The Beauty in Beginnings

Ang has been thinking about the beauty of beginnings, and it reminded her of the very first documentary they ever filmed with artist Josephine Jakobi.

There are times in life when we pause to reflect, often after a big birthday, a milestone, or a moment of change.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the beauty of beginnings. Those moments when you’re not striving for perfection, not trying to impress anyone, just simply trying.

It reminded me of the very first documentary we ever filmed at Take Two.

We travelled to East Gippsland, Victoria, to spend two days with the beautiful artist Josephine Jakobi. I’d first met her at a live event, and I was captivated by her artwork, yes, but also by the way she spoke about her process. Later, I learnt she calls herself a “process artist,” because for her, it’s not really about the finished piece (though they are stunning). It’s about the making.

Ang interviewing Josephine Jakobi

So Daniel (my husband) and I packed our car with a few rudimentary lights, a video camera, a tripod, an iPhone, and headed to her studio. In our excitement, we even got a speeding ticket on the way. I remember walking into Josiphine's straw bale studio, which she built by hand with her husband, for the first time and just being in awe, wanting to capture everything. We didn’t have fancy gear. But we had a vision. At one point, I was literally sitting on the bonnet of our car, iPhone in hand, filming as Daniel slowly drove up her driveway so we could get a moving shot.

Josephine was so gracious and playful about it all. And when I look back on that little film now, it still fills me with pride and joy. It’s not perfect, but it tells a beautiful story, and it was created straight from the heart.

And that’s what I wanted to share with you:

There’s a real beauty in being scrappy. Not in the sense of messy work, but in being resourceful. You don’t need the best tools, the perfect plan, or all the answers. You just have to start. Right where you are, with what you’ve got.

That’s all you can really do as an artist: tell your story, in your way, from the position you’re in right now.

And you never know what’s possible from there.

You can view our first documentary ever here…