Diary of Team Honest - Part 3

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 THREE —

What was one thing you learned from working with Amanda? How did it change the way you think about creativity / life / work / business?

MARY :

With Amanda I learn methodology and organisation. She is really organised. I remember getting a little checklist and a welcoming pack as an intern. Workwise, I learnt a methodology to edit and create short movies and gifs. I still use it until today and do it the same way Amanda told me. Another thing I learnt is it’s really important to care for the people with whom you work - working with friends is awesome. And I feel Amanda was a part of my family while living so far from home. I loved the little attention for Birthday, Christmas and always some surprises at the Honest Jones Studio.

MADDI :

I’ve learned so much from Amanda. But I think the one thing I’ll take away from working with her is how incredibly humble and gracious she is. I feel like I could talk to her about anything and not be judged. Everything she does is out of a place of love and that’s how I want to be if I ever have my own business. 

MOLLY :

I’ve learned so many things from the biz wizard! Before I worked with Amanda, I didn’t know anything about film. She’s been a fount of knowledge when it comes to anything creative and I’ve been really challenged by her to share my work and even the process of my work and to not get caught up in my own perfectionism. Amanda has so much wisdom she could write a book *wink wink*. My fave mantra of hers is “I don’t have time to be in a rush” and it has made me a far less frantic person over the years.

HOLLY :

Amanda made creating simple, everything we did was with what we had available. Those times we did flat lays on the grass or taking little videos with a crystal to distort the image, these things are what showed me that I didn’t have to have any fancy equipment to make a creative pursuit work for me. I still use those lessons today! I use direct sunlight and a simple piece of material to display my products, and I can definitely say this is what I learnt from Amanda!
Some tips I picked up from Amanda is that she has structured days and sets goals. It’s basic but I think it’s pretty foundational for a creative. I also realised that in a creative industry there really is not a straight and clear path to follow, it involves random jobs like decking out a car park in ikea catalogues (Amanda please remind me why we were doing that lol). Eventually you have a bunch of interesting experiences that in a round about way, shape your business.

VASHTI :

Ohhh, so many things! So many giggles, life lessons, tears, dance parties, tea breaks, all the above. Again, the art of play was something I learnt first hand with Amanda. We actually created make & shoot Friday’s, solely dedicated to play! It’s what helped me form my design style and what helps me till this day keep my imagination alive and thriving. I actually got my first job in the eccom/fashion industry because of the the playfulness of my design style. A quote from one of our studio days I remember by Amanda is “Slow is good” — this has never been more real in my life then it has in the last year. I’ve seen this time and time again in the studio with Amanda & all the wonderful things that have come out of a slow season in business, creativity and life. Also dance breaks! Very important! 

OLI :

So. Many. Things. I’ve been reflecting on this question lot, and I think the most inspiring thing about Amanda, is that she’s someone who has taken the ‘box’ that life puts us all in, dismantled it, cut it up, foraged some extra wood, made a coffee, invited all her friends, then had a dance party with us all. In other words, Amanda is one of the most creative people I know and is amazing at taking what life gives her, and turning it into something incredible. But she’s also excellent at bringing people (like me) on that path with her. She’s not afraid to take risks. She really taught me to look at life differently, how to be left of centre (which I non-coincidently have tattooed on my forearm). She taught me how to not just have a creative ‘career’ but how to live a creative life, where every expression is an opportunity for creativity. Whether it’s what you wear, the colour of your hair, the way you carry yourself in conversation, the snack food you eat (dried mango & chocolate obviously), everything could be infused with creativity. Also, that with great lighting you could shoot amazing content with your iPhone. 

Conversations are fuel for creativity, and converse we did; I’ll never forget the blue sky sessions we would have on the couch outside, dreaming up creative ideas as we looked out to the distant ocean. All of this in between shooting content, writing copy, getting coffee, snacking, making lunch on those gorgeous cast iron pans, or dancing to Solange.

Amanda had so many one liners, you could even say she could write an entire book from the amount of wise things she’s said. One of my favourite pearls from the ‘said book’ is on p152, “when you are young & starting out, there’s a burst of hot blooded energy that is required to get you a seat at table, and it comes hand in hand with a slump of apathy and exhaustion. But if you don’t give up in one of these slumps, and see them for what they really are — depletion, then you can wait out the slump and your energy and passion will return in full force eventually. These bursts of energy and apathy even out and you need less emotive output to do your work. You gain respect which is actually quite boring — but very valuable.” 

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