brittanyinterviews

[brittanyinterviews]

Brent Duplessis, Editor at The RealReal

Brent Duplessis, Editor at The RealReal

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This interview was conducted via email in November 2022. It was edited slightly for clarity and consistency. 

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Brent: I grew up in the San Fernando Valley on the north side of Los Angeles, but have called San Francisco home for the past 15 years. I moved here for school and stayed for the weather. Yes I like the perpetual cold and fog, yes I still love it here. And no, I will never move back to LA! I currently work as the Editor for The RealReal, a luxury consignment company, and spend my spare time honing my cooking skills, watering my plants, eating & drinking across SF and hunkering down with a video game.

Brittany: Taking a peek at your LinkedIn, it's clear that you've been interested in and have worked in fashion for a while. Do you remember how this interest developed? 

Brent: It definitely started much sooner than I can put a finger on, but my earliest memories were draping sheets & towels on myself and my little sister and playing around the house. Back-to-school shopping was my favorite time of the year and my mom has told me that I always had an opinion on what I wanted to wear. My interest grew by flipping through fashion magazines that belonged to my mom and sister — Vogue, Marie Claire, YM stand out — and would casually peruse catalogs for mall stores when I was bored.

I think the first time I fell in love with "capital F" Fashion was around 2000 / 2001 when I saw photos of Alexander McQueen's VOSS. It completely changed the way I thought about fashion and is still one of my all-time favorite shows. I dove into his work (thanks, Style.com!) and became obsessed with the storytelling he was able to achieve through his choices of textiles & embellishments and the strange forms he created that were at once bleak, unsettling, and undeniably beautiful. John Galliano's work at Dior also quickly became a favorite of mine for its opulence and escapism, the campy opposite of the seriousness of McQueen, but with a similar deft handling of fabric and daringness with silhouette. Also have to admit, totally lowbrow, but I was a huge fan of Heatherette, too! The pure fun and frivolity of neon debutante cupcake dresses and frothy pastel tulle spoke to my little queer heart at the time. It still does! 

From there I found myself excited again and again with everything the fashion world had to offer: designers, collections, garments, all the way down to an interesting sleeve detail (hello Nicolas Ghesquière's Balenciaga A/W 2003!). Fashion was a total escape — not from anything bad, but from the ordinariness of the everyday.

Brittany: I see you studied textiles in college. What did you learn in this program?

Brent: Ultimately I learned that I am a fussy control freak. I started to explore other majors in the second semester of sophomore year and took a flat pattern design class. In that class I realized that a lot of what I wanted to make relied on specific fabrics or fabric manipulations that I would spend ages (sloppily) developing. The teacher was just asking for a basic pair of pants, not a Comme des Garçons inspired drop-crotch short with wool-laminated wire mesh. Because of my interest in developing product from the ground up, my professor suggested I take a couple textiles classes.

Within the first few weeks of these classes, it felt like all the boxes were being checked and I could see a viable career ahead of myself. I loved the math and planning of weaving & lacemaking, the chemistry of dying & processing fabric, the art and intuition of surface design, and the futurism of novel fabric development. I learned that I really needed a full, top-to-bottom, vertically integrated, ideation-to-runway understanding of how the garments from designers I was worshiping were created. I was encouraged by my professors and mentor to integrate my POV and interests in science and technology into my work and really felt a connection to everything I was doing. Beyond the skills I learned, I honestly do think learning about textiles and production helped me understand how my silly little brain works. 

Brittany: It was also during college that you started working at Urban Outfitters in sales and merchandising. Can you tell me more about your time there? Any insights you can share as an insider?

Brent: What a time! I met some incredible people during those 5 years, many of whom are still close friends. I was a regular sales associate for a few years at the gigantic flagship, so things were hectic ALL the time. I then moved into specializing in shoes for the rest of my time with the company. I saw the launch of some cool designer collaborations, always had dibs on the good shoes, and got to work with the super talented merchandising team for a couple years. Since it was a flagship and had one of the larger set-building teams, I got to help execute the merchandising vision that would be rolled out of stores nationwide. It was neat to see how homegrown the merchandising was for such a massive company! 

Brittany: While at Stitch Fix, a subscription-based styling service, you were a liaison of sorts between stylists and clients as well as a stylist and coordinator. What did you learn pivoting from a major brick & mortar retailer to what might have been considered a startup at the time?

Brent: I think a lot of companies like to say that they are client-first or have great customer service, but Stitch Fix — and it may be liiitle bit experience bias — really took it to the next level. I went in being very fashion-fashion-fashion, but had to pull it back and remember that everyday clothes can be just as important. 

After I was a stylist, I moved into a customer-stylist liaison position where I worked closer with a mix of customers that were a higher touch: VIP clients, those who weren't having a great time with the service, and women that had very specific needs that could make or break a buying decision. Prior to that role, I never considered the difficulty in shopping when you have to accommodate a medical device, find something flattering after a major surgery, or consider how a garment gets on your body when you have mobility issues. It was quite eye-opening and helped me think more about the utility of clothing. 

My last 3 years at Stitch Fix were spent in product development for the in-house brands. It was a great opportunity to flex my knowledge of textiles and construction, and apply that to the customer framework I developed over the two years prior working directly with clients. I'll admit, the product wasn't exciting to me, but I genuinely respected that the company was filling a hole in the market and empowering women to push their style. I was also so excited by the way that technology and data science were being leveraged to design clothes that were more democratic and also less wasteful. This was the first time I had seen such a modern approach to design. 

One really cool project that stood out, and ended up being one of the last things I worked on, was a collaboration with the data science team where we developed a tool that generated clothing designs based on a model that was fed sales, client info, and customer feedback. It would spit out designs for product with proven combinations of silhouette, color, print, and design details that were vetted by my team, then sent into production. With a very high level of accuracy we were able to predict which specific clients the styles of work for, what to price them at, and how many units we should buy without losing money or sending unsold product to landfill. It was kind of surreal to see these items perform better than things designed by a human.

Brittany: At The RealReal, an online luxury consignment marketplace, you've been working as an editor. Can you tell me more about this? What does your typical day as an editor entail?

Brent: I finally reached the intersection of some of my favorite things! My role as an Editor is a little interesting as it's a mix of a copyeditor, fashion editor, and a bit of site merchandising. 

The big headline is that I help steer the language on our product pages and build the tools that enable a great shopping experience. With our Authenticators / copywriters, I ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and technical wherewithal to publish product on the website that is as descriptive as possible — from trends that are happening on the primary market to the silhouette of a dress. Because we have had millions of individual items come through our doors, a lot of this work is around creating and maintaining a catalog of discreet attributes and language that can be applied en masse without losing the fun of buying a ridiculous beaded party dress. Once we have an optimized catalog of things like neckline, jacket type, fabric, skirt shapes, and even special colors used by designers, we can start connecting dots together and improve the total shopping experience. 

Like most online stores, the goal is to get you to that dream coat in as few steps as possible using those little filters on the side bar — charcoal vs. light grey, double vs. single breasted, wide lapel vs. collarless, polyester vs. wool — then we use some BTS magic. We are looking to change this by using really good product recommendations where, in an ideal world, that coat would find you along with a dress you didn't know you wanted, a cardigan that you've been looking for, and a bag that goes with the whole outfit. Basically a mini-shop that is curated specifically for you where you don't have to wade through thousands of pieces. I also get to browse an incredible catalog and pick out my favorite items!  

Brittany: You've had so many roles in fashion. Do you have any advice for others trying to break into the industry? What are some common misconceptions about working in fashion that some may have?

Brent: You kind of just have to dive into whatever area of fashion excites you! Once you're in, talk to as many people in different roles as possible to expose you to other areas of the industry — you might find there is something else that excites you. SO much goes into getting an item on a rack, and every person that contributes to the supply chain has a unique perspective and something to say that could greatly impact your work. I once spoke to an accounts payable associate about tops and dresses we were shipping in from China and found out that although it was more efficient and cheaper to hang garments before shipment, we were losing a ton of units because of damage made by the hangers. Something so small and almost insignificant like that helped reshape our shipping practice. The industry is wasteful enough, we don't need more garments in a landfill. 🙃

Brittany: What fashion brands are you excited about right now? Any trends you'd wish would go away?

Brent: Too many, I'll keep it short-ish! Loewe & JW Anderson, Sacai, Hanifa, Y/Project, Botter, Willy Chavarria, Ottolinger, Barragán, and the return of Blumarine and Diesel. As far as majors go, Balenciaga, Valentino, Rick Owens, Jil Sander, Iris van Herpen, and Dries Van Noten are consistently good! 

I find a way to love all trends and think that all can be done well, but there are definitely some that I have reservations about. I am not usually impressed by unhinged, super maximalist trends like clowncore / kidcore — you need to have a little bit of restraint. At the other end of the spectrum, the rise of the "clean girl aesthetic" made me laugh since it's just a repackaging of late ‘90s and early 2010s minimalism with different accessories. I also winced at trend reports about ketamine chic, but am curious to see how it pans out since it reminds me of scene kids. 

In general it's not really individual trends I want to go away, it's the way people are buying into microtrends and ultra-fast fashion. I think the speed of the trend cycle has gotten unhealthy and as a result, consumer demand for cheap-and-cheerful fashion has skyrocketed. We really need to pump the brakes on buying from stores like Shein and Fashion Nova — they are creating so much waste and are known to have some of the worst working conditions. There is a reason that trendy dress is only $8. But I could go ON about about that like a little fashion curmudgeon.

Brittany: Has being a stylist influenced your own sense of personal style? What's your philosophy around your own style?

Brent: If anything, I think my style has gotten a bit more reserved over the years! Gone are the days of silver loafers, my American Apparel Tyvek jacket, "the casual cummerbund," and the jodhpurs I used to love with it. A few years ago a friend and I were talking about how we both create characters in our heads to come up with styling ideas. We came to the conclusion that I have become "supervisor of the boiler room on a spaceship" and that ended up ringing true after all these years. 

These days I tend to go for neat utilitarian pieces and let materials and silhouettes speak for themselves. I somehow got to a place where my closet is a little more Doug Funnie and not as crazy as it was 10 - 15 years ago when I would buy things with little consideration of how it would fit in my wardrobe (see items listed above). I unintentionally created a uniform where I rarely stray from variations on the configuration: a button-up, a midlayer knit or overshirt, and some sort of outerwear. I never wear t-shirts, I exclusively wear black or navy pants, and only own black shoes — mostly boots. I play with color / pattern with tops and everything in my wardrobe goes with almost everything else. 

When shopping, I look for special pieces that are great quality and seem to have longevity in both style and wear, but of course I still go for the drama from time to time! Also, it's a little neurotic, but when I really love something I tend to buy multiples of things. It's becoming a problem... I have five pairs of the same pants in different fabrics / lengths / sizes, three neoprene sweaters in two colors, and two of the same giant horse print shirts just to name a few.

Brittany: I know you can sew and are a great cook. Can you describe your creative pursuits for when you're off the clock?

Brent: Yes! This past year I have been having so much fun making costumes for a friend that is a drag performer. It has allowed me to explore more out-there looks in proportions that I have never worked with before — her hip pads are HUGE. I'm always looking for fun hobbies and have been stalking eBay for knitting machines for the past few months. I also love to cook and try to do so 5 - 6 days of the week. If I could throw a dinner or party with great food every week, I would. I'll see you this Thanksgiving! ;)

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Brent: More drag costumes! I'm starting work on a shiny, fully rhinestoned, fringy little number for my girl Juannina Million's holiday performances. Maybe I'll get around to making something for myself, too!  

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Photo provided by Brent Duplessis.

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Special thanks to Brent for discussing his work with us. You can learn more about him by checking out his Instagram and LinkedIn.

[brittanyinterviews]

Sabrina Barekzai, Social Media Marketer and Sometimes-Writer in Brooklyn

Sabrina Barekzai, Social Media Marketer and Sometimes-Writer in Brooklyn

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This interview was conducted via email in June 2022. It was edited slightly for clarity and consistency. 

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Sabrina: I’m 32 years old and live in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I was born and raised in Northern Virginia, the suburbs of Washington, DC and lived in San Francisco, Oakland, and briefly in DC. I’m Afghan-American and spend my free time reading, cooking, and overthinking small things and big things. I’m a Gemini Sun (the good kind), Libra Moon, and Capricorn Rising (staying grounded).

Brittany: Taking a peek at your LinkedIn, I see that you studied Print Journalism in college. Were you always interested in journalism and writing?

Sabrina: Yes! I wanted to write feature articles for Rolling Stone or Vogue and interview interesting people. In high school, I subscribed to Rolling Stone magazine and loved getting the big format print edition in the mail and reading it in my bedroom in suburbia. My relationship to writing has changed a lot over the years. I’ve always been an avid journal-er and that keeps me connected to writing. Like most faux writers, I hope to start writing again soon.

Brittany: I remember you mentioned writing about music for years. Can you tell me more about your time as a staff writer at The Bay Bridged?

Sabrina: The Bay Bridged was an independent music blog based out of San Francisco. I spent a few years writing show reviews and interviewed some bands I really love like Pure X. I wrote articles on my nights and weekends. I used to be cool, haha.

Brittany: What music are you excited about right now? 

Sabrina: As with writing, my relationship with music has evolved too. I find myself gravitating toward music I loved as a teenager lately which was bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Stone Roses, and Oasis. My husband and I got really into classic country music the last couple of years like Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and David Allen Coe. Then, my head turns into a whirlpool and I need to listen to more diverse and current artists. I love Harry Styles, Megan Thee Stallion, and have been obsessed with the new Beyoncé song, “Break My Soul.” 

Everything that can be said about Beyoncé’s artistry has already been said but I really love and admire her as an artist. I love the way she conducts herself and does not compromise. Since her self-titled album, she has really blown me away with her releases being these pure works of art that you need to listen to as a whole album. The album as a cohesive work of art is something I’ve always loved. 

And as someone who is in marketing professionally, the marketing of Beyoncé!!! It’s incredible. The marketing itself is art. The imagery, everything is so well executed and thought-out. A true artist of our time! There are some really interesting conversations happening online about Beyoncé aligning herself to the current malaise of millennials and being overworked and how that all aligns to capitalism. 

Even though I’m not anywhere near where I was in terms of being a music head like I used to be, I still get excited when music starts and shifts public conversation toward what is going on with us humans on this earth and how we endure late-stage capitalism, but that’s a conversation for a different time.

Brittany: The bulk of your career has been focused on social media at big names like Salesforce, Apple, and HBO. How has working in the social media space changed since you started?

Sabrina: It’s changed so much and is constantly changing. Generally speaking, there has been a larger shift towards using social media as a brand in a way that’s true to the platforms since I started my career in social 10 years ago. Social media used to be a dumping ground or distribution channel for blogs or press releases, but now most brands know how important and unique of a channel social media is within marketing. Content is made specifically for social media audiences over the past couple of years as brands get more and more comfortable with social media being the biggest and loudest channel they have to work with.

Brittany: Can you describe the process of creating social content for a big brand? What's your favorite part of this work?

Sabrina: My favorite part of working in social media is leading teams to do really good work and try new things across new platforms like TikTok. I still love writing copy for social posts, too. Social media is a beast to work in, you’re at the mercy of the news cycle which is, as we know, horrible. Despite that, it’s also a very fun and rewarding place to be in marketing.

Brittany: What are some common misconceptions about working in social media that many users may have? 

Sabrina: The intern comment, of course. Interns are not running social media for large brands.

Brittany: What's a typical day look like for you in Brooklyn? Do you have any favorite restaurants, things to do, or things to see in the city? 

