"I did that when I was thirty years old- that was such a dangerous age for me! Talk about crisis! I could have ended up doing anything! I'm concerned now because I turn forty in two years. I wonder what I'll hit everyone with then! But yes, the decision to go off to Uni' was the best thing I've ever done. It really opened my eyes, design wise, and my confidence really grew. I hadn't realised how narrow-minded I'd become."
"How do you mean, narrow-minded?"
"I mean I was in my own little, insulated world, with no real feeling of what else was going on out there and no real desire to know. Going to Uni' opened doors in my mind, so to speak. I learned the why and how of design, the theory behind it. Although it all made perfect sense, it's not something that I am aware of filtering into my photography. I don't take a photo once I've worked out if it complies with the 'rule of thirds'. I take a photo because something inspires me to, because I am blown away by an image. Technical theory stuff doesn't come into it for me, I've got to 'feel' the image."
The wind is really howling across Viking Bay and hitting me straight in the face. My eyes are watering and I'm grateful for my scarf, although that wont protect me from the spray that is easily clearing the wall of the harbour. I notice that we are the only people here. Everyone else must be in that restaurant watching us. Mediocre coffee seems like an interesting proposition after all. We stop at the end of the harbour wall and stand at the railings. I receive an instruction...
"Look at that Craig." Jo points with her right hand at the sea, forcing me to look into the wind. I oblige, somewhat reluctantly. "The sea is ferocious; the waves are rolling in incessantly crashing into the harbour wall and drenching us in waterfalls of salty water. The mere sight of those dark heavy clouds that have appeared in the last hour, coupled with this biting wind and our drenched faces urges you to back away."
It does...it really does.
"It's like the sea is tempting us to get closer to see it's beauty; close enough that it'll grab hold and sweep us away."
Right on cue, a large wave breaks against the harbour wall, sending icy cold spray up to us.
"But look, can you see that?" She points again to a small dot in the waves, outside the harbour walls.
"In the midst of this chaos is a lone surfer, sitting on his board, silently willing the waves to get larger, more powerful; waiting for the big wave that will take him into the bay. He's insignificant in the power of this whole picture in front of us; insignificant in the midst of nature. This is something worth capturing."
I return to my car soon after our discussion at the harbour wall, having said goodbye to my cousin and promising to keep in touch more regularly. I sit there for a moment, pondering Jo's rather poetic words. Her suggestion that the full force of nature makes us insignificant is quite true and it's worth remembering every now and then. Engaging with a bad tempered sea, even from the apparent safety of the harbour wall, is a sobering, cleansing experience- like an 'enema for the brain'. It flushes away the detritus of everyday life, bleaching out the stresses and worries so that you can restart your thought processes. It's worth doing as regularly as possible- even if it does make your eyes leak...
