Traversing from a career in fashion, advertising and marketing to a salty new world of vintage inspired photographic art, Adam Harriden from Gone To Sea is a homegrown talent to follow.
MY BACKGROUND:
I spent several years working for fashion and surf brands before transitioning into marketing and advertising, which led me to move to New York. That\’s where I discovered (and fell in love with) the art of vintage Polaroid photography. I spent two years learning and shooting, collecting equipment and really just getting my technique down pat before bringing it back home with me to Australia.
I LOVE THE WORK THAT I DO BECAUSE…
I get the most enjoyment out of the many inspiring young artists that I get to meet – having them come up to me and say how much they respect my work just blows me away, every time, and that really inspires me to keep going. And I just love keeping an old analogue format alive, with technology taking over everything that we do.
MY FAVOURITE MATERIAL TO WORK WITH IS…
Vintage Polaroid land cameras, recycled arrival paper, and old packs of Fuji film.
TRENDS I RATE (OR HATE)
It\’s maybe not a creative trend, but the push for mindfulness is pretty huge. Anything that gets the world to be kinder and nicer to each other has to be a good thing.
WORK OR PLAY, I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT…
My family. They are my everything – they inspire me daily to push, create, and to always succeed.
THREE WORDS THAT SUM UP THE GONE TO SEA AESTHETIC:
Unpredictable. Timeless. Luck.
Related Article: The Creatives: Matt Stewart
WHEN I’M IN FULL PROJECT MODE, MY TYPICAL WORK DAY GOES A LITTLE LIKE…
Grab a good coffee, then hit the beaches. A major part of my work is to look for those who are out on the sand or in the water in the early light, so I\’ll capture some shots and then head home to my studio and develop them to see what has worked, and what hasn’t. I\’ll then log into my network, touch base with galleries and media, and process orders with framers etc. Then I\’ll be back out to shoot more in the later light, before picking up my daughters from school and heading home to burn off the days branches from around our property. Finally, it\’s chill around the fire with my family, dinner, shower, and sleep. Repeat.
OUR HOME
Our home is located in beautiful Doonan on the Sunshine Coast. I share it with my wife, two daughters (Kalea and Kaya) and our dog MJAY. We have the most amazing sunsets, we get visits from kangaroos in the evening, and there\’s plenty of birdlife. It\’s heaven, and I pinch myself daily.
We love the Sunshine Coast. The people are super friendly and supportive, the environment is so amazing, warm, clean, tropical, and it really inspires my work.
CREATIVES I ADMIRE MOST
Matt Schwartz, a.k.a. She Hit Pause, is a guy out of New York who really inspired me with his photography. And here in Australia, designer Jason Grant – his styling-based brand is doing some incredible things.
THE MOTTO I LIKE (OR TRY!) TO LIVE BY
A man once told Buddha, “I want happiness”. Buddha replied, “First, remove the \’I\’; that’s ego. Then remove ‘want’; that’s desire. And now all your left with is Happiness”…
