Jasmin Tarasin - Filmmaker

Jasmin Tarasin has been a filmmaker her entire career. She's never had any other job. She's worked all over the world directing documentaries, short films, commercials and video art installations. Most recently she’s been creating a series of artists retreats called Muse Maker, to feed creative souls and she has just directed her first feature film LIFE CAN BE A DREAM.

So what does it take for a person, a woman, a mother to multiple children (and a dog), to commit to a working life that offers no security, little possibility for planning and often outrageously long hours?

In this episode of Are You Still Working?! Jasmin talks through the core elements that help her keep momentum, clarity and playfulness in an industry that relentlessly demands so much time, energy and creativity. 

Transcript

Are You Still Working?!
Series 2 - Episode 7 - Jasmin Tarasin - Filmmaker
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Courtney: [00:00:00] Hello, gorgeous listeners. Welcome to Are You Still Working? How to Take Your Creative Ideas Seriously. I'm Courtney Collins, and today I'm talking to Jasmin Tarasin. It's tricky to introduce someone you know so well. I've known Jas since we were in our twenties. Since then, our lives have wrapped around each other's. We've lived in an artistic community, we travel [00:00:30] together, we collaborate on projects. I can say Jas is an award winning filmmaker and artist who creates heartfelt stories that are always intensely beautiful. She's worked all over the world and directed documentaries, short films, commercials and video art installations.

She's passionate about creating change and gender equality through storytelling. She's also developing a feature film based on my first novel, The Burial. And this year, [00:01:00] we'll make another film called Life Could Be a Dream.

So we hang out a lot. And yet I discovered so much about her in our conversation, about work and the challenges of the work she does. As it turns out, there's so much to learn about even the people you know best. Sometimes you just have to ask the right questions. We spoke on Gadigal and Wangal Country in Sydney's Inner West. Tell me, what are you [00:01:30] working on right now?

Jasmin: Well, A lot of things all at once, it seems, but the one main thing that I have been working on is I have a feature film coming up, which is an adaptation of the wonderful novel, The Burial.

Courtney: What?

Jasmin: Which you wrote.

Courtney: No way

Jasmin: It's been a long development and we're in the final stages of finance and casting.

That's very [00:02:00] exciting but I've come to learn that you always need to have quite a few projects on the go because they all You know, rise and sink at all given times. So I also have a really wonderful, a sort of social change story that I'm making into a feature film called Life Could Be a Dream, a domestic violence story.

But also a bit of a love song to mothers and sons who are at that turn [00:02:30] of age, 12 to 13 year old boys is for me a very magical time between boy and man, which I'm experiencing with my son. And I just think it's really interesting. in particular, single mums with their sons, I've always just found it absolutely fascinating.

A one child, single mom dynamic. It's really something that the psychology of that is, yeah, I find extraordinarily interesting. So there's that. And then a beautiful hybrid [00:03:00] documentary drama project, which is an adaptation of a play called Sleeplessness with a wonderful artist Kaz Therese.

It's a family history and identity and gender story about forgotten Australians. So all of these projects are very close to my heart and in between that, I make commercials, music, video, art installations as an ongoing job. Which I Really love as well, and lots of children, and a dog. It's just a lot of [00:03:30] things. So that's what I'm working on right now. Yeah.

Courtney: So there's momentum in having to juggle so many things, how do you do that? That sounds like a lot.

Jasmin: Yeah, and it's an issue for me as well. You know, I've never had a job.

I've always been a filmmaker. My whole life. And there's an ebb and flow with motivation and juggling and how much energy you have. Like I find now that the [00:04:00] children are a little bit older, I have a bit more energy and a little bit more time so I have more projects. But for a long time I couldn't do that.

So that's been something that I've had to learn. But yeah, like I have so many support teams. I have a creative coach, I have a shrink, I have a, very dear bunch of friends, supportive family, yeah. There's so much to that juggle. It's constant things, there is a lot of discipline in [00:04:30] sort of making time for different projects.

