An interview with Georgia Flynn: Creative

I've done a few interviews on my blog before, and it's something I really enjoy - so over the next few months, I've planned some interviews with some really cool people. I'm interested in people who do exciting things with their lives, or just in their spare time: musicians, artists, people with really obscure jobs, people who've had something crazy happen to them. So, hopefully, you will enjoy reading these interviews as much as I'm enjoying putting them together. I'm starting with Georgia Flynn, who is a creative and all-round cool gal often found with either a camera or a cider in hand...

In layman’s terms, what do you do for a living? I work as a Digital Media & Communications Consultant at hi-impact media, full time. My job is very diverse but I photograph, create and edit videos, run the marketing and social media side of things, create 3D Virtual Tours and lots of graphic design for both online and print, and finally I also do website design. Alongside this I work as a freelancer and created a community interest company called Shout About It Productions.

If you had to sum up your job(s) in 5 words, what would they be? Fun, challenging, tiring, diverse and rewarding.

Growing up, were you always a creative person or is it something that came to you as you entered adulthood? Did you always see yourself going into a creative role, or did you have plans for a more - as some might say - ‘normal’ career? I’d say I’ve been pretty creative since I was very little. I used to love making anything and everything, and I always wanted to be working on a project. I’ve always loved photography but started to learn when I was 15.
I have always seen myself in some form of creative role to be honest - I always said I wanted to make film trailers or be a cinematographer/work in TV because I’m obsessed and fascinated by the Hollywood movie industry. Bit different to the job I actually ended up in but maybe one day me and Jennifer Lawrence will be kickin' it having a cider.

Tell me about ‘Shout About It’ - where did the idea come from, and why is it so important? Shout About It is a community I started to bring gig photographers and musicians together. I had the idea on a 5am commute to Leeds one day which was pretty random; I was photographing a lot of gigs for a lot of different publications, and I just wanted to try and create something to bring people together. It’s important to me because I want to be a creative in a world where people help others and support one another in what they’re doing.

From that, I’ve built an online community which has contributors from all over the world which I never thought would happen! I also organise a yearly festival that exhibits the work of photographers alongside 2 days of live music. I have so many ideas for what I want to do with Shout About It, I just wish there were more hours in the day.

I’m sure you get this question all the time, but who’s the best artist or band that you’ve ever photographed, and why? This is super tricky as I’ve photographed so many different gigs over the past 3-4 years. I’d say my top 3 would be Taylor Swift because it was a childhood dream, Coldplay in Cardiff which I drove 12 hours to photograph for just 10 minutes but the production was ridiculous and I felt like a tiny ant in the pit of the stadium; and finally I recently shot Foy Vance which is definitely up there. There was not much to play with in terms of lighting and stage production but I’m such a fan of his music that it was awesome!

Where do you see yourself, job-wise, 5 years from now? What do you want to do more of, or less of? Who knows - I’m completely open to whatever comes at me, I love a challenge and I just want to keep building the career I’ve worked so hard for. There are so many paths I could take but I’m just gonna make decisions as they come to me. I just wanna boss it. 

Eleanor Nelly promo shot

It’s obvious that you’re really passionate about photography, and also about local music; who are some of your favourite photographers and bands/artists that might not be as well known? There are so many. I guess I’ll just list some...

Photographers: 
* Bjorn Olsson
* Peter McKinnon
* Brandon Woefel

Bands/Artists: 
* Vistas
* Eleanor Nelly
* Foy Vance

It’s hard to give a list because there are so many photographers that really inspire me for different reasons.

Coldplay in Cardiff

What has been your proudest achievement in terms of what you’ve accomplished as a creative? For my final major project at university I built and programmed two robots that where capable of feeling jealous of one another, depending on how humans interacted with them. I exhibited them at Baker Street in London for a week. I was so proud because I worked months and months to build them and figure out the code behind everything.

What are some common misconceptions, do you think, about working in the creative industry and doing what you do? Hmmmmm. That photography is just about having a good camera - that’s super annoying.

Where can we find more of what you do? Lots of different places...

Personal work: georgiaflynn.com
Insta: georgiaflynncreative
Twitter: georgeporge13

hi-impact media: hi-impact.media
Insta and Twitter: mediahiimpact

Shout About It: letsshoutaboutit.co.uk
Insta & Twitter: shoutaboutituk

Thank you soooo much to Georgia for letting me interview you - I think you will all agree she's one cool egg and a proper hard worker, which is what we love. More interviews coming soon!