Anj Semark - Artist

Join us as we ride the waves with Anj Semark, a photographer who's turned the ocean's untamed beauty into a canvas for his art. In this episode, Anj narrates his journey from a film camera aficionado in his youth to a modern-day visual poet of the sea, diving into his captivating experiences of photographing the formidable winter ocean. But that's not all—Anj opens up about his latest voyage into the vibrant world of NFTs and crypto art, and how this new horizon has become a part of his ever-evolving story.

Feast your ears on a conversation that's about much more than clicking shutters, as Anj and I chew over life's flavorful moments, from the dedication needed to excel in photography to the simple pleasures of discovering new cuisines. We muse about the guiding principles that steer our lives, offering insights into tackling the unpredictability of life, and share strategies for budding artists in the daunting yet thrilling NFT space. From discussing the freedom of a life at sea to the joy of community engagement, this chat is a cornucopia of stories that resonate with anyone who's ever dreamed of casting off the bowlines.

As we close out the year, Anj reveals his philosophy of putting action over words, looking ahead to 2024 with a focus on learning through experience—especially when it comes to the intricate world of NFTs and cryptocurrency investments. While he prefers to keep his cards close to his chest regarding future projects, his commitment to continuous learning and staying grounded in the present is a lesson in itself. Settle in for an episode that's not just a window into Anj's creative process, but also a treasure trove of life lessons and laughter—a fitting reflection as we bid the year farewell and set sail towards the next chapter.

https://twitter.com/Anjsemark

Transcript

NorCal Guy: 0:00

Who is this? Who is this guy? Who is this guy? North Cowgirl, north Cow-ay, north Cow-dye, north Cow-dye, north Cow-dye, north Cow-dye, north Cow-dye, north Cow-l and chill Pockets.

NorCal Guy: 0:32

Hey everyone, welcome to this next episode of Noor Cow and Chill. Today we are joined by Ange Simark, a photographer known for capturing stunning images of waves. Ange discusses the challenges and thrills of his work, particularly in the ocean during the winter period, in contrast to the summer activities he enjoys with his family. The conversation shifts to Ange's foray into NFTs and crypto art, recalling a moment of realization at a friend's gathering and the subsequent support and guidance he received as he delved into the emerging space, and reflects on his journey to photography, sharing that it evolved from a childhood fascination with film cameras and a love for the ocean. He also reveals his dream of living on a boat and exploring the world while sustaining himself through ocean resources. The conversation explores self-care life mottos and Ange's path from working in various industries to finding his true passion in photography. This episode touches on balancing busy schedules, the significance of finding balance in life and the guests' personal achievements and goals. The discussion ends with Ange quietly hinting at upcoming projects, signifying that he prefers actions to speak louder than words. Everybody, please welcome Ange Samark.

NorCal Guy: 1:58

Hey, andrew, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today? Good mate, thanks for having me along. It's good to be here. Yeah, well, I'm glad we could make this happen. We've been chatting for a while and I've always loved your work, because your pictures of those waves are just on another level, like the detail, the color, and you're going out on a ski, out like two hours to get these shots and just sitting out there all day. It's crazy, oh yeah.

Anj Semark: 2:30

It's pretty wild. It's so different now because it's summer here and it's very flat.

NorCal Guy: 2:34

Oh yeah, there is.

Anj Semark: 2:36

It's real small and so it's like these real nice conditions, but it's opposite end of the world to you guys. You're going through winter period and so the majority of it's yet done through that winter time here, but currently it's not a lot to speak about, so I end up doing more ocean activities like diving and fun things I'll have with the kids Nice.

NorCal Guy: 2:57

Nice. Well, at least you have a break in the season so you can just do family time.

Anj Semark: 3:03

Yeah, I can enjoy the ocean without feeling like I'm going to die.

NorCal Guy: 3:10

Oh man, yeah, because I watched that freaking movie with Kirby.

Anj Semark: 3:14

Brown and I was just like holy cow, this is insane. Insane. Yeah, that's it. It's probably the most like, the closest thing to how it is. Yeah, Is what you watch with Kirby, and I mean I worked with Kirby for the last 10 years and I sent you the book, and so what you see in that movie is such a good representation of what we do.

NorCal Guy: 3:43

Oh, man, yeah, yeah, that's just crazy. And I remember like another time you're like oh man, I just got rolled in the ski and everything. I was just like oh man, yeah, so many.

