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Ten Things About Tamelyn
Daily Ink
Stored in: Ten Things About ...
Posted On: December 04 2006
By: Brittney Bush
Photo © tamelyn
Though moderately new to the Utata fold, Tamelyn is already known and loved for her quirky sense of humor, her lighthearted take on life, and her stunning big doe eyes. We mustn't forget, however, that she's also a supergenius with a variety of artistic talents and a remarkable aptitude for baking oat bread. Oh yeah, and she's also my mom. Want to know more? Of course you do!
The Utata Five
What is the camera and setup you use most often?
I use a Canon G2. I also have an older Canon Powershot S10 that I still use occasionally. Setup? I set it up on books or boxes or a table ... seriously, nearly all of my shots are handheld or shot with a timer. I have a tripod, but I never use it.
Describe your photographic style in one word.
I would describe it as sheerdumbluck. Is "sheerdumbluck" one word? No? OK, I'll say "playful."
If you could only leave one photograph on Flickr, which would it be?
It would have to be "do I look younger yet?" It's my favorite so far, and it also represents a sort of turning point in my flickr history where I began to think, "hey, I can do this." It's offbeat, fun, oddly colored, playful, and has that all-important sheerdumbluck element.
Name another Utatan whose work you really admire.
Well (brittneybush), all nepotism aside (brittneybush), I'm a huge fan of J. Star. Her work, as well as being consistently excellent, is also heartfelt and spontaneous and creative and surprising. She's never afraid to try something new. Or to put bugs on her face. And I like that.
Your house is burning down. In the kitchen are an otter, a goose, and a cake. You only have time to save one of them. Which do you choose?
Being a vegetarian, I would not have any animals in my kitchen, and being married to a compulsive cake-eater, I would not have any cake left in there either, EVER. Which would leave me free to grab my camera and take some pictures of the fire, and maybe make a few s'mores.
The Tamelyn Five
Though you have an art degree, until recently it had been many years since you actively created photography. Now you have a rapidly growing flickr following. What's the story behind your triumphant return?
Oh lordy, you make me sound like Eva Peron. I feel a sudden urge to go out on the balcony and sing to my people.
My first experience with photography was when I was in school, and although I loved it, especially the more experimental aspects of it, I never felt that I was very good at it. I loved shooting photos, but the technical aspects perplexed and bored me. Plus, my then-boyfriend (now husband) was (and is) an accomplished photographer; I was a bit intimidated by that. So I stuck to the things I was good at, and, until recently, used photography mainly as a way to document my artwork and my children.
When I joined flickr, I was inspired by the work of other artists and friends and by the groups I became a member of, particularly Utata. I had forgotten how important it is to be a part of a creative community, how the work and support of others can be the catalyst that rekindles one's creative spark. It's like having a creative playdate with my daughter every day, as well as with the other good friends I've met and come to know here.
You're an active member of the 365 Days group. How has this changed your approach to photography? Your feelings about yourself? Why do you think the group is so popular?
I think it's easy to see why the group is so popular -- everyone's favorite subject is themselves. No one knows your own face like you do, no one is always there and willing and available like you are. That's why artists from the beginning of time have done self-portraits.
People who haven't known me for a while may not believe this, but I actually joined the 365 Days group to overcome my camera-shyness. Before I joined the group there were maybe 2 or 3 shots of me in my whole photostream, if that. I was always the type who would flee from the camera at any gathering, or turn away, or cover my face. And I didn't want to be like that. I didn't want my kids to look through family photos in the future and say, "Why aren't there any pictures of mom?" Also, there are parts of myself I want to capture and remember, facets of my personality that don't come through in a generic studio portrait. I've been looking though some of my father's old photographs recently, and I've come to realize that photographs are a such a vital aspect of remembrance, a visual record of who you are and where you are at certain points in your life.
Through my 365 project work, I'm becoming much more comfortable with myself, my appearance and my persona, and I'm definitely more comfortable in front of the camera. When I look at my first 30 or 40 shots in the series and see how tentative and uncomfortable I was -- I wouldn't even look directly into the camera! -- and then compare them to my recent ones, I can see such a huge change, hee hee. I stare that camera DOWN now!
Three children, two cats and a squirrel all call you "mom." Is photography an exploration of motherhood, or an escape from it?
You've actually heard the cats and squirrel call me "mom?" Oh. I thought I was the only one who could hear that.
Some of my photography is definitely a celebration of motherhood -- I'm absolutely smitten with my children, and I love nothing better than to capture their gorgeousness and quirkiness in photographs, and share that with the world. But more and more, I find photography to be an escape from the role of wife and mother and into my own private space. I think it's easy for women to get caught up in and consumed by the role of caretaker to the point that our own personal boundaries start to disappear, and I struggle against that myself. My time with my camera has become my "me" time, little stolen moments, and I cherish that part of the day when I can go off and focus, literally and figuratively, on myself. And more and more with my self-portraits I find myself emphasizing the elements that make me unique, that existed long before I was part of anyone else's life -- the parts of me that are funny, silly, sexy, smart, moody, creative, and independent.
Dang, you ask good questions.
How does your experience with photography compare with your other creative media, such as knitting and beading?
Knitting and beading are both slow, meditative processes -- one bead at a time, one stitch at a time, slowly working up to a larger finished piece. Painting is much the same way. But photography, at least with a digital camera, is pure instant gratification. A lot of what I shoot is done on impulse, with very little set-up and instantaneous results. When I have a creative itch, it's a much quicker scratch, and if I shoot a lot of really horrible photos (which is always), I can delete them and start over without too much angst.
So I love them both -- the spontaneous expression, and the long-term labor-intensive project. I switch between them both daily. And I've noticed that since I've rekindled my romance with photography, one of my old neglected loves -- painting -- has become quite jealous and is demanding my attention again too.
What's it like being the mother of Squishyface? How much responsibility do you take for how she turned out?
I only wish I could take responsibility for how she turned out, but I think it's more true that she is smart and amazing and beautiful and googolplex awesome completely apart from me, not because of me.
I'm happy just to sit here in her cheering section and kvell :-)
4 comments on this Ink
On December 04, 2006, Phillip Chee said ...
Damn great interview! Cheers to Squishyface and her Momma!
On December 04, 2006, Linda Blakely said ...
An absolutely delightful interview! I heart Tamelyn :-D
On December 04, 2006, Esther Perez said ...
Fantastic interview! tamelyn and britt rule! :)
On December 04, 2006, marya said ...
oh i loved reading this. :) x to the o to the two of you.
Otherwise, in Ten Things About ...:
- Previously: Ten Things About Helveticaneue
Utata Ink is a daily publication edited by Bryan Partington (striatic). Photos used on utata.org are stored on flickr.com and obtained via the flickr API unless otherwise noted. To make a contribution to Ink, please visit Ink Me.