Courtney: Tell me about your creative coach and that works.

Jasmin: I took on a creative coach a few years back with Creative Plus Business and they have a whole lot of mentors that creatively mentor, All different parts of the arts community through their, you know, navigation of art and business and life.

And it's just so great to be able to just say, Help! How do I do it all? And there is a lot of, [00:05:00] procedures, disciplines, all these kind of, tips and tricks to be able to, try and manifest and try and be as abundant as you can be. So I've really enjoyed that relationship because, being a filmmaker or any artist is quite a lonely road.

Sometimes you're just a little bit tired and you want a little lie down and a cup of tea. So I find if I have a support team going no, no, come on, you can do this. How's that going? What's going on? This, that - it's a hundred [00:05:30] percent essential. I don't know how people don't have that kind of backing because yeah, it's really hard.

Courtney: Is there something that you do differently now based on feedback from your creative coach?

Jasmin: Absolutely. Some of the things have changed my life. Like I have Monday morning meetings where you list out exactly what you're doing for the week and this project, what needs doing, this project.

Every two months you have a creative holiday. So it's pretty great. [00:06:00] You go and book yourself into a hotel for two days away from your family and just work on your bigger vision, like your creative life, rather than just work. There's a big difference. So that's been a game changer for me. Also just that, mental health support, like always having a therapist when you work alone and creatively is really something that's majorly important for me. And also I have it's not really an assistant, someone that helps me [00:06:30] just with the bigger picture of, my work life.

So my website, my socials, all my pictures, the creative director, I call them, of my life. So that's really been a major game changer. And I was like, Oh, I can't afford that. But then Monica Davidson from Creative Plus, she goes, you absolutely have to and work will come and that's exactly how it happens. So just those small things have made significant difference to how much I can do?

[00:07:00] Yeah

Courtney: it sounds like you've shifted into a new time. Yeah.  But the time that you felt constrained by, I guess, the demands of the family Yeah. And you could do the things you wanted to do. Mm-Hmm.

And I know how driven you are to create. How did you manage that urge and that energy and not be able to enact it at that time.

Jasmin: Actually I found having kids and being pregnant and all of that I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't realise that you were stuck on the couch for six hours day [00:07:30] breastfeeding.

and then after that finishes you're at the park for six hours a day. So all that sort of space and time for me, it was really abundant. And I developed a lot of projects. Oh, that's right. I didn't actually mention that other TV series that I was working on as well, which is about that time.

So I developed that TV series,

Courtney: Is that family happiness?

Jasmin: Family Happiness, which is about a near future matriarchal commune science fictionesque, but, also based in our reality. Based on that [00:08:00] time. And so I actually found it very abundant because there's a lot of wandering. And that's something that we don't get to do very much creatively is wander.

So sitting on that couch, breastfeeding, sitting at that park, unless you are really sleep deprived, which is, pretty much 50 percent of the time, maybe more, but you actually do get to wander in your brain and work out a lot of things that may not have come if you were just busy project to project.

So I actually found I [00:08:30] developed a lot of ideas and now I can actually make them happen.

Because you can get off the couch. You know, I did actually really enjoy that. When I was pregnant, I was just on fire creatively. I actually really loved it. It is a bit isolating the whole motherhood thing in so many ways.

So I just went in deep. I don't think I would be the person I am creatively and have the kind of storytelling nouse without the experiences I had, raising the kids.

So yeah I've really [00:09:00] enjoyed it. But also it's, an absolute pause on your career. I remember going to an awards night when my son was a few years old and just seeing all of my industry peers that were male, you know, surging ahead. And I was like, wow, I was the first time I'd really thought about it.

And I was like, wow, gosh, okay. All right. Okay, good. That's where I'm at. So yeah, there is all of that, but I've feel like it's an asset now, but that's taken a little time.

Courtney: It's kicking in.

Jasmin: Yeah.

Courtney: The wandering. Yeah.

[00:09:30] watching your dad, who had a. Very successful career as a jeweler.

How did that shape your idea of your own career and what was possible?

