Several weeks ago, while Miranda July was in town to premiere her film The Future at the Sydney Film Festival i took a few pictures of her for a story in Time Out.

It was one of those typical “you have 20 minutes for an interview and photo in the hotel room” type deals. I did the pictures, Alice Tynan did the talking.

I rather like Miranda July, she’s a creative spirit, so beforehand i tried to think of an idea that could work in the restricted environment of a 5 minute hotel shoot.

She uses words and text a fair bit in her work, and i think i’d just been admiring the Baal artwork, so i thought it would be cool to have her write something on her own body. I figured it would be a quirky idea that she might just like.

So i nicked one of Cybele’s eyeliner pencils and wrote down a list of phrases and words should she be uninspired and went off to the 26th floor of the Hilton.

Before i was shown the room i stopped outside the lift and admired the little window nook. I figured that could be a nice spot to shoot her in. She’s quite diminutive, so it would be kind of cool to get her to stand in the space. And it’s and easier ask than getting her to draw on herself.

When we were introduced we exchanged few words before i asked if she’d hop up into to window sill. No problems.

Her pink stockings made it look pretty nice.

After a few snaps that were ok i pitched her my drawing on the hand idea and presented her with the eyeliner pencil. She thought about it momentarily then without needing any suggestions she scrawled something out.

We walked round the corner into the hotel corridor and she held up her palm.

DON’T GIVE UP.

Words to live by.