Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Interview - Jessica Bell
(AKA The Alliterative Allomorph)

Jessica Bell, also known as the Alliterative Allomorph, is with us here today! Did I just hear a small voice in the back asking who Jessica Bell is? 
Who, you ask?! 
Check out the following links and get acquainted with this wonderful multi-talented writer:
(-The Alliterative Allomorph blog)
(- Jessica’s personal website)
(-Jessica’s music)

So lets get started with one of Jessica’s favorite songs from her repertoire: 


[All the pictures over the music are embedded into the interview below, so I recommend just launching the music and scrolling on down]
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01 Meet the Alliterative Allomorph
AW: Aloha Jessica. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today.
JCB: Thanks for having me!
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AW: Let skip the basic questions that are readily answered on your blog, your website, and in your books- as we’ll all see as soon as they get published...
So instead, could you tell us about your creative approach?

JCB: I’m always seeking ways to unbottle emotion, usually emotion that is too ‘volatile’ to express on an everyday basis – if I did, I’d probably drive everyone around me insane. When one art form ceases to fulfill my need, I move onto another for a while. I’ll always come full circle back to the beginning though, and I’ll always end up spending the most time on writing.

More often than not, melancholy sparks the need to create – especially music wise. But I’ve noticed, since I’ve started writing, sadness and loneliness are not the only forces that drive me. When I write, I experience a more solid fulfillment than I do through any other art form, which in itself causes me to feel a whole new array of emotions anyway; emotions that take me far far way from my typical melancholia. And I get precious glimpses of happiness and highs when I’m satisfied with what I’ve created, which can last for days. I suppose writing to me is like a drug. I’m addicted. Usually when I write music, I feel worse. I think that’s why I’ve taken such a long break from it – a whole year now to be exact.

Before I started writing my only consistent outlet was music. But I soon realised it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t express exactly how I felt. I think that was because I was limited by my weak guitar skills. I never learnt how to play properly. I taught myself how to play and write music by ear.
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AW: From 2002 to 2004 you were isolated on Ithaca, a small Greek island in the Ionian sea; in that time you’ve said that you pushed yourself to “grow creatively”. Could you tell us about that experience?
JCB: Ah, that time. HA! Horrible period for me. I was in my early twenties and desperate to get my life started but I was stuck on Ithaca, which was my only safe haven from getting deported back to Australia. I was waiting for my residency permit, which I was told would take two months, but took two years due to rampant court and lawyer strikes and arbitrary differences between details on my legal documents vs. my parents’. I was only allowed to stay in the country for six months with a tourist visa, so I couldn’t leave without paying a whopping fine and being forbidden from reentering the country. I couldn’t get a job. I couldn’t do anything but stay put until I was legal.

Anyway, to cut a long story short. I was BORED and needed to use my brain. In that time, I wrote my first book (which I eventually erased from my hard drive because it was, for lack of a better word, SHITE!); I wrote and recorded an entire album, and also wrote various poems and lyrics which I never ended up using.
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AW: It’s hard to miss that your creative output, your photography, your music, your writing, balances positive and negative energy; that you dare to represent imperfection as well as beauty. How representative of your worldview is that?
JCB: Wow. What an amazing question. Well, firstly, one cannot exist without the other. I try to represent the reality of what lies before me, so yes, it is totally representative of my worldview.

This balance is what I call honesty. Honesty fascinates me because I think it is ‘the’ most difficult human value to portray realistically. In my writing I endeavor to create a real world, an honest world, a world where imperfection is beautiful merely because it is real. Imperfection cannot be masked. One way or another, a person’s imperfections will be revealed, no matter how hard they try to hide them. In fact, I believe the more one does try to hide their imperfections, the more they show. So why try to hide them?
02 Jessica looking cool
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AW: You have several things to share with us, would you care to comment about what we’ll be seeing?
JCB: Ok, you’ve already seen photos 1 and 2 that are a part of a collection of self-portraits called ‘waves’. I took these pictures of myself as promo shots for my new album, which I co-wrote and recorded with my mother, entitled Mess of Me. Each shot features some form of a ‘wave’: for instance, the cover of my album (see photo 3) is of an actual wave in negative format, and also because it metaphorically stands for ‘sound waves’…
03 Wave

Photo 4 is of a sunrise from the ferry leaving Ithaca. Nothing special about that, I just thought it was beautiful and wanted to capture it. Though I have to add, I like the main features in landscape photographs to be on the side, for some reason. That probably says something about my personality, but I couldn’t say what.
04 Leaving Ithaca
Photos 5 and 6 are in the mountains in Kalavrita, a couple of hours out of Athens. These mountains are more than 1000 meters above sea level. The sun was desperate to be noticed behind the clouds that day. The shots were just waiting to be taken.
05 Kalavrita

For number six, I really wanted to capture all of that open flat space below, with the family playing in it and the little cabin. It shows just how vast and wide the land is there and how so much space tempts you to run and play in it. Just like when you are a kid, and autumn leaves are covering the ground and you want to interrupt its peace, make your mark.
06 Kalavrita