Anj Semark: 3:56

I had a real bad one this year. I was just down the coast shooting and I shot from the skate for a little bit, so I kind of warmed up and then I was like, oh, I'm going to jump in the water and swim around and shoot. So I jumped in and it was like maybe I was like two waves in and as I was shooting I just won, coming out of nowhere like a big road set, and I just got so pumped, oh no, and I remember I didn't have a leash on my housing, so it's just like clinging onto my housing for dear life and just oh no.

Anj Semark: 4:31

Yeah, skiddle across the river. I'm like, what am I doing? Oh man, so many moments. But yeah, I had a good season, so it's all fun and it's all part of what we do, I suppose. Oh, man.

NorCal Guy: 4:43

Yeah, Crazy, crazy, oh man. So do you have a hardware wallet and do you use it?

Anj Semark: 4:53

I do have a hardware wallet, fairness. With your own ledger. Yeah, yeah. No, it's thanks to the guys at Ledger for looking after my assets, so it took a little bit to get my head around, but yeah, they're a handy little tool.

NorCal Guy: 5:09

Nice. So what were your first thoughts when you heard about these NFTs, this crypto art?

Anj Semark: 5:14

I was I'll tell the story behind it. I was at a box party and I actually looked back at the photos to remember the date of when it was and it was March of 2021. I was at one of my best mates' box party and I was all probably a little bit sideways and this guy I remember this guy here. He had followed my art for a while and he was just like you've got to get into the NFTs, they're going to be the next best thing and started going and I just couldn't wrap my head around it At that current time.

Anj Semark: 5:52

I was shooting the steals for the Facing Monsters book and I was creating the book. So I was just buried. I was just buried in that and that was just my goal at the time was just to really focus in on that and make that as the best I can. And I got to the end of finishing the book. We released it and I think it was the January of next year. I was kind of not disappointed but Thought it would, the trajectory of the book would go a different way for me, like maybe a little bit of a change. And then it didn't, and so I was like I was new year, fresh, late, let's go.

Anj Semark: 6:33

And then I just got into NFTs. I had. There's a couple of guys here we're not close to where I live, kim feast and Ren McGahn. We're into it. They've been doing it for they. You know they and they. I just been spiked them and they helped me so much and got me into. I still I don't think I still fully got my head around the whole NFT thing, but I'm really enjoying it. So far it's been great.

NorCal Guy: 6:56

Thanks Well yeah, I'm glad you you did get into it, because that's pretty awesome. So why did you choose art? What brought you to photography?

Anj Semark: 7:13

I Try to think about how, like, no, why I Struggled at school. I didn't like it wasn't much of an academic, but I really loved creating. So I was, I was, you know, like, we were taught to use film cameras. Mum, dad always had the film camera, and so I, which I just pick it up and I'd use it, and then, and it would just become that little part of you know, that side part of me, that I would always, I would always use it. And so, when I finished my time at school, I Didn't think it was a viable option, I didn't think it was an option of a job, and so I, I and I studied the trade and then, as I was doing my trade, I'd still like weeds, like growing up, you know, and having the ocean there, we'd have, like you know, the, the blue disposable water ones that we take.

Anj Semark: 8:06

Yeah we take photos, and so it always kind of stuck around. And then I bought a camera when I was in my doing my Apprentia and then eventually, just kind of like it merged into putting it into the water and Got to where it is today. I never thought, yeah, I, you know, like I kind of got to this point where I was like man, I'm actually like I'm okay at something, so I wanted to and I just invested into it and just from there, that's why I just took over, because it was a part of me that I felt like I I just loved it so much and it just became that thing that that just took over my life.

NorCal Guy: 8:45

Awesome. Yeah, definitely, I mean, and you're doing a great job at it. I mean, I just thinking about your images and they just just stand out above Many others there. They're amazing oh.

Anj Semark: 9:00

I don't, I just funny. I don't think I'm, I Don't know if I do, I don't know how you feel about about natural talent. I'm not naturally talented at anything. It's just like, dedicated to one thing, like to your craft, I've just like, over time I've just got better and better and I think, like living and breathing it, so much the Like you, you like I've honed in to what I really like, liking a joy, and what I love to showcase in the ocean, and so it's just like I think it's a time thing rather than a town thing.

NorCal Guy: 9:40

Well, I mean, yeah, that's definitely possible. I mean you put your like, probably put more than your 10,000 hours in. To get to that level and yeah, it's insane Plenty of.

Anj Semark: 9:54

Ten thousand hours worth of swimming true.

NorCal Guy: 9:58

So I'm curious. I always like to hear, like, what kind of jobs you do as a kid and going and getting Before you got into the photography photography.

