Mobile Photography & Art – ‘Intimate Interview’ with Armineh Hovanesian from California, United States
We have decided to launch a new intimate style of interview into TheAppWhisperer – the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website. We feel it is important that our community feel close to each other, as it is this support that helps us to nurture one another, gain confidence and continue to grow.
This is our ninth interview, to read the others, please go here. Today, we are publishing this delightful, profound and entertaining interview with multi-talented digital mobile artist, Armineh Hovanesian, and by no coincidence, she also happens to be our Editor for our Mobile Photography and Art Food column, Beet Around the Bush. Enjoy.
All images ©Armineh Hovanesian
What was your childhood or earliest ambition?
My problem was that I had too many objectives! I was curious and anything that interested me was something I delved into. The one aspiration that remained unchanged was the love of photography. I’ve always been a “seer without a camera” and photography is the one medium that can transfer the image in my mind into the minds of people you may never meet.
‘Channeling Man Ray’
First Recognition
My first major recognition was my very first mobile photography exhibition at Modest Fly Gallery in November of 2011.
First job?
I always laugh at this but my very first job was selling Avon products when I was 16! It didn’t last long because my dislike for being a sales person became evident.
‘A Light Violet to Moderate Purple’
Private or state school?
Both. I went to private Armenian schools in Tehran until 10th grade. After we relocated to the United States, I went to my neighbourhood’s public high school for 2 years and that’s where I received my diploma.
University or Work?
Both. I studied Interior Designing for one year, worked at a bank as a teller then went to a Radio/TV Broadcasting school and got my certification.
‘In search of identity’
Who was or still is your mentor?
I cannot pinpoint just one person. My aunt was my first mentor and she taught and nurtured me immensely (she still does to this day). My own life experiences, books and friends have played the role of a mentor in my life.
How physically fit are you?
So-so! I am not as active as I was or like to be. I have grown lazy and need to snap out of this stagnation!
‘Shedding’
Ambition or Talent: What matters more to success?
Of course talent is vital however one needs to be fuelled by ambition. In my opinion, ambition is the desire to escape mediocrity. Ambitious people understand that there are no short cuts and it is only their persistence that will get them what they want. They put it all on the line, not letting any instance of drive go ignored because they know this is what they must use to make sure most of their time is dedicated to getting closer and closer to their dream.
My ambition has brought me where I am today in the mobile community.
How politically committed are you?
I have always been politically savvy and up-to-date with daily occurrences. I am cautiously optimistic about human history and the future of humanity in the world we live in today! I feel that we are on a regressive phase presently, in certain respects, with the rise of right-wing populist movements in the United States, Britain (Brexit), and several other democracies in recent years.
‘Time Stood Still’
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
A few million dollars ☺
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Shoes, books and music.
‘But I Want To’
In what place are you happiest?
Paris, Yerevan and Lisbon. The three cities where I feel free, happy and at home.
‘Dreaming of Flight’
What ambitions do you still have?
Mastering my skills with film and digital photography.
What drives you on?
My curiosity first and foremost. Coming up with creative ideas to improve something, or make something new. Dreaming for bigger and better things.
‘Hanging out at Mirzoyan’
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
My daughter.
Besides my daughter, all the awards and recognitions I have received in the past 10 years.
‘Screened Beauty’
What do you find most irritating in other people?
People who interrupt others in a middle of a conversation.
People who insist on being right all the time and who constantly correct others.
People who flaunt their knowledge in complex jargon, using big words, or making obscure references that other people in the conversation might not know.
People who constantly brag about themselves.
If your 20 year old self could see you now, what would she think?
I think she’d be flabbergasted that I’m working for a corporation however she’d be very proud of all my accomplishments.
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?
Would sanity qualify as an object?!!
‘I Dreamt I was a Panther’
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Greed. Nothing else but greed that has ruined our world.
Do you believe in an afterlife?
Yes and no. The spiritual part of me believes that souls live on and are reincarnated. The realist in me shrugs off the mere thought. If only there was proof.
‘Grow Old Along With Me; the Best is Yet To Be’
If you had to rate your satisfaction with your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
I suppose I’d give it a 7!
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
