© Jade Carr-Daley from "Not Ready Not Steady GO!"

What was your everyday life like before you identified as an artist or a photographer? Did your initial environment influence your perspective? Was there a distinct catalyst or experience that pushed you towards an artistic path?

Jade Carr-Daley (JCD): I’ve always been interested in art as well as photography. In all honesty, I can’t quite remember life before identifying as a photographer, as I’ve been interested since I was 14 years old. I remember my first introduction to photography. I was in year 9 at secondary school, and it was time to choose my options for my GCSE subjects. I’ve always preferred creative subjects, so seeing photography as an option felt great. 
I also had a great teacher Mrs Jupp, who really helped nurture myself and the other students.  

Tell us something about your educational path and if it has informed your journey at all? Anyone has been instrumental in guiding your visual consciousness and practical evolution?

JCD: My experience studying for my BA was the most influential part of my journey as a photographer. During my BA I was creating a lot of work around the Black experience and issues affecting the Black community. I was the only Black student on the course, there were often times I felt quite uncomfortable and worried about sharing my work because of the disconnect between my own and my peer's experiences and our backgrounds. However, I had a great lecturer James Arthur Allen who stood by my practice and the work I was creating and he constantly reminded me that voices like mine need to be heard. In time I became more confident in myself and my work. And with that, I became unapologetic about the type of themes I wanted to talk about.

What are the themes that interest you, what generally attracts your observation? What is your approach to the medium? Do you privilege any camera or process in particular? How do you envision or conceptualize the projects?

JCD: I’m interested in fine and contemporary art and photography, great storytelling, and documentary photography. Some of my favourite artworks are from Gregory Crewdson, Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Elizabeth Walker, Vanley Burke and Campbell Addy. 

If you asked me a couple of years ago I would have said that I would have shot primarily with film, either 55mm or 120mm. However, with the rise in the price of film, I started photographing digitally. The camera I’m using is dependent on the subject that I’m shooting. For slower settings, I’ll always choose film, and for more fast-paced environments I prefer to use my digital camera. 

I’m currently working between using film and digital cameras. Because, of the nature of the project and the main subject being my son who is 1 ½ I’m using my digital camera and even my iPhone more to photograph him, just so that I can keep up.

© Jade Carr-Daley from "Not Ready Not Steady GO!"

Have you undertaken projects or tasks that required you to venture into unfamiliar territories, physically or emotionally? If so, how do you cope with the uncertainties and daunting photo ventures? What have been some defining challenges or milestones on your artistic path? 

JCD: I would say out of all the completed projects that I have done in the past, my current project has been the most unfamiliar. Despite not being pregnant anymore and being nearly 2 years into my motherhood journey these experiences have been my most challenging experiences to date. From building up the courage to step in front of the camera to understanding my own boundaries and physical limitations when deciding to photograph myself, my son, and my partner. 

I think my most defining challenge and milestone would have to be deciding to continue studying whilst pregnant and then whilst caring for a newborn. It was very difficult at times, and there were a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change anything. 

© Jade Carr-Daley from "Not Ready Not Steady GO!"

© Jade Carr-Daley from "Not Ready Not Steady GO!"

Does research play any significant role in your practice? Do you dialogue with other experts when developing your projects? How far people, communities are included in your project? Or in what ways do you hope to give back or contribute to the broader artistic community or world at large with your work?

JCD: Yes, definitely. I can’t start a project without researching first. A lot of my work is based on storytelling, and I love having contributions from others, as I feel it gives my project more truth and depth and it becomes more interesting.

It depends on the project really, but I try to collaborate with people/communities as much as I can. I’d like to say that my way of giving back would be in the form of a project or image that I’ve created. I make work so that people can be educated in areas that are unknown to them, and for people like me to feel seen in a artistic way. For my most recent project I did initially create this work to comfort myself for what I was going through. However, after sharing my work publicly I quickly understood that this work holds more importance than just for myself, but for others as well. 

I now create this work so that other women who hold the same or similar experiences to mine during pregancy, childbirth and becoming a mother. Can look to my project and see themselves represented in my images. For conversations around society's view of what a Mother should look like and just how unrealistic they are. Taboo conversations around unexpected pregnancy, loss, mental health, Black maternal health, the importance of representation, the negatives and positives of breastfeeding and the harsh realities of what becoming a parent means.

© Jade Carr-Daley from "Not Ready Not Steady GO!"

"20" is a collection of images that explored your transition from being a teenager to a young adult. How did it all started? 

JCD: The year of my 20th Birthday was probably one of my worst years to date. My mental health wasn’t at its best and within that same year, my Uncle died unexpectedly from a heart attack, I was diagnosed with Chron’s disease, and then the next year my cousin died from a knife attack. 

It was like during this time, I was faced with the harsh realities of life and just how cruel it can be. While also understanding that despite having a plan for yourself and your future, it may not always go as planned. And with that understanding you start to realise just how important life is, so you should cherish the little and big moments of happiness and friends and family that surround you. And that’s exactly what I did with my camera. 

What are the practical difficulties you faced in its development? Tell us a bit about the behind the scenes of this project? What relevant takeaways have you achieved from this project both with respect to the topic and your authorial practice? 

JCD: There were different locations that I photographed for this project. A lot that held a lot of happy memories for me, but because a lot of the people attached to those memories have now passed away it was quite hard to revisit them. The second hardest thing was having to speak about this project in the beginning, just because of all the feelings and emotions that were attached.

I learnt that with sadness does come happiness. It might just take a while. I learnt that my camera became a tool for self-therapy and a way for me to understand and express my emotions visually.

© Jade Carr-Daley from "Not Ready Not Steady GO!"

What are the challenges or opportunities you faced in the development of "Not Ready Not Steady GO!"? 

JCD: One of the many challenges was understanding a healthy balance between my personal life and my photographic practice. I had to learn how to balance being a photographer and a  Mother and understanding when it’s appropriate to merge the two. And when it was time to put down my camera and step away from the project to allow myself time to rest and experience my pregnancy and early motherhood first-hand.

As for one of the opportunities, I was able to cross paths with Kanri ArieliIt, during the production of her book Eye Mama: Poetic Truths of Home and Motherhood. I was lucky enough to have one of my images from my series included in the project. And with that came a lot of opportunities to sit down with the other Mothers to have conversations about what Motherhood looks like. 

© Jade Carr-Daley from "Not Ready Not Steady GO!"

Any interesting books that you recommend and that recently inspired you and why? 

JCD: I’m partly biased because I’m featured in the book. But my recommendation has to be Eye Mama: Poetic Truths of Home and Motherhood, by Karni Ariel. It’s a beautiful project and book that looks at all the different experiences of Motherhood. I constantly find myself going back through the book and being inspired by the images 

Which photographer would you like to read an interview about in Urbanautica Journal? 

JCD: Laura Foster, who’s a good friend of mine. She’s a fine art photographer and her work is really beautiful. Especially her most recent body of work ‘In Order to Bloom’, which speaks on the battle of addiction, is told through her own experience and conversations she had with another young woman whose Mothers both have struggled with alcohol dependence.

Jade Carr-Daley (personal website)