POP CULTURE! Issue

What made you choose
photography over other forms
of art?
I started an interest in art young
so it was what I had access to.
I shared a bedroom in a small
flat growing up so painting
big things wasn’t an option.
Photography gave me a way
of creating but not taking up
much space. It also helped with
being a shy teenager, I got to
make lots of friends through it
and using the internet.
Does pop culture influence
your work? To which extent
and how?
If it does it must be a
subconscious thing. I don’t have
too much of an interest in pop
culture but I also think it can
be quite snobby to think you’re
above it. I like that current art
is very in tune with popular
culture.
You often look for bigger
models, or models with
stretch marks etc? What is
your idea of female beauty?
For me it’s more about the
person and how we work
together. What I find attractive
in a model is someone who
just gets it and is up for trying
new things. To be honest I get
tired of being expected to be a
spokesperson for body positivity
as if I have all the answers and
good morals. For example I
don’t like certain tattoo styles
and I often avoid shooting
people with them, I do let my
aesthetic get in the way of body
acceptance sometimes, so I’m
not perfect. I just want people
to be able to relate and feel
something other than self hate
when they look at my pictures
of bodies. My teenage years
were spent looking at fashion
images that made me loathe my
body, I want something more
for my younger sister.
How can art affect pop culture
into changing their views of
what should be considered
beautiful?
Pop culture takes from art
constantly, so hopefully it’s
just a matter of time before a
more positive way of looking
at bodies starts to happen on a
wider scale. I hope.
What is something you would
like to talk about but never
get the chance to?
Currently I’ve been thinking
a lot about the stigma of
motherhood and how having
children young is seen as
basically selling out and not
being career driven. If society
has progressed it should be
possible to have children, a
career and your own life. It’s a
problem for women, to always
have the worry whether they’re
doing the right thing - having
children young or old or not
at all.
and first hand experiences
rather than found imagery
online. I like to have a personal
connection with whatever
inspires me I guess. I find the
internet so overwhelmingly
full of good visuals, it’s not fun
finding treasures anymore.
Women, colour and colour
clash are important element
in your work, at least visually
speaking. What other
elements do you think make a
Maisie Cousins photograph?
Something wet, some flowers,
maybe something smelly.
What is your biggest fear as
an artist?
Being uninspired.
Where do you see yourself in
30 years from now?
The dream is to find a landlord
who will let me paint my walls.
What is your ultimate dream
project you would like to
work on?
I would love to work with more
powerful female musicians, like
Bjork, Grimes and FKA Twigs.
Stalk Maisie on
www.maisiecousins.com
Where do you get inspiration
from?
It’s hard to tell, I’m so spoiled
for inspiration really so I try to
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get it more from reading books