Jasmin: Yeah, I think it did a lot actually. Like, Even though it's very different we're very similar. Like he says unfortunately, my darling, you don't have a choice, but to live a creative life. I'm so sorry. And I'm like, oh yeah, thanks. Like, That's all we can do. I don't know what else we would do.

And so just seeing someone [00:10:00] live a creative life and just create as just your daily is really inspiring and managing a business and a family. He has four kids and it's yeah really tricky. you're just on it constantly. There's no like cruising or anything like that. And he's had a very successful business from when he was a child really had me when he was 19. And he's, so talented and it's effortless but also risk taking. I think that's the biggest thing I learned from him. It's very risky, [00:10:30] you know, not having a job and running your own show and creatively, just creating your existence all the time.

So I didn't see it as that scary watching him even though I should have. But yeah, I think the risk taking has been the major thing. And also just the freedom, we both really enjoy the freedom that our lives can give us as far as running our own show.

Courtney: How do you equip yourself to take those creative risks?

Jasmin: I think I'm an absolutely [00:11:00] stupid optimist. I'm always just like, it'll be fine.

This era this little stage of no money will be fine. And usually I'm right, but yeah, it can get very hairy. I literally don't know what country, where I'm going, like month to month. My whole life, I have no idea of what's coming up next and

I think that's, you know, with most creative people, it's very stressful and I don't think I've ever got used to that. But I am quite good at trusting myself and going, it will work [00:11:30] out at some point. And it normally does but a stupid optimism
I think is really my main game.

Courtney: So far, so good.

There's something about I guess the entrepreneurial aspect of surviving that game and

Jasmin: the hustle. Yeah.

Courtney: The hustle, yeah. Another recent project of yours, Muse and Maker.

Can you talk about that?

Jasmin: Yeah. Last year was a tough year in the film industry and I've always done female director masterclasses and [00:12:00] workshops things like that, that was more about giving back to the industry and trying to get a rise of female emerging filmmakers and make sure they're equipped. So that that lent into that kind of, gender equality situation.

But then I really did enjoy hosting them. And I've always been an artist who has filled up my world with other type of platforms. So for me, if I want to be inspired, I will see live [00:12:30] music as you and I have done our whole lives I surround myself with lots of different types of artists, but particularly music has been a big thing for me, but All other artworks I find, like going to a gallery or reading a fantastic book, all of the art forms fill you up.

You don't just have to sit there at every film festival watching films. So I leant into that thinking and wanted to have a bigger conversation about a creative life. So not just project to [00:13:00] project. What are you doing? What's happening? Oh, I need this funding this. It's like a bigger conversation about what's it going to take to actually live creatively.

We look to curate different themes with different art forms where people could come and retreat and think creatively and fill up their well at lovely weekends away. At this gorgeous hotel in Robertson. And it's been wonderful. I always get surprised, like when I'm on a shoot I get to the [00:13:30] shoot and go, oh, this is good, isn't it?

Wow. Amazing. And it was the same at the retreat, like the first day of the retreat. We had this beautiful, retreat with photographer Tamara Dean and and also Atong Atem and a beautiful choreographer Emma Saunders. And we had Jodie Phyllis from The Clouds playing music. It was just heavenly. And I was in the forest surrounded by 20 participants and we're doing this amazing sort of intention walk before we started creating works [00:14:00] for the day with Emma Saunders.

And I was looking around the forest and there was like sparkling through the trees and everyone was there just really in it. And I was like, wow, this is amazing. And then I was like, wow, this is really great. And I sort of shocked myself because I said, I didn't know what was going to happen. And it was really transformative for everybody there and for me.

So I think I created them for myself in the end. I really just, I hate small talk. I don't want to do it. I'm not doing it anymore. [00:14:30] So I'm going to curate these retreats to, have a bigger conversation. And it is something that is new to Australia. Like in Europe, creative retreats are a thing, That's what people do.

