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| PHOTO OF EMMA BY HILF OLAFSDOTTIR |
IN THE PEAK OF THE AFTERNOON HEAT EMMA AND I SAT IN A SHADED CORNER OF MY BACK YARD CATCHING UP. IT HAD BEEN NEARLY A YEAR SINCE WE LAST SAW EACH OTHER AND HER CALM AND SPIRITUAL DEMEANOR HAD NOT CHANGED ONE BIT. WE EXCHANGED STORIES ABOUT OUR RECENT TRAVELS THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND OUR FEAR OF ANSWERING THE QUESTION "WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO AFTER YOU GRADUATE?" (CONSIDERING THAT WE WILL BE GRADUATING IN SPRING 2018).
EMMA WAS BORN AN ARTIST. FROM A DANCE-FILLED CHILDHOOD TO BECOMING AN ASPIRING PHOTOGRAPHER, SHE ALWAYS FELT THE NEED TO COLLABORATE AND CREATE. HER AFFINITY FOR THE ARTS IS WHAT LED HER TO NEW YORK CITY WHERE SHE CURRENTLY RESIDES. EVEN IN THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, EMMA AGREES THAT LIFE CAN BECOME STILL AND LACK FRESHNESS SO SHE SHARES SOME ADVICE ON BREAKING THOSE STALE MOMENTS.
IT HAS BEEN JUST ABOUT A YEAR SINCE I LAST SAW YOU. WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?
I'VE BEEN PRIORITIZING SCHOOL, FOCUSING ON MY PHOTOGRAPHY AND BALANCING OTHER ACTIVITIES. I'LL ALSO HAVE AN INTERNSHIP AT A FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY IN SOHO WHICH WILL BE A GOOD GROWING OPPORTUNITY FOR ME.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY. WHAT MADE YOU PURSUE THIS PATH?
A YEAR AND A HALF AGO I WAS A DANCE MAJOR AND I WANTED TO GRADUATE WITH A BFA MODERN CONCENTRATION AND BE IN A COMPANY. BUT LAST WEEK I JUST TOOK MY FIRST DANCE CLASS IN A YEAR.
HOW WAS THAT?
IT FELT NATURAL, LIKE I WAS RETURNING HOME, BUT NOW I'M FOCUSING MORE ON PHOTOGRAPHY AND YOGA. I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I DIDN'T WANT TO DANCE ANYMORE, BUT EVERYONE ELSE INCLUDING MY PARENTS TOLD ME I'M GOOD AT IT SO I SHOULD CONTINUE. I STARTED TO REALIZE THAT I WAS DANCING JUST TO PLEASE OTHER PEOPLE. WHEN I LEFT FOR NEW YORK, I STARTED CRYING TO MY MOM TELLING HER I DIDN'T WANT TO DANCE. SHE TOLD ME IT WOULD BE OKAY AND THAT IT WAS JUST MY NERVES. WHEN I GOT INJURED, IT WAS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE. IT WAS MY EXIT FROM DANCE AND THAT'S WHEN I TURNED TO PHOTOGRAPHY BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING I'VE ALWAYS LOVED.
WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?
MY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER AT THE MOMENT IS RYAN MCGINLEY. HE STARTED OFF AS A GRAPHIC DESIGN MAJOR, THEN HE WANTED TO DO POETRY BUT HE DISCOVERED HE WAS REALLY GOOD AT PHOTOGRAPHY. HE TAKES PEOPLE INTO EXTREME NATURE AND THEY ARE NAKED AND HE SHOOTS THEM AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL. A LOT OF THE TIME WHAT I LOOK FOR IS THE LIGHTING BECAUSE IT CAN AFFECT WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FEEL WHEN THEY LOOK AT THE PHOTO. THE WAY THE LIGHT HITS THE SKIN. FILM PHOTOGRAPHY CAN REALLY CAPTURE THE TEXTURE OF THE SKIN VERSUS DIGITAL.
(ALL PHOTOS BY EMMA SUZUKI-JONES)
WE HAD A CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT YOUR LIFE IN NEW YORK AND HOW YOU CRAVE SOMETHING NEW; A CHANGE. HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT CHANGE HAPPEN AND OVERCOME THE DULL MOMENTS WHEN LIFE SEEMS STAGNANT?
EVERY MORNING WHEN I WAKE UP I JOURNAL. THREE PAGES OF MINDLESS WRITING ABOUT THOUGHTS, DREAMS OR GOALS FOR THE DAY. IN THAT WAY I'M ATTRACTING GOOD ENERGY AND PEOPLE. I'VE LEARNED THAT NEGATIVE ATTRACTS NEGATIVE SO THE ENERGY YOU PUT OUT THERE IS ALSO WHAT YOU'LL ATTRACT. YOU ALSO CAN'T TAKE YOURSELF AND YOUR WORK TOO SERIOUSLY. DON'T BE AFRAID OF OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS.
WE BOTH AGREED THAT ANTICIPATING WHAT COMES NEXT FOR US IN OUR CAREER PATHS AND THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE AFTER COLLEGE MAKES US ANXIOUS, BUT WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO SEE YOURSELF AFTER GRADUATION IN THE SPRING?
I FEEL LIKE IT CHANGES BY THE DAY, HONESTLY. I RAN INTO SOMEONE I KNEW AT THE GROCERY STORE AND SHE ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO DO AND I JUST STOOD THERE AND LAUGHED AND COULD ONLY SAY I HAVE NO IDEA.
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF STAYING IN NEW YORK?
YES. MAYBE I COULD WORK IN A GALLERY AND FOCUS ON MY OWN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY. I WOULD WANT TO STAY IN NEW YORK BECAUSE YOU CAN FIND SO MANY ARTISTS TO CONNECT AND COLLABORATE WITH.
WILL YOU EVER MOVE BACK HOME TO HAWAI'I?
I USED TO NEVER SEE MYSELF MOVING BACK. IT'S HARD BECAUSE I'VE BUILT ANOTHER LIFE FOR MYSELF IN NEW YORK. I FEEL NOW THAT HAWAI'I IS SO CLEANSING. IF I WERE TO MOVE BACK, HAWAI'I WOULD BE HOME BASE, BUT I WOULD WANT TO TRAVEL A LOT.
WHEN WE MOVED AWAY FROM HAWAI'I, WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT MOVING AND TRANSITIONING FROM SUCH A SMALL ISLAND TO AN ENORMOUS CITY?
I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST THING I'VE LEARNED IS TO STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF AND DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT YOU WANT; DON'T GET LOST IN THE CROWD. YOUR PATH IS GOING TO CHANGE AND THERE IS GOING TO BE STRUGGLE, BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL HARD WORK. I'VE BEEN LIVING IN A WAY WHERE I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT HOW SOMETHING WILL AFFECT ME IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS. I ONLY FOCUS ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T LOOK TOO FAR AHEAD AND YOU CAN'T LOOK BACK TO THE PAST AND REGRET YOUR DECISIONS.
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