Your most recent exhibition, Unfixed Landscapes, was part of the PhD. Can you tell us about that?

Unfixed Landscapes was a philosophical enquiry through film and photography into the possibilities of representing the community down in Cooloorta. The kids were growing up there - it's an unusual, utopian situation. I tried out different experimental practices through slow filmmaking, through walking and video, through still photography and through autobiographical image making and collections of different images and text. It was basically three big experiments, and then I put them together into an installation so people came in and were guided around the whole space.

The community you grew up in, Cooloorta, is a very alternative community. What was it like growing up there?

It had its difficulties. It's slightly separated from the rest of society, so you can feel a little bit closed off or in a bit of a bubble. But also it's quite magical; you're very, very close to nature. I would go walking a lot. There's quite a romantic feeling tied up in it. A lot of the reasons why people live like that are quite aesthetic - those choices are made because they want to live a very simple, aesthetic lifestyle. But I quite like being involved in the busy cultural world with travelling and just working alot, so it suits me to be in Galway and moving about.

How would you describe yourself?

I'm determined - quietly determined, and driven. I'm quite sociable and friendly. I suppose it's a challenge to make the time and space for myself as an artist and I'm trying to value that more and more as my career gets more solidified and takes off. There are so many demands on time, I find, especially with family close by and commitments to people. I think it's important to have those in perspective. I need time every day to retreat to myself - long periods of reflective time.

Would you consider that as your work time?

Yes, but it could just be reflective time - it could just be walking, but I find it has to be for a long time. I'm thinking more and more that it's essential to my work. It's really about valuing yourself. Valuing yourself as an artist is quite tricky because it seems maybe a little bit luxurious. You just have to say, 'Actually, that is what I do, my studio is my practice'. Or if it's out in the world, walking practise, whatever it is, you need to put the time into it and make the space for it to actually take off. When I see other people's work really flourishing, it's because they've managed to make that commitment.

How does art/culture influence your daily life?

Art is my daily life now. It has become everything - a lot of my work is tied into my life as well. I've worked with my life so much that art is my life and my life is art. For enjoyment, I go to see exhibitions - that also feeds my teaching work, so it really is a full time thing. Culture is tied into nearly every aspect of what I do.

Was that your aim?

It's like a slow burner that's really built up and is gaining momentum over a long, slow period of intense commitment to it. But I can feel it really starting to take hold now, which is great. It can be a difficult career to pursue, mostly financially, because you're sacrificing the security of a 'proper' 9 to 5 job and that's tricky. But it fires me up.

What drives you?

I really get a lot of inspiration from looking at other work. It touches me deeply the way people can express and explore ideas that might be difficult politically, culturally, emotionally - sometimes very close personal work that reaches out in different ways. I want to be part of that sphere.

Do you work on instinct or do you think things through?

A bit of both, because sometimes it doesn't always work just to work on instinct; you need to have a solid concept. Sometimes the concept comes after the practice; I think you can inhibit yourself by having too much of an overbearing concept when you start a project. You need to intuitively feel your way into it, reflect on it, then go back and reflect again and make work like that. Then the concept starts to solidify. That's how I make work, anyway. But it's almost like if you're a writer, you put everything out on the page first of all and then start paring it back. With photography, editing is a massive part of it. With photography, you need to take your work, then you pare it back and pare it back and pare it back. With my MA show, Other Madonnas, I had hundreds of images and in the end, we boiled it down to 8 or 10 images because it was stronger that way.

It must be very satisfying work

When it works, yes. You can feel a bit blocked sometimes, going through different phases. When it starts to flow, it's really good. Some days you look at it and go, 'Oh my God, this is a pile of shit. What was I thinking?' And sometimes it is, and you get whipped up in your own excitement thinking you've done something brilliant and it's not brilliant; it really isn't. I do need other people's opinions - I think it's really important to have critical input. I'm really lucky because I run a lot of things by my dad, who's really clever and always perceptive. So I have this really good mentor, bottom line, who I can run my ideas by and he will say if he doesn't think it's a great idea too.

Any new projects in the pipeline?

I'm working on a new project for Belfast Exposed Gallery. I'm being represented for the year by Ciara Hickey on a programme called Belfast Exposed Futures. They've chosen six photographers to work with and promote, and we're going to be showing work in Paris, London and Belfast. So this is really a great break for me; it's the kind of break I've been waiting for because it's really supportive; Ciara is really great to work with and is a young, interesting curator.

I'm taking up a residency at the IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) this year and I'll be working on the new show. I'm also working on a book that should be published next year, which will be an edited version of my thesis, along with imagery. So it's all very exciting; I feel that things are starting to happen in the way I want them to.