We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jocelyn Allen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jocelyn below.

Hi Jocelyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I started making photographic self-portraiture projects in 2009. They’ve all been therapeutic in one way or another, but in June 2020 I became a mother for the first time. It was the first Covid-19 lockdown in the UK and while my husband had been present for our daughter B’s birth, due to restrictions he was then unable to visit us for the four days we stayed in hospital. Simply put, early motherhood was not what I thought it would be. I felt very lost and alone. We suddenly moved to be closer to my family when B was four months old just before another lockdown.

While I was pregnant and until now (and ongoing) I have been making work about pregnancy and motherhood. I had another daughter, L, in February 2022 when there were still Covid restrictions. My art practice has been an anchor through it all, my place to vent my frustrations, question my new identity, appreciate the small wins, and a diary. As well as photographing myself for a few years my work was accompanied by long hashtags, which were diary entries, but a year and a half ago I started to write poetry to accompany my work instead.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in Birmingham, UK in 1988.
My parents gave me a film camera when I was young. I have a book that I made when I was seven where I stuck in photos I took of my parents, sister, grandparents, pets, toys, and holidays (landscapes). For my 14th/15th birthday, I received a one megapixel digital camera, and then my love for photography really took off from there. I went from high school to a two-year photography course, then onto a BA, and then a few years later I did an MA in Photography.
The main themes within my work are mental health, motherhood (I have two daughters), identity and representation.
I’ve had a YouTube channel since 2013, where I dance to songs. I can’t dance well at all, but it’s an exercise in trying not to care what people think of me, while also sharing songs I like.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I think for a long time as an artist I felt it was ‘me against the world’, but particularly since having children and moving around a bit I’ve realised how important community is, and to be more supportive of others.
An example of a community in my life is a network that I’m part of called POST. POST is a group of photographers who are also mothers. It was formed during a UK lockdown in 2021 as a way of supporting each other to maintain a practice during the intensity of homeschooling, giving birth during the pandemic and other family responsibilities. POST continue to meet on a monthly basis and has become a valuable support group for its members.
We have an online meeting once a month, we recently started to do a monthly crit, and we also have a WhatsApp group where we ask each other for advice, share what we’re working on, check in on each other etc.
Anyone can set up something similar – just grab some friends, make a group, and go from there. I have a similar, but smaller group with four friends.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am quite compulsive with my art. If I don’t make work I get stressed, so I feel the need to be making work regularly. I guess it’s the same for a lot of other people. It’s my way of making sense of the world, and my place within it.
My practice is very therapeutic for me and through it I am learning to accept myself while building my confidence. It also helps me to process my thoughts and feelings, as well as document my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jocelynallen.co.uk/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocelynfreya
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jocelynfreya
• Other: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jocelynfreya.bsky.social