Sabrina: I love living in Park Slope so much. It’s the first neighborhood I’ve lived in that I’ve felt really at home and at peace in a lot of ways. I love Everyman Espresso and walking to Prospect Park. It’s summer now so you catch me at a Mr. Softee truck getting soft serve on the weekends or trying a new restaurant in the neighborhood. Gene and I love having people over for dinner, too. We moved to Brooklyn in January 2020 so… yeah. It’s been a time. We’re always trying to see a new part of the city together!

Brittany: I know you're interested in cooking, art, music, and reading. Are there any recipes, artists, musicians, authors, or books you can recommend? 

Sabrina: I’ve been deepening my Tarot practice this year, which has been really lovely and eye-opening. It’s been a great tool and practice to connect with my intuition. I read Tarot for Change by Jessica Dore earlier this year and loved it. It’s an incredible book about tarot, psychology, and Dore’s story of how she came to practice tarot. I’ve also been learning more about astrological houses, planets, and chart placements. Astrology and tarot is something I’ve been into for so long and it feels really nice to be in a place right now where I can mentally devote to learning more and understanding where these practices connect to my intuition. Astrology and tarot don’t need others to believe in it to be true, and I know it’s not for everyone. That’s fine. Y’all can carry on.

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Photo provided by Sabrina Barekzai.

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Special thanks to Sabrina for discussing her work with us. You can learn more about her by checking out her Linktree.

[brittanyinterviews]

Donna Mae Foronda, Co-writer and Producer of “Chosen Fam”

Donna Mae Foronda, Co-writer and Producer of Chosen Fam

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This interview was conducted via email in September 2020.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Donna: I'm Donna! I'm an independent filmmaker. Born in San Jose, CA and raised all over the Bay Area.

Brittany: What sparked your interest in screenwriting? Have you always been interested in storytelling?

Donna: I was a really quiet child (some would say still quiet), but found comfort in communicating through written word. I always knew I wanted to be some kind of writer, but only fell in love with screenwriting after watching shows with characters that felt like family. I wanted to recreate that feeling of belonging through my writing.

Brittany: I just watched the first episode of your latest project Chosen Fam, which follows members of a QTPOC indie band based in the Bay Area. What should readers expect to see in this web series?

Donna: They should expect to see a San Francisco that the mainstream media fails to show us. And also some amazing local talent. Not just with our actors, but with the music we chose from local queer bands and the whole production that our crew worked really hard on. Even the locations we got were rad. We filmed one of the scenes at the historic Nob Hill Theatre just before it closed down. And last, but certainly not least, they should expect some heartfelt, relatable stories.

Brittany: It seems like Chosen Fam was developed with a lean team: you developed the story with Kyle Casey Chu, also creator and star, and Natalie Tsui, the director. Can you describe what it was like working with Kyle and Natalie? How did you all meet?

Donna: It does seem lean! But we also made sure to consult with other people to make sure these stories spoke true to lived experiences. Natalie is an incredible director who I think really set the bar and tone with Chosen Fam. Kyle and I also got to work with Lindsay Sunada, who also led us as director. It was amazing to watch her seamlessly finish the series. Kyle has always been a dream to work with. I met him when we both interned at CAAM [The Center for Asian American Media]. We would sit in their storage room and just brainstorm projects. It's so surreal watching those conversations now come to life.

Brittany: What makes many of the films showcased at Frameline special is that they are created by and star members of the LGBTQ+ community. Why was it important to feature a cast of queer and trans people of color in Chosen Fam? Can you tell us more about the casting process?

Donna: Representing diverse stories is the beating heart of Chosen Fam. So many of us have grown up not seeing ourselves on screen and it gave us the message that we don't exist, we don't matter. But we very much do matter and we felt it was our responsibility to get us on the screen and show the world so. I think the most difficult part of the casting was just getting the word out there. We tried Facebook groups and casting sites, but I think ultimately it was word of mouth that got us most of our talent. Once they showed up to audition it seemed so freakin' easy. Everyone's performance was so beautiful. I cried a few times. The Bay Area truly has some talent!

Brittany: Can you describe the process of writing a new script?

Donna: Writing Chosen Fam was way different than any of my scripts because it was the first time I had a collaborator. We'd spend so many afternoons just sitting at a coffee shop, spitballing ideas. We started with character work first, then talked through their arcs. Once that was all organized, I'd take a pass at a draft, table read together, and Kyle would edit. Rinse and repeat until we were both happy with the finished product... which probably took until the first day of the shoot, to be honest.

Brittany: Where do you find inspiration? Has living in the Bay Area influenced your work?

Donna: What doesn't inspire me really, haha. But yes, living in the Bay Area has influenced at least a lot of my recent projects. For Chosen Fam, it was really important for us to show the world a San Francisco that isn't seen in mainstream media. I don't want this city to just be known for tech. We aren't just 1s and 0s. It's the SF that Kyle grew up in (being born and raised here). It's the DIY music scene, drag culture, and radical punks to name a few.

Brittany: What are your favorite things to watch right now?

Donna: Nowadays it feels like I go from watching something super silly to super serious, and nothing in between. Like seriously, from An American Pickle to Lingua Franca. Both great imo.

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Donna: I guess my watching habits are pretty similar to my writing habits. I just finished an intense social horror feature about the model minority myth. I'm gonna let that one breathe on the shelf for a while. Until I pick it up again, I'm writing this ridiculous script based on the game MASH we would play in the ‘90s. It would also star Ryan Philippe as himself, which would never happen, but a girl can dream.

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Photo provided by Donna Mae Foronda.

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Special thanks to Donna for discussing Chosen Fam with us. You can learn more about Chosen Fam on their website, Facebook, and Instagram. You can start streaming Chosen Fam on September 17 and buy tickets to their Q&A on September 26 at 7:15pm. You can also follow Donna on Instagram.

[brittanyinterviews]

Julie Harleman, Founder of Maple Street Denim

Julie Harleman, Founder of Maple Street Denim

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This interview was conducted via Google Hangouts on June 23, 2020. It was edited slightly for clarity and consistency. 

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

Julie: My name is Julie Harleman. I’m the owner of Maple Street Denim in Oakland, CA. I have lived here in Oakland for 22+ years, originally I am from St Louis, MO.

Brittany: Have you always been interested in fashion? Can you describe your first fashion memory?

Julie: I have not always been consciously interested in fashion, but I can say I have always noticed how clothes made me feel. My first fashion memory is getting in a big fight with my mom over what she wanted me to wear to picture day when I was like 4 or 5.

Brittany: What did she want you to wear and, maybe more importantly, what did you want to wear?

Julie: She got me these denim overalls with a ruffly shirt and heart-shaped buttons and it was super cutesy and dainty and I just couldn’t stand it. We compromised and she said I never had to wear what she asked on picture day again if I just wore that this time. You can see the tissue I’d used when I was throwing my fit in the pocket of my little overalls in the picture 😂😂 And the next year I wore a t-shirt with a pony on it.

Brittany: I think you won that argument and you learned the art of compromise early. How did growing up in St Louis, MO influence your view of fashion and personal style?

Julie: Hmm. That’s a tough one. I’m not sure that the place I grew up had as much influence as the family I grew up in did. I have six siblings, there was never a lot of money for new clothes and since I’m the fifth kid, I had a lot of hand-me-downs. St Louis is a very conservative city and I’m from a Catholic family that went to Catholic school and stuff, so I wore a uniform to school through my sophomore year of high school. When I switched to public school, I remember being very particular about what I was going to wear on the first day of school for the first time in my life.

Brittany: That must have been such an empowering moment, especially at that crucial age of self-expression. I see what you graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Social Welfare. How did your time at Berkeley inform your career path?

Julie: Honestly, it didn’t. My career in what I’m doing with a shop got started before I went to Berkeley. I worked at the same store [Slash Clothing] before, during, and after going to Cal. I thought I might want to become a counselor or a social worker but when I graduated, I had an opportunity to stay on in a bigger role at my job, so I did that. Eventually I left that shop to open my own and I’ve never considered social work as a career. I think the way it influences me is that I have always had a connection to the importance of meeting people where they are and operating with care and consciousness in how I run my business.

Brittany: Can you discuss how Maple Street Denim came to be? Did you always see yourself running your own business? 

Julie: So after I graduated in 2006, I planned to stay on and help expand the shop where I worked. We doubled the size of the shop and I started doing all of the operations for the second part of the store. I loved it and took to it very well, but it was never my own shop, and as the years went on, I felt myself wanting to branch out more on my own and take on more ownership of what I was doing. I didn’t know what I wanted to do or what I was going to pursue. I was considering moving to Los Angeles to work as a sales rep for one of the companies I worked with, but I wasn’t sure. 

In May of 2014, I was suddenly forced to make a decision after Slash suffered from a small fire and we kind of needed to start from scratch with everything that I had worked on since 2006. It was devastating to the owners of the shop and they weren’t really sure what was going to happen, and it was just sort of a very clear sign that it was time for me to move on. 

It was really a difficult time and honestly this pandemic and the uncertainty I’m feeling now feels a lot like that moment. Just motivated by uncertainty and necessity, my heart said I wanted to have my own shop so I hustled and managed to get it all figured out and open in downtown Oakland within four months of leaving Slash.

Brittany: I didn't know Maple Street Denim was originally downtown. When did you make your way to Piedmont?

Julie: In 2018. Four years on 9th Street, two years here on Piedmont.

Brittany: What can a new customer expect to find at Maple Street Denim?

Julie: That is not normally a hard question to answer, but it is right now, at least logistically. Customers can always expect kindness and care when they shop here. I like to get to know my customers and really want people to feel at home here. With the pandemic, everything is so upside down, it’s been really hard to continue to meet my customers. We have a really wide selection of jeans and we always help you find the right fit. I always say it’s not Do It Yourself here. I’ll ask you a few questions and find out kind of what you’re looking for and then pull some things I think will work best for you.

Brittany: Can you share some tips for finding the perfect pair of jeans?

Julie: That’s a question that I get asked a lot and it’s not really a question I can answer.

Brittany: Is it too individualized a question to provide a general response?

Julie: Absolutely. The best thing you can do is to get help from people who know what they’re doing. That’s the best tip for finding a perfect anything. Beyond that, you should familiarize yourself with terminology and understand how to talk about what you want. A lot of customers come in for help because they just have no idea how to interpret marketing terms like “skinny” or “boot cut” or “low rise” and things like that... understanding what those things generally mean really helps you narrow down what you’re looking for.

Brittany: Can you describe your typical day at Maple Street Denim before the time of COVID-19?

Julie: Yes! Weekdays and weekends are very different. Weekends are customer service pretty much all day, only. Weekdays are typically a little slower, we get shipments and do receiving and merchandising in the store and see our neighborhood regulars who stop in to chat. That’s my very favorite part of having a shop and what I miss the most during lockdown! It’s very much a neighborhood here on Piedmont and we see a lot of the same folks regularly. It’s really nice to feel so connected to the community that way.

Brittany: What I really like about visiting your shop is seeing the wide selection of local brands like Nooworks. How do you pick which brands to stock?

Julie: I try to pick brands that are trying to do things differently and be better in the world. The fashion industry is really harmful in a lot of ways, especially in terms of environmental harm and exploitation of labor—in particular the labor of impoverished women of color. So, from the very start, if a company doesn’t have anything at all addressing sustainability and fair trade, I probably won’t look any further. 

I like to work with brands that are small, that are owned by weirdos and misfits, that don’t want to be the next big thing, but just keep doing what they want to do and being true to it. I prioritize Made in USA as much as I can, but that isn’t a deal-breaker if a brand is transparent about where their production is and held accountable for how they run their production.

Brittany: Can you name any brands you're excited about right now?

Julie: I am obsessed with Jungmaven and Nudie Jeans pretty much permanently, but both of those brands are doing some exciting stuff right now.

Brittany: Do you do any trend forecasting? How do you decide which items to purchase?

Julie: So in my shop, I try to NOT be too trendy and instead be more classic. I stay conscious of trends of course, but I want my shop to be the place you know you can rely on to just get a great pair of jeans that are going to last you a long time and find some interesting and elevated basics that you can keep in your wardrobe forever. I think the seasonal forecasting thing is one of the most wasteful things about fashion, especially in the Bay Area, where our weather doesn’t really vary that much year round and most people don’t need separate seasonal wardrobes.

When something is really awesome and exciting, I like to just get a very small amount of something totally different so it stands out. I am really into all-over prints when they’re done well like Nooworks. We’ve been making some of our own graphic tees for awhile and working with artists for graphic design is one of the things I’m super into. I like the idea of limited small collections of things that are just interesting and cool, but not necessarily something you’re gonna wear everyday. Like we just got these crazy, fuzzy, leopard-print, organic cotton sweaters in and they’re crazy, but I just got in five or so because it’s going to be an item that you think about and really make a conscious decision that it’s worth being in your closet. That is why I like small brands.

Brittany: Speaking of being based in Oakland, what are some of the benefits of owning a small business here?

Julie: Owning a business in Oakland is really awesome because we are so dominated by small business and not big chains, and Oaklanders ride or die for other Oaklanders. Watching the outpouring of support from neighbors and customers for all of our small businesses in Oakland during the pandemic has been just totally amazing.

Brittany: As a retailer, I imagine you have a lot of opinions on where to buy clothes. Where are some of your favorite places to shop in the East Bay and elsewhere in the Bay Area?

Julie: Ooooh I like this question! Here on Piedmont, Resurrect and Mercy Vintage are both awesome. You can always find something one of a kind in either of those shops. Claflin, Thayer & Co. in the Temescal Alley is THE BEST for a custom jacket and well-made accessories. She makes her jackets in her own little studio and they fit amazing and Liz is just one of the best people. Owl N Wood used to be my neighbor downtown and she’s online now and has a private studio. Her stuff is also always amazing and perfectly tailored. If I were winning an award and needed to find a dress to wear to the ceremony, I would be at McMullen in a heartbeat. Her collection of designer brands is amazing.

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Julie: Well I just released another very small restock of some of our brand tees, including a new colorway and redesign on our best-selling Weed Snake tee. Those are available online now! We did a collection of four tees with my friend and one of my favorite artists, Jesse California, on Jungmaven tees last summer and they were a big hit, so I reprinted some recently. And, going forward, I am going to be doing private fit appointments in the brick and mortar starting July 9. You can book an appointment online now through our website! I am finding that’s going to be the most manageable and safe way for me to continue to provide denim fittings as we continue to move through the pandemic.

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Photo provided by Julie Harleman.

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Special thanks to Julie for discussing her work with us. You can learn more about Maple Street Denim on their website. 

[brittanyinterviews]

Brenda Ton, Homecook

Brenda Ton, Homecook

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This interview was conducted via Google Hangouts on May 15, 2020.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Brenda: I was born and raised in the Bay Area in the city called Hayward, which is also where I grew up. I've never left the Bay Area and have no desire to because I love it here so much. My heritage background is Vietnamese and I am the first generation born here in the US. I grew up in an average sized family and am one of five kids. I'm currently living in San Pablo with my husband Patrick and our two rescue dogs. Professionally, I am a digital marketer and have my own consulting business. However, I spend most of my time thinking about food and what I'm going to cook next because food is my creative outlet and how I express myself. 

My love for cooking stems from my mom. She cooked for us every single day and made everything from scratch. Food is a big part of the Vietnamese culture. Feelings and emotions were never big in my family and oftentimes they were suppressed. We were never the type of family that hugged, but we were the family who could eat. So, love was always expressed through my mom's cooking, and was how my family bonded. I was actually the kid who hated to cook or help out in the kitchen, but I sucked it up and did it because I wanted to help out my mom. And looking back, I have very fond memories of that. It wasn't until ten years ago that I met Patrick, my husband now, that I really started to enjoy the art of cooking.  

