Where are you from and what's the female surf community like there?

Hey guys! I grew up and currently live in Cronulla, south of Sydney. The female surf community here is amazing. It’s so supportive and welcoming of all ages and levels. I have a great group of friends here who I surf with and the sessions consist of lots of yapping and party waves. Times have changed since the age of the chicko rolls! 

What's daily life like for you in Cronulla?

 I’m lucky enough to live a few minutes away from the beach so daily life consists of rolling out of bed to the surf, coffees and walks by the beach with my friends, hanging out with my cat Humphrey. All of my friends live around the block, so we’re always catching up at the last minute and taking quick surf trips on the weekends down the coast. I’m living the grommy dream, minus the e-bike. What is your day job and how did you come to this line of work? I currently work at a wonderful creative agency called Hello Melo, where I keep busy with directing and filming documentaries. I also balance all of this with freelance photography as well! I started my photography and filmmaking career around 6 years ago first shooting amateur documentaries using cameras at university while also editing event videos at a record label I was interning for at the time. I remember the first film I made was of the female DJ community in Sydney, shot with a really cheap handicam and I had so much fun. It bloomed from there when I started to freelance and become involved with the art, interior and lifestyle scene. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of my dream brands and clients (Salt Gypsy being one of them!) We've built our business around the daily surf rituals of living an ocean-centric lifestyle and there is something about your Oceania print that we really fell in love with. Can you tell us a bit more about developing the 'Oceania' range of prints (and where can peeps purchase)? Thank you! The OCEANIA range was about exploring how local beach-goers experience down-time in between the hustle of everyday life. The quieter moments and ocean rituals we take on, and a general appreciation for the Aussie coastline. I’ve travelled a lot and there is really no where in the world like the Aussie coast line and beaches, especially our ocean pools. It’s magical and I really wanted to capture the serene feeling and sense of community it gives us all. It has been so amazing working with the Salt Gypsy team on this collaboration, they’ve done an incredible job of incorporating the print into their surf wear designs. You can purchase the prints here. If we came to visit you in Cronulla, where would you take us? What would we do? And where are the coldest beers at?? (we'll link to any bars/eateries/shops etc. in your local hood that you love) I would take you to Flour - it’s a cute little cafe in Caringbah, insanely good pastries and a great buzz. After working our way through a few pastries I’d take you to Shoes/Oak Park for a cheeky surf - it’s a great right-hander reef break with the backdrop of the national park and Bundeena. Maybe after we could have a little shop at Girl Meraki. The coldest beers - Northies is as shire as it gets, we’d have to end the day there for the full shire experience, maybe followed by an apple whiskey at Blind Bear! (IGs https://www.instagram.com/weareflour_/, https://www.instagram.com/ girlmeraki/, https://www.instagram.com/northieshotel/, https:// www.instagram.com/theblindbear/ ) Any big projects or trips lined up for 2026? I have a few in the works, I would love to get a little more into travel journalism and the tourism industry this year. We will see where the year takes me! Hopefully to a great surf break somewhere in the Ments haha. Style us out for the lineup, what would you have us wearing: I have fallen in love with the chilli checkered top paired with the OCEANIA bottoms. For me that is a winner. The OCEANIA one piece is also so comfortable to surf in and so flattering. It’s really refreshing to not have to worry about being dacked mid duck dive or figuring out what has fallen out after a wipe-out lol! I have found that with a lot of surf suits, so it’s nice to not have to think about that and enjoy my session.The pieces are perfect for surfing in style, and feeling really good and comfortable at the same time. The colours really popped in the water when I was shooting the girls for the campaign shoot, the hot red mixed with the light blues are a sick combo. Favourite surf spot or destination: Balian, Bali. A beautiful little spot away from the hustle and bustle of the busier surrounding areas. I have experienced the most magical sunsets there while in the lineup. Watching the sky turn deep purple as the fisherman’s boats go by with only a few others in the line-up has to be up there with my core memories. Words you live by: Always maintain a “zest for life”. I don’t deal with monotony very well, I feel like for me it’s always important to learn new things, go to new places to keep life interesting. I try to have as many new life experiences as I can. Top 10 essential (surf) travel items: 1. Surf mud 2. Towels to stuff inside my board bag - I have learnt my lesson many times 3. Of course a bunch of cute surf suits 4. Havianas 5. Lots of wax- I need to learn to stop scabbing everyone else’s 6. Argan oil 7. A good surf hat 8. A surf jacket for those unexpected cold days 9. A few cute shell necklaces (very blue crush of me) 10. A big fluffy wettie towel Anything thing else we need to know/how can we support what you do: Thank you! My socials are @jashigginsgallery and my website is jashiggins.com - I will post all of my projects and updates on there so it would be fab to get in touch with likeminded surfers and creatives! Shout-out to SG for bringing me on board this collab!