At home with Amy aka @ILOVEBRUCEWILLIS
Straight outta Sydney, the insta-heartbreaker from down under Amy Louise aka @ILOVEBRUCEWILLIS, invited us over to preview her latest sculpture works, and get the skinny on being a lifesize girl in the online world. Instantly recognisable for her cartoon bombshell looks and surreal still lifes, we got to know the person behind the pout. Trust, there's more to this peach than meets the "like"... Hey girl hey! I'm Amy, a visual artist based in Sydney (I don't really like to call myself an artist, it's a bit intimidating). If I'm not creating, i'm probably spending hours on end watching Frasier or chillin' with mates. Like the cardigan says, my life is boring... First things first, why the username!? Actually I was just watching Die Hard with some friends and out of nowhere I sighed "I love Bruce Willis" really loud, right when the movie started getting intense lol. The joke has stuck to me ever since, but I do love me some Fifth Element.The mystery has been unlocked ! So we're in your hometown? Yeah, I grew up here in the inner suburbs of Sydney, it's super quiet and a bit sheltered from city life. I basically live next to farms and bushland...and I absolutely adore it. What were you like as a kid? Oh I was super shy and sensitive, I guess I kinda lived in my head a lot and expressed myself one way or another through art instead. The only thing that's changed is nowadays you literally can't shut me up. How has Instagram propelled you and your practice into the limelight? Did the attention snowball quickly? Oh my god. It's still so wild that people even follow me! I think I'm the biggest dweeb so I don't see the appeal! It feels like everything happened overnight so I can't comprehend it, but I'm so thankful for everyone who supports my work. What do you create and why? I enjoy taking photos and moulding sculptures, generally speaking I love objects that make people feel kinda uncomfortable. It's the concept of repulsion vs attraction, and blurring the line between the two. I like to think that my art is all very fun and doesn't take itself too seriously...don't read into it too much. What's your art studio soundtrack? Haha! Okay i'll be honest here, I love One Direction and Justin Bieber so much! I listen to pretty much anything and everything though. If it's not 1D or JB, it's mainly jams from the 90s-00's and some classic rock. I'm waiting for the day Harry Styles falls in love with me. What did you sculpt today? These lil foamy guys are prototypes for a new mixed media series I'm working on, they're basically abstract blobs & bodies - they're my babies! Next i'm experimenting with mould and i'm gonna grow sprouts out of the little crevices. Yum! So what makes the perfect photo in your opinion? I have a soft spot for really clean, minimal compositions that are well framed, with natural lighting and minimal editing, #nofilter. You have a knack for capturing the weirdness in everyday environments, do you think it's important to share nature? I love to document just about anything around me but I have noticed I'm more inclined to post pictures of real natural objects, like insects, fruits, plants etc. I think it's because they appeal to my love of colour and texture, in some strange way they also remind me of my own body. Photography is a way to open peoples' eyes to the beauty in everything. But to selfie or not to selfie, that is the question¦ Selfies are always the answer! They're portraiture to some extent. It serves the same kind of documenting purpose as painting did 500 years ago. I really think they play an important role for people of colour as well - the amount of diversity, creativity and self love I see on my feed every day is so heart warming and inspiring. It's really refreshing to form our own representations in spite of the mainstream, yeah I back selfies 100%. What do you like to wear ? I wish I was a cartoon character then I could wear the same outfit everyday, but for now I thrift practically all my clothing, then alter with my own little touch. My style changes depending on my mood, some days I feel lazy and some days I really wanna dress up. And finally, the single most important question ever... which emoji are you and why? The full moon! So many of my friends have coincidentally assigned that to my contact on their phone. There's really no explanation to it'¦I just feel that this lil fella is relatable. ----------------------- Follow Amy's adventures in the art world over on Instagram , and shop her AW15 edit here >>>