KL:
Any ideas for something cohesive you could create
by fusing together all your different passions
- surfing, photography, massage, the environment,
people…?
JC: I would love to build a big commune of friends,
whether its a big hotel or a small motel or something,
and turn all the rooms into studios and have all
my friends living there doing their creative thing,
their art. And it would be neat to turn it into
a magazine, maybe a conscious magazine or something,
printed on recycled paper, something different
and inspiring to others. And have a big garden
in the backyard, and be able to go to the surf
close by. Or creating a great café with
really good food, sustainable, organic, where
people could come, do internet or whatnot, have
live music, maybe a wine bar in the evenings,
have massage in the back, or upstairs with a hair
dressing salon. Or I'd love to put a movie together
with different people's lives that kinda touches
on all those different parts of me. That's a good
question, gets me thinking.
KL:
Sounds like you’ve thought about it. Do
you ever feel controlled by the surf industry,
like you can't escape its power?
JC: Yeah.
KL:
How come?
JC: Because it's always like the carrot is dangling,
it's going be a better around the corner. And
you know, I want to go on more trips. They hold
the money that could help out with trips, the
industry, and keeping us sustained by working
in the industry, by being a part of it. So yeah,
it's tough; it'd be fun to have the life of a
pro surfer, like the clothing companies lead you
to believe. But sometimes I want to just get a
regular kick back job at a café, live out
of my car, or in a tent, haha, but then at the
same time, it's really fun to be a role model
and be recognized as being a good athlete and
to be accepted by the surf industry. I guess in
any industry you want to be at the top, at least
I do, to be the best at what I do.
KL:
Why do you think there are so few shots of women
in surf magazines?
JC: Maybe because there aren't as many female
surfers meeting up with photographers and going
shooting. Maybe they don't know how to go about
it or who to go shoot with. Or maybe they don't
think they are good enough, although they should;
there are so many rippers out there. Or maybe
the industry is still timid to run good shots
of women? But no, if they have good shots of girls,
they'll run them, I think, right? I don't know
it still is an industry run by the guys and I'm
not really sure why.
KL:
Do the female surfers you know shoot photos a
lot?
JC: Well I think that sometimes there is no point
to it. It's cool to be in a magazine, and it's
kind of addicting and fun to create art with another
photographer, it's so beautiful and fun to be
the subject of that art and everything, but it's
a job. But it's tough to keep doing it if you
don't have a sponsor giving you photo incentive.
There is less incentive to go and do a job without
pay, not that many girls are sponsored or have
any reason to go shoot. Not much comes out of
it for them.
KL:
What do you think we female surfers should all
be working toward? In your opinion, what would
be the ideal situation for all of us?
JC: I think it'd be really neat to see a big tour
around the world, with not just surfing, but kinda
a festival type atmosphere, located on the beach,
with longboarding, shortboarding, riding fishes,
kinda an expression thing, with art and music
and skateboarding involved and you know environmental
activism. So maybe there is a traveling crew,
like the ASP, whose job is to put on these events
around the world. Because I think it's really
empowering when women see other women doing these
kind of things that are independent and athletic
and artsy, and they are out there in the world…
haha, "out there in the world…."
Anyhow, I think it would be sweet to combine forces.
I'd love to travel with the shortboarders, I hear
they're kinda crazy. I think teaching surfing
is key too, bringing people into the sport. Showing
people about the ocean and getting them through
waves and duckdiving, and catching rides, I think
that's really important to give back too, and
not keep it so separated from the people who want
to try and surf. Because having tried it brings
more interest into the sport, and it's not going
to get crazy crowded. Not that many people can
live on the coast and get to the beach. You know,
it's such a….a sport of queens, haha, that
I don't think we're gonna have a problem with
crowds, if anything, people will take care of
the ocean more, being more connected to it. So
yeah a festival kinda thing, with surf lessons,
skateboarding, photography and dance parties at
night, with BBQ's and bonfires!
Julie Cox Interview
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