Anj Semark: 10:09

My very first job was I was unpacking. So my mum and dad owned like a transport business. Okay, my first job was unpacking furniture for all these furniture shops that we and so I would work for them and then they would just drop me off and I would unpack furniture. In order for me to Get to the beach, I'd have to, like, deliver cases of beer to like pubs and things like that. Oh, yeah, like, like my dad, can I go for a surf or and they're like, yeah, but you have to unload a full truck of beer and stuff like that.

Anj Semark: 10:45

So it's me that was, like you know, 10, 12 years old is like carrying beer into pubs and stuff to just to get to the beach. I want to do my a fair big sting to McDonald's. Okay, yeah, I was like a when it first opened up and I used to run my pushy into Mackers and work there and then from there it was just. I went into my trade, I studied I was originally a boiler maker order and then studied electrical fitting and wound up doing like a power working in power generation. So, wow, and then then photography. Like I figured out that it's not really what I want to be doing and then photography. It was like that's my jam and I just want to do right amazing, glad you did so.

NorCal Guy: 11:35

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

Anj Semark: 11:41

I thought about this. I reckon dolphin hands down. Yeah, I have. You have so many interactions with them. They can surf. I love surfing, yeah, so like it looks like they enjoy themselves. They are community. They have a smaller community, but then you know, like I just just dolphin. It's always seemed to make sense to me. So yeah the other one was like a Labrador for like a middle-aged family with no kids.

NorCal Guy: 12:11

It's just like you know they're trying, so they're going to be pretty cool. So, right, right, right, the true True yeah, do you have a favorite food?

Anj Semark: 12:23

Oh, I don't. I thought about this and I don't know. I've got a mix. I reckon Japanese, mexican. Oh right, no, those do like, they're on par. Like, can I go wrong with tacos, but then like sashimi and seafood? Right, right, you know, I couldn't. I couldn't choose between two.

NorCal Guy: 12:43

Cause yours met your, yours was Mexican. Yeah, I love Mexican food so much.

Anj Semark: 12:47

Oh, so good. Imagine like a Mexican, japanese food.

NorCal Guy: 12:53

It'd be so good. I mean, yeah, I don't mind a roll with like jalapenos in it or something like that.

Anj Semark: 13:00

Limes, what's your go to Mexican order? Like you're about to order. Like you, you're craving it for a couple of days. You really prepared.

NorCal Guy: 13:12

It's going to be a cornice out of some sort, so probably a cornice out of burrito, like a supreme burrito of some sort, like like all the fixings on it. Like, give me a burrito with everything on it. Cornice out of a delicious hey, where you got. But it's funny, I usually do ask when I go any any place that I go. That's new. I'm like hey, what, what do you like to eat here?

Anj Semark: 13:39

So I get a like feel for what they want and then I'm like, okay, I'll try that sometimes.

NorCal Guy: 13:48

And so, yeah, yeah, it's a good idea, I like it. So do you have a piece of advice or like a motto that you live by?

Anj Semark: 14:01

I do. It's a bit of a heavy one, like. There's one thing that's really stuck with me over the years is when my brother was. He was quite young, he passed away from cancer to just before he like left. The last thing he kind of said to me it was like and everything is going to be okay, and that's kind of just stuck with me my whole life and so kind of try and live by that, even though it's, you know, like, as time goes on, you get it's like it's hard, like the life gets complicated. There's been some pieces going on, but it always everything's going to be all right. You know like, it works itself out.

Anj Semark: 14:43

That was one piece that's just forever been in the back of my head and I've always tried to live by that, like, yeah, it's going to be all right, you know, even if it's not still going to be all right, you know like, yeah, it's just stuck with me forever, like since I was young, and so that was that's one piece of advice for me. That's just that's been my motto. I like it. How about you? What about? Have you had a piece of advice that's stuck with you forever?

NorCal Guy: 15:08

Well, yes, there's like this quote from a movie that's it's a Western movie, it's a, it's called a man tombstone and it's yeah, and the quote is there is no normal life, there's just life. So get on and live with it. Live it, yeah.

Anj Semark: 15:34

So, yeah, that's there, that's right, and like, what about it? Like, so that's life advice. What about your bike? What about NFT space advice, one piece that's stuck with you.