Brittany: It sounds like your family laid the foundation for your love of food and then you really got into cooking with Patrick. I'm wondering if you can describe your first food memory.

Brenda: When I was a kid, my parents would drag me to San Jose to go grocery shopping. Some might think that's crazy to drive over an hour to San Jose from Hayward just to shop for groceries. But back then in the early ‘90s, that was the only city you could go to in order to find the necessary ingredients to make Vietnamese food. So, we did that every single week to get the freshest vegetables, butchered meats, and bread. My favorite memory is picking up a fresh French baguette, being the first to break the bread, and enjoy it during the car ride along our many Vietnamese food stops. From this day, I still make the occasional trip down to San Jose and still stop by the places my parents took me, which are mostly all still in business.

Brittany: Delicious Vietnamese food and San Jose are synonymous in my mind. Moving forward in time a bit, what was your original motivation in starting your food blog and associated Instagram? 

Brenda: I started my food blog (which no longer exists) and my Instagram to really just document my food experiences and share that experience with others. It was like a personal food diary. I was always the person people came to for recommendations on where and what to eat, so it was originally focused mostly on food that I ate at restaurants. But over the last few years, it evolved away from restaurants and turned into a platform where I share my cooking journey and my favorite things to eat, and any personal stories or memories associated with that. 

Steamed Silken Tofu

Brittany: It seems like you experiment with making food across a wide variety of cuisines. Upon a cursory glance at your Instagram, I see homemade bagels with lox, Hakka-style soft tofu, Oxtail quesabirrias, and a Japanese katsu sandwich. How do you approach making food from a new culture?

Brenda: I'm often driven by my own curiosity and love being introduced to new food cultures and flavors that I'm not familiar with. I spend the majority of my free time reading recipes and learning about different foods from all over the world. I read recipes like it's a menu at a restaurant. I approach choosing what I cook based on how much desire I have to want to eat that specific thing. Instead of thinking, "What should I cook?," I think, "What do I want to eat?" This mindset lets me go out of my comfort zone for that reward of tasting something new. I put in that effort because it's worth it to me. 

Oxtail Quesabirrias

Brittany: What ingredients do you get the most excited about? Have you ever met an ingredient you didn't get along with?

Brenda: I get really excited about working with freshly harvested, caught, or butchered ingredients. For people that follow me, it's no secret that I'm in love with live sea urchin from [Stephanie Mutz] @seastephaniefish. When a product is that beautiful, the creativity in my cooking just flows naturally to me: from live uni in its own shell still moving or using uni for handrolls, risotto, or tostadas. I love working with ingredients that can stand and shine on its own; something you can just eat straight up without needing anything else.

As for ingredients that I don't get along with... there's actually nothing that comes to mind. But I'll let you know if something does come to mind for that. I think there is a use for most ingredients and using each one to its strengths.

Uni Risotto

Brittany: How has living in the Bay Area influenced your cooking?

Brenda: I am very fortunate to be living in the Bay Area. It has exposed me to a melting pot of cultures and that's the reason why I can never leave this place. We are spoiled to have access to nearly every type of ingredient to make any type of food. Just a few miles away from us is my favorite grocery store Las Montañas that sells the most amazing flour and corn tortillas, fresh masa, salsa of nearly every kind. A city away from us in Berkeley is Tokyo Fish Market and Yaoya-san, where we get all our fresh Japan-imported fish and koshihikari rice. Those are just two examples of many. Depending on what type of food I'm making, there's a special grocery store I go to just to procure the ingredients I need. 

Brittany: Where are some of your favorite places to eat in the Bay Area?

Brenda: That's a hard one to narrow down. I have a huge list depending on where I'm at and what I'm craving, which I'm happy to share with anyone. If we were hanging out and you asked me to take you around, we'd go to San Jose and hit up the following spots: 1) Huong Lan: The best banh mi deli spot. I've been going here since I was a kid. 2) Hue Restaurant: My favorite restaurant for food from Hue / Central Vietnam. Tapioca dumplings and turmeric noodles. 3) Thanh Son Hien Khanh: Vietnamese sticky rice and dessert heaven.

Brittany: Now I’m craving sticky rice. In normal times, you've done quite a bit of traveling—to Japan and Mexico, for instance—and you consume a lot of local favorites. How do you know what to eat? Do you research and prepare ahead of time or figure it out once you've arrived?

Brenda: It depends on the place we travel. I am an INTJ, so when I can, I plan everything out months in advance before a trip. I do a lot of reading and research and put all my plans in a custom Excel template that lists out exactly where we're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert / snacks in between for each day based on where we'll be. Now that's easy for a place like Japan or Italy, where it's mostly restaurant establishments. I usually refer to local review sites.

But for a place like Mexico or Vietnam where the food scene takes place on the streets, it's all based on the senses. It's less about where you want to eat and more about what you want to eat. If there's a crowd and the food looks good, and it smells good, then I'm eating there. This is actually my favorite way to experience the local food scene. Oftentimes, I'll also ask friends who have travelled to the countries I'm going to for recommendations.

Brittany: A lot of people, myself included, are cooking and baking a lot more than usual. Has being in quarantine affected your cooking or baking?

Brenda: Thankfully, our lifestyle hasn’t been impacted much from quarantine. As people who cook every single day, we've always had a full fridge, freezer, and pantry stocked with all our essentials. Patrick works in produce, so we're grateful to be able to get fresh vegetables every day to cook with and also to provide for our families. The one area where I'm seeing the biggest change for us is putting in more effort to make things completely from scratch, like making banh mi bread or bagels. It's an important time to keep social distance and not go out unless it's absolutely necessary, so we are doing our best to work with what we have at home and be creative with it to fulfill any of our food cravings. I really do miss seeing my family and enjoying my mom's cooking. This time has made me realize how much I've taken for granted. I have been learning how to cook a lot of Vietnamese food more recently to fill in the void, and comfort me during this time.

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Brenda: I am working on launching a YouTube channel to inspire and help people build confidence to cook in the kitchen. In the meantime, you can expect to go down memory lane with me and see more of my Vietnamese cooking over the next several weeks on IG.

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Photos provided by Brenda Ton.

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Special thanks to Brenda for discussing her cooking with us. You can follow her on Instagram.

[brittanyinterviews]

Moriah VanVleet, the baker behind butter, sugar, flowers

Moriah VanVleet, the baker behind butter, sugar, flowers

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This interview was conducted via Google Hangouts on May 6, 2020.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Moriah: Sure. I grew up in Northern California (Sacramento) and lived mostly with my mom, who wasn't into cooking or baking much at all. I started working early, which included an ice cream shop and a bakery, which probably sparked my sweet tooth. I moved away for college up north for several years and then came to the Bay Area in 2001 with my soon-to-be husband. We weren't sure how long we'd stay here, but the doors started opening with work and friendships, and it soon felt like home. I've had office jobs all along, mostly at colleges, but having a creative outlet has always been important to me. I had an Etsy shop for several years and always enjoyed baking and crafting; and around 2010 I started writing up my recipes. For my birthday in 2011, a friend bought me a domain named after the title of one of my recipes. I posted my first recipe on my site in January of 2012 and have been doing so since.

Brittany: Have you always been interested in baking? Can you describe your first baking memory?

Moriah: I think my first baking memory was Toll House cookies straight from the bag at my maternal Grandma's house. It was very exciting, even though I disapproved of her adding walnuts! When I worked at a bakery briefly in my late teens, I saw how beautiful cakes and cookies could be, and how delicious ingredients could be—like the giant tub of Bavarian cream in the walk-in fridge we'd dip into! I started baking cookies and cakes as gifts soon after that, which I enjoyed doing more and more over time.

Brittany: Are you against using walnuts in cookies or all baked goods? This is important to know.

Moriah: Ha—I'm more open to walnuts now. I've learned that they need to be toasted. And if toasted and ground, you end up with a delicious flour / nut meal that's a great ingredient. But I still don't really want to see them in brownies or soft cookies. They were a filler in my other grandmother's Christmas stockings, which was always such a disappointment compared to candy, so I think I kind of harbor some resentment toward walnuts.

Brittany: Fair enough! Speaking of technique: are you a self-taught baker or have you taken classes?

Moriah: I'm pretty much self-taught. No classes yet. But I'd love to learn more.

Brittany: What do you want to learn how to make?

Moriah: I think about learning more about laminated pastries (croissants, kouign-amann), but we live in an area with excellent versions of these pastries, so I'm usually happy to leave it to the experts. I'd love to get better at pies and mousses, and most of all, just keep experimenting with new ingredient combinations. Learning more about the classic foundations would also be great, like the different types of custard and cream techniques and names. I have room for improvement there!

Honey Dijon Caramels

Brittany: That's true. We have so many good bakeries to choose from—b. patisserie and Tartine in the city, to name a few. Like you've touched on, on your blog you share recipes for everything from cakes, tortes, and cookies to pies, candy, and sorbets. How do you decide what to make? Do you bake based on seasonality of ingredients, cravings, mood? 

Moriah: My recipes usually start with an ingredient, sometimes seasonal but not always. I have a habit of seeing edible things through dessert lenses, so my recipes have started with everything from edible flowers known to be eaten in salads, to a bag of celery from a friend's garden, to a cocktail I tasted at a wedding, to a favorite tea, etc. My first question when I taste something tends to be, "Could I make a sweet treat out of this?" And sometimes it's even something wacky, like Dijon mustard (which became a favorite caramel candy).

Jicama Lime Cake with Tequila-Glazed Nectarines

Brittany: That's a great segue into my next question. You've used a lot of interesting ingredients in your recipes, like soy sauce in Brown Sugar Soy Sauce Cake and jicama in Jicama Lime Cake with Tequila-Glazed Nectarines. Can you describe a time when using an unusual ingredient went really well and another that went really wrong?

Moriah: I get a lot of positive feedback about my artichoke cake and cauliflower cake. On the other hand, I recently tried to use watermelon for a cake and its glaze, but it became really squash-flavored when cooked and the watermelon flavor was hard to capture. I gave up on that one.

Brittany: What ingredients do you get the most excited about incorporating into your recipes?

Moriah: All kinds! Anything new that is delicious on its own and has true potential for a dessert. Fruit is great. Tea, cocktails, and sometimes even savory meals or other desserts will inspire a new dessert.

Brittany: How has living in the Bay Area influenced your baking? 

Moriah: When I started sharing recipes, I was focused on things I found very nearby—nasturtiums in the yard, my neighbor's rosemary bush, the dried mulberries at the little shop down the street—and the generous people who share things from their Bay Area gardens, from homegrown celery to blackberry jam. This kind of richness continues to inspire me. I also love seeing the creative things people are doing in our area: the desserts at Craftsman and Wolves, the perfect croissants at Rotha. And the array of ingredients we have access to!

White Peach Campari Sorbet

Brittany: Speaking of recipes, can you describe the process of creating a new recipe?

Moriah: I usually find myself with something I want to turn into a dessert and I think about how its structure might play out, which helps me decide what kind of treat to make (cake, cookies, sorbet, etc.). I pair it with something complementary (citrus is one example), then start to experiment, often using one of my own recipes as a sort of skeleton or outline. Then I just stay open to how it turns out and refine the recipe in next versions. Usually my coworkers and the foot traffic in our office are taste testers along the way. Sometimes the trials go straight to the compost though!

Brittany: How many times on average does it take to perfect a recipe before you share both the dessert and the recipe?

Moriah: It really depends. If I'm lucky and like the recipe the very first time, I'll still make it a couple more times to test the recipe. But more often, I want to make adjustments and I'll play with it two or three more times before I settle on a final version. Looking forward, I want to go back to some of my earlier recipes and remake them, polish and clarify the recipes, and in some cases, take new pictures.

Brittany: Switching gears a bit, what do you eat when you're not baking?

Moriah: In terms of savory things, I love a good arugula salad, bibimbap, and I have favorite local Thai, Indian, and Mexican spots. Sweet things include juicy satsuma mandarins, and croissants and kouign-amann made by local professionals (but we've sort of covered that!). Ice cream too—black sesame ice cream is my favorite.

Brittany: Can you share some of these favorite bakeries and restaurants of yours?

Moriah: Definitely! In my own neighborhood alone, I love Akemi for sushi, Bua Luang Thai, Taqueria Talavera, Cafe Raj, Little Star Pizza (I forgot to say, their deep dish "Little Star" is on my shortlist of favorites). I love the croissants at Patisserie Rotha, the "Rebel Within" at Craftsman and Wolves, and I'm forever a fan of Starter Bakery's kouign-amann, which I first tasted at the former Pop Up General Store in Oakland, back when Samin Nosrat was running it.

Brittany: What a good list! What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Moriah: For recipes, part of that depends on what ingredients land in my lap, but I've been daydreaming of pairing ube with cocoa, working with pineapple as a main ingredient, and exploring more tea-based desserts. Going forward, I also hope to make my site more user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Brittany: Those sound like amazing combinations! I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Moriah: Thanks! I'm slower at it as my day job gets more demanding, but I'm also more focused on quality recipes over posting often. 

Brittany: That definitely makes more sense for a recipe writer. We want to know they're good!

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Photos provided by Moriah VanVleet.

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Special thanks to Moriah for discussing her baking with us. You can follow her baking on her blog, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

[brittanyinterviews]

Kristin Dominguez, Artist and Musician

Kristin Dominguez, Artist and Musician

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This interview was conducted via email in April 2020.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

Kristin: This feels like it should be the easiest question to answer, but it definitely isn't. Starting off on a very simple and earthly foot, I'm from the Bay Area. I grew up in an extremely nurturing environment filled with music, creature comforts, and varying levels of structure. My dad is from Mexico City, so I've had the integral influence of Hispanic culture throughout my life, which is such a blessing. I graduated high school, but am still completing college as an adult, and I have always been connected to the arts. I have always been perceived as scattered and free-spirited. There is some truth to this, but I also feel very grounded in who I am. It never used to be this way -- thank goodness it is this way now. 

Brittany: Have you always been interested in art and music? Can you describe your first art or music memory? 

Kristin: I think that almost every child is interested in art and music -- then again this may just be my perception. My first memories regarding my own forms of expression are linked to sound. My mother has recounted my running around the house singing opera for her when I was a 3-year-old. I liked the experience of feeling my vocal cords vibrate and the breath that was involved. I had always loved singing, but I became more and more private with it as I grew older. I sang with and to the people that I felt close with, to myself in the car or in the shower… It was quite recently that I began to write, record, and perform my own music. 

A painting from Kristin’s Instagram

Painting was / is always enjoyable. The daycare I grew up in was very "hippy"-esque. I was partly raised by a beautiful person named Annie, an artist / love child of the ‘60s who used to sing-talk her way around the daycare with a guitar. She always had paint for us to play with. 

My interest in the arts was always something that held its permanence. It stuck with me always, and I found this reassuring, although it took me a very long time to identify as an artist. 

Another piece from her Instagram

Brittany: Your painting style seems very distinct. Can you describe the process of making a new piece?

Kristin: Music is always playing in the background. This moves a lot of what I do and what comes out on the canvas / paper while I'm creating, so I am very meticulous with my playlists on Spotify.

I’m sort of OCD with how my space is set before I get into painting mode, but that space gets very discombobulated and deconstructed by the end of one of my "flow sessions." 

