This month's Curious Person is Tamzen Hunter- a creative and set designer who just so happens to be my best friend. We explored the theme of Tiny Worlds over on our collaborative Pinterest board taking inspiration from all manner of tiny things- miniatures, dioramas and automatons.
About You
Introduce yourself!
Hi! I'm Tamzen, A Graphic Designer by day and wannabe Set Designer by night (amongst a thousand other hobbies).
Did you always know you wanted to do what you do? What was the journey like to get to where you are now?
Not at all! I very much remember being one of those kids who was completely rudderless in school, not dumb but not terribly smart either. I felt like I never really excelled at anything, so when asked what I "wanted be when I grew up" I think I went with the standard teen girl idea of "marine biologist" as a default (like all of us girlies, we all had a soft spot for dolphins for a while)
All I knew is that I liked to "make stuff" I wasn"t great at drawing or anything but I had a weird intrinsic knowledge that I could look at something and say "I could make that" and if I couldn't I would figure it out.
So I went to an open day at a college thinking I might try my hand at Photography or Interior Design maybe, but when we walked into the Graphics department something in my mind was like "Hey, this is cool, maybe this is worth a shot" and gave it a go. I worked night fill at Woolies so I could study full time during the day and thankfully, it wasn't long after I graduated that I had a paid design job and I have been a designer now going on 11 years.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I am a bit of a Jack-of-all-trades. I won't say master-of-none because a few of my hobbies have warranted pretty great outcomes. I am actively involved in the Brisbane community theatre space, both as an actor and as a creative on production teams and just completed my first start-to-finish "Did it all by myself" project as the Set and Prop Designer for "Evil Dead: The Musical".
When I am not working on a show I will dabble in an array of other hobbies. Rollerskating, Jewellery Making, T-shirt Design, you name it I probably already have all the tools to make it happen.
The Pinterest Board
See the board we collaborated on here.
Tell us what you think of the board theme- why does it inspire or interest you and what’s your connection to the theme?
I think its the perfect project for Laura and I to collaborate on. As friends IRL we bond over our shared interests in everything from cryptids to stained glass to folklore. "Tiny Worlds" is a perfect intersection of our jointly shared joy over a beautiful handmade artwork or a weirdly whimsical thrift find.
It also doubles as a reference to the way that I like to think about and approach set design projects. Telling stories, often on a small scale, disseminating what detail is needed and figuring out the tools, materials and skills to achieve it.
It is harnessing some small moment in time or creature that you can hold in your hand or put on a bookshelf that, when you look at, transport you to another place, another universe or another time.
If you could collaborate with anyone—living or historical—on a project around this theme, who would it be and why?
Studson Studio is a miniature and model maker who's absolute SKILL is looking at trash and knowing exactly how to use it in an obscure way to fit exactly what he needs and I think the way his brain works is fascinating. Not to mention his youtube videos are hilariously edited and make for extremely enjoyable content.
What’s the absolute, non-negotiable piece of content you pinned that people must see?
I greatly recommend you check out Joshua Smith's work (you can see one of his works here). Maybe it's because he is a fellow Aussie or that his pieces are perfect replicas of real places but I feel like his work really deserves a closer look.
Also this.
Closing Curios
Beverage of choice?
A Spicy Margarita with a smokey salt rim.
Favourite recent find (could be a book, tv show, website, tiktok account)?
Thanks to Laura I am utterly loving Kathleen lllustrated's Youtube channel. As a self-confessed thrift goblin, her style and content is *chefs kiss*
Where would you visit in a time machine? And Why?
I would probably go to the late 1500's or early 1600's and watch Shakespeare and his troupe perform one of his own plays in the Globe Theatre, and then promptly leave for fear of a plague.
Favourite ever thrifted find?
A weird articulated wooden fish figure that is just delightful and i know Laura is planning to steal one day.
Laura edit- absolutely accurate.
Last niche interest you dived deeply on?
When posed with the idea of a powerpoint presentation night in which we should share about something we are passionate about or knew a lot about, I proceeded to regale everyone about my niche love for the NPC character "The Merchant" from the video game Resident Evil 4.
What ridiculous item is on your wishlist that you want to buy but absolutely do not need?
Until recently I would have said "a fish shaped bumbag" but I caved and bought that one. However, in carrying on from the previous answer, there was a very short run of collectible controllers that were released to celebrate the launch of Resident Evil 4 on playstation and gamecube that are shaped like a chainsaw and came in a beautiful glass and wood display case.
Being that they are obviously now a rare collector item they run for hundreds of dollars. Practical? Kind of, Expensive? Very, Need? absolutely not but you better believe it has been on my saved eBay searches for many years and will likely stay that way.
Stay in Touch
You can find Tamzen on Instagram.
