VIRAL Profiling Inspiring Kiwis
Issue 1
Editor, Photographer: Tracie Heasman www.tracieheasmanphotographer.co.nz tracie.heasman@gmail.com
Welcome to the first issue of VIRAL, but the 4th magazine of it’s kind. I started this journey 5 years ago with a mission to help promote and support inspiring Kiwi creatives and small businesses After many contemplative hours during isolation I thought it was time to bring it back so that I can continue to share the work of these incredible entrepreneurs from our little corner of the world. I’ve added a travel section showcasing the coolest places in New Zealand, it’s time to embrace our little country and all that is has to offer in these crazy times. So sit down, grab a coffee, and immerse yourself in these inspiring creatives’ stories and their unique journeys…
Copyright©2020 VIRAL Magazine All contents and images cannot be reproduced without written permission from Tracie Heasman
Cover: Gin Wigmore in concert, Prince Albert Hall, Auckland
Inside: Page 3
Raglan Floral Co - Florist
Page 5
Simon Te Wheoro - Tattoo/Sculpture
Page 7
Gin Wigmore - Quotes
Page 11
Annick Faubert - Taxidermy
Page 13
John Parker - Photographer
Page 15
Travel - Raglan
Page 19
Kay Buchannan - Leather
Page 21
Ash Budd - Survival Academny
Raglan Floral Co www.raglanfloralco.co.nz
How long have you been a farmer/florist and how did you get where you are today? I stumbled upon this gig quite by accident. I moved with my family onto a larger piece of land and long story short decided to grow flowers with my neighbour as a potential source of income for both of us stay at home mums. Word soon got out that we had an abundance of flowers and a few of our friends approached us to do their wedding flowers. That was a great opportunity for me to develop my skills and things evolved from there. We ran (Raglan Buds) together for 3 years, then our lives headed in different directions so I bought her half of the business and re-branded to Raglan Floral Co. Who or what are you influenced by? The seasons! Mother Nature always has an abundance of inspiration for me with every new flower or seasonal textural element. I follow a few other self taught floral designers on social media. They remind me that you can be ‘unqualified’ but still be highly successful at what you do. A piece of paper doesn't determine your self worth or what gifts you have to offer the world. What inspires your creativity? I have to say living in a town like Raglan is great for inspiration. The collective creative energy that flows around the place is contagious. But I also have a love for colour, texture and anything handmade. My house is full of bold tones, handmade ceramics, plants and textural handmade crochet, macrame and woven pieces. Best or most fulfilling experience in your creative career so far? For a long time I had this vision of bringing together a group of floral enthusiasts and creating a workshop/retreat type weekend. I imagined hosting a group of ladies in my home, feeding them beautiful nutritious meals, doing yoga in the morning, followed by a day of floral tuition and full access to my cutting garden. They would leave with new found skills, friendships and their cups overflowing with inspiration. Another long story short, I roped in my buddy Elise from The Rebellion Floral and we pulled together an amazing long weekend and called it the 'Lush Wedding Floral Workshop'. In the end we had 12 ladies from all over the country come and join us and it was everything I imagined it would be. What are you working on at the moment? This time of year is my quite time. The garden is where you will find me most days, getting all of the
jobs ticked off so I will have an abundance of beautiful flowers to play with come spring. I will be doing a couple of styled wedding photo shoots with my fellow wedding industry buddies to get us inspired for the coming season and to try out a few new concepts. I’m also toying with the idea of having an open farm/studio on Labour Weekend. Where people will be able to come and purchase plants, seeds, fresh and dried floral creations. Maybe even a couple of workshops dotted throughout the weekend. Watch this space! Best and worst thing about being a creative? Hands down the best thing for me is to be able to make a living from doing what brings me the most joy in my life. Even when I was a little girl I had so much passion for gardening and creating so I feel blessed that I can continue doing those things into my adult life. Being able to work from home is both a blessing and a curse sometimes. I love been able to fit my work in around family demands (I have 3 children ranging from 11-5), but sometimes I struggle with turning off and making set boundaries for my work and family time. How would you describe your perfect day? Ohhh tough one! Not having to cook or clean all day, or listen to kids fighting would be a good start. A day spent in the garden or at the beach is always a winner. What is your most valued possession? My health and family! If you could blink your eyes and be in a favourite place right now, where would that be? In the tropics somewhere with my family. Surfing and free diving in crystal clear waters. Where would you like to find yourself in 10 years? Hopefully still doing what Im doing! Im pretty happy with my lot andfeel so grateful that I get to do what I do. What four famous people, dead or alive, would you invite for dinner No-one! That would mean having to clean the house plus I’m a terrible cook (ask my husband). But hanging out with Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and Janis Joplin would be epic... I’d book us a table at Ulos Japanese Restaurant in town and then take them over to the Yottie for a boogie and show off my new friends to everyone in town!
