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who are you?
that's an ever evolving question. today i am entering a new era of myself as an empty nester with loads of opportunity to be self-absorbed. i don't quite have a handle on that one yet, it's huge. what do you do? i'm a professional stylist in print advertising where i make something out of anything for the purpose of fulfilling someone else's vision. after more than a decade i am merging away from styling into my own creative visions, possibly into a line of fashion inspired by my experiences. why do you do it? it's much better paid than waitressing. but seriously there was a time when it was new and fresh and i enjoyed it very much. i tend to witness myself wandering when the learning curve is over. i like the edge better than routine. there is not a lot of challenge left in this position for me. i guess i could always venture into another form of styling outside of advertising. the vienna opera would certainly turn me on. how do you do it? that depends entirely on the job itself. i could be researching the boxing world where i have to get in the know of the life of a boxer to dress one for an ad. then the next gig i could be researching a ballerina. a good stylist is all about authenticity. that is particularly why you need to spoil your suppliers as you are nothing without them. this is the part of the styling gig that still turns me on. i love to learn new things and new people. who do you do it for? i am hired by the photographer who is hired by the ad agency who is hired by the client. i answer to all three in the process of executing a job. i get the agencies layout of the ad concept and then put my spin on it with the direction from the photographer. the client has the overall say on what goes however it is also my job to sway them to the best place creatively. what do you love about what you do? the diversity in subject matter. the independence while i am working. at times the creative outlet. what do you love? my family, my friends and reverie what do you hate? hate is a strong word i choose not to use. in fact fuck was an ok word for my son to use growing up. hate was something he got reprimanded for. i very much dislike dishonesty, jealousy and competition. we all have something wonderful to offer up to one another. what do you need? alone time is important to me. it's a place i like to go to get clear and hopefully creative. that does not always have to mean in the artistic kind of way. sometimes it's getting creative with how to solve a life mystery or apparent obstacle. i like to say that the shadows indicate the direction of the light. my quiet time allows me to follow this path. what do you want? today... what or who inspires you? children inspire me the most. they are real and super funny. i like old people too. not the grumpy ones but they inspire me to keep a check on myself to stay childlike even as i age. if you could style anyone in the world who would it be, and how would you style him/her? a band of gypsies hands down. the styling would depend on what attitude they allowed me. i'd have a fight on my hands for sure. but a good time to boot! i'd want to keep them real. i'd have to hang with them for a bit to figure that out. method styling... how did you get started? i was sleeping with the right person, my sons father. he was in the business and i caught the attention of some successful photographers through him. that didn't mean i didn't have to bring the right shit to the table. your success depends on your ability if you want to have staying power. this business is a lot to do with who you know. it's actually a point of contention with me these days. there are too many hacks making a living doing what use to be a real art form. at least in the ad world. what keeps you motivated? my fantasies and the deep knowing that i drive the direction of my life, good or not so good. it's in my hands what i want to do with it. Who do you admire? of course my son. he is the height of integrity and i learn much from him. i also admire happy people. i mean the ones who resonate happiness from a deeper place. what's the biggest sacrifice you've made? leaving a life i loved in berlin to address unfinished personal business in toronto. i love the quote by ralph waldo emmerson... “what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters to what lies within us.” it makes me believe that sacrifice is relatively inaccurate and almost always ego based. i'm working on that in myself. it's a process that is a journey rather than a destination. what's a fun fact about you? my most beloved treasures have likely been garbage picked. they have travelled over the ocean with me and back again, more than once. and they will again... is there an underlying concept to most of your work? my ad work no, it's not my concept. my personal work is about feminine energy in a masculine world. i did an exhibition in berlin called " off roading in high heels" it explored how women are somewhat reluctant to be feminine today. it can be perceived as weak in some professions. i think the opposite. a strongly feminine woman is not someone i would reckon with. she knows herself and she will take you down without you even knowing it. men can be very protective of this reality hence women playing down their feminine side to accommodate a "still" very man oriented work place in many cases. what's the best advice you've gotten? my mother use to always say that to be a good listener is to be an avid learner of people and things. i didn't quite grasp this until i moved to berlin where i did not speak german at first. i could only listen. it was upon my return to an english mother tongue environment that i realized what a great gift of listening i had acquired. it's a beautiful thing. i learn so much more every day than i could have previously imagined. at times i even feel sorry for people who need to be the ones hearing only themselves as they are missing out on a wealth of free information. thanx mom xo thanx deutschland xo what's the biggest mistake you've ever made? you got a while? it's only at this point in my life that i can actually accept that the choices/mistakes that i have made are possibly opportunities in disguise. for me it's about today, not about what lies behind me that i cannot change. i do always keep a check with myself on where i have been to retain the valuable knowledge i have gained. i think this is where wisdom is born. learning from your mistakes. what realizations have you made? the novelty of material things is very short lived. focus on your relationships foremost. what is the meaning of life? i'm not big enough to answer this almighty question for everyone. i have yet to meet the maker who is. i hope if i do i am able to recognize what i am experiencing at that moment. however for me what rings sound is "that a reason is not the same thing as a purpose". to ponder this is to go deeper into your mission, whatever that may be. |
