Gemini Dreams & Deep Undercurrents

A conversation on myth, motion and authenticity with photographer and brand consultant Ocea Hill.

SM: Where do you find your creative inspiration these days? What feels magnetic to you right now?

OH: In a lot of ways, I’m pulling from this fantasy world in my mind. My parents almost named me Atlantis and the Atlantan myth has always been something very dear to my heart. I found this book at the free store on Hornby at the beginning of the year and it is all about the lost continent of Atlantis and whether or not it was real... It took me on such a journey. And it finished with the conclusion that Atlantis is this place in the collective consciousness and it’s this like, utopian world of what we wish had been and what could always be.

I feel like that’s been coming into my work. Like the shoot we did with Swedish Stockings, the story that came through was that the little mermaid has washed up on shore for the first time and is getting her legs. This girl comes up from the depths, is learning to walk, and she's connecting with the earth and the stones and all these new elements. And so it’s this merging of mythology and mysticism with what people are creating, and then trying to create these timeless places that could exist 100 years from now or a thousand years before. That’s definitely what inspires me and what I try to carry through in my work. 

Euspira, 2025

SM: Name the first one that comes to mind: top photoshoot of 2025.

OH: The photoshoot I did last weekend for Sital Jansson. It really takes the cake in terms of the professionalism every person brought to the table. The creative synergy that happened was just a dream come true. I keep saying it must be what it feels like to be a musician and find artists that you can just jam with. You don’t really have to communicate much, but the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts. And I mean… Diamonds, gangster music and creating art with talented woman. In terms of the utopian dream, like, you just can’t top that.

Sital Jansson, 2025

SM: How did Undercurrent Media begin and how has it evolved with you over the years?

OH: Undercurrent Media was in the gestation stage probably before I even started university. I had just dropped out of videography, started working in hospitality, and I had this moment where I realized that when the local businesses around me were thriving, I would start making more money. I started meeting all of these incredible makers who were doing really, really cool stuff. And having grown up in Melbourne and coming back to the Comox Valley, I noticed this big difference between the way that people marketed themselves down in Australia in the city and here in the Valley. I wanted to be of service to these independent makers and empower them with the tools to play in the big leagues. So I went back to school for marketing and behavioural economics, which was really fascinating to me, knowing that I wanted to create a branding agency of some sort.

I started getting into mysticism, alchemy, symbolism, and I’d always been into myth. So I started playing with this when the birthing point came up. What was the name going to be? I first thought it would be Current Times Change. The current coming from the water. The times being a double meaning for the amplification of change and being the time that we’re in. This is what I started with, but it didn’t feel quite right. It didn’t roll quite the way I wanted it to. So I kept following those trails and Undercurrent came into being. An undercurrent being everything that's beneath the current culture. 

So, you think about what an undercurrent is and it’s this riptide, this powerful force beneath the surface that pulls things from here to there, that shapes the tides. And then going into the underwater emotional realm, it’s our subconscious and what we’re picking up from the collective unconscious and how that’s actually being transformed into these waves and ripples on the surface. And that stuck. That felt right.

It’s also an ode to the unseen work that goes on behind the scenes. We spend so much time plotting, scheming, connecting, building things that never go out into the world. All of the tears, breakdowns, and the inner work that it takes to put yourself out there. It’s all in that undercurrent.

"Collaboration is essential ... You just have to mix three new people together and you get something that’s never been created before."

SM: You began with photography and later stepped into videography. What sparked that shift? How has motion changed the way you tell stories?

OH: That is a great question. Videography is what I really wanted to do way back when. So I got into video in high school and then I went to university for it. My first attempt at university, and I put it down and pursued a whole different career path after a documentary project went wrong. But it’s recently started being asked of me again. It’s really cool to play with movement in a different way, to start thinking about not only the way a static image tells a story, but the way movement leads into transition leads into the next corner and how to cut it all up and make it feel poetic while getting the point across. There’s so many different ways to put videos together and interpret what video is. And in terms of world building, it’s really interesting. I feel like this could be a lifelong learning for me. But I do like the challenge, and I think we are moving into a more video heavy world. 

Sasha Boulton styled by Cyenna Henny, 2025

SM: And in a world saturated with imagery, how do you stay connected to your own voice and maintain a sense of authenticity in your work?

OH: This idea of standing out and staying inspired is a matter of just being deeply connected to yourself, your taste, what inspires you, what your values are, and the people that are available to you in your life. Like, I’m constantly inspired by the world around me. I’m constantly looking for ways to express the beauty that I see and this energy that I feel, and these things that I feel are so unique to me. And if I find someone creating something similar, I just know that they could probably be my best friend, you know? And I really think collaboration is essential as well. You just have to mix three new people together and you get something that’s never been created before. And letting go of control, too. Yeah. Just allowing it to bloom in front of you.

SM: Who helps shape how you see the world? Who are some of your biggest artistic influences?

OH: The list is so long, I could never name everyone. I’ve been really lucky with the people that have come through and mentored me. Paige Owen, Melina Aguad, Olivia Van Dyke and Liz Rosa. They’ve offered a lot of inspiration and insight, and they’re people whose work I’m really drawn to. And then bringing in a little left field, I watched Elodie Gervaise and Mikaela Stafford go from trying to figure out what their thing was to like, really making it. I find their styles really pull me in.

Numinous Body, 2025

SM: The two pieces featured at Euspira this month carry a distinct mood. Can you share the story or emotional undercurrent behind them?

OH: Yeah. They’re really special to me. These are my first ever prints that I had made. They’re the first of the first as well. They’re kind of playing with this sculptural element that's been shaped by nature. They’re from a little pocket of the universe that feels like outer space. This first piece here is called the Timeless Dance. It’s got this really strong contrast between the shadow and the light with the moon right at the centre. It speaks to the dance that we’re in with the stars that are greater than us, the earth that we are a part of and this balance of shadow and light that we are constantly navigating.

This other piece is called The Castle Beyond the Tides. If I were a faerie or a mermaid or an Atlantean, that would be my palace.

The Castle Beyond The Tides [left], The Timeless Dance [right], 2024

SM: Looking ahead, what direction are you being pulled toward next? Both creatively and geographically.

OH: I don’t want to pretend like I know where the universe wants me. Creatively, I’m working on a mini release of smaller scale prints that are going to be a teaser for an exhibition that is in the works. Just getting resourced to actually make prints of the scale that I want is going to be a big step. Deepening the practices I’m already in, stepping into video and learning how to pace myself appropriately is what I’m feeling called into.

SM: I like to think I know your wardrobe relatively well. What I don’t know is what your favourite item from the shop is!

OH: My Jubi checkered shorts I wore pretty much every day this summer. A brown and white checker for me is creme de la crème. My Pearle Knits tank, in terms of being a busty gal, is one of the comfiest, most containing and flattering pieces I have. And the hooded scarf from Bohème. I’m obsessed with it right now. It makes me feel like a cherub.

SM: Last question. What’s a piece of advice that you keep coming back to?

OH: Plan like you’re gonna win. 

SM: Boom. Mic drop.

OH: Yeah. Be so committed to your success, that it’s just a matter of time.

The Castle Beyond The Tides and The Timeless Dance are available for viewing at Euspira. To inquire about purchasing, DM or email hello@euspira.ca.

Work with Ocea.

This conversation has been condensed for clarity.