NorCal Guy: 15:50

Yeah, you know, take your time, I guess. Yeah, I'm trying to avoid FOMO Because that'll get you wrecked. You know you're trying to buy the hottest thing so you can make some money on it, but you're the one that's buying the liquidity for someone else and then you're like it's stuck holding it. That happens more than you would realize and for that's for the people that are flipping. You know, other than that, if you're not trying to like flip stuff, then I would say you know, buy and hold the art that you like, even if that fumble stuff that you do it is something that you like. You know, like 90, 80% of the time, 90% of the time. Right now it's fumbling and it's going up, but you know, wait until next week or two weeks and you could buy it, see if you'd still like it.

Anj Semark: 16:42

And you can buy it half off. Yeah, the hot thing is real. It's like don't get caught up in the hot. For sure If it doesn't sit right with you it's best just to sit it out. You know, like that's one thing I've noticed, particularly in the NFT side of crypto, is the hot, don't get caught in the hot, right. I've always tried to find consistency. If I can be consistent in the way I create, the way I promote, the way I do it, just keep consistent. And that for me has always like, even if I'm like struggling creating or if I'm struggling in you know where I'm at in my headspace, it's like if I can stay consistent, oftentimes I find myself, you will just naturally come out.

Anj Semark: 17:34

For sure. All right, I'm going to roll here, I'm back, yeah.

NorCal Guy: 17:38

No, I agree. So if you could live or move anywhere, where would you live and why?

Anj Semark: 17:48

I reckon I'd like to. It wouldn't be so much to live somewhere, but I'd love to get like a big 50 foot cart and then just live on a boat and just travel and just like being able to go, explore no zone, no fixed address and just live off the ocean. The ocean's a huge reef. Not only is it what I love to go and create, it's a huge resource for me. Like I freedive for seafood and things like that, and I reckon that you know, like in the community you can trade off. You know I'd love to be able to trade fish for, you know, fruit and veg and do that side of things. Like so have no fixed address and just be able to travel the world.

Anj Semark: 18:36

A couple of people have done it. I like that there's a couple of guys at a surface that have just like jumped on a boat and just lived off the ocean, explored new zones. I think it would be an amazing experience and I mean I can't do it now until my kids maybe a little bit older and they're finished up school and I'd be like, let's get a boat and just go and explore and do something new, and yeah, so that's what I thought about and that's a big thing.

NorCal Guy: 19:05

Dude, that's awesome. I mean the only one I know like that is like Intrepid or Robert, yeah, Intrepid.

Anj Semark: 19:11

Yeah, yeah and like that. His story is incredible. You know and you read. I really like his thread on why decentralization is, you know like it's so pivotal, and especially in that scenario. I thought it was. It's a great story. But also the story of him just being on a boat traveling around with his family trying to find somewhere to dock, and I think that's so rad. It's such a rad story.

NorCal Guy: 19:39

Right for sure. So do you have any questions for me?

Anj Semark: 19:46

I do, I got time, I got time.

NorCal Guy: 19:48

All right.

Anj Semark: 19:51

So 2023, like coming to an end, what has been for you, your biggest achievement this year that you feel like you were really stoked on.

NorCal Guy: 20:03

You know, the Clickcreate project has been really awesome. Coming up with Clutch on that and building this project, this additions project, you know, with like kind of like decentralized curation, has been really fun. It's been a great time and you know, we learned a lot and we're, you know, going to launch season two in, I think, march. So, yeah, that was. That was like a huge thing for us. That's huge For me.

Anj Semark: 20:37

Yeah, what about? So that's your biggest achievement? What's something you feel like you didn't quite achieve that you wanted to?

NorCal Guy: 20:48

Man. That's the. It's always hard to because you always feel like you could do more, Like I feel like I could do more to help promote things and other people and whatnot, and I feel like I could do that. And also I'm like I feel like I like I don't know, it's like I feel like I could do that, but also I'm like I already spent a ton of time doing other things, like doing this, like I'm like you can't do more Like I was like that's, that's coming into.

Anj Semark: 21:23

My next question was how you're doing a lot, like you've got a lot going on. Now what's what brings you back down to like you know, like when you things are going on, you've got, you're busy. What's something that you use to like kind of send yourself for me. Like if I've got heaps going on, I'll go and jump in the ocean. Brings me back down to like earth and I'm like all right, I can do this and we, you know, roll on from there. What's something that you use to help you balance?

NorCal Guy: 21:53

out? Yeah, Also a hard question. Does that mean currently? I mean I'd like I do like going out and like shooting with the camera and just walking around, but I don't get to do that a ton. But I do like getting outside with the kids, like taking them to the park or something. Getting offline for sure is a huge thing, Like I just need to get off, let's go outside, let's go hang out, play, whatever. So, yeah, something outside outdoors for sure, regardless of what it is outdoors.