You go away to flex your muscle creatively and just have time out thinking creatively and in Australia, I feel like sometimes we get stuck in getting the job done. What's next, project to project. I don't know why exactly that is.[00:15:00] what is it?

Sort of

Courtney: Addiction.

Jasmin: working addiction. Yeah. Going to work, getting the job done. Not just cruising about thinking creatively, but actually when you do that, what I have found is the work that you want comes in a much bigger way. And it actually does the opposite, all that wandering and thinking creatively creates incredible work.

And that's what we do is create incredible work. So for me, it's become much bigger than just hosting

[00:15:30] workshops, it's a whole different conversation. And what I love is when everyone turns up on that first moment. It's just, they're in it, they're in it. And they're just talking about their work and getting it done and what they're inspired by and what's next.

We've got another one coming up with all these incredible textile artists that are radical voices through textile. Like That's wild. It's cool. You know, Maggie Hensel Brown with her beautiful self [00:16:00] portraits made out of lace, just blow my mind, Paul Yore's political activism with embroidery and quilting.

Like so good. And I just love it. And for me as a filmmaker, it's so great to enjoy that. And the one in winter, we have the amazing Fiona Hall creating a workshop about climate and what's our placing as artists in climate and, repurposing like a sculpture kind of making, and thinking workshop like, come on, it's so good. So it's just for [00:16:30] me, it's made my conversation and my work bigger

I'm loving it. But I've all of a sudden super busy. So they're, yeah, just all part of this great kind of flow on effect. But it's been such an addition for me.

Courtney: If I want to come to your Muse and Maker creative retreat, how do I do that?

Jasmin: It's very simple. You just go to museandmakercreativeretreats. com
and have a look what's on offer. usually there is one per season.

Courtney: Can anyone come to your retreat?
Do they have to identify as an [00:17:00] artist or a, creative professional?

Jasmin: No, that's the thing I love about it is that, there's some of the most incredible established artists that attend and then there's someone that just wants to think creatively for the weekend. It's, available and there for anyone who just wants to retreat and start living a creative life really.

As I said, it's mostly for me, but anyone can come.

Jasmin: But no, the joy in meeting everyone and the type of people that come [00:17:30] is part of the joy. I'm actually going to go and do a creative retreat myself in France next year in the Pyrenees which, as I mentioned in Europe, creative thinking retreats are the go.

That's what people do. And that's what I'm going to do. Because I know that if I do that, then the work that I make will be a lot more realised, a hundred percent more, landed into. Exactly where I want to be rather than going, what's my next project, what [00:18:00] am I doing? What's my list? Where am I, what's my market?

Where's my audience, what's my commercial appeal? I found that if I do the mind work. Everything else lands? That's been a huge thing for me.

Courtney: In what ways would you say that it's been specifically transformative?

Jasmin: You know, I've always created work, I think really selfishly. So for my own benefit, like I created a large scale video installation called Live, which was [00:18:30] all of the musicians that I found gave me a lot of inspiration and energy. I think the Spanish call it, duende.

And I did, at Sydney Town Hall for Sydney Festival, these large scale stripped back performances of all these incredible artists from around the world. And I felt like that was just all for me, but everyone loved it as well. So that was good. But this, I find is like a bigger scale of that that is ongoing. Yeah.

Courtney: There is a film I want to talk about with you.

Women [00:19:00] Talking and not so much about the film, but its production.

Jasmin: Oh yes.

Courtney: So, I guess the short version is that Sarah Polley fell in love with a book and wanted to adapt it for the screen. Was fixed on writing it, but opted out of directing it think she had three young children, under eight, and couldn't conceive of working 16 hour days, relentlessly.

And film's producer was Frances McDormand, or one of the producers. And Frances really [00:19:30] rallied for the production to be friendly to women with children and their needs and advocated for an eight hour working day and allowed people to go home to their families.

So thinking about that scenario and thinking about the amazing film that resulted from that, that one, a swag of accolades, and awards, can you talk about your experience of the film industry in Australia and overseas

Jasmin:  [00:20:00] When I, When I heard about Sarah Polley, what a winner just so fantastic that she asked for that and did that and for Frances to made that happen which is just, it's not heard of actually and for me, that is such a major thing because every time I get a job, like I often work internationally or away.

