Mobile Photography & Art – ‘Intimate Interview’ with Linda M Toki from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States
Linda Toki speaks volubly about herself in our thirty third interview of our new intimate series, she discloses her artistic fantasies, ambitions and her significant achievements. This interview draws on Toki as an artist and succeeds powerfully with her art adding elemental pleasure mixed with a very healthy splashing of humour adorning the page.
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, Alon Goldsmith, Judy Lurie Whalberg, Andrea Bigiarni, Sean Hayes, Oola Cristina, Kathleen Magner-Rios and myself, go here.
All images ©Linda M Toki
What was your childhood or earliest ambition?
I wanted to be many things. I read encyclopaedias and National Geographic magazine as a child so: artist, architect, costume designer, set designer, and archaeologist!
First Recognition?
In art: high school regional art competition. I won first place with a tapestry sized batik of a dragon.
First Job?
I was a summer recreation and arts/crafts counselor for underprivileged children. It was very rewarding to help kids excel in things they may not have had in regular school or just not had time for period.
Private or State School?
I went to high school in western Pennsylvania. It is a mountainous semi-rural area. I spent most of my years in the art room or stage.
University or Work?
I graduated from the Indian University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Art Education and a minor in art history and jewellery making.
Who was or still is your mentor?
My mentors: my dad Stephen Toki who passed in 2005, my high school art teacher Ben Manotti, my first photography teacher William Folsom. Since then, I learn from everyone I encounter on the internet or IRL.
How physically fit are you?
Pffft. I do have a swimming goal though. I hate water. I can swim but I still hate it.
Ambition or Talent? What matters more to success?
Both are important when used without ego. Destroy your ego. It gets in the way. You cannot grow if you think you are “all that” already. I don’t compete. I know what I bring to the table. Life unfolds for you as a matter of how you treat people and interact with the world, not being king or queen of photography. Being a good person and making a difference in the life of another human being or helping the planet is real success.
How politically committed are you?
I have a solid sense of what is right and wrong.
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
Nothing.
What is your biggest extravagance?
I can’t think of anything I didn’t deserve!
What places are you the happiest?
My house with my dogs. Running the roads by myself and taking pics. And in my own mind.
What ambitions do you still have?
Develop my property as a living photo studio, cake decorating, own a shop in Gettysburg, developing my farmette and going to farmer’s markets…..I have a list.
What drives you on?
Helping people. Connecting people. I feel driven to care for and heal this piece of property that I own and influencing others to do the same. We cannot continue poisoning the earth and each other.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
Raising a son who is an excellent human being. Oh, and making people laugh.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
Intolerance, not enough MYOB.
If your 20-year old self could see you now, what would she think?
“Dad’s proud of you.” Kind of an inside remark…..my dad used to say this when he was proud of us.
Which object that you’ve love do you wish you still have?
Nothing really. I have my box of magical objects from over the years. Maybe a little blue plastic mermaid that my grandmother gave me! I often think about that. I don’t know why. It seemed magical!
Do you believe in an afterlife?
Absolutely. The soul is infinite energy traveling through time and space.
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Saving the planet. Global warming.
If you had to rate your satisfaction with your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
11 because 11 is my number.
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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)
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