Simon Te Wheoro Sculpture, Painting, Te Moko www.toihauauru.com
How long have you been creating and how did you get where you are today? It has taken me 36 years to get to where I am today. Having being raised with the support and encouragement from a loving family and being submerged around influential people in my life as far as I can remember. Who or what are you influenced by? I find a lot of my influences have come from specific family members i.e my immediate family who are very artistic. My teachers and mentors whom I have been fortunate for Photo: Supplied them to have played a big part in my creativity. Also a huge influence has been from my Maori heritage and genealogical links to Aotearoa. What inspires your creativity? Inspiration for me stems from the environment I’ve been raised in, Whaingaroa Raglan within the shadows of my sacred mountain Karioi and its surrounding beauty. Having known that I descend from creative ancestry is an inspiring privilege in itself. I find myself inspired by Aotearoa and its histories wanting to acknowledge and raise awareness through my art works. Best or most fulfilling experience in your creative career so far? Would have to be establishing my business Toi Hauāuru Art Gallery & Studio in Whaingaroa, Raglan. Expressing myself as a Contemporary Maori visual artist working in three art mediums; paint, Tā Moko (Maori tattoo) and sculpture in wood and stone. What are you working on at the moment? So I am currently being commissioned by Creative Waikato to sculpt a sculpture out of Takaka marble to be apart of an exhibition titled ‘Kotahitanga through creativity’ project to help raise awareness around unity and its importance to eradicate racial discrimination. Best and worst thing about being a creative? The best thing about being an artist is acknowledging my culture and heritage and empowering people through the mediums I work in. The worst thing is that I lose sleep due to a heavy work load. I find myself full of creative ideas and that there is not enough time in the day to pursue them. How would you describe your perfect day? The perfect day for me is any day that involves water activity whether it be surfing, wake boarding, sailing, diving, boating, fishing or even just swimming with my loved ones. What is your most valued possession? I don’t consider myself to be a materialistic person, the things that mean the most to me are the things that can’t be replaced by money. My most valued possession would have to be my family, loved ones, those that have supported me and encouraged me to pursue my artistic career. If you could blink your eyes and be in a favourite place riright now, where would that be? Thats pretty easy to answer- would have to be on the water soaking up the healing properties of Tangaroa. Where would you like to find yourself in 10 years? I think in 10 years time id like to see my life still being involved in the arts exhibiting nationally and Internationally and doing what I love with the people that mean the most to me. Continuing to strive towards excellence. “When one flies first class, we all fly first class.”
Gin Wigmore
“I love playing shows. That's the time I have to really share what I am about.”
“I got down to business and started writing furiously. I wore my fingers down to a callous state writing with every Tom, Dick and Harry around the world, including a chap named Charlie who plays for a man named Bob, to wrestle my emotions and bring out the rawgrit hiding in my tightly guarded sub-conscious.”
“Writing music is such a freeing exercise, and it's really nice to play in that world of being confident, vengeful - getting back at all the bad boyfriends.”
“The beauty of being a musician is writing songs. That's the best part. It's therapeutic and honest and private.”
“I try not to think too much about where my voice comes from. I'm channeling characters and emotion to come up with beautiful words that tell a story.”
“I want to let everyone hear my music and enjoy it, but just as long as it's fun. I'll go as far as until it gets too much like a day job.” “I'd say the key thing is to remain true to what originally got you into music. When I wrote 'Hallelujah,' it ignited me to do music because of the love and joy that I got from writing that song. Down the road, you get all of these opinions from people; just remember what got you started in the first place.”
