Have you ever considered that your home can represent who you are? Well I have. As a child I grew up in a housetruck and travelled around New Zealand in The Gypsy Fairs. You may be asking yourself, “what is a housetruck?” or “what are The Gypsy Fairs?”
I, Jola Josie, have documented the life style of modern gypsies in New Zealand, their community and the markets they organize, plus collected information about the country. During the past 1.5 years in New Zealand I have gone back to my birth place, to follow in my mum´s footsteps, whom I lost to cancer when I was twelve. I´ve immersed myself back into a culture I haven’t been a part of since I lost my mum, which at first left me feeling vulnerable. However according to Brene Brown, vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change. These are some of the aspects I have been feeling in different stages of my journey.
This project has been a dream of mine for a few years and now it is finally in motion. Pursuing this dream is scary as hell, but yet so exiting, because I don’t know how it will turn out. There have been ups and downs, difficulties along the way with obstacles that have been difficult both mentally and fiscally.
Norway, since my mum passed away, has been my home for eleven years. There I have studied a bachelor in culture and communication at Oslo University in Norway with specialization in film and aesthetics.
This being part of my background I try to take on any obstacle that comes my way and make it become an experience I am able to take with me for the rest of my life. I have been filming my whole journey and will continue to film for a while longer before I sit down and edit it all into a documentary.
I hope you all enjoy the videos I have made so far from my journey around New Zealand.
Jola Josie 