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Interviews,  INTERVIEWS,  IntImate Interview,  News

Mobile Photography & Art – ‘Intimate Interview’ with Alon Goldsmith from Los Angeles, 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.

Today, we are publishing this fresh, enlightening and accessible interview with Alon Goldsmith from Los Angeles, California. This is our twenty seventh interview, to read the other published interviews in this series including artists, Adria Ellis, Rino Rossi, Mehmet Duyulmus, Alexis Rotella, Lou Ann Sanford Donahue, Irene Oleksiuk, Kerry Mitchell, Filiz Ak, Dale Botha, Lisa Mitchell, M. Cecilia Sao Thiago, Deborah McMillion, Rita Colantonio, Amy Ecenbarger, Jane Schultz, Anca Balaj, Joyce Harkin, Armineh Hovanesian, Kate Zari Roberts, Vicki Cooper, Peter Wilkin, Barbara Braman, Becky Menzies, Sukru Mehmet Omur, Sarah Bichachi, Michel Pretterklieber and myself, go here.

All images ©Alon Goldsmith

First Recognition

When I was five, I packed my pyjamas in my satchel, and informed Miss Price, my first grade teacher who I was totally in love with, that I was sleeping at her. She phoned my mom, and it was arranged for me to have a sleepover at her apartment in Hillbrow. We drove to school in her red Mini the following morning, and when school started, she sat me on her lap and told the class about our lovely encounter. What happens in Hillbrow stays in Hillbrow. Just kidding, she was totally gallant and thoroughly appropriate. I recently tracked her down in Australia. Swoon.

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First Job

Pizza chef. I was 17 years old and living in Jerusalem. The restaurant was called the Pizza Barn and was owned by two American brothers. Andy was battle scarred and a little insane and his brother, whose name eludes me, had a head for numbers and a questionable beard. Pizza Barn was the answer to my secret question online for about a decade if you can believe that. Close your eyes and picture me slinging dough high above my head for 70 cents an hour.

Private or State school?

King David was very much a private school. A Jewish day school — more secular than religious.I was there from preschool all the way through high school. I had a really good school experience but some were not so lucky thanks to the resident pedophile who also happened to be the vice principal. He went unpunished for decades until karma got the better of him and he flamed out under unpleasant circumstances.

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University or Work?

I was fortunate enough to study English literature at the Hebrew University — go figure. I loved every second of it although one could argue that my studies left me a little unprepared for an immediate career and I drifted through life without a compass for a couple of dozen years before finding a modicum of direction in the world of advertising as a writer.

Who was or is still is your mentor?

No one really but by friend Selwyn asked me to pencil him in.

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How physically fit are you?

The last time I went for a run was in Sachar Park in 1984. I also worked out 7 or 8 times in the winter of 89 at a small establishment on Santa Monica Boulevard above the video store where I worked for way too long. That said, I play scrabble a lot and ride my bicycle most days for an hour or more.

Ambition or talent: What matters more to success?

Depends what happens to you in your particular life. But let’s not forget the all important third factor — luck.

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How politically committed are you?

I used to rant a lot against the Führer in the White House. (If the word offends you, feel free to replace the “h” and the “r” with a “c” and a “k”.) So much so, that a couple of years back, my friends and family performed an informal intervention in the name of lowering my blood pressure and making me presentable in polite company. Lately I’ve been harnessing my political passions in the form of a couple of photography projects that I’m extremely excited about.

What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?

I become less and less materialistic as the years go by, but I do lust after an around-the-world ticket that never expires, the soon-to-be-released VW Campervan and some photo gear.

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What’s your biggest extravagance?

Crispy Albacore Tuna Sashimi from Fin, a rather delightful restaurant around the corner from our house. Simply sublime.

In what places are you happiest?

The Zone.

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What ambitions do you still have?

To get things right.

What drives you on?

My family and friends, and the spirit of creativity and adventure.

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What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?

Lennon and Noa.

What do you find most irritating in other people?

The drive to vote against their own self interest.

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If your 20 year old self could see you now, what would he think?

What’s taking you so long?

Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?

A Beatles purse from 1965, a David Bowie box set of picture disk seven singles and my Artley flute that got stolen about 25 years ago.

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What is the greatest challenge of our time?

45

Do you believe in an afterlife?

Absolutely not, because then I’d have to believe in the idea of a before-life, and that’s patently absurd.

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If you had to rate your satisfaction with your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?

Much like the stock market, it fluctuates wildly.

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Contact Details for Alon Goldsmith

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Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: joanne@theappwhisperer.com

One Comment

  • Carol Wiebe

    OMG, Alon—your interview made me laugh out loud any number of times. I am in agreement with your politics and world view—who needs another führer? You would think one of those would be enough, and yet people do continue vote against their own self interest. Perhaps they are drawn to similar personalities.

    I am jealous of your answer “The Zone” and shall forthwith use it as my own.

    My only disagreement is with your dismissal of both a BeforeLife and an AfterLife. I have read very convincing arguments for both, by highly intelligent and compassionate people. But I have no need to argue with you—to me our present life is patently absurd! And I will add that you were OBVIOUSLY a knight in one of your BeforeLives.

    I know you will keep creating, as you are addicted to the Zone, as am I.
    Thank goodness for that—it helps to prevent drowning beneath the crashing waves in that state of wild fluctuation you reside in.