INSIDE AN ARTIST’S MIND: DINA BROADHURST
THE QUICK INTRO…
- Describe yourself in three words…
Spontaneous, passionate and interested.
- One hidden quirk no one knows about you…
I am actually very shy and most people don’t see this about me…
- How did you get to where you are today?
It was an unplanned dream that just snowballed after I started to believe it: to put myself (my work) on show and not be afraid to be imperfect or “ready”. I realized I needed to grow and develop with everyone watching, rather than waiting for the perfect time or plan.
- Describe your creative style or angle in your work…
I would say my work and style are very structured and layered, while seemingly simple. There are many underlying elements that challenge when you are in the mood to dive under the skin of the work, or beautiful on the surface when you just want to be inspired or switch off from the heaviness of life.
LET US PICK YOUR BRAIN ON…
- What your studio is filled with…
My studio is filled with anything I love or am fascinated with. A colour, a flower, a foil wrapper, a collection of magazines, an old book of poems, a pile of crushed glass from the street, a broken tile on a beach, a piece of fabric, some handwriting. I’m like a bowerbird, whatever takes my interest from the outside world I’ll carry it to my inner sanctuary, big or small if I can, otherwise a photograph of it. And, when it comes into play I don’t even know. That is the beauty of all the puzzle pieces. Putting them together immediately or years from the day they were found.
- Current workday playlist you are listening to…
I’m so into Flume, an electronic musical and artistic genius.
- Your inspirations to get your creative juices flowing…
Browsing images gets my creative juices flowing. I then can’t help myself to want to change them up and dissect their meaning and the way they are viewed, creating new images to inspire others, so the circle goes round and round.
- How long it takes you from start to finish on one of your amazing artworks?
Time is irrelevant and never consistent. Something that even happens instantly, once complete you can analyse and see where it came from and how I got there and realise what an in-depth journey it was to arrive at the result. Some things take so much time and never get there. And the endless ideas that are rolled around my mind and don’t even make it out. It’s as if there isn’t enough time in the day! Time and space for that matter…
- What was the first-ever artwork you sold?
The first artwork I ever sold was a competition for Coca-Cola that I entered in high school. After the work was exhibited, they purchased it for their archives. It was a sculpture of 6 bottles lined up in a triangle formation like a set of bowling pins, each bottle a different primary or tertiary colour. My mum still claims they used my artwork years later as the idea when they released the coloured bottles ha! My biggest supporter 
- If you could collaborate with anyone, (brand, artist or person) who would it be…
I would love to collaborate with the powerhouse brand Celine. Their label is of the most outstanding quality and design and their advertising is so contemporary and forward thinking. It’s everything!
- What is the process involved when you are collaborating with someone for a project?
Collaborating with other like-minded and creative people is something that keeps me ever-so stimulated and is such an important aspect for me as a creative. To open up to new audiences and be directed or edited by another eye when you usually work with free reign is a different challenge and one that I would never want to cut myself off from. However, with collaborating it is never just about the brand or the image. The other person or parties also have to be on my wavelength or it just ends up something that is never going to work.
- Biggest achievements to date…
I think to date my biggest achievement is that I have done it all alone so far. Although, I think I’m at the point of wanting a manger
- Do you have a favourite amongst your collection?
I don’t have a favourite as it would be different by the time this interview goes live! I’m constantly changing my mind, even when I do selects or edits on my images, I never delete or close the door on rejected shots as I always come back to them. Depending on my mood, purpose or recent influences or subconscious effects, I will invariably make a different choice or a different crop etc. It’s all about my process continuously evolving. Change is within my choices too. That’s the beauty of living!
10. The best business advice you have ever been given…
I have no business advice other than nothing comes easy…(which I completely agree with!) You have to live and breathe what you do to be a success.
11. If you could share a tent with anyone, past or present…
I am only just finally learning it’s about time to keep my private life that. Private
12. The advice you would give to your 18 year-old self…
Don’t say no to any of life’s experiences. Good and bad, light and shade – it all makes the complete package.