I get very lost in what I'm doing after that first "ripple effect" is initiated. There is a suspended sense of self while you are watching the colors dance across the page. You are the guiding force -- but once the color is on the page, there is no going back, only forward. The real difficulty with abstract art is there are no guidelines. A lot of the time you create things that you're not that crazy about because you either pushed it too far or didn't give it enough care. There is intention in the abstract process if you bring your awareness to it. 

My process was sporadic in its early stages -- painting only when I had the urge to -- but now I am implementing a stricter structure with my creative process. Ritual and practice are so important for growth and pieces that you feel proud of. 

Another piece from her Instagram

Brittany: The way the paint splatters across the surface or how you use water to move the paint around in your pieces can elicit a very emotional response in the viewer. Is creating new work an emotional process for you? Is it more intuitive?

Kristin: Haha, I showed a family friend a few of my earlier works with acrylic ink and alcohol as a medium and he responded with "I am having a visceral response to these… They are terrifying." I couldn't help but laugh. 

I think that it is an intuitive act, but there is emotion as well. The color "flow sessions" put me into a flow state, in which I am beside myself and completely immersed in the work. Although I am "out of my own way" at this point in the creative process the emotions still work their way out, but everything is transmuted onto the page. Working with water is an incredibly emotional experience because it is unpredictable. You are flowing with it and guiding it at the same time. Only one thing is certain and that's how the work will mutate and change as you influence it. 

Brittany: How would you describe your music and/or musical style? 

Kristin: Soft. Slow. Vulnerable. Warm. A little haunting at times (so I have heard 😂).

Brittany: There are a lot of beautiful covers of popular songs on your Soundcloud. How do you pick which artists or songs to cover?

Kristin: Primarily I choose songs that I identify with. Songs that make me feel something deep and spiritually tangible. I also choose songs that I wish I could have written. Covering them feels like giving that artist and piece new shades of glory. Like looking at the same view but through new lenses. 

I love the classics and anything that brings me that feeling of nostalgia. But mostly I like finding songs that fit me. Like trying on a pair of leggings. Some fit with my voice and tempo, others don't. Others I can squeeze into and others I can't even get up my thigh. It depends. 

Brittany: Who are you influenced by in the worlds of art and music?

Kristin: This is always a hard question because there are so many talented people that influence what I produce, but at the same time I feel my style to be very much my own.

I feel my influencers mostly to be the singer-songwriters of the indie and folk persuasions. By no means am I placing myself in parallel, but to name a handful of talented individuals: 

Elliott Smith

John K. Samson of The Weakerthans

Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra

Kina Grannis 

Joni Mitchell 

Feist

Daughter

Paul Simon 

Side and ending note: It is such a profound task to strike a nerve, pluck a heart string, or paint a picture for the listener. I am a hopeless romantic, therefore any artist (which is almost all of them) that romanticizes the human experience is an influence, because I identify with them. A good artist makes you feel seen, heard, and understood, without even meeting them. 

Brittany: When you're not creating art or music, how do you spend your time?

Kristin: Normal human-y things. Eating, sleeping, nature walking, spending time with loved ones. Coffee shop dwelling, journaling, reading, doing yoga. New developments: I am trying my hand at knitting, keeping spaces organized, and when the world calms down, I would like to face one of my fears and go swimming in the ocean. 

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Kristin: I am working on my debut album, Settle In.

It has been a long process, but I am a bit of a perfectionist so I am still dealing with that aspect of myself, haha! But I feel like it should be ready by 2021. I am already writing and working on new material for the second album, but I figured I shouldn't get ahead of myself just yet and finish what I started with Settle In.

Upcoming work with Sage and Rock includes working on getting prints of my original works made so that they are a little more accessible. Stickers and possibly shirts, maybe hoodies. Also getting work and plans together to start a stationery line, create an art calendar that includes the lunar cycles and transits, and I would love to move my work to a larger scale.

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Photo provided by Kristin Dominguez. Images of her paintings taken from her Instagram.

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Special thanks to Kristin for discussing her work with us. You can follow her art on Instagram and music on Soundcloud.

[brittanyinterviews]

Ayca Kilicoglu, Founder of Mur by Ayca

Ayca Kilicoglu, Founder of Mur by Ayca

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This interview was conducted via email in April 2020.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your brand, Mur by Ayca? 

Ayca: I am a freelance graphic designer & illustrator working part-time as an instructor in the UC Berkeley Extension Art & Design Department. I moved here to study and have been living in the US now for over 10 years. When I arrived, I started ESL in preparation for going to art school. I first studied graphic design and took illustration classes at UC Berkeley Extension and upgraded to the Academy of Art University to complete my master's degree. During that time, I practiced illustration on my own. 

After graduation, I had a chance to explore and work as a freelance graphic designer at multiple design firms. As much as I appreciated my time there, I felt like something was missing. I realized that I needed to focus on creating my own vision. Mur blossomed from this realization. My company name is inspired by my mother's name, who passed away from breast cancer when I was young. I wanted to keep her spirit and name alive within my business since she was such a creative person.

“Palette is from my mom. My grandpa made for her. So now it’s mine.”

Brittany: Have you always been interested in art and fashion?

Ayca: I grew up in an incredibly artistic household. My maternal grandfather was an art teacher; my maternal grandmother was a tailor; my other grandmother was an incredible home crafter. My mother was a government worker who went to night school for sewing, in addition to what her mother had taught her about clothing design. They all inspired me and fueled my creativity. 

Ayca has kept these scarves, whose edges were hand-rolled by her grandmother. They are at least 30 years old. 

As long as I can remember, I have always loved drawing. My first memory of drawing was a plane that my grandfather kept, and I found it ten years later after he had passed. In grade school, art was not considered a priority, and there was only one class per week, which I deeply looked forward to. Our art teacher would give us one assignment, and I would make 10 different versions of that one assignment. When I grew older, I knew I wanted to study art, but getting into art school in Turkey was a challenge just based on ability. Because of the challenge of being accepted to an art school, I started to doubt my ability and stopped creating for a handful of years. 

This is her mother’s scarf and it’s at least 30 years old as well.

There were incredibly talented friends around me who faced the same situation and ended up choosing different careers. I studied public administration and worked in the field of economics, which had zero creativity. During that time, my passion for art started to resurface, and I knew that my career in finance was coming to a swift end. I quit my job and moved to the US, despite the fact that this idea was not fully supported. The only person that fully supported this idea was my then-boyfriend, now-husband, Emrah, who was already living in the US. 

Brittany: The designs you've created for Mur by Ayca are very colorful and eye-catching. They often feature abstract shapes, animals, and body parts like the evil eye. How would you describe your style in your own words?

Ayca: Colors and patterns were always so important to me -- even at a young age, I was always picky about what I wore. I remember there was a Turkish brand, Sümerbank, that was well-known for their textile pattern, which I am still in love with even though they no longer exist. I practice art using different mediums and techniques. For my scarves, I mostly work with a combination of hand drawing and digital finishing. Everywhere I look, I am inspired by the everyday objects in my life, which I simplify into abstract shapes and patterns. I love nature and am fascinated with animals, so when I draw them, I add a bit of myself in the form of details. 

I love energized, bright colors, but also enjoy very muted pastels. It all depends on my mood :) I like to keep variation alive in my styles. 

Brittany: On your website, you've mentioned that your designs are inspired by your life growing up in Turkey and now living in San Francisco. Can you discuss this further?

Ayca: I found San Francisco and the city’s architecture very inspiring. Of course, I am very much inspired by my own culture, as well. I really enjoy combining these two sides of myself. Knowing both cultures allows me to express myself in a unique way.

Brittany: I see a few of your designs are aptly titled with the name of the person in which they're paying homage, like Wassily Kandinsky and Henri Matisse. Who are you influenced by in the worlds of fashion, art, and design?

Ayca: Well, one of the turning points in my life was going to art school and learning about art history and design. I love Matisse, Kandinsky, Paul Rand, April Geihman, Frank Lobdell, Stefan Sagmeister, Jessica Helfand, Edvard Munch, Mondrian, Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, and so many other great artists and designers that inspire my work. The combination of their styles opens doors in my mind to create in different ways. Everything is inspired by something else, the most important thing is to make it truly your own. 

Brittany: Can you describe the process of producing a scarf from start to finish?

Ayca: 

Convert a black and white, hand-drawn illustration into a digital format by scanning. 

Using Adobe Illustrator, I create a square template to add the illustration to. 

I then add colors and explore design variations.

This process also inspires me to come up with other variations that were not a part of my original design plan. It shifts and changes as I go. 

I take my finished design and send it to a factory in Turkey, where they digitally print my design on fabric that I have chosen. 

The scarves are then given to local women for hand-rolling the edges.

Brittany: As you’ve mentioned, your scarves are printed and their edges are hand-rolled by local women in Turkey. Is it difficult creating a product across continents? Can you elaborate on your decision to work with local women in Turkey?

Ayca: I believe in the power of women and that we should all support each other. This was heavy on my mind while I was creating my business, and it was an easy solution and perfect opportunity for me to support local women in Turkey. The women who hand-roll the scarf edges usually work from home for the manufacturer. The women who touch my scarves make them special and unique. They leave behind a story. When I have the opportunity, I will visit them in Turkey to hear more of these stories. 

Every job has its challenges, but the people I work with in Turkey and I have good communication even with the time difference. Adding feminism and women's empowerment to my products make all the challenges worth it.

Brittany: Was it challenging to start a fashion brand in the Bay Area, where one can argue fashion is deemphasized? 

Ayca: First of all, I would love to be known as an art brand rather than a fashion brand. Yes, I do combine fashion and art and I love fashion -- but art first! :) Life is a challenge and also a beautiful thing. That's generally how I feel about my brand as well. I think California is a very good place for starting your own business as a woman. People are really supportive here and the sense of community is amazing. There are plenty of craft shows where you can explore different spaces, get to know other vendors, and increase visibility for your business.

Ayca with her husband Emrah and their dog

Brittany: When you're not working for your brand, how do you spend your time?

Ayca: I work as a freelancer and I teach part-time at school. I draw every day and am obsessed with collecting art and design books, which I read daily. I should stop actually -- otherwise, I'll have no room to sit and work on my art :) In my spare time, I love to explore the city, have coffee with my husband, and discover new places to go to for dinner. I love taking my dog to the park and going  to my neighborhood bookstore, Green Apple Books. Every Sunday I go to the farmers’ market and usually spend the day cooking with the goodies I find.

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you and your brand in the future?

Ayca: I am extremely excited about my brand and the work I am doing. I do have a few collaborations in the works with other brands already and am looking forward to more in the future. I have my graphic design website, which is live, and am practicing fine art. If I ever feel ready, I would love to see my paintings on canvas. For Mur, I would love to expand my line beyond scarves, i.e. dresses, clothes, or bags. More accessories in general, so fingers crossed! 

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Photos provided by Ayca Kilicoglu.

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Special thanks to Ayca for discussing her work with us. You can learn more about her brand by visiting her website, Facebook, and Instagram.

[brittanyinterviews]

Simone Anne, Wedding, Travel, and Commercial Photographer

Simone Anne, Wedding, Travel, and Commercial Photographer

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This interview was conducted via email in October 2019.

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Brittany: How did you get into wedding, travel, and commercial photography?

Simone: I started with photography my senior year of high school when I took a black and white film photo class. I’d love to say that it was love at first click, but it was just something I enjoyed (although, true to my obsessive nature, I spent hours and hours in the darkroom on weekends, so I must have loved it in some way). I was finishing up a roll of film at the park taking photos of my mom when she got tired of me taking her photo. My mom, who doesn’t love being in front of the camera, pushed me towards another woman in the park. “Excuse me,” I said. “I’m taking a photography class at the high school and need to finish up this roll of film for school. Do you think I could take a few photos of you?” She said yes, I awkwardly manually focused and snapped some images. Then she turned to me and said, “I’m actually a professional photographer.” Shanti, the photographer I met in the park that day, became my mentor, friend, inspiration, and more. She’s a wonderful human, inspiring business owner, and incredible photographer. Without her and this chance encounter in the park, I would not have gotten into photography and it would not have turned into my career in this way.

Brittany: Can you describe a typical day as a professional photographer?

Simone: I am very much not a routine oriented person and one of the big things that I love about my role as an independent business owner is that for the most part, I get to mold my work days to how I’m feeling. There are (of course) photography days where I am working with clients with my camera: Usually we’re outside, exploring around, and having a ton of fun. I love these days so much. I also love editing days, where I tuck myself in at my desk, put on an audiobook or podcast (I listen to a TON of audio in this role and love it very much), and make the images match my vision.

A huge part of my job is also back end things: I send a lot of planning and organizing emails, talk to my clients on the phone a lot to help them plan their day or pick their photographer, and work on various web things. For commercial jobs or travel jobs, I’ll put together fancy pitch / proposal decks to get the job, go back and forth with them on the phone and via email to make sure all of our plans are set, and more. Most of my wedding photography clients find me through Google and I spend quite a bit of time working on my website, dealing with pages and content that drive traffic, and working on the back end things (I don’t have a developer so it’s all just me). There’s always a lot going on and I am a work-a-holic who loves to get everything done as soon as possible, always.

Brittany: Can you describe the process of planning an engagement, wedding, or elopement shoot with a couple, touching on logistical details like timing, picking locations, and mapping out the kinds of photos you'll be taking?

Simone: My biggest goal for a wedding is this: I want my clients to have their dream day, whatever that is. I ask questions to help them narrow in on what kind of day they want and what that might look like and then I make suggestions as to how photography can fit into and augment that. I always tell my clients, “I’ll never tell you what to do, I’ll just tell you what your choices mean.” What this means is that I’m never ever leaving them hanging, but I will make whatever they want work, as long as we’re realistic about the timeline and build in the time they need for their dreams to come true. It sounds very up in the clouds, but ultimately it means that the way that I do it, wedding photography is a super fun and rewarding part of an overall joyful wedding day where we get exuberant, meaningful images that are beautiful, too.

That being said, in terms of locations and timelines, I do make suggestions. For locations, I like to get a general sense of where clients love (ocean, mountains, town, etc.) and make suggestions from there. I have a HUGE library of past work and can often share that to inspire locations, otherwise I am always scouting and exploring and love to share new finds.

In terms of the kinds of images I am going to make, I feel so lucky to have clients that trust my vision completely. I am always happy to work in a request or two, but mostly my clients come to me without anything except love of my work and trust in me and it really opens us up to a super fun and rewarding experience working and creating magic together.

Brittany: Many of the moments you capture seem so natural and your subjects seem far from stiff. Do you find yourself directing your subjects? How do you make them feel comfortable in front of a camera?

Simone: I absolutely direct and pose clients, but never in a way that asks them to stand there and hold a moment. I believe that good “posing” is less about telling you how exactly to position your body or interact with your partner, but more about figuring out where your body is its most comfortable, most you, most beautiful, and how you and your partner most naturally fit together. It’s pretty common for me to get on the phone with a potential client and have them tell me that while they love the natural, candid look of my work and want that for their own photos, they don’t actually feel that relaxed in front of the camera. This is very normal! I do a fun kind of posing that lets my clients relax, have a wonderful time, AND come away with photos they absolutely love.

Brittany: You've worked with brands like CLIF Bar and United Airlines. How does a commercial gig come to be?

Simone: I’ve gotten my biggest commercial gigs through Instagram, where clients are looking for a powerful combination of high quality photography and a strong social media presence. Most of these clients have then licensed images for other use after the fact as well.

These types of jobs have led to other commercial and editorial jobs as well: Word of mouth and experience of course go a long way.

