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Overview
What would you do if you were a little less freaked out by consequences? Would you talk to more new people, fear a bit less, dance a little more like FKA Twigs, quit your desk job and start that no-guarantees creative career you've always had in the back of your mind?
Some sparkling young Australians are already flinging their inhibitions into a ziplock bag and seizing this little ol' life with both hands. Concrete Playground has teamed up with the Jameson crew to give you a sneak peek into the lives of bold characters who took a big chance on themselves. They've gone out on a limb and rewritten their path, encapsulating 'Sine Metu', the Jameson family motto which translates to 'without fear' — getting outside your comfort zone and trying something new. After all, we only get one shot at this. Take notes.
Who doesn't want to watch movies all day, and get paid for the privilege? That's not all Kate Jinx does as the director of programming at Sydney's Golden Age Cinema and Bar; however finding challenging features you wouldn't see elsewhere and championing under-appreciated classics really is how she has made a living since the boutique theatrette opened in September 2013. It's what Kate herself calls "a ridiculous job", and given that she previously studied graphic design then lectured in the field, worked for record labels as well as triple j and FBi Radio, it almost didn't happen. Of course, you don't give up the great gig of designing album covers, start chatting about movies on the radio, and then score the dream position of programming an indie cinema without channelling a little Sine Metu.
LISTEN TO YOUR INNER CHILD, EVEN IF SHE'S SKIPPING SCHOOL
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a question all kids are asked, but when Kate was a child, it was a fondness for skipping school that provided her with the best answer. Whenever she could, she would miss class to indulge in her cinema obsession — aka watch Bill Collins' midday film on TV. "I was always coming down with something so that I could stay home and watch a movie," she says.
Kate didn't quite take heed of her younger self straight away, though — and, let's face it, who really thinks they're going to be able to make watching movies their actual job? Instead, she leapt into graphic design, worked for triple- j and forged the kind of career others might be envious of, until she recognised that something was missing.
MAKE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES — AND ANSWER THE PHONE WHEN IT RINGS
Kate realised that graphic design was work for her, and that her out-of-hours film pursuits were her real passion. hosting a movie-focused show on Sydney's FBi Radio — initially called Too Much, and then Picture Show — was filling up all of her free moments, while her designer peers were spending "all their time reading about it [graphic design] and researching, and going to conferences, and talking to other designers about what they were doing and the best new typeface.
"Every hour I wasn't being a designer at triple j, I was putting into this radio show that I wasn't being paid for. And who knew if there was anyone apart from my dad listening to it? But I just found myself always doing those other things, and eventually I decided to transition into doing that full time."
Changing course from the career you went to university for — particularly when you've been enjoying more than a small amount of success in your chosen field — is a big, bold, bad-ass move. Not only did Kate put her nose to the grindstone and turn her FBi Radio experience into a regular gig — something that would see her interviewing everyone from Miranda July to Steven Soderbergh — but she paved the way for more opportunities to come — everything from film criticism, to DJing to working on her PhD on archival cinema. Indeed, it was Kate's pursuit of film not just as a hobby but as a full-time profession, that lead her to Golden Age. "It was through doing that radio show that I got into film curation," Kate recalls. "I just got a phone call out of the blue one day asking if I wanted to curate a cinema that was about to open. And you know, I thought it was a prank call at first. It's not every day that you get a call like that."
REMEMBER, IT'S CALLED DIY CULTURE FOR A REASON
Kate's determination to chase her dreams was less of a choice and more a culmination of a life spent challenging the norm and going after whatever she set her mind upon.. In fact, that's just how she has handles everything. If she wants to make something happen, it's under way.
Anyone that has glimpsed over her Golden Age programming choices over the years — including showing Aussie punk flick Dogs in Space on the venue's opening weekend, and hosting Sydney's only screenings of Iranian feminist vampire western A Girl Who Walks Home Alone At Night — can see how that attitude influences her professionally.
"I was so inspired by DIY culture," says Kate. "I wanted to be a writer, so I made zines. And then I wanted to be involved in music, so I put on a night and DJ-ed and learnt to DJ. It was just that sort of idea of just going after what you want. And trying really hard not to feel like an imposter or feel too scared to voice your opinion if it's a bit different."
With an approach like that, it's little wonder that Kate has scored not just her fantasy job, but everyone else's (if you're not jealous of how she spends her days, then we think you're fibbing). That's what a DIY ethos and a willingness to stray away from the safe path can achieve, as Kate has demonstrated in everything from selling her own zines in record stores, to putting on film-based performances, to screening Ukrainian sign-language drama The Tribe, a movie that Golden Age's audiences both loved and were left speechless by. She may have had "about four careers" by now, as she freely acknowledges, but they've all lead her to doing what she loves. In fact, the only fear she has about her decisions to date is of "one day not having a job that I love this much."
Want to experience a little bit of 'Sine Metu' yourself? Thanks to Jameson and The Rewriters, one extremely fortunate Concrete Playground reader (and their even more fortunate mate) will get the chance to 'fear less' and go on a big ol' adventure to Ireland.
In addition to two return flights departing from your choice of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, this epic giveaway comes with five night's accommodation and $500 spending money you can use to paint the Emerald Isle red.
For more about how 'Sine Metu' influenced John Jameson's journey visit Jameson's website.