– ARTIST

Eyoälha Baker

Eyoälha Baker is a passionate artist, photographer, muralist, public speaker, writer, community engagement activator and the creative behind the Jump for Joy Photo Project.

Born on Canada’s West Coast, Eyoälha (Eee-YO-Lah) means the wind in the Kwakwa’ka’wakw (Kwakiutl) language. Traveling and living around the world from a young age has given her a great appreciation for cultural differences and human similarities.

Eyoälha has spent six years taking photographs of people from all walks of life, jumping into the air to capture their unique essence and joyful energy. She then shares the photos as features online and with the community through large-scale public art murals which have garnered international praise and inspired people worldwide. Her images and writing have been published internationally, she was the inaugural Artist in Residence at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, and has spoken about her work on numerous occasions, including TEDx, PeaceLove and Interesting Vancouver.

She holds a BFA with Honours from Concordia University, a Media Resources Diploma and attended LAMP International Business Management Program at Capilano University.

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Self Portrait Eyoälha Baker

Artist Eyoälha Baker

Digital photography is one of my favourite mediums. I capture images that share how I see beauty in the world.

I’ve always been interested in photography, childhood included stacks of National Geographic’s and fashion magazines like Vogue / BAZAAR. I consider myself mostly self taught, through experimentation and play. more of my photography work can be seen at www.eyoalha.com

I fell in love with digital photography when I bought my first digital Canon Powershot camera- 3.2 megapixels in 2005. I was excited to experiment and play with light, motion, framing and to take hundreds of photos without concern of wasting costly film.. and it’s so instant. I love the instant gratification of seeing the images.

I loved that camera so much that I risked my life chasing down a thief (James Bond style) during Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was lucky, I got it back with the help of some armed police officers who popped up once we had run through the crowd into a less populated street. I got my camera back and no one was harmed 🙂

I find immense joy in capturing the essence of the moment, documenting the beauty and movement in the spontaneity of life, also one of the reasons why I love jumping photos!

I believe in the positive effects of joy on society as a whole, and enjoy the creative collaboration between photographer and subject. Becoming a muralist, speaker, community engagement artist, published writer/photographer were things I never dreamed of or imagined I could achieve, they just organically happened through creating this project, which continues to morph and change every year. Please follow along on my jump for joy journey and discover along with me how it will all unfold.

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More on why I decided to create Jump for Joy Photo Project, and Artist in Residence presentation.

More on why I decided to create Jump for Joy Photo Project, and Artist in Residence presentation in Palm Springs

TEDXEastVan Talk:

Jumping for Joy opened hearts and unified communities | Eyoälha Baker | TEDxEastVan

Telus Optic TV mini Doc filmed while creating my first Vancouver Jump for Joy Mural

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