I am not a high production commercial photographer who manages production teams of 30 people over a week in a big company’s office building. That’s just not what I do or what I am interested in, so in that sense “commercial” is perhaps not quite the right industry word, although I am working with commercial partners on big jobs.

Brittany: How has your business grown or changed over the years?

Simone: Over time, I’ve dialed in my voice and my work to really and truly represent who I am, how I approach photography, and how I work on a wedding day. With a strong voice (or brand) and strong images that fit within that story, the clients I work with these days are people who I utterly and truly love and who are SO excited about my work (beforehand, on the day of, and when they get their gallery). It’s ideal because it works as a win-win all around for my clients and myself and I am endlessly thankful for the wonderful relationships and jobs this has brought me.

Brittany: In addition to being an amazing photographer, you're clearly a UC Berkeley grad in that you steep yourself in local and global issues. Is there any issue you think more people should be paying attention to right now?

Simone: I don’t understand why managing climate change isn’t our number one priority at all times, above profit, above politics, above everything. The concept that there are people out there who don’t believe the science boggles my mind and I find our lack of care for the planet embarrassing and upsetting.

Brittany: You're definitely an expert in social media and have a background in marketing. If you could share one tip (or even a pet peeve) on how to use social media better, what would it be?

Simone: Honestly as our social media lives and IRL lives become more and more intertwined, my advice for both is the same: Focus on being interested, not just interesting, and the rest will follow.

I’ll follow an interesting account that doesn’t know how to use hashtags over a glossy, perfect account any day and overall those accounts and people that build a real rapport or community will always have a voice that outlasts the social media platform and usage tactic of the day. All that and you didn’t sell out! ;)

Brittany: Have you always been interested in photography and art in general? Can you describe your first "art memory"?

Simone: I have always been interested in art and writing, but photography was a later interest acquisition. I grew up without a television and while it meant I miss out on a TON of pop culture references, it also meant I just kinda putzed around and created a lot as a kid.

I was really, really into scissors as a young child and created a lot of collages and cut paper art. (I still love doing this, haha).

I also wrote a LOT. My parents still have so many little homemade books: For example, I had an adventure series I wrote about a girl who liked to explore outside named Art with probably five or six “books” in the series. I’ve also kept a journal since I was six years old. I’ve written in them a few times a week pretty consistently my whole life and I have a printer box full of old thoughts, worries, interests, travels, and more. And since everybody asks if this comes up: I don’t really read through them! Maybe one day I will, but for now the joy has been in the writing and exploration of them.

Brittany: I know you're a writer and have been making pottery for a few years now. Have you ever experimented with other creative mediums, like video?

Simone: I’ve never played with video professionally or even with my camera, but I’ve fallen in love with video on Instagram Stories! It’s such a versatile medium, where you can meld sound, movement, and vision to share a true sense of place. I’ve considered experimenting with this “for real,” so to speak, but video editing is time consuming and a true art.

Brittany: You've traveled all over the world, including places as far as South Africa and India and as close as the John Muir Trail here in California. What's on your travel bucket list?

Simone: I want to spend more time in India, for sure. Getting just a month in only a few of the Northern states was seriously not enough. So much to explore (and eat!) and so many interesting, historic, and beautiful things to see. Other than a return to India, I want to spend some time in Bolivia (I have tentative plans to be there for a job next fall!), explore Greece and Portugal, and get back to Africa (not sure what’s at the top of my list, but possibly Egypt, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Morocco… Ahh, so many ideas). In short, everywhere!

Brittany: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Simone: I want to work on more editorial and travel projects, am interested in pursuing writing more seriously, and will continue to photograph rad couples getting married with joy and intention (so, more of that). I really love the life I’ve built and right now I just want to continue that: Grow and finess my business, travel more, and pursue some personal projects as well.

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Photo by Karen Santos

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Special thanks to Simone for discussing her work with us. You can follow her work on her wedding photographer website, travel and editorial photographer website, travel, editorial, life Instagram, wedding Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

[brittanyinterviews]

Cindy Tsui, Brand Designer

This interview was originally published in The Career Strategist series on the Hired blog on October 15, 2018.

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This is the final installment of a three-part interview series with some of the designers we have at Hired. We’ve previously discussed user experience design with Kelly Gagnon, a UX Design Lead, and product design with Alex Couch, a Senior Product Designer. Finally, we’ll learn from Cindy Tsui, a Senior Brand Designer, about her experience in the world of design, her work as a brand designer, and her time at Hired.

Brittany: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Cindy: I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I grew up in San Jose and graduated from San Jose State University’s BFA Graphic Design Program in 2012. I started working in San Francisco when I finished school and worked for agencies – Sequence and AKQA – as a visual designer for clients like Apple, Nike, Old Navy, Levi’s, and Chevron. I dabbled in various types of design, such as branding, product, environmental, and digital marketing, before I decided to make the move in-house and join Hired’s small design team in 2017. Now, I lead the creative efforts for marketing communications and branding as a Senior Brand Designer.

Brittany: How did you get into design?

Cindy: While there was no one big aha moment, there were small instances that were telling signs that I had a knack for design. When I was in elementary school, I had a friend who would download different typefaces onto CDs and share them with me. I subsequently became obsessed with setting my essay titles in various fonts like Jokerman, Papyrus, and Allstar. By the time I was in eighth grade, my brother taught me how to inspect the basics of code and got me a bootleg version of Photoshop – I think I made about 15 Geocities sites for my friends that summer. In high school, I got into designing t-shirts for all of these sports teams and clubs that I wasn’t even a part of, and while I had never intended to join the school’s yearbook class (the journalism class I wanted to be in was cut and was being taught by the same teacher), I became the yearbook editor because I naturally had a LOT of opinions of page layouts, copy, and photography. I never knew all of those individual interests equated into this thing called design. But in retrospect, it was almost a calling.

Brittany: What kind of work are you responsible for at Hired?

Cindy: I was Hired’s first senior visual designer brought on to focus on brand design. With such a small design team in a startup company, this means that I lead all creative efforts for marketing communications – ads, emails, campaigns – in addition to owning all brand definition and development for the company, including the look and feel, messaging, and general corporate identity. The main objective of my position is to ensure that there is a consistent, meaningful, and memorable expression of who we are through our touchpoints.

Brittany: Can you describe your day-to-day as a brand designer?

Cindy: My days consist of collaborating with marketing stakeholders to ensure their projects have the design support they need. This might entail spending time designing assets, sitting down with marketing managers to strategize effective campaign tactics, or working with third-party vendors to produce branded collateral for events. I collaborate closely with product designers to define and develop the UI for our design system and give feedback on product designs where I can. I also work cross-functionally across sales, people, and operations teams to brainstorm and execute on design ideas where brand can be leveraged. I lead a team of two (myself and a junior designer) on the marketing side, so I also balance time to manage projects, art direct, and provide career mentorship for my teammate.

Brittany: How do you approach brand design at Hired? In your experience, does it range greatly from company-to-company?

Cindy: One piece at a time. And with a lot of patience and expectation of change. When I started at Hired, there was the bare minimum of what could be considered a “brand” – some colors, a typeface, a general photo style, and a logo – and my first assignment was to create Hired’s first brand guidelines. Unfortunately, when establishing a brand from the ground up, the pieces you start with are not visual, so there was some backtracking that needed to be done. I had to ask the fundamental questions of the company: What are its values?, Who is the core audience?, and What are the brand traits? These were foundational to building a brand because they ultimately defined who the company is and what it promises to deliver to its audience, regardless of how the business evolves over time.

Once the core meaning and story of the brand is figured out, more questions can be posed: How do we best express who we are through imagery, typography, or color? What does our voice sound like in our messaging? A common analogy is that if a brand were a person, the values and traits are its personality and the visual elements are an outward expression of that. And when all these elements come together, brand begins to permeate into other parts of the company and more tactical questions across teams can be answered like: Will this product feature be meaningful to our core audience? Does this ad creative accurately represent who we are and what we have to offer? Are we demonstrating our brand traits in how we promote office culture or even collaborate with each other?

When it comes to branding, this approach is pretty standard. But depending on the company, how it’s achieved varies. Sometimes it’s about defining the basics of who they are. Sometimes they know exactly who they are, but just need to find the right market fit. Sometimes they are shedding an outdated look with a fresh one. And sometimes they have a trusted brand that simply needs modern applications. At any point, different parts of a brand can be constructed and reconstructed – but in the end, a brand will always be comprised of the same core elements.

Brittany: In your opinion, can you describe the work of a great brand designer? What contributions do they make to the overall product?

Cindy: The best brand work is one that is thoughtful, flexible, and emotional. It is a story that differentiates a company from competitors with similar products and services. It is a tool that can be used across various teams to ensure consistency. It is an experience that connects users to a common purpose. A strong brand brings value to a product by providing a North Star for a clear and consistent experience. This builds familiarity, trust, and loyalty with those who interact with the brand. When done right, no matter where a person encounters the brand – through the website, at a conference booth, during a troubleshooting call, or even an interview at the corporate office – the most memorable brands know who they are and deliver on it confidently.

Brittany: Where do you find inspiration for your work in brand design?

Cindy: Because brand is sort of a catch-all, I find my inspiration in all parts of my life. When I stay in Airbnbs, I think about how much booking one can save me versus a hotel, how the host communicates leading up to a trip, and how the ambiance of the residence elevates the spirit of the city I’m visiting. I consider doing my taxes with TurboTax such a seamless and, dare I say, enjoyable process that it’s top of mind for dry life requirements made delightful and easy. Even a visit to Target to purchase toothpaste is a place of inspiration for me. From being informed of seasonal promotions by their quirky and colorful store displays, to finding deals on their mobile coupon app, to breezing through their intuitive self-checkout aisles, every touchpoint is a reminder that shopping there is fun and rewarding. Ultimately, I find inspiration in brands that make ordinary necessities in life enjoyable experiences.

Brittany: What areas of brand design are often overlooked?

Cindy: Authenticity. Simply put, a company can say they are trustworthy, human, innovative, or other various buzzwords on paper, but if the story isn’t authentic to their DNA – if the brand isn’t enforced day in and day out within the company – the brand will fail when hard times hit or when difficult decisions need to be made.

[brittanyinterviews]

Alex Couch, Product Designer

This interview was originally published in The Career Strategist series on the Hired blog on October 10, 2018.

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This is the second installment of a three-part interview series with some of the designers we have at Hired. We’ve previously discussed user experience design with Kelly Gagnon, a UX Design Lead here. Next, we’ll learn from Alex Couch, a Senior Product Designer, about his experience in the world of design, his work as a product designer, and his time at Hired.

Brittany: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Alex: I’m a married dude in San Francisco who has a dog and a pretty cool job. Not bad!

Brittany: How did you get into design?

Alex: Mine’s been a long and winding road, from being a media buyer at an ad agency down to product design and development. The way I think of it, I started at the top of the classic “Marketing Funnel” and kept hopping projects until I’d slid all the way down.

Brittany: What kind of work are you responsible for at Hired?

Alex: I’m more of a “growth designer” working on our Acquisition team. That means I’m working more on our public websites – things like landing pages, first-time flows, SEO efforts, all that. I also lead our early design system efforts that kicked off again this year.

Brittany: Can you elaborate on what these “early design system efforts” are? What does this entail?

Alex: Well… it’s complicated. But basically we’re building the foundations to make our design system as robust as other known design systems like Shopify’s Polaris and WeWork’s Plasma. There’s a long road ahead of us, but in the short-term it’s a lot product inventory and definition: what fonts, colors, containers, and inputs do we use? What’s the consolidated set we want to settle on? What are the rules and theories behind our interfaces? It’s exciting (if often humbling) work.

Brittany: Can you describe your day-to-day as a product designer?

Alex: I like to get a good mix of “headphones time,” (when I’m heads-down working on designs, specs, and other deliverables), and face-to-face time (meetings and chats). Something like 60 / 40. You can’t get all the information and ideas you need by sitting at your desk all day; but at the same time, I feel like you need some quiet isolation to really work through ideas and builds.

Brittany: Can you elaborate on what your heads-down time looks like? For instance, what kind of tools and resources are you using when working on designs?

Alex: Well, technically “heads down” is often “head looking at a computer screen,” so you got me there. My workflow goes from paper sketches, to design exploration in Sketch, to feedback-gathering in InVision, and finally to refinement and specifications (also in Sketch). And if it’s very pixel-oriented work, I’ll often spend some time with static CSS documents, too, to dial in just the right styles.

Brittany: How do you approach product design at Hired? In your experience, does it range greatly from company-to-company?

Alex: Yes, every organization I’ve been in (from in-house to agency work) has been really different in how they position design. Design at Hired is purpose-driven and outcome-oriented: what problem are we trying to solve, and how will we know if we’ve fixed it? On my team, we try to be efficient with our time, so we’re constantly testing to figure out what works (and what doesn’t) so we know how to budget our efforts.

Brittany: In your opinion, can you describe the work of a great product designer? What contributions do they make to the overall product?

Alex: Hmmm, well product design is such a broad role – from user interviews to code, at its broadest definition – that I guess a great product designer is one that can be flexible in how they fit in a team to make a product better. Really, making “great designs” doesn’t help the user if it doesn’t see the light of day; but if the designer can work through the constraints and challenges that they face day to day, they’re more likely to improve users’ experiences.

Brittany: Do you have a personal design, or specifically product design, philosophy you live by or guidelines you follow?

Alex: Sure: be empathetic, open-minded, and think big… Most modern product designers would probably subscribe to that, but you should also be pragmatic and realistic. So much of design is about working within limitations. If I want to solve a problem with solution X, could I pretty much solve the same issue in half the time with solution Y? Then let’s do Y! Remember, all of the time, effort, and engineering resources you spend on a given problem is less time you’ll spend coming up with other ways to improve your users’ lives.

Brittany: Where do you find inspiration for your work in product design?

Alex: I’ve got a few newsletters and things I read up on, especially UX Design Weekly, Muzli, and tons of stuff on Medium. There are also specific companies I consider inspirations – like MailChimp, Stripe, Framer, and Google’s Material Design – that practice sensible and thoughtful product design.

Brittany: What areas of product design are often overlooked?

Alex: I’ve been saying it for years: design needs to get better at analytics. Modern UX designers love some good ol’ fashioned qualitative research – interviews, card sorting, usability studies, etc. – but quantitative data can tell you a lot about your user types and behaviors. Too bad you don’t see many resources or tools dedicated to the practice.

Brittany: What can we expect to see in terms of product design from Hired in the future?

Alex: Well, in the short-term, I’m working to make our entire design system more universal, rational, and accessible: things like unified patterns, more readable fonts, more intuitive inputs. In the longer term, we’re helping bring more meaningful interactions to the highly-emotional space that is job-seeking and hiring.

[brittanyinterviews]

Kelly Gagnon, User Experience Designer

This interview was originally published in The Career Strategist series on the Hired blog on October 10, 2018.

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This is the first installment of a three-part interview series with some of the designers we have at Hired. We’ll begin with a discussion with Kelly Gagnon, a UX Design Lead, about her experience in the world of design, her work as a user experience designer, and her time at Hired.

Brittany: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Kelly: I’m a designer. People tell me I work in tech, but I don’t consider myself in tech. Technology is the medium. I solve problems for humans. If I were designing for print or large format displays, or logos, I would use the same design skills.

Brittany: How did you get into design?

Kelly: I studied oil painting for 7 years (ages 10 to 17, in the Bob Ross style). My teacher encouraged me to go to art school; my parents thought I should focus on something practical so I could support myself. So I went to MassArt in Boston and got my BFA in Graphic Design, a compromise. Without that art teacher, I would probably still be living in Northern Maine, married to a potato farmer. I didn’t have a back-up plan.