“I listened to John Denver and Simon & Garfunkel. Edith Piaf was a huge favourite. Then I discovered musicals - I loved 'Les Miserables' - and, at about 14, I started listening to David Gray.” "Now, we've got this pandemic and you know what, it's cool that I'm just breathing at this point... I'm just glad that I'm fortunate enough to have an existence on this planet that's flying around in space and that we really have no control over. It's feeling that kind of gratitude for just existing and being alive." Gin’s latest single “Hangover Halo” is out now www.ginwigmoremusic.com
How long have you been creating your pieces and how did you get where you are today? I started doing taxidermy about 10 years ago now. It started mostly as a hobby but then I got my first joint exhibition in 2013 with the very talented marten Ten Broek and from there I knew that my kitchen table wasn't going to cut it anymore and got my self a studio. I suppose that’s when I started to get a bit more serious about it….. Who or what are you influenced by? I get influence in parts by the Victorian era taxidermy as well as a more contemporary movement of artist called rogue taxidermy, I also like to put a modern twist on traditional taxidermy What inspires your creativity? when working on a specimen I get inspired largely by the very animal im working on. I find that once mounted each and everyone of them gets a little personality of their own and I usually go from there… Best or most fulfilling experience in your creative career so far? I would probably have to say that its when I sold my first piece of art,I never really saw myself as an artist so I just couldn’t believe that someone was actually willing to pay money for something I had made.. What are you working on at the moment? At the moment I am working on all sorts of new pieces in preparation for the raglan arts weekend that will take place on labour weekend, that weekend is awesome for raglan artists to showcase their work and for people from all over to come and meet artist in their work environment
Best and worst thing about being a creative/artist? Best: creating Worst: self doubt definitely but also for me probably pricing and selling, I love creating but selling is definitely not my strong suit… probably due to the self doubt part hahaha How would you describe your perfect day? I want to answer the with the perfect month, or even more like the perfect year where I could dedicate myself to my art alone, go on a remote island maybe great barrier with a couple freezer full of my dead stuff and just work on an exhibition with not very much distraction or day job. But if I really had to answer for one day I suppose to answer would be that the perfect day is a day where I do only exactly what I want to be doing that day, regardless of what that would be (it changes a lot depending on seasons and mood also which country I’m in) What is your most valued possession? My taxidermy peacock maybe, I always dreamed of doing one and it’s the first piece I ever kept for myself
Annick Faubert Taxidermy www.instagram.com/annickftaxidermyart
If you could blink your eyes and be in a favourite place right now, where would that be? Oh so many to choose, some I like for the landscape, some I like for the people, some for the culture and some for the nature, again depends on mood and season but its definitely summer or at least warm in that place…..but at this very time, probably Montreal, just because that’s where my family and lots of friends are and that’s where I was supposed to be if not for Covid…. Where would you like to find yourself in 10 years? I’m not much of a planner in that way, alive would be a good start
John Parker www.maddoxphotographynz.com
How long have you been photographing birds and how did you get to where you are today? I have always had a love for photography but it was the death of my middle child Maddox 4 years ago that drove me to pursue my passion for photography of New Zealand’s native birds. I have since spent hundreds of hours trying to showcase these birds in a way that make people feel that they were there with me on the photoshoot.
What inspires your creativity? After Maddox’s death I started to look at life differently and really appreciate the small things in life; the ones we usually just ignore, walk by without even noticing. A lot of my bird photos are attempting to capture these moments within the bird world.
Best and most fulfilling experience in your creative career so far. My Dad asked me to capture a photo of a Harrier Hawk (Kahu) at close range looking straight at the camera to be printed on his campervan. I pent 100’s of hours in a cold, wet, smelly, rat infested farmers burn off pile trying to capture this image. I finally got it only for my Dad to change his mind and choose one of my Gannet photos instead…grrr. It was also hugely rewarding to be recognised nationally and internationally for my work.
What are you working on at the moment? I’m currently working on a wetlands/seabird collection that will be featured at the Garden Art Studio, Cambridge later this year. I’m also always looking at better ways to improve my photography.
How would you describe your perfect day? Hands down my perfect day is a day with my wife and children in New Zealand’s great outdoors. The icing on the cake would be a couple of hours behind the camera late evening to finish it off.
If you could blink your eyes and be in a favourite place right now, where would you be? It would have to be Railay Bay, Thailand; if I could blink twice, it would have to be anywhere with heaps of birds. Where would you like to find yourself in 10 years? Probably snuggled up somewhere in Antarctica with a penguin, I haven’t photographed one yet. What 4 famous, dead or alive, would you invite for dinner? Paul Henry, Toni Street, Jack Black and Rebel Wilson; they all seem like a good laugh.
TRAVEL
Raglan
Celebrated for its’ never ending left hand surf break, black iron sand and artisan culture, Raglan’s food scene is often overlooked. But a road trip to this unique coastal town is well worth the drive if only to satisfy your palate.
Kayak to Eat Head out west towards the popular Ngaranui, Manu Bay and Whale Bay surf beaches and stop off at Rock-It Café on your way. An old shearing shed turned café, it has an all-day breakfast and superb Raglan Roast Coffee as
mined it was going to be theirs. “ We like Solscape because it fits our family values and lifestyle: sustainable use of resources and permaculture practices, sea based land and surf, in many ways Solscape reflects what Raglan is all about” Don’t forget to stop for lunch at Solscape’s onsite café ‘The Conscious Kitchen’. Offering a plant based menu with a range of options including vegan, most of their produce is harvested from their onsite permaculture gardens, “We want our meals to reflect what we have grown in our own organic gardens emphasising a 'garden to table' menu that is in harmony with the seasons.”
