ART + ILLUSTRATION
JEREMY WORTSMAN // FOUNDER OF THE JACKY WINTER GROUPFrom a really early age, my two passions were ice hockey and
industrial music. I would draw the logos of ice hockey teams all
over my books. They were very graphic, almost cartoonish. I did a
pre-college course in graphic design while I was at high school, and
interned at a design studio. That was one of the benefits of growing
up in New York and having creative parents – they pushed me and
helped me get on that path. (Though it’s a pretty low barrier to entry
there, because it’s everywhere.) I studied design in New York at the
Pratt Institute, then dropped out and went to work in magazines for
a bit. After September 11 happened, I just left everything behind,
and went travelling to Australia.It was really difficult to be able to stay. I taught, I did retouching,
I was a dish-hand – I was on lots of different visas. I was going to be
a hairdresser for a while, because it was really easy to get a visa as
a hairdresser at that time. I also started this magazine called Is Not
with around four other people. It was a publication that went on bill
poster sites – so much of where I am today came from Is Not. Jacky
Winter largely came from the illustrators we commissioned there. We
call ourselves a ‘creative production representation studio’. We started
with illustrators, but that has expanded into lots of other creative
disciplines. We’re almost like a record label for creative types.The artists I see succeed are the ones that have to do it. If they’re
not creating, if they’re not drawing, if they’re not doing something,
they’re just not whole. It’s not a matter of finding your voice in that
way, or of going after it – it’s more a matter of discovering it. And
I don’t know how that happens; that’s mysterious. A lot of artists
that we find have been successful also come from a pedigree of
self-initiated projects. How the self-initiated projects can actually
manifest is a different thing – and that’s where the social element
comes into play. I think that’s really important now, in terms of
making real connections with other people. They don’t have to be
other creators or other artists – it’s about keeping a really broad set
of interests and knowing people and getting off the computer and
doing physical things.
Mistakes can result from moving forward on something a bit too
early, before things are actually ready. I think that’s another case for
forming a network of peers – so you have other people to bounce
ideas and work off before you try to put it out in the marketplace.
Sometimes you only have a few opportunities to make impressions
on people who are commissioning work. But no mistake is
impossible to recover from...................
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LUISA BRIMBLE // FOOD AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHERBefore I started photography, I was working in a travel company.
I did all the marketing – creating flyers, a bit of graphic design.
Then I had my first daughter – she’s 11 years old now – and
I picked up a really basic camera. I probably always wanted to
take photos; I just could never afford a DSLR. My first camera
was a 450D with the basic kit lens. I started taking photos of the
family and people said, “Oh my gosh, you take good photos – you
could do this for a living.” So that’s what I did. I took that advice
and thought, “OK, let’s do it.”
I started as a family portrait and wedding photographer, then
I fell in love with gatherings and food. I approached Broadsheet
and asked if I could photograph for them, and they let me. I say it
all the time: if you’re a budding photographer, it’s like a baptism
of fire – you just go in. I only did one photography workshop,
that’s it. I spend most of my time reading books, on the internet,
YouTubing. It’s all self-taught.
The hardest part of what I do is the hustling part. You’re always
hustling. And I’m not so good at knocking on doors – I just want
the work to come to me. But the way I do that is by creating
content. I’m always collaborating with people I absolutely love,
then letting the photos do the talking for me. What I’m doing
now is creating cookbooks, and if a job comes in, I take it. If
I have no paying job, then you’ll see me collaborating with a lot
of people. It’s still a job, because it’s marketing. People ask why
I do things for free, but nothing is ever free. For me, it’s about
building relationships with people.
I’m always worrying where the next money is coming from, but
it’s funny, because when I’m at the stage where I’m worrying,
a job will come in. I just make it work, I guess. Even with two
kids at home. I have a really supportive husband, and before-
and after-school care is a really big help, because you can drop
them off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon and
have the whole day to do photoshoots.
The more you think about what people would like, the more you’re
going to struggle. The moment I decided to just post anything
I love, that’s when everything changed. I posted photos that felt
warm, with a feeling of homeliness, and began to come out of my
shell. You always feel that everyone’s going to judge you because
of that image you took. I think, “Just stop it, stop it right there.
You don’t need someone’s validation. Just do it.”
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