Photographer, gardener, knitter... Oh my!

Kelly Gilliam just can't sit still - her drive to make it herself has led her into a life of hands-on expertise

By Marilyn Perez
Published: June 14th, 2006 | 6:10pm

When Kelly Gilliam is not working at an art supply store in Vancouver, British Columbia, she is an aspiring filmmaker, photographer, avid knitter, gardener, and craft queen. Kelly does not hold back from exploring her creativity and skill through various mediums. Plain and simple, this girl does not like to be bored, “I can’t stand just sitting in front of the TV or wondering to myself what to do, so I always like to have something on the go.” Living on her own since graduating high school has played a major part in learning how to work with her hands and making things herself. She also credits her mother for her interests and gifts, “My mom is really a great artist and photographer…she sews and likes floral arranging and homey crafts like that, so I always had some sort of influence around me growing up.”

Kelly is inspired by photographers like Ansel Adams and Dorthea Lang for their ability to create an image from technical skill, beauty, and natural setting. She loves to experiment with older cameras, using Holgas, a Yashica FR-I, a Windsor Diana, a Brownie Cresta, and a Brownie Target Six-20. She carries a camera with her everywhere she goes and is always scouting flea markets for vintage equipment.

In 2003, she began Project Camera Release, an experimental project where a black & white disposable camera is passed around to a select group from all over the world. Each member of the group snaps four shots and then mails the camera to the next person. The finished cameras are then returned to Kelly. After four installments, Project Camera Release published a zine to further display the work of the photographers involved. She is now up to installment number 7 and looking for people who would be interested in sharing the fun.

In March 2006, Suite101.com offered Kelly her own column on knitting and crochet. She gives instructions on the craft and covers topics such as vegan knitting and how to start your own knitting circle. Kelly has been knitting since she was little – at the time it seemed like she was using “three-foot long aluminum needles”. She took a break from knitting and picked it up again at 18, and has been learning new tricks along the way. Knitting is a hobby that brings her a sense of peace and satisfaction. She recently learned how to spin her own wool, although knitting socks still makes her scratch her head.

Since Spring 2004, the online magazine You Grow Girl has recruited Kelly to write several articles, participate in the forums, and keep a regular gardening journal for the site. She has given out tips on how to grow your own basil, grow a container garden (for us backyard-less apartment dwellers), and how to knit your own garden – that’s right, knit. She grew up a prairie girl surrounded by open fields, and moving to Vancouver helped her discover a new way to garden - urban gardening.

Kelly’s latest venture is working in art-production design with independent film groups. “I think it might have been the first time I saw Citizen Kane at 13 that made me decide I wanted to go into film.” She is in pre-production on a film tentatively titled An Unorthadox Love Story Told in Three Parts.

So what is she currently doing? She’s taking part in Vision’s Alternative Photography Project Round Robin, Project Camera Release Installment 7, bookbinding, and knitting a sweater. She is also hoping to start a photography business taking headshots. There is no stopping Miss Gilliam’s creativity and sharing her art and knowledge with others. You can keep tabs on Kelly and her babies through her website devileye.net.