Diary of Team Honest - Part 1

The Honest Jones has always been known for it’s gang of assistants, interns and trainees. Practically every job we’ve ever booked (even the smallest of shoots) has involved a team, a team we often refer to affectionately as ‘Team Honest’. We wholeheartedly believe we are better together and well, as a general rule, everything is more fun with truly great humans around!

In celebration of the second print run of Diary of a Freelancer, six members (some past & present) of Team Honest — Holly, Vashti, Mary, Oli, Molly and Maddi — have reflected on their own freelancing journey and shared some stories with us. Celebrating everyone’s unique creative path is a vibrant cornerstone of The Honest Jones and hopefully something that gives you inspiration and encouragement in your living your dreams.

Conversation PART ONE —

What first drew you to a creative career /  freelancing? How did you find The Honest Jones and why were you inspired to work with us?

VASHTI :

I’ve always been attracted to creating with my hands with whatever recourses I had available to me. One time I made a pencil case out of an egg carton. I found something that was long enough to hold pencils and even better, it could close. No one could tell me it was ugly (it 100% was). In a way, a creative career was really the only option I had, it’s how my mind worked and the lenses I saw life through. And naturally I gravitated towards people who were also like this. Which is probably how I ended up at The Honest Jones. The Honest Jones isn’t just a studio, I know this because I joined when Amanda was still nannying full-time. But even then, The Honest Jones was well and truly alive. She shared creativity with everyone she came across, it wasn’t this mystery or a big secret. So of course, as a fresh, young creative studying visual arts eager to do more and create more, I nervously sent a text to her asking if I could follow her around and “intern” with The Honest Jones. 

OLI :

I’d like to say I started my creative career aged 3 when I gave my toy Elmo pasta teeth. Creative expression really meant a lot to me at the time. Fast forward to when I chose what to study, I landed on a Commerce & Economics Double Degree. It’s funny looking back, I was going to study pure maths at one point, but chose something more a little more biz. I was actually quite good at maths, and kinda started pursuing it through economics at least. All the while Elmo and his little pappardelle teeth was like why?

Fast forward a couple of years in and I had a giant realisation - as someone who can usually visualise things easily, I was really struggling to visualise what my life would look like following uni life. I remember I was on my bed, like what do I do, I want to do something more creative, but I think at the time I was too scared to do a full switcheroo to a graphic design degree and lose all my subjects like Data Analytics and Econometrics LOL. So I did the more conservative thing which was switch to an Commerce & Media Double. I started experimenting with design on the side. At the time some people at work noticed this (I was interning with the finance department) and they offered me a part time junior graphic design role. Very serendipitously I got introduced to Amanda through some mutual friends not too long after. 

It’s still crazy to look back on, because I know if I hadn’t gone to that event where we were introduced, the magic that would follow may have never been. We really hit it off at the time and agreed to meet for coffee and chats. I think we quickly realised we were kindred spirits and Amanda invited me to be an intern for One Minute Film. 

I remember so clearly Amanda referring to us a ’creatives’ and for me it was the first time anyone had ever used those words about me. It made me want to get in this person’s world even more and it was honestly one of the best creative decisions I made really early on in my ‘career’. (I say ‘career’ in quotes because career implies I followed a set rules to progress haha).

HOLLY :

I have been creative all my life. I grew up in a family of artists. My three aunties and grandmother are all artists in their own right and my dad, a photographer. So creating has always been apart of the conversation in my family, and naturally i picked it up and found creative things a normal part of every day life, especially visual art. This is what started me on the journey towards freelancing, completely self taught. As I created, interest grew and people were asking to purchase the things I made! As the years went on I made and people bought from me and I’m very grateful that I can spend my life creating beautiful  things that customers come back for! I met Amanda through my church community at the time and was inspired by her simple and fun approach to creating visual content. 

MOLLY :

I was drawn to a creative career for the fun of it. Thinking outside the box, flexing my creative muscles and having a diverse range of projects to work on was the ideal scenario for me. When I started at THJ, I was just beginning a Communication Design degree. I’ve now finished that and am studying Fine Arts and Education. I’d followed The Honest Jones on Instagram for years and randomly connected through another Honest Intern and somehow met up with Amanda and became an Honest Intern. It was surreal and exciting and I knew absolutely nothing about filmmaking

MADDI :

I was just about to graduate high school and my dad recommended that I reach out to The Honest Jones. I knew I didn’t want to study or go to uni. I wanted to be in a creative environment, cutting up films. Thank god I reached out. The last 2 and a half years have been a dream working alongside Amanda. From a young age, I’ve always loved making films of my friends. Working at The Honest Jones has opened up new experiences. To working with brands and shooting weddings. Which I never thought I would do.

MARY :

I have always been passionate about art in all its forms. As a kid I used to dance a lot, took some drawing class, clay class, loved going to the museum and also I was already selling my drawings for 50 cents in front of my grandma house with my little sister. I’m a sensitive person and get really emotional when I find something beautiful.

Everything started to become more serious after a year in general high school, I got bored and realised this wasn't for me. I couldn't see myself going to study science or economics. Then it was a moment of questioning. I had an opportunity to join an Applied Art school in my area where there are only 30 students selected and lucky me one person was leaving the class. I spent two incredible years learning Applied Art - and how to find design solutions to our everyday life.

I graduated and moved to Lyon, a big city on the East of France, where I studied vocational training in Textile Design. The course was really “free”, you could work on your own project, experiment, paint, saw, weave on the machine. At that time I didn’t love it entirely. I feel lost to see what career I could have as a textile designer. After two years I graduated and decided to apply for a Master in graphic design (this time on the other side of France once again in Brittany region). Guess what. I LOVED IT - We were 10 students in my class, a mix of interior designers and product designers. I absolutely love being multidisciplinary, it reminds me that I came from another background and that designs and art are always linked in some way. 

My next step in this creative journey was moving again, this time 17000kms from home to Australia. This is how I met Amanda Jones, I got the opportunity to do an internship in a design studio anywhere I wanted. I applied to all my favourite places around the world and Amanda selected me. I couldn’t believe that I was going to AUSTRALIA. This was in 2016 since then I haven’t left..

When I emailed Amanda, she was just starting One Minute Film, and she showed me some of her work and videos. I just fell in love with the aesthetic and beauty of her work - I love the simplicity that is perfectly well done, with a touch of “Amanda personality”. Video wasn’t something I knew so I said YES, and embarked into this crazy journey with a French accent and poor English. I stayed 6 months working (3 days a week) as the first full time intern for The Honest Jones - It was the starting point of my creative adventure here on the other side.

Since then I have created my own design studio and settled in Byron Bay. Studio Marius is a contemporary creative.  I love working for businesses that believe in a positive and honest change, through mindful ideas and design solutions. Businesses who are passionate about art, design, nature, handcrafted and technologies to make a better future.

PS — all these women are incredible artists doing amazing creative things…I’ve linked their work so you can take a look!