Brittany: How long did you work in graphic design before you started getting involved in user experience design?

Kelly: My first job was designing book covers. I learned the power of designing the holistic experience, from the cover, to the store display, to marketing. I became an interactive art director shortly after, designing countless websites and internal company tools, like digital training modules and tools for sales teams. I did that for years. In 2004 I went to my first UX conference and was introduced to Jared Spool. Everything changed for me after that. I went from focusing on what the business needed to focusing on what the customer needed, which is the core of UX design.

Kelly synthesizing and analyzing research with the design team at Hired

Brittany: What kind of work are you responsible for at Hired?

Kelly: I’m responsible for the Candidate experience, end-to-end, from research, UX strategy, interaction / flows to visual design.

Brittany: Can you describe your day-to-day as a UX design lead?

Kelly: My day-to-day varies considerably. Some weeks I’m in user research, others I’m heads-down creating UI. Sometimes both at the same time. As a generalist, it’s important to protect your energy. Constant context switching can be draining.

Brittany: What are some projects you’ve worked on recently?

Kelly: Right now I’m conducting a research study trying to learn more about what candidates are doing during the interview process. Then we’ll use this to ideate solutions for work we are planning for Q4 or Q1.

A user journey map Kelly made at Hired

Brittany: How do you approach UX design at Hired? In your experience, does it range greatly from company-to-company?

Kelly: I’m a fan of lean UX methodologies. I first read Jeff Gothelf’s book, Lean UX, in 2012. It immediately clicked for me because it works to align design, engineers, and business people. That was something I was struggling with at the time. I started using those methods in my projects right away. Some worked better than others, but I kept iterating and adjusting them. No project or team is exactly the same, so the same frameworks and methods that are successful on one project, might not work on another. Over time, I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing what will work and what won’t. I still try to learn what has worked for others, and I’ll experiment with it.

Brittany: In your opinion, can you describe the work of a great UX designer? What contributions do they make to the overall product?

Kelly: There’s no UX without research. We should not design for ourselves. A great UX designer will leverage research and validate assumptions. They design for behaviors and tasks and support the humans using our product.

Brittany: Do you have a personal design, or specifically UX design, philosophy you live by or guidelines you follow?

Kelly: This is one that is changing for me right now. Six months ago I would have said with confidence, Lean UX methodologies applied to Agile process is everything. Now I’m not so sure Agile is working for anyone anymore. It’s great for velocity, but bad for innovation, and I’m starting to get tired of velocity. I’m wondering if this process needs to evolve into something new; it’s a process that is almost 20 years old.

Brittany: Where do you find inspiration for your work in user experience design?

Kelly: I design for humans, I get inspiration from them, what they are thinking, feeling, doing, and I work to answer: how can I be of service to them?

Brittany: What areas of UX design are often overlooked?

Kelly: Service Design: design that can solve business and organizational problems. Many people think designers just make things look good. Everything about design and design thinking methodologies is geared towards problem solving. Why not take those methods and apply them to the design of your company? That’s powerful.

Brittany: What can we expect to see in terms of UX design from Hired in the future?

Kelly: A new style guide is in the works. This should help the team go faster and be consistent. We’re also developing product principles and a working charter. These are tools that will help unite the design team, as well as help us talk to our partners about how we work, and why we make the decisions we do.

Brittany: Do you have any advice for someone interested in pursuing UX design?

Kelly: Throughout my career I wanted my work to speak for itself. I wanted to be an expert and I spent much of my time learning heuristics and best practices. I wish someone had told me that I also needed to build relationships, and focus on team alignment and communication. Letting my work speak for itself caused me to struggle to get people to see the vision. It’s better now that I’ve been focusing on my facilitation and leadership skills. I wonder sometimes if I had focused more on building relationships if I would have had more opportunities.

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Photos provided by Kelly.

[brittanyinterviews]

Eben Benson, Managing Editor of Juxtapoz Magazine

Eben Benson, Managing Editor of Juxtapoz Magazine

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This interview was conducted via email in November 2018.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

Eben: Hi! My name is Eben Benson, I’m 25 years old, and I’m managing editor of Juxtapoz magazine. I’m from Gorham, Maine, but live in SF now. I generally take things one day at a time.

Brittany: How did you get into writing and editing? Have you always been interested in writing?

Eben: I’ve actually never been much of a writer. I’d try writing stuff for myself in high school, but then I’d burn it because I’m dramatic and also have had a hard time creating certain types of things since I was young. I did okay in English class, and have always been a pretty strong reader, but I would get really distracted and bored in school so I never dedicated much time to it. I became a substantially better writer when I became more engaged with history and politics, which I ended up majoring in at UMass, where I went to college. So, expository writing has been more my thing.

Brittany: How did you come into your role as the Managing Editor of Juxtapoz? Did you have prior experience in publishing?

Eben: I didn’t! I was managing the web store for Thrasher magazine, which isn’t an editorial role but is in the same office as Juxtapoz. One day, my boss came downstairs and asked if I wanted to work at Juxtapoz, and I was like, “Wait, what? Seriously? I don’t know how to edit. I feel like I barely know how to read? I don’t know anything about art?” and everyone was like, “Eh, you’ll figure it out.”

Brittany: Can you describe your day-to-day in this role?

Eben: Basically I get into the office at 8 and leave at 4:30, between those hours it’s a toss-up. I spend a lot of time posting stuff on our site and social media platforms. Other than that, I edit the print mag, plan events, interview artists, check out new books, respond to Instagram DMs, and read through, like, 200 emails a day.

Brittany: You've interviewed quite a few artists about their work. In your opinion, what makes a great interview?

Eben: It’s tough, because I’m sure I drop the ball on good questions sometimes, but I think when someone writes back something funny and unexpected, they make the interview so much better. The work of course has to look nice. I hate when people send me shitty photos of their amazing art. I wanna be like, “Where are you located? I’m going to go buy a camera right now and get some higher res images because I know your art looks better than this.”

Brittany: In an interview with the graffiti artist known as SLUTO, you mentioned that you crowd-sourced questions on Instagram and scrolled through 150 of his post recent posts. Can you elaborate further on how you prepare for an interview and what research it might entail?

Eben: Yeah, I usually go deep on the IG. I’ll be back in like, 2013, looking at heavily-filtered photos of artists and their high school friends, or their emo phase, or something like that. I spend a lot of time looking at their work and their progression. I love seeing how an artist’s work has changed over the years. I’ll usually check and see if they’ve done other interviews, to make sure I don’t ask redundant questions. Thankfully, the internet has short-term memory loss, so even if I ask some of the same questions, it’ll be new to the reader.

Brittany: Have you always been a big fan of art? Can you describe your first "art memory"?

Eben: Honestly, no. I grew up on music and skateboarding, and felt like critically successful or “fine art” was some exclusive club that I was actively excluded from. I had some people just really turn me off from art, kind of shaming me for not getting it, and then I’d try to “get” it, but since there’s nothing to “get,” of course I never got close.

I think my earliest art memory was looking at a Picasso at the Portland Museum of Art (in Maine) and thinking, “Oh, this is apparently the good stuff.” I had to have been like 6, and I think I hated it. Growing up on a farm, a lot of “high culture” is really distant and kind of unattainable. I associated art with yuppie intellectuals, which isn’t entirely false, but they aren’t entirely bad. Haha.

I went to a drawing class in college because my friend was modeling for it, and this girl I was dating at the time laughed at all the sketches I made. She ended up talking hella shit on me after I started working at Juxtapoz because she went to art school and I didn’t. I think it was people like her who made me think art was bullshit, and there are plenty of people like that. I just don’t hang out with them anymore.

Brittany: Who are artists we should know about, particularly any local ones in the Bay Area?

Eben: Wheeew. Well, I am going to ramble here. In no particular order: Jeffrey Cheung, Oliver Hawk Holden, Calvin Wong, Muzae Sesay, Casey Grey, Yetunde Olagbaju, Kristin Farr, Lena Gustafson, Nychos, Joe Roberts (LSD World Peace), George Rocha, Paige Gausman, Alán González, Ellie Andrews, Max Stern, Olivia Krause, Elizabeth Yoshiko Schmidt, Cannon Dill, Brett Flanigan, Anson Cyr, Austin Leong, Maryam Yousif, Marcela Pardo Ariza, Meryl Pataky, Kellen Chasuk, Anika Chasuk, Laura Rokas, Robbie Api, Michelle Fleck, Terry Hoff, Bryon Christman, Yarrow Slaps, Joonbug, Odysseus Wolken, Ryan Whelan, Liz Hernández, Sofie Ramos, Tim Diet, and damn, a few more. The Bay Area is the shit, there is so much good stuff happening here right now.

That’s more the younger up-and-coming crowd. Then you have the legends obviously: Alicia McCarthy, Barry McGee, Rigo23, Jeremy Fish, John DeFazio. There are more I’m forgetting…

Brittany: I think you use social media, specifically Twitter and Instagram, in a fascinating way. Although both are public accounts, you discuss very real, potentially sensitive, and very personal issues around topics like mental health that are still often seen as off-limits. Is using social media in this very public way a conscious effort? Can you speak more about how you approach using social media?

Eben: I think it’s odd that my generation has been on social media for more than half our lives. Starting out on Myspace, AIM, and forums like 4chan, etc, the internet definitely became a very normal part of my life at an early age. Then, moving on to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Slap magazine, etc. became organic too. I hit my self-conscious adolescence at the same time the internet was in its adolescent phase, so I was very fragmented in the way I used it. I would post the most random shit, trying to keep it “safe” and not, like, overshare. I used to be freaked out a lot, thinking of every person who might see anything I do.

Around 2013, I started opening up a little more, I think that was when I got Instagram. I definitely used it in a lot more boring way, just not as self-conscious as before. In 2015, I got super depressed and started just pouring it out online. I was spiraling hard, but it was nice to have some company and to feel a little bit seen, even if I was being annoying in my head. Then at one point, I kinda synthesized the self-conscious and manic-sharing, where I recognize that seeking validation will only solve half the problem, but also that no one has to follow me, so I have the “right” to be as personal as I want, and if someone really hates it, they can unfollow me, and that’s fine. I think my progression in how I use social media reflects my own mental health progression. Coming to terms with who I am has made me more comfortable sharing what I’m going through, or what I think, and at the same time, the internet is now growing up in a way, too, where we collectively know that whatever you post will be quickly forgotten anyway, at no fault of our own, so why not just live it up online? Four years ago I would have been bummed out that nearly everyone reading this interview has clicked out by now, but me at 25 is entirely fine with that and I’m having fun talking about myself. Haha.

Brittany: What can readers expect to see from you in the future?

Eben: Hopefully I’ll introduce people to new, challenging, and talented artists that make work they like. Hopefully they can get a few laughs or feel some comradery in the feelings or thoughts that we share, and hopefully at some point I can make a big enough mark on the world that I will leave it slightly nicer than it would have been if I never materialized.

In the meantime, like I said at the beginning, I’ll be taking it day by day. Thanks, Brittany <3

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Photo provided by Eben Benson.

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Special thanks to Eben for discussing his work at Juxtapoz with us. You can follow Eben on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

[brittanyinterviews]

Lyka Sethi, Director and Producer of “Moving In Place”

Lyka Sethi, director and producer of Moving In Place

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This interview was conducted via email in August 2018.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

Lyka: I’m a first gen Indian-American, born, raised, and educated in the Bay Area. After college I lived in NYC, where I spent five years learning how to be an adult. I said farewell to it earlier this year and am currently based in Germany. I pay the bills as a freelance editor and writer and am excited to be carrying out a lifelong dream of being a documentary director. My first film, set to be screened by the end of the year, is a feature doc called Moving In Place. It’s about the experiences of young Puerto Ricans as they navigate life on and off the island, amidst its ongoing crises and diaspora. Hurricane Maria ultimately plays a huge part in the film, as it intensified the ever-present question that young Puerto Ricans face: to stay on the island that they call home, or to leave in search of a more secure life? And once they make that decision, what does that mean for their futures and the future of Puerto Rico?

Brittany: How did you get into documentary filmmaking? Have you always been a fan of the genre?

Lyka: Funnily enough, I tend to skew more toward consuming fictional content, but I have seen a lot of gripping, emotionally-stirring docs that I think can be classified as works of art -- and entertainment. And I think that has actually worked in my favor. I keep a focus on storytelling and impact, in addition to sharing realities.

I always had documentary filmmaking in the back of my mind (see above re: lifelong dream), but honestly never thought it would happen. Not attending film school and not having any professional filmmaking experience made me feel like an imposter from day one!

More than anything, Moving In Place stemmed from a need to do something to spread awareness about Puerto Rican issues and experiences. As an Indian-American with my own set of identity crises, I felt drawn to the subject matter (which I discussed in more detail in my Medium post). I chose documentary as the platform, but fundamentally I just wanted to share stories to ensure that this slice of history is not forgotten, and it felt like the right medium. I did tons of research and had conversation upon conversation about everything from what format to shoot in, to how to build a crew, to how to consciously share Puerto Rican stories as an outsider and how to comprehend my role in this. It took months to get to a point where we felt ready to even discuss picking up a camera.

Brittany: Can you discuss the origin of the film's title, Moving In Place?

Lyka: So glad to be asked this question! We wanted the title to encapsulate the experience of being simultaneously stuck and in flux, having a choice but not really having a choice. This feeling came up throughout our conversations with everyone who is featured in the film.

In terms of identity and political status, for example: Puerto Ricans are US citizens, but are viewed as a separate class, are exposed to American culture and alienated from it at the same time, and while they feel a strong attachment to the island and to their own culture, they feel a pressure to be “American.” There’s a strong will to gain autonomy, but also a movement for statehood.

In terms of physical place: there’s a constant push and pull that the young Puerto Ricans we spoke to experience. Our subjects grapple with the decision of whether to stay on the island and work to make it a better place, or to migrate to the States in order to build stable careers and lives.

This is a bit of a simplification, but essentially the title is a reflection of these constant questions and obstacles, that in many ways are actually quite relatable: Who am I? Where am I and where am I supposed to be?

Brittany: According to the film's website, you fell in love with Puerto Rico when visiting in 2013. Can you share a memory that stands out most from your first time there?

Lyka: It’s hard to answer this knowing that the island looked and felt so different the last time I was there, two months after Hurricane Maria hit. The first time I visited, I was beginning to understand the complicated relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. I loved everyone who I met there, the spirit of the island, all of the little details. Having breakfast at Kasalta, a staple in the Ocean Park neighborhood of San Juan. Listening to the sound of the coquís, Puerto Rico’s native frogs. The list goes on.

When we were filming last December, I saw so much more of the island, talked to so many more people, and saw firsthand how resilient Puerto Ricans are -- and have always had to be. The subjects featured in our film opened up their lives and homes to us, even if their water wasn’t running or their electricity was out. Almost everyone who we approached on the island from Ponce to Salinas to San Juan was eager to share their perspective. The island’s beauty still shone through post-Maria, but was very much changed and with pockets of extreme desolation. The sorely lacking governmental response to the hurricane was apparent and visceral immediately upon leaving the airport; downed telephone poles, tangled wires, street closures, shuttered businesses, debris.

Brittany: Some of the issues Puerto Ricans face that are touched on in the trailer and the Medium post you mentioned include the region's status as a US territory, Hurricane Maria, and high rates of unemployment, all of which contribute to the larger Puerto Rican diaspora. Can you elaborate on this a bit more?

