Brisbane | This Graduate’s Story Will Inspire You
By Shannon Edwards // Place New Farm
#humansofbrisbane John Sparksman
Inspired by art and travel, John Sparksman has a unique talent and perspective on the world.
Having just graduated from St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, John has taken himself on a holiday of a lifetime.
From Europe to the Middle East, John travelled solo and documented the whole thing through photography and art.
Photo credit: @johnedwardsparksman
How did you find your love for art?
Art was always around me when I was growing up. My mum is an interior designer and artist and my dad wanted to be a cartoonist when he was younger.
As a child I remember drawing and painting with my parents - I guess that sparked my interest for art.
I was studying art all through school and was recognised from an early age. In primary school, I duxed art.
I’m interested in illustrating either portraits or cityscapes and like to use a lot of bright, vivid colours. I find sometimes black and white works can lack depth.
I’ve always been interested in photography and film. For years, I’ve followed creatives on Instagram who inspire me every day.
Some of my favourite Instagram accounts are @sam_Kolder and @tonimahfud.
John's adaptation of the work of Kehinde Wiley
John's adaptations of the work of Kehinde Wiley
You’ve got a love for travel, tell us about some of your trips?
I was lucky in that my parents gave us the opportunity to travel to amazing places.
I’ve been to Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. But I’ll never forget the first time I travelled to Europe.
On my first trip we went around Europe and to Oman in the Middle East. That really changed me and opened up a new way of thinking. It was a complete culture shock.
Egypt has always been my number one travel destination. I had been saving up all year to afford a ticket. I did so by working two casual jobs and selling artwork.
I worked from Friday night through to Sunday night during high school. I had no weekends but I was so driven to save money for travel.
I bought a ticket to Egypt but then there was an incident in Cairo that made it unsafe to travel. So instead, I jumped on a plane and visited my mum and brother who were travelling in Oman.
We went through Oman, Morocco and the Emirates. That trip reaffirmed my love for travel and that part of the world.
Photo credit: @johnedwardsparksman
Tell us about your recent ‘schoolies’ adventure?
Everyone around me was planning their schoolies week at Surfers Paradise but I knew all I wanted to do was travel.
I’d completely fallen in love with Oman so that was my schoolies destination. I also travelled to the Emirates and Spain.
I had so many amazing adventures while overseas. I think one of the coolest things I did was meeting a few backpackers in Muscat where we went camping in the middle of the desert.
How did you go travelling by yourself?
In the lead up to my trip I did a lot of research into travelling alone. Everywhere people were saying it was the best thing they ever did so although I was nervous, that gave me faith.
I was petrified and didn’t understand the journey ahead of me. I remember shaking when I got off the plane.
Once I was there, I never felt alone. I met amazing people all throughout my trip.
I think that everyone can and should travel alone. It’s such an incredible experience and has allowed me to grow and understand so much about myself.