This next picture is of a place in Northern Greece called Meteora. Meteora means "suspended rocks", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above". There are six monasteries which are built right on the tips of these natural sandstone rock pillars. These were built approx 9th Century AD more than 550m high. How? Hmmm ... now try to convince me that aliens don't exist ...
 07 Meteora
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AW: On a lighter note, congratulations on your betrothal! By the way, I’ve read you have a dog, what’s its name? Do you have any fun dog-owner anecdotes to share?
JCB: Betrothal? Haha, it’s no biggie. Just a legal document that’s going to allow me to stay in Greece permanently and allow S and I to lead an easier life. It has nothing to do with love. Love was present before and remains unchanged after the dreaded signed piece of paper. : )

My dog’s name is Holly [pic. 8]. She’s three years old. Anecdotes? Erm ... well, through the eyes of Holly: "A door is what I am perpetually on the wrong side of."
08 Holly looking picturesque

AW: Thanks again for answering all these questions Jessica. You have my best wishes on your publishing endeavors.
JCB: Thank you so much!
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And for more Jessica, hop on over to Zoe Courtman’s for the current the (pen?)"ultimate interview" of the famed Alliterative Allomorph.

18 comments:

  1. Thanks so much Alesa! This was so much fun! :o) Mwah!

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  2. Great interview Alesa!! Did a great job showing us how multi-dimensional and talented Jessica is! so glad to be able to call her a friend!

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  3. Great interview!

    Oh! And I really like the song too, which surprises the heck out of me because I don't ordinarily like female singers. (I know, I know) But I did really like it and I'm not just saying that!

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  4. Yeeaahhh Jess!!! Fantastic pics and interview! Love this girl:)

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  5. I loved getting to know more about Jess! Thanks for sharing and for the great interview questions Alesa!

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  6. hi miss jessica! all i could say is wow! you got soooo much ways for saying who you are. i dont know why but i could feel lots of sadness from inside your words. i think some day your gonna be real famous. one thing i want to know is how you ended up in greece all the way from australia. i like knowing you lots better.
    ...hugs from lenny

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  7. Hi Lenny! Thanks for reading! My step father is Greek. I've been coming here since I was two years old for holidays! :o)

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  8. Great interview!!! I love learning more about you... you are so interesting!!! Love the pictures and I'm loving Holly's pose, she's fantastic!!

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  9. Great interview! We LOVE Jessica! Man those photos make Greece look beautiful.

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  10. Dude. You ask really freakin GOOD, out-of-the-box questions. Nice job! And I luurrved the photos and the song. Go, y'all! (and thanks for the plug!)

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  11. Wow, this is JessicaInterviewpalooza! Those picts are great, and I love the self portrait. On to Zoe's!

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  12. I have to get used to the idea that my fellow blogger is a multitalented artist. I enjoyed getting to know you better too.

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  13. Ahoy Alli Allo! You're welcome so much! : j What does mwah mean?
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    Howdy Slushpile Slut. Thanks for the kind words. I reckon I didn't do much, just let Jessica show a bit of who she is. ; j
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    Heya Vicki, and welcome to the gold miners.
    In this, your taste is like Jessica's she likes that one too, in fact she choose it for the interview. ; j
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    Ola Candace. Thanks for stopping by. Did you stop by the merchandising booth to pick up an Alli Allo T-shirt? ; j
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    Nihaome Katie. It was a pleasure. I especially enjoyed breaking into that secret government facility to secure all those facts... Erm. I guess I only dreamt that. ; j
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    Hello Lenny. Thanks for stopping by.
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    Kia ora Jen! Wow that's a lot of exclamation marks! : j That is a cool shot Holly isn't it, it really looks like she's posing for the camera. Perhaps she is?
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    Privet Mathew. Ha, I can only echo Jessica, Greece IS beautiful! : j
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    Nga'aiho Zoe! You were my role model as I did this interview even if Jessica almost interviewed herself. ; j (and you're very welcome)
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    Lay ho, Lydia. Sorry for picking on a typo but that is irresistible (get me back next time I make one)! Yeah, those picts are awesome all right, especially their tatoos. ; j Glad you enjoyed the piece! : j
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    DobrĂ½ den, Ocean Girl. Thanks for reading. : j

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  14. Alesa,

    I know you from Eryl's blog and I'd like to thank you for your involvement and reccent participation in the Blogger forum thread about MJ's and my blog removal from Blogger.

    Your defence was great, and I really appreciate it. What a shame that you have to walk on eggshells and explain things a million times to the forum collaborators.

    On a different matter... I'd love to have another look at your wonderful pics...

    Leni Qinan

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  15. Hello Leni. Nice to see you here. : j

    Agreed, I have several kinds of unkind epithets for them, but for all their poor manners the issue is getting addressed at last.

    I had written you a fairly long comment that got lost when the thread I was commenting on got moved. Nothing really important.

    I'm glad you're finally getting some assistance.

    As for my pictures... What pictures would that be? I don't think I put any up on this blog... Certainly in this post, all the pictures are the sole creations of Jessica (with extremely minor post touch ups).
    At any rate, I'm looking forward to reading more from you out yonder on wordpress. ;j

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  16. I like Jessica, and follow her blog. It was nice to learn more about her. Good questions. And what great photos.

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  17. Yeah, her pictures are pretty great: she has artistic talent that expresses itself in more ways than one. : j

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