Lyka: There’s so much to say here. First off, the Puerto Rican diaspora certainly isn’t a new phenomenon. The island has been steadily losing residents over several decades, and most significantly since World War II. Puerto Rico’s status as a US territory plays a leading role in fueling its cyclic economic crises as the US has inflicted a series of damaging policy decisions on it.

Back in the late 1800s, Puerto Rico had a large, local, diversified agricultural economy. The United States came in and basically turned it into a cash crop economy, shifting production entirely to sugar cane. Eventually, this industry collapsed as it became highly competitive, leaving Puerto Rican farmers with, essentially, nothing. That’s not a great starting point, is it?

As I mentioned in the Medium post, Puerto Rican municipal bonds were deemed tax exempt by the US government in 1917, at the same time Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship. This has been attractive to investors, even as they realized PR likely would never be able to pay them back. If that wasn’t bad enough, the US-written constitution mandates that these bond obligations take precedence over funding social service programs like infrastructure, education, and healthcare.

American corporations also received major tax exemptions for setting up shop in Puerto Rico, which led to an economic boom on the island for several years. Ultimately those tax breaks were dismantled in 2006, which caused -- you guessed it -- an economic crisis. Poverty and unemployment skyrocketed. The island is still reeling from this, over a decade later. On top of that, the island’s own local government is riddled with corruption.

As a result of Puerto Rico’s mounting debt over the years, the government has had to slash funding for social services. There’s little job security for anyone in any field, really -- and notably much-needed professions like doctors and teachers. So, as you can imagine, people have been leaving the island in droves for a while. Hurricane Maria, of course, exacerbated all of these issues and created new ones. And now the island may lose even more of its population in record time.

Brittany: This film was a collaboration between yourself and your partner, Geoffrey Iwata. Both of you have varied backgrounds: you have a degree in business and have worked in branding, editing, and writing, while Geoff is an experimental physicist. Did you derive knowledge, skills, and experiences from these disciplines to create the film?

Lyka: Absolutely. My background lent itself well to developing a vision, figuring out how to best execute it, and building and organizing a team. Geoff picked up complicated technical know-how incredibly quickly, he’s a great budgeter, he has an eye for detail, and his analytical mindset helped us tackle difficult questions. We both have an affinity for storytelling, myself from a brand identity standpoint -- turning ideas and feelings into compelling narratives, and Geoff from an academic standpoint -- making sense of complex topics and making them digestible. We were luckily able to blend skill sets quite well.

(Fun fact: Geoff and I got married in the midst of the film’s production. Great timing, right? Thankfully we were both on board with having a City Hall wedding.)

Brittany: What were some of the biggest challenges you've faced as a first-time filmmaker? Did you receive any helpful advice on your filmmaking journey?

Lyka: One of the things I’m most glad that I did early on in the process was to attend a massive documentary festival called DOC NYC. There, I was able to get a sense of what being in the community actually feels like and learn things that people only understand after years of being in the field. I met awesome people of different backgrounds; some early career filmmakers, some more seasoned. It was basically a week of nonstop learning, watching films, and connecting with wonderful people (including some really inspiring female filmmakers). This experience helped me dodge a lot of bullets. The downside, though, was realizing that getting a film out there in this insanely competitive landscape is immensely challenging. There are so many different possible routes to success (and many actually end up in failure), and only a few really make it. That was hard to swallow.

I always say that every successive part of the process has felt harder and more mistake-ridden than the last.

When we were first developing the project, it seemed so daunting to imagine that this idea could become a real film. Setting up our initial meetings and pre-interviews felt surreal, truthfully.

Then, during production, challenges became more tangible. Navigating the daily struggles of scheduling, having only a 3-person crew, equipment management, media management (we shot most of the film in 4k, which is notoriously difficult to deal with due to large file sizes), power availability on the island, you name it. We actually were about to head from Florida to Puerto Rico the day before the hurricane hit, and had to cancel everything and turn back. Two months later, we luckily were able to head to PR, but for a much shorter stay. That meant that what we were originally planning to spread out over about eight days had to be squeezed into five. We just had to roll with the punches.

In post-production, staying on timeline was immensely difficult. Being overseas and far away from the rest of our team meant we did all of our editing remotely. It was kind of insane.

Now here we are with a finished film, trying to wrestle the ins and outs of getting the film out to people as soon as we can because of how time-sensitive these issues are. Right now, this feels like the hardest part. It’s all relative! Having wonderful, open-minded subjects and a team of resourceful, driven individuals who care so deeply about the project has made it all easier and more rewarding.

Brittany: How did you go about finding the crew for the film and the interviewees depicted?

Lyka: We were lucky to have a good network. One thing sort of led to another, it was a ripple effect. We knew some Puerto Ricans who had relocated to New York, who then introduced us to others who were in different places both on and off the island. We talked to everyone we could until we had a core group of subjects (who are all amazing people who we’ve become great friends with).

For the crew it was a similar process. One of our advisors at Columbia University, Dr. Frances Negrón-Muntaner, had a connection to the Director of Photography we eventually brought on, Indio Martinez. He then connected us to our editor, Dilila McDonagh, who later referred us to our Graphics Lead Katy. One of our subjects introduced us to our talented Puerto Rican composer Camilo Pentzke, and he eventually brought on our Sound Designer, Francisco Rios. Lots of serendipity and good timing were involved!

Brittany: What are some of the biggest takeaways you'd like viewers to get from the film?

Lyka: One of our biggest goals is to help build empathy toward members of the Puerto Rican diaspora. As people inevitably continue to move from the island to the States, we need to ensure that they are understood and welcomed. I also hope viewers walk away with a bit more of an understanding of Puerto Rico’s history and current situation, and a desire to learn more and speak out about America’s role in creating the island’s current crises. While these deep-rooted historical mistakes can’t be corrected, if we as citizens educate ourselves, we can pressure our politicians to do better, and we can make a difference.

We really feel that compassion is the root of change. So if people walk away feeling or thinking about any of the above, then we’ve made a contribution.

Brittany: How can readers keep up with the goings-on in Puerto Rico? Do you have any favorite news sources or important voices you'd like to highlight?

Lyka: David Begnaud of CBS News has done incredible work surrounding the island during and post-Maria. He is actually putting out a documentary as well sometime in September I believe… He’s one of the few reporters that has kept talking about Puerto Rico, long after the headlines faded. I’d even recommend following him on Twitter to get updates.

The book War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson Antonio Denis provides a solid understanding of everything the island has been through as a US colony, contextualized through the life of Pedro Albizu Campos who led the Puerto Rican independence movement from the ‘30s through the mid ‘60s.

Naomi Klein is an academic and writer who just put out a book called The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists, also about Hurricane Maria and its aftermath. It’s short and digestible but gives a clear overview of the challenges the island faces.

I’d also just like to mention here that all of our voices are powerful. Use your platforms not only to learn, but also to talk about Puerto Rico’s current situation. (We’re almost at the one-year anniversary of the hurricane and things are still looking bleak.) Even if you make just one person pay attention, you’ve helped spread the word.

Brittany: What can readers expect to see from you in the future? Do you have any documentary work on the horizon?

Lyka: I’m really focused on getting Moving In Place out into the world right now, since the message is so important and timely in this moment. We’re planning to host community screenings at least in NYC and on the island before the end of the year. If any readers have a desire to see the film screened in their communities, don’t hesitate to reach out!

I am currently in the super early stages of developing a documentary short. I can’t say too much about it yet, but it relates to my family history in India. I’m also working on some small personal projects to hone my craft. Hopefully I will be able to share more exciting updates soon!

The trailer for Moving In Place

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Photos provided by Lyka Sethi.

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Special thanks to Lyka for discussing her documentary with us. You can learn more about Moving In Place on their website (where you can sign up for their e-newsletter, which they send out sporadically with updates about the film), Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Feel free to reach out to their team directly at movinginplacefilm@gmail.com

[brittanyinterviews]

Natasha Halesworth, Founder of The Consistency Project

Natasha Halesworth of The Consistency Project

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This Q&A was conducted via email in August 2018.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

Natasha: Spent my early years growing up in Hawaii and eventually made my way to Oakland, CA. In July of this year, I most recently moved to Brooklyn, NY with my husband and two pups. I’m a Capricorn and INTJ. If you talk to anyone that knows me, they’d agree that I love efficiency and am passionate about sustainability. Even though this all sounds serious, don’t get me wrong, I still like to have fun. :) Dance classes, an outing to boba, or going thrifting... I’m there.

Brittany: Why did you start The Consistency Project?

Natasha: It started off as a little passion project. When I first started this in 2014, it was more geared towards a “less is more” approach. I found a relationship between travel and apparel and how you can do more with less. Travel pushes us to carry what we need, what we actually prioritize and helps us focus on what’s comfortable and more practical. It actually didn’t specifically relate to the world of fashion or sustainability to begin with, but as ideas and people grow, I began to learn and think about fashion differently. As I was challenging myself to pack less when I traveled, or think twice when I wanted to buy something merely out of impulse… it really drove me to start questioning how I was living a sustainable lifestyle. From there I realized there was little activation around inspiring people to live sustainably especially around how they shopped or dressed themselves. “Seeing the light” myself and avoiding fast fashion and anything mass-produced, I realized my favorite childhood pastime of thrifting and secondhand was something that became a foundation to the way I shopped for clothing now, and soon became the basis of The Consistency Project.

Brittany: It seems like the mission of your brand is to be sustainable in multiple facets of your life, including through what you wear. What does having a sustainable lifestyle mean to you? What would be the ideal and how close are you to achieving that either in your own life or through the brand?

Natasha: To me, a sustainable lifestyle is something to constantly be striving for and realistically will feel like an endless journey. Ways on living sustainably will be ever-evolving as the world continues to evolve itself. Unless we all start living in the wild and off the earth with no modern-day connections, we’ll never be 100% sustainable and that’s okay. I think accepting that even if people aren’t perfect, but that they’re still striving to be better, learn, and evolve their lifestyles for the better, that’s what we’re all about.

Brittany: The Consistency Project was founded in Oakland in 2014. Was it difficult to start a fashion brand in the bay, where one can argue fashion is de-emphasized? Alternatively, was it easier to get people on board with your mission of striving towards greater sustainability?

Natasha: As I mentioned before, it didn’t really start off as specifically a “fashion” brand per se and I think that is what breeds in the bay. It is never just about fashion. It is always about fashion plus something else. That something else that is believed to push the industry forward or challenge the industry in different ways. You look at other “fashion” brands that started in the bay like Everlane, where they found an opportunity that was lacking within the industry and are trying to solve for it. I think for me my focus on sustainability was my “something else.” And that “something else” is what the Bay Area really responds to and as we see… the rest of the world is responding as well. It goes beyond style. People are looking for meaning and a way to self-express their values through the brands they support and the clothing they wear.

From a recent lookbook shoot for The Consistency Project

Brittany: I've noticed that you have an eye for fashion and creative direction, especially in your photo shoots and lookbooks. Did this come naturally to you? Can you elaborate on how these efforts come together?

Natasha: Wow! Hearing that… I’m flattered! Honestly I’ve also considered myself a baby-version (AKA “still learning”) creative. I guess since I didn’t study it formally (I was a business major, lolz) I just tried to surround myself with creative and inspirational content and people to drive my ideas. I mean to be honest nowadays all the stimulation, inspiration, and sparks for new ideas are at your fingertips with the internet. One moment I’m browsing, and another moment I’m Google searching an image, then going deep into a rabbit hole looking at who photographed the photo, who was the stylist, start looking up their names, looking at their profiles… you get the picture. There are so many amazing creatives out there and I think we are all creative in some way, shape, or form, we just have to feed that creativity through working with or exposing yourself to other creative work and people. From there you make it your own, have it speak to your audience, and also represent the values of your business.

Brittany: When I interned at Nasty Gal way back in 2009, I remember asking founder Sophia Amoruso where she found the vintage clothes she sold. She said it was a secret, which she partially revealed (although vaguely) in her memoir Girlboss five years later. Where do you find the secondhand and vintage pieces you sell?

Natasha: Lolz. I find that funny, but also not surprising. Any “traditional” vintage shop or seller that’s been doing it for over 5 or so years will most times have that same secretive mentality. Anyone new like me had to do research on their own to find ways to source beyond thrift stores. I spent hours and days on the internet, Instagram, or anything that could give me some idea of if a “vintage wholesale mecca” existed. As I poked around, I started learning more about the used clothing industry, rag houses, and the cycle of life that a piece of donated clothing goes through. I started realizing that there were used clothing warehouses that sold vintage in bulk or let you pick stuff from their warehouses. I realized that it was all about who you knew and built relationships with early on. So to answer your question more specifically, I definitely thrift and go to flea markets to source, but my main go-to has been used clothing warehouses that I will go visit in person to handpick items. They’re sometimes much more $$ per piece than your average Thrift Town, but some of these warehouses curated their offerings to make it worth it. Every warehouse caters to different aesthetics or types of clothing and I was extremely fortunate to find one that really understood what I was looking for and shared the same passion around sustainability that honestly they’ve become like family to me. That’s kind of the culture of the industry. A bit old school and no website on the internet for easy finding, haha. How did I get ahold of them? I picked up that phone and just called a phone number I found online.

Brittany: A big part of being a clothing reseller is knowing which clothes will sell. Do you do any trend forecasting?

Natasha: I think the beauty of being a reseller is that no one reseller is exactly the same. You may overlap in some areas like denim or maybe workwear, but overall there’s a little piece of each reseller in the overall aesthetic of their shop. I have relied on filtering things to sell based on comfort, versatility, and my gut feeling of what I thought my customers would appreciate. As I’m ever-evolving as a person, I have a feeling The Consistency Project will reflect that.

Naturally you’ll pick up new trends just walking around a new city or watching an episode of Friends. Luckily trends repeat themselves so if you pick up something you couldn’t pass up on that might not be sellable at that moment, you can hold onto it cause guaranteed it’ll be sellable and relevant at some point.

Brittany: Another initiative of The Consistency Project has been repairing and remaking (upcycling) clothing from different origins. How do you know what to make? Are you talented at sewing?

Natasha: Maybe this goes back to my personality traits… but I love problem-solving. I like looking at something and thinking about a million ways it could be redesigned, or looking at a “new” designer piece and imaging how it could be made with scraps that are sitting in my office. I get inspiration from new designs, to be honest. I don’t try to copy, of course, but sometimes I want to copy something just to prove a point it could be made from recycled materials. But, of course… I still haven’t found the magic key to making upcycling scalable AND affordable at the same time. I guess that’s something I’m still always thinking about it and hoping maybe technology will play a role in some day. As for being talented in sewing… let’s just say I was self-taught out of necessity and it may not be my favorite thing to do in the world. ;) But I think it is important for everyone to understand the construction of a garment, how much time and skill it takes, and not to take it for granted.

Brittany: You've recently relocated from the Bay Area to Brooklyn. How will this move affect the brand and your business?

Natasha: Oh my. I feel like I’m at a pivotal point where change is in the air and I definitely think my move to Brooklyn sparked that. From the high-level, nothing will change. The commitment to sustainability is foundational. But I think as I continue to refine my business model and brand, I will have to be open to shifting directions if need be. I mean, who knows, so I guess you’ll have to wait and see right? :)

Brittany: Where do you find inspiration? What influences the work you do?

Natasha: Honestly I find a lot of inspiration while I’m out thrifting. It’s like meditation for me, sifting through racks and racks of stuff. You can kind of just get lost for a bit. Not only is it a reminder of why I believe in secondhand first (‘cause there’s SO MUCH stuff out there that deserves a second chance), but I also find inspiration finding pieces that are vintage, yet replicate a lot of the new designs that are out there now.