My first reaction is, Oh, phew, great, got a job or got a project. Amazing. Then I'm like, fuck, how am I going to do that? And it's like nannies, it's frozen [00:20:30] meals. It's, relatives. it's not me alone. It's everybody like, you're just like, whoa, okay.

How am I actually going to do that? And I feel the film industry has such a way to go all of my producers will be able to say, you've always got a kid in tow. And I've always had the kids come with me on shoots with a nanny or whatever. And that doesn't often happen, but that was my choice.

My kids have grown up on set and, they're very comfortable, maybe a bit too comfortable coming and [00:21:00] talking to everyone. But I wanted for them to see me in all different parts of my life, just being myself. And part of that was being on set. And it's, yeah, it's been so hard.

A lot of people choose to do it differently but I think moving forward The film industry really needs to have a look at being able to support all types of people to be able to create work. And, it's so fantastic - if you give people [00:21:30] what they need and have their needs met, you can create beautiful work. Sarah Polly, didn't she win a, an Oscar for best screenplay? It's fantastic. it works. Why do we have you know, 16, 18 hour days? Like it's budget. It's a budget thing. I understand that. Looking at the feature film budget at the moment, where can we, Cut, blah, blah, blah.

And it's obvious it's ours. that comes down to we have a situation in Australia where we just don't have the population for the budgets and we don't have the access [00:22:00] to the population for the box office. it all feeds into itself. That's a major thing for the Australian film industry.

We all work so hard - a massive toll on families. My kids are getting better at it now, but I still have that sinking feeling every time a project gets up of Oh my God, how am I actually going to do this? And it's, it comes at a cost. There's always a cost. Someone, (sigh) I don't know, someone loses out.

Courtney: Yeah,

Jasmin: But it's what we [00:22:30] do. So I feel thankful that probably three months of the year I'm out and about on shoots and then the rest of the time I'm at home, you know, we live in the bush by the sea, so it's, very nurturing and I'm there a lot of the time for the kids, but Sarah Polley, I just was excited to hear that and how successful it was as well. You know what I mean? Because everyone's living their best life, really.

Courtney: So, what would you like to see change immediately?

Jasmin: The hours are a major thing. I don't know [00:23:00] how for each production you can have everyone close to their families.

I don't know how practical that is. But certainly hours, childcare allowances, there's very practical things that could be put in place.

Courtney: I remember you telling me a story about rocking up to set one day and perhaps you hadn't worked with this particular crew and there was an expectation that you look or dress a certain way.

Jasmin: Maybe?

Courtney: Do I have that right?

Jasmin: I think that was when I started out. When we were really very young, but I used to laugh because all of the women wore cargo pants.

Courtney: I've never seen you in a pair of cargo pants in our long history

Jasmin: on set. And I always thought it was hilarious. I was like - What are they getting ready for? But it was a thing and it is practical.

You need stuff in your pockets and whatever. But for me, I've always just had a skirt with a little bag with my stuff in it. But yeah there's all those kind of [00:24:00] Stereotypes and stuff in the film industry, it is getting a lot better. Like when I started out, I was usually the only female on set.

I work with beautiful men and beautiful women, but recently I was going on a job away for two weeks, traveling and shooting. some people weren't available and whatever but then I got to the airport and looked at the crew and went, wait a second.

And I just. didn't think about this. I'm the only female here. And I was devastated. I was like, how did this [00:24:30] happen? And it was all fine, but I was just like, I hadn't clocked exactly, where I was at with the production. And that was quite rare. And I was like, wow, I'd have to really keep an eye on that because, you can easily do it.

Because there is, a lot more men. In the industry. Yeah. And I like to balance it out as much as possible.

Courtney: Do you know now what your ideal conditions are to create in?