Previously open only in the Summer, John says he sees the potential to keep The Conscious Kitchen Granola with Rhubarb from The Shack open throughout the year, including winter weekends and holidays. well as Teas from Forage & Bloom. It also “This would seem to be a move favoured by the boasts a large outdoor deck and lawn, surround- local community.” ed by natives and water. On the way back in to town don’t miss The Food If you’re keen to work for your Rock-It meal, Department in Raglan West. Their pizza’s are jump on a Raglan Kayak at high tide from the mouth wateringly authentic, made by real Italian Bow Street Jetty in town. Take a 10 minute pad- chefs. They also sell tiramisu, gelato, lasagne dle alongside Toi Toi and Manuka banks, you’ll and pre-made gnocchi, ideal for a quick takesoon end up at Rock-Its’ expansive backyard, home meal. where you can paddle up and park your kayak while you enjoy a morsel from their organic wholefood menu. Be sure to watch the tide times though or you might be hitching a ride back to town. Further West along Wainui Rd, towering above Manu Bay with breathtaking views over Tasman Sea is Solscape, a unique eco accommodation housing recycled railway cabooses, earth domes, and eco baches. If “glamping” is more your thing they offer Tipi tents nestled amongst the lush New Zealand native bush. Owners Vanessa, Eli and John have recently taken ownership, having stayed there for many years as holidayers, when it came up for sale they were deterView from The Conscious Kitchen, Solscape
Seafood Chowder from the Wharf Kitchen & Bar
With a number of café’s in the town centre to choose from, long-time local eatery The Shack is a favourite. Their Granola with Tahini toasted seeds, nuts and oats, poached rhubarb and vanilla yoghurt mousse is a perfect start to the day. The popularity of The Shack however, means getting there early enough or you might miss out on a table. If it’s seafood you’re after you can’t go past The Wharf Kitchen and Bar, located at the Raglan wharf, it has some of the best seafood dishes in town, including a Seafood Plank with an enormous array of mouth watering seafood of all kinds. Their Kahawai and muscle Seafood Chowder is another menu favourite. Heading back in to town, finish things off with a drink at late-night hangout Isobar on the main road. Serving craft beer and boutique wine, it’s the best ending to a West Coast day.
Seafood Plank from the Wharf Kitchen and Bar
Kay Buchanan Leather work www.leathercreationsbykaybuchanan.com Photos: Kay Buchanan How long have you been creating your pieces and how did you get where you are today? I started making things over a decade ago, leatherwork became my primary focus, developing a love for tooling and carving, and for ancient craft. Perseverance has got me here. Who or what are you influenced by? I would say I first got in to leather from growing up with horses, and looking after horse gear, cleaning tack a lot. I loved tooled western style saddles and hats and boots. I always loved watching Western films, and reading fantasy novels as a child. Was definitely influenced by the medieval style when I was younger. My Japanese heritage is also a huge influence, my love and respect for dedicated craftmanship, and creating quality long lasting art inspired by Japanese culture. What inspires your creativity? Nature. Always. Best or most fulfilling experience in your creative career so far?
Creating pieces for clients that love them means so much to me. Each piece is uniquely handcrafted and special, and often my clients will ask for special symbolism to be carved into their custom made pieces. The happiness when my clients receive their commissions, and to see them wear and embody my work brings so much meaning to what I do. I also love that my work is often functional and useful. Though to be honest I love making wall art pieces, costume pieces and art for art’s sake too, as a metaphor for whatever I am inspired by or reflecting on in that moment. I also had the opportunity to work on a recent TV series The Letter for the King, in which I got to dress the horses and make horse costumes and costume props. That was a fun job, to be able to correlate horses as well as leather work, and be part of a team of creatives, shooting in some beautiful New Zealand locations.