Anj Semark: 22:33

Yeah, yeah, fair enough. Yeah, and next year, 2024, coming up. What's do you? Are you a goal?

NorCal Guy: 22:43

Are you, do you feel like you're a goal oriented person, or are you the kind of just like see how it goes, play it around, or yeah, I kind of play it, just let it go, and I'm not one that sets like New Year's resolutions, but you know, I think you know, click, create 2024. The season two is going to be amazing. We already have all our curators lined up for yeah, for 10, nine or 10 months, I forget if it's nine or 10 months but all of them are done for season two and can't wait to start getting in on those interviews. Get those going. I don't know, man, I'm about to have a third kid.

Anj Semark: 23:30

So we'll see how that goes.

NorCal Guy: 23:31

You're a good soldier.

Anj Semark: 23:34

Yeah, so yeah. And one last one was you enjoy creating, and what's? Where would one place be You'd like to go to go and create?

NorCal Guy: 23:46

Oh, oh man, that is really hard. I've not really thought about this, about where I would go, like I guess I just try and make do with what's presented to me. Like when I go to an NFT conference or something like that, I'm like hope that I can like spend some time by myself just walking around. I don't know if there's an ideal spot that I would like to do and I don't know if I've found like a specific genre that I prefer to shoot. I'm definitely not great at like street photography of people because I'm like feel awkward. It's hard, right. Yeah, yeah For sure.

NorCal Guy: 24:40

Although I have been watching like this YouTuber here and there Polly B, I think it is. He does like interviews, walkie talkies, what it's called, and I feel like those guys are just pointing and shooting a lot. Those film guys, and I'm like I don't even know, they're just like trying to see what they get. They didn't make it spontaneous, I think, but if I did it like that, I think I could do more. But yeah, I don't know, man, I don't know if there's a specific spot. I, you know, I mainly take every day I try and take pictures of my kids, yeah, and that's mainly what I do. I don't know about being creative where I would do that, oh, just thinking about it. No, I don't know where.

Anj Semark: 25:32

Bobby wants the next one. Maybe we'll figure it out.

NorCal Guy: 25:35

No, no, that's our hard one. That's really hard. Yeah, Maybe you know what would be if I ever got back in the black and white photography film. And then like doing my own film Process. Well, not the processing part I mean I can do that but the prints. I did that back like 18 years ago and I love that.

NorCal Guy: 26:03

I love that process so much going in the dark room and everything that I like was such an amazing thing to do and in the future, if that worked out, that'd be really fun, just making your own prints and like going through and like figuring out the time and then the dodging and the burning and all that stuff. It was so fun.

Anj Semark: 26:25

Yeah, that's. I mean that's where I started as well on film and like learning that process and you have, I think it's like having that appreciation for the process right Kind of gets lost a little bit maybe.

NorCal Guy: 26:39

Right, right, I know, and all these dudes are the only guys are getting back in the film and I'm like they're trying to convince me to do it and I'm like, man, I don't know. It's so easy digital yeah.

Anj Semark: 26:54

This is that I got a holiday coming up with the kids and so I'm gonna give them to my film, just to film cameras each. Oh yeah, and I'm like just go, and so let them go and create. You know, shoot what they want, create what they want, and then, because they're not like, like for them, technology has just been the norm. So for them to go through the process of send it away get a develop. I like to you know, see how they go without. All right, for sure, nice awesome.

NorCal Guy: 27:26

Do you have any other questions?

Anj Semark: 27:29

No, that's it. That's that's how I'm Raccoon as much as I can.

NorCal Guy: 27:35

So do you have any upcoming projects or shout out to like this do?

Anj Semark: 27:44

No, a guy told me, don't talk about it, just do it. So I'm gonna try and stick to that. You know, like I feel like I, if I, yeah, I want to do this. There's so much I want to achieve. And then, also, coming into 2024, like you know, you still I'm still learning the process of entities and crypto and probably just being able to the main one be expand my Knowledge on my current. You know, like you know, really dive in, get that headspace like Clear. So I know I have a real clear understanding of what I'm invested into. Great, that would probably be like one of them. That. As for projects and things like that, I'm just gonna get them down and I'll be like, yeah, I didn't, you know.

Anj Semark: 28:34

Trying to hop it up so much. So yeah, that's fair.

NorCal Guy: 28:38

Well, yeah, andrew, thank you so much for coming on the pod. Thank you for the chat. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for having me. It's been epic, it's good, it's been great. Well, I hope you have a good rest of your day and a good holiday coming up, and we'll be chatting to you.