Jasmin: Yeah, it usually involves a clean house, which doesn't actually happen very [00:25:00] often, but yes, I'm getting better at that. I have to exercise, as my daughter says, get the sillies out, I do have to have a bit of order in the house setting deadlines for myself and making myself accountable is the major thing for me.

I'm like, by the end of the week, I have to finish this. And that for me is the thing which keeps the drive going. But yeah, look, that was something I worked on with my creative coach about some people have a music - I do have a [00:25:30] particular tea this beautiful jasmine green tea that I like.

And so there's that and there's certain music, like I can do all of that. But I physically need to really arrive, putting all of those sort of support teams and things in place, allowing that space for me to do it.

Courtney: I love that.

Is there something that you wish you had known before you started out on your career journey?

Jasmin: I think the thing I would have liked to have known is that you need to experiment [00:26:00] more. I don't think I allowed myself to experiment more. I was always trying for a bigger project, more challenging, more ambitious, but like just that playfulness, I think would have been, really good for me I've been doing it a lot lately, actually.

There was this lovely female cinematographer she's been working on my sets as a camera assistant and she came to me and said I really want to do some work with you. And I said, all right, how about we do some tests for this feature I've got coming up? So we've been doing these tests together

We've been shooting single mums [00:26:30] and sons around 12, 13. So we've been going and making these beautiful portraits together and that's for me We do one a week and it's so nice to just have that playfulness and that experimentation,

And we don't know where it'll go or what will happen. But just keeping shooting, keeping experimenting. I always thought I didn't want to shoot because it might not be good enough, or I don't want to do that because it might, be the wrong messaging, like just that playfulness I think is super important.

Courtney: Is that about time and [00:27:00] resources?

Jasmin: Yeah, it costs of course, like filmmaking is really expensive, but also just I think your own judgment, like I was like oh I don't think it's going to be good enough or what if it gets out or my name on it or you know all of that stuff which I don't really care so much about now.

Yeah.

Courtney: So it it circles back to our main question, which is how do you take your creative ideas seriously? And when did you start doing that?

Jasmin: Yeah, I think, I grew up in the theatre and it was such a gift in Newcastle,

I got invited to [00:27:30] join a theatre company and was just told to write about whatever's going on for us and scream about it, dance about it.

You write, you perform, you do. And that became my whole life from when I was 12. And then I started teaching at that theatre company when I was 16 to 18. Then I went to acting school and film school. Like it all started from that theatre company of everyone just going, keep creating, keep [00:28:00] expressing, keep making.

And you just do it. Of course, self doubt always creeps in, but I think as you get older, you're just like, Oh, who cares? We'll just see what happens. And as I was just talking about, experimenting, playing, all that kind of stuff really leans into that.

Courtney: There's so much I didn't know.

Jasmin: Oh!

Courtney: I'm so glad to be interviewing you.

Is there an aspect of yourself that you have deliberately amplified to be in the film industry?

Jasmin: [00:28:30] Yeah, I think for me the thing that I've amplified working in the film industry is how adaptable and capable I can be.

I grew up with a single mum in Newcastle

Not with a lot of money or that kind of thing, You had to adapt. it does not bother me if I go from a two million dollar budget commercial to a five thousand dollar, short film the next day. I absolutely don't care and I love it actually. [00:29:00] So adapting and being aware of all different types of sort of scenarios and what they're there for has made me just move with whatever I need to do at the time. I think that I just keep learning and keep challenging myself with that in mind.

Courtney: I love that. I see you doing that all the time.

Jasmin: Yeah.

Courtney: And it's adapting, but it's also making the most of where you are.
And amplifying the resources and the beauty of what's there. You have a [00:29:30] very unique talent in being able to bring things together, wherever you are.

Jasmin: Thank you.

Courtney: It's a privilege to know you, darling

Jasmin: And you.  

Courtney: Thank you.

Jasmin: Thank you.

Courtney: Are You Still Working?! is an independently produced podcast by me, Courtney Collins and producer Lisa Madden. We'd love to hear from you if any episode has inspired your own project. for listening. Till next time.