What are you working on at the moment? At the moment I have a back log of commission work to get through, as well as opening a photography studio in Auckland at Karanga Ink on Karangahape Road. I have always worked as a freelance photographer alongside my leatherwork. Best and worst thing about being a creative/artist? Best thing is the diversity. Keeps things interesting. Finding and pursuing passion and inspiration. I love seeing ideas manifested into reality. Worst thing is the instability, pros and cons to everything I guess. Also as a creative the brain can become over activated with too many ideas, the trick is to reign that in somehow and focus on one thing at a time. I find my yoga practice really helps with that. I am a constant work in progress! How would you describe your perfect day? Waking up after a good sleep, drinking coffee, being somewhere incredibly beautiful in nature, breathing fresh air, going for a walk, doing some yoga, swimming in the ocean or a river, eating delicious food with dearest friends, sitting fire side under the stars, sharing stories and songs. Was that supposed to be about work? haha. On a work day, waking up with coffee, yoga practice, going into my workshop and seeing my work laid out and ready to keep working on is always a good feeling, there is a certain satisfaction in working for yourself, and seeing things come together is very satisfying indeed. I love listening to music and podcasts and audio books while I work. I
do enjoy the completion of a project. What is your most valued possession? At the moment my house truck. I love the freedom it gives me, and I love my tiny fire place inside. If you could blink your eyes and be in a favourite place right now, where would that be? Gosh that’s a tricky one. So many favourite places. Golden Bay in Summer time. Where would you like to find yourself in 10 years? Grateful. Joyful. With love. Without regret. Those are pretty good goals right? Successful enough in my career that I don’t have to worry about finances. Having fun. Laughing lots. Enjoying good food. With the people that I love the most. I’d like to see myself still seeing the humour in life. More of it actually. More humour. What four famous people, dead or alive, would you invite for dinner? Gosh this last question I can’t seem to be able to answer. What makes someone famous? My initial though was Ram Dass, sitting and sharing a meal with him would be lovely. I can think of a few comedians that would be entertaining. Or musicians, writers and artists, revolutionaries, psychologists, philosophers and scientists I’d love to have conversations with. But honestly, I‘d rather invite my nearest and dearest old friends around for dinner, famous or not ;-)
Take us through what it is you do/offer New Zealand Survival Academy is about the journey to re-wild people back into nature. By bringing people back to the very raw basics through primitive skills and knowledge of the natural world. We learn a deeper understanding about ourselves and what we are capable of; through foraging and survival based workshops. This builds huge amounts of confidence, and at the same time encourages people to remember ancestral roots and where we have come from. These workshops also aid people in developing an understanding of how much nature actually nourishes us, not only physically but mentally and spiritually as well. How did you get where you are today? What has your journey been to get to this point? Being brought up in rural Waikato, naturally the land has always called me to be a kaitiaki or guardian. My mother once owned one of New Zealand's largest herb gardens, so the plant knowledge was through pure immersion and exposure. Later on in life I joined the military and progressed into special forces and spent much of my spare time living in the bush learning to thrive rather than survive. Having been put through one of the worlds toughest survival courses, skills were either picked up fast or you learnt how to suffer. I chose to learn fast.
Who or what are you influenced by? Nature itself is my sole influence, she speaks a strong and loud language, this may not be the language we use everyday but if you sit quietly for periods of time and observe the patterns evolving around you. It becomes very clear the communication involved between the natural world of plants and sentient beings. This is often spoken directly to you. Best or most fulfilling experience in your career so far? Watching people venture with me into a remote piece of bush and fully embrace what is to offer. They seem to stand a little taller, prouder and are more confident with the new understandings of what they can achieve. Knowledge that if everything col-
Ashley Budd Survival Academy www.nzsurvival.com ding ring disappeared, this happens on a daily basis. Everything else I own is just ‘stuff’. If you could blink your eyes and be in a favourite place right now, where would that be? Great Barrier, close to the abundant sea and good people. Where would you like to find yourself in 10 years? Living off the land in rural Raglan. I would like to be contributing to the local community, running courses for at-risk youth, transitioning teenagers who need role-models into men and women who can become a strong, resilient part of the community we all need.
lapsed tomorrow and they lost their job or house.. they can live comfortably without any material possessions and at least could forage and feed their family for lunch the next day! What are you working on at the moment? I am clarifying my message and pushing it out to the wider New Zealand. It’s time to make an impact. So marketing, sharpening my arsenal of skills and developing new courses is my current focus. How would you describe your perfect day? After so many years in the military and being away from my family. My perfect day is spent solely focused on them. Besides being in the bush or wandering the outskirts of forests for mushrooms; this fills my heart and presses my reset button. What is your most valued possession? I would be gutted if my greenstone necklace perished, and may have a heart attack if my wed-
What four famous people, dead or alive, would you invite for dinner? Europe's oldest mummy, Otzi is from around 3400 BCE, he was found with mushrooms in his bag along with sophisticated primitive tools. Kupe’s Tohunga or (priest), Pekahourangi, the first Maori explorers to find Aotearoa. The person responsible for building Stonehenge and Jordan B. Peterson to spur the conversation to new levels. If I could bend the rules and add 1 more; Jamie Oliver to serve lunch that would be really great thanks.