Understanding the scale of stuff that is donated or sitting unused at these thrift stores or used clothing warehouses influences the work that I do. I mean… you’re just definitely reminded that we live in a consumer, material world that isn’t going to change anytime soon so really the more you can resell and market to the modern-day consumer, the more you’re impacting the environment in a positive way. It feels good to feel like you’re doing good, you know?

As for what motivates me as a person? I’m inspired by other people… Humans are fascinating creatures. Each person is so different from the other. I think there’s always something to be inspired by or learn from when meeting other people in a genuine environment.

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing with The Consistency Project in the future?

Natasha: Man… So many ideas for TCP and no clear path. Beyond everything happening now, my greater goal has always been impacting as many people as possible when it comes to promoting a sustainable lifestyle. So maybe that means getting into the business of supporting other entrepreneurs focused on sustainability in order to have the impact I could make be more exponential… Or maybe it’s finding ways to make the secondhand industry more efficient and provide more convenient access to things people may be looking for. A glorified thrift store? Or maybe it’s opening up a vintage shop. A place with great pieces at a reasonable cost and an opportunity to connect with people who align with the TCP mission in person. I mean who knows. I guess we’ll see.

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Photos provided by Natasha Halesworth.

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Special thanks to Natasha for discussing her clothing brand with us. You can learn more about The Consistency Project on their website, Instagram, and Facebook.

[brittanyinterviews]

Ben Smith, Digital Artist and Art Director

Ben Smith

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This interview was initially conducted on August 30, 2016. Inspired by the editing process described in The Paris Review Interviews, Vol. 1, I’ve applied their collaborative approach of asking for the interview subject’s input in reviewing the transcript and providing follow-up questions after the fact. Ben suggested minor edits, which have been included accordingly. The editing process concluded after two weeks.

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Brittany: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Ben: Sure! My name is Ben Smith and I'm a digital artist and art director in the Bay Area. I'm currently working at a company called Pacific Digital Image during the day -- doing all sorts of art direction and digital art things for advertising -- and I make music videos and short films by night.

Brittany: Have you always been interested in pursuing art as a career?

Ben: Yeah! I actually found an old "What do you want to be when you grow up?" assignment that I had in kindergarten and I wrote "artist or ninja." I settled for the non-violent route, I guess.

Brittany: What does being a Digital Art Director at Pacific Digital Image entail? What kind of projects have you worked on?

Ben: I do a pretty wide variety of work for all sorts of clients -- everything from web banners to in-store signs to web and TV spots. I do a lot of work for Sephora, Bare Escentuals, Barefoot Wine, Sprint, etc. I think my favorite project I've done was a huge motion graphics piece for the storefront of Sephora's Times Square location. I never got to go see it though!

Ben’s Motion and Compositing Reel

Brittany: Can you take us through a typical day of work?

Ben: Sure! It can be really different from day to day, depending on what sort of work is coming in at the time. For the most part, I'm on the computer a lot: sending emails, mocking up designs in Photoshop, animating in After Effects. Occasionally, though, I get to be on set and actually art directing a shoot -- giving feedback on lighting, color, layout, etc. for the photographer and set decorator or food stylist. Getting a chance to help a project develop from that early production stage, and then through post-production back in my office, is really rewarding.

I get into the office at 9:30 or so each morning, and usually I'm juggling several projects at once -- animating a few in-store screens, polishing an edit on a social media video, creating a series of web banners, and so on. Some mornings, though, I'll come in and it'll be totally quiet. I really like those days, because I can work on some social media stuff for the company or draw up some concepts for a personal project. Around 1 or so, I grab lunch nearby and eat in the park or down by the water. I try to always take at least a half-hour, but I'll be out for an hour if I can. Reading, walking around listening to a podcast, whatever. I find that I can think a lot better if my mind and my eyes have a had a good rest. Then, I jump back into it and usually have some feedback from my morning's work that I can push forward on until 5:30 or 6 when I head home. 

Brittany: What are some challenges you’ve faced in this line of work and how did you overcome them?

Ben: Well, I started out as a freelancer when I first moved to the Bay Area after college and that was a pretty nerve-wracking experience. I was constantly scouring Craigslist for any design or motion graphics jobs and taking absolutely anything that came my way, from album covers for bands I didn't like to really, really horrible infomercial graphics. Eventually I started to build up a big bank of clients and started getting entirely too much work -- it was a great problem to have at first but eventually got to be really overwhelming and I got really burnt out. I had to learn to start saying "no" to things and just accept that I'll miss out on some opportunities that way. But I also don't have to do the infomercial stuff anymore, so there's a good side to saying "no" as well.

Brittany: I read that you made stop-motion videos as a kid and you've mentioned that you make short films and music videos in your spare time. Can you speak more about this?

Ben: Yeah! I actually remember watching Wallace and Gromit at age 6 or 7 and realizing that the movies I watch are all made by someone, and I decided then that I wanted to make movies too. So I learned about how stop motion animation works and borrowed a family friend's camera and shot a little film with my action figures. I remember my mom helped me light some newspaper on fire for pyrotechnic effects and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I went on to focus more on visual effects in high school and college, and then moved into music videos post-college. I have a lot of friends who are musicians and I've always wished I was more musically inclined, so working with musicians has allowed me to feel like I'm contributing to the music in a way. I especially like shooting La Blogothèque-style "take away show" videos, where I film a band playing through a few of their songs and they just have one take to play each one, and I just have one take to capture each song on video. It's a very musical, organic process and it's probably the closest I'll get to "jamming" with my friends.

Here’s some background about the video for “Seafloor” by Idea the Artist.

Brittany: When making short films or music videos, do you have a particular style you're known for? Do you adapt to each project or client?

Ben: I tend to adapt to each project, but working on developing more of a style of my own. It's tough since I work on such varied projects all with such different needs, because I have to be a bit of a chameleon and deliver according to the client or artist's existing aesthetic, brand, etc. My films and music videos tend to be pretty concept-heavy, I think, and are usually driven by one initial idea. Idea the Artist's "Seafloor," for instance, was inspired by me wondering if I could process footage in After Effects to look like it was hand-drawn on paper, and then a whole video spawned out of that. Similarly, I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey and then started playing around with some space effects and ended up making a series of space-themed videos for a friend of mine, "Astronauts, etc." I tend to gravitate toward really simple ideas and then build off from that starting point and let the video grow organically from there. I think when I start with too complex an idea is when the project doesn't end up the way I had envisioned.

Here’s some background about the video for “Mystery Colors” by Astronauts, etc.

Brittany: Kalesa of Autumn + Bower mentioned that you recently completed an audio-visual project about living with OCD. Can you tell us about this?

Ben: Yeah, I'm actually still working on that one! I grew up with OCD as a kid, and thankfully was able to more-or-less grow out of it by college. I'm fascinated with the idea of art transporting you into someone else's brain -- of being able to see the world as someone else does by reading / watching / listening to art that they've created, especially if they see the world a bit differently. So I thought it'd be interesting to create a series of pieces that not only inform the viewer of what OCD is and how it can affect a person, but that also makes the viewer actually feel like they have OCD. I'm mostly focusing on the symptoms that I actually had -- since I only really know first-hand how those symptoms feel -- and I'm trying to see if I can make others feel the same way. It'll definitely be a tedious and uncomfortable little exhibit. Hopefully I can find somewhere to show it! Right now it consists of a couple videos, a series of photos, and some other pieces that I'm concepting.

Brittany: This sounds really fascinating. I feel like all I know about OCD is from the media and I doubt it's a very fair or accurate portrayal they've created.

Ben: Yeah, very true. Everyone knows about the obsessive neatness / cleanliness, for instance, and that tends to be the easiest aspect of OCD to represent in art. I'm also trying to show things like a compulsive need to count every action and make sure you don't end on certain numbers; persistent, violent / horrible intrusive thoughts that you can't ignore or make go away; and near panic-attacks caused by simple things like watching someone put on chapstick or hearing them chew gum. It's a lot more than just, "Look at how neat my room is, I'm so OCD," and it's very different for everybody. Hopefully I can make people feel a little bit of what it was like for me. My dream would be to do a whole series of exhibits like this with all different disorders / mental quirks (specifically schizophrenia and synesthesia fascinate me), but OCD is the only one I'm really qualified to do, so I'd have to find other artists to create work about their own disorders or something.

Brittany: Is there a fear of causing your symptoms of OCD to re-emerge while working on your project? Are you far enough removed from experiencing OCD for this to happen? Basically what I’m trying to get at is: is it hard to create pieces about something so personal to you that you experienced in the past?

Ben: It's definitely been difficult putting together some of the pieces for this project, but I'm alright as long as I step away from it occasionally. I sometimes start to feel my old obsessive compulsive tendencies returning when I'm really tired (for whatever reason), so I try to only work on this project when I'm well-rested and can give myself some space to clear my head. One of the pieces in particular: a series of close-up, macro photographs of dirty / messy things has been especially difficult to work on. Hopefully the personal nature of the project makes it more effective, though!

Here’s some background about the video for “Why” by Les Sins.

Brittany: Are there any creative arenas you would like to pursue that you haven't already?

Ben: I've always wanted to create miniatures for film. There's not much of a market for that anymore, though, with the prevalence of CG, so it's just a few small teams of world-class artists doing all the miniature work nowadays. I've been itching to revisit stop motion for a short film I'm mulling over, so maybe I'll get to try my hand at some miniature work soon!

Brittany: Are there any people in the art world you look up to?

Ben: Oh yeah, definitely. I feel like it changes pretty rapidly, though, as I'm always finding a new favorite video / movie / song and then thinking, "How can I do something like that?" I have a few art idols that never change, though: Jesse Kanda is the digital artist I wish I was; I'd love to work with Tyler, The Creator someday; my friend Zach Johnston is endlessly creative and a huge inspiration, and I'm lucky to get to work with him a lot; Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo of Tonko House are incredible artists and inspire me to get off the computer and draw more often.

Brittany: Where do you find inspiration?

Ben: I've learned that it's important to always be looking for art that excites me, and then I'll just have a whole bunch of cool ideas filed away in my mind when it comes time to create something. I seem to be least creative when I'm actively sitting down and trying to be, and the best ideas usually come to me unexpectedly when I'm in the shower or going for a walk. That being said, Behance, This is Colossal, and ffffound are my favorite places to go when I'm actively seeking inspiration.

Brittany: How has living in the East Bay influenced your work?

Ben: Living here, I've had the opportunity to meet a whole community of incredible artists who are all constantly collaborating and inspiring each other. The artistic energy here is completely unlike where I grew up in Southern California, and even different from where I work now in San Francisco. It feels like there's so much raw talent here and people aren't as preoccupied with making a lot of money with their art or making a name for themselves. Those things would be great, of course, but the conversations I hear between artists in the East Bay seem to be tonally different than those elsewhere.

Brittany: Is the artistic community you’ve mentioned non•market, which you helped form and participate in? How do members of the community support each other? Have any unexpected collaborations emerged from it?

Ben: It is! We're just a group of artists who were already finding ourselves working together a lot, and decided to create a little more structure to feature and facilitate our collaboration. We published one print zine and music compilation a couple years ago, and are working on a second zine and compilation this year. You can check out both comps on the non•market bandcamp page.

Brittany: Are you a fan of Oakland Art Murmur or other art walks in the Bay Area?

Ben: I love Art Murmur! I'm not a fan of huge crowds, though, so I've been going less and less often lately. It seems to just keep getting bigger! 

Brittany: Do you have any advice for individuals who’d like to pursue a career in digital art or art direction?

Ben: Experience is the most important thing, and where (or if) you go to school for art is really not important at all. The best way to learn art is by creating it, and (for me at least), school just provided a place for me to work on a lot of projects and to build up my network. There are some great (and cheap!) online courses for digital art where you can learn just as much, if not more, than you would in school. I'd recommend Schoolism for the artistic side of things, and Lynda.com for the more practical "How do I use Photoshop?" side. The most important thing is to just keep creating, putting your work out there, and meeting people who do the same.

Brittany: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Ben: Hopefully I'll wrap up that OCD project soon, and find a place to display it. Before that though, I just finished up a dark, kinda eerie music video that should be online soon!

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Photo provided by Ben Smith.

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Special thanks to Ben for discussing his work with us. You can see more of his work on his website.

[brittanyinterviews]

Kalesa and Elena, Founders of Autumn + Bower

Elena and Kalesa of Autumn + Bower

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This interview was conducted on July 26, 2016. It was edited for length and clarity.

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Brittany: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Kalesa: Elena and I met working together at Anthropologie. We both worked for the company for over six years. We only worked together though probably for two. We were both at separate stores. We’re both from the Bay Area. I’m from Livermore. Where is your hometown?

Elena: Vallejo. Benicia.

Kalesa: I’m southeast of here and she’s northeast of here. I studied fashion design in San Francisco at the Art Institute and Elena studied graphic design. We both just always wanted to be in fashion in some capacity. I think we probably bonded at work because we both really liked the moment where you get a customer into a certain outfit and you see that look on her face where she feels beautiful and is really excited about the clothes. Specifically when someone takes a risk and maybe they weren't sure, but we convinced them to try something on, and you see them feel really good about themselves. The styling aspect -- helping people find clothes that they like -- was a huge reason why this is working, why we wanted to do this. I left Anthropologie in order to pursue starting a business and Elena was the first person that I thought of that could possibly be willing and crazy enough to do it with me and who would want to and would be really good at it. I will never forget finally meeting with her for a drink to talk about it. I think you had known this was something I had been thinking about. It was a dream where I had been talking about it for a while. Finally we met for a drink to talk about it and I explained the premise I was thinking of. It was something I had been incubating but procrastinating at the same time -- because it’s really scary, right? -- for like two years. I tell Elena about it and she's like -- we’re halfway through the first drink -- “Great, when do we start?” (Laughs) I was like, “This means... Oh my god, I have to do it. Somebody else is going to do this with me. I have to actually make this happen.”

Elena: I think too just knowing that somebody else has somewhat of the same vision as you and wants to do something on your own and be your own boss and start your own business. It was always in the back of my mind. It was always one of those long-term dreams. I had always dreamed to open up my own shop. I didn't study in fashion but I’ve always really loved fashion. When she approached me, I was like, “Yeah, let’s do this.” It’s just easier to say that too because you have a support system immediately. It’s scary to do something on your own, but when you have someone there with you, you have a partner. We can do this together. We can encourage each other. I was on board immediately.

Brittany: Have you always been interested in fashion and style? There are so many levels of fashion. There’s really high fashion stuff, like what you see in Vogue... I’m into personal style, like what people with limited funds do with what they have.

Kalesa: I think that why we get along and have a similar aesthetic vision is because we appreciate both ends. Like the street style idea of these are just people being creative. They’re expressing themselves. It can be weird. It can totally be off-trend. It could be on-trend, but they're putting their own twist on it, which makes it interesting. We appreciate high fashion, but part of what we’re doing specifically is we want it to be approachable and accessible to anyone. That’s where the secondhand aspect comes into play, at least partially, is that it makes it more affordable and that you can wear great, cool clothes, and fun clothes and clothes that express your personality without spending thousands of dollars on clothes. I think for me, my earliest fashion-related memory was in middle school. I had this maxi skirt -- so it was a full length skirt and it had two slits all the way up the sides -- and I took the front part -- so it was kind of like a maid’s flap -- I took the front part up and pinned it to the waist. So, it was short in the front and floor-length in the back. It was my first high-low experience. High-low came into fashion 2006, ‘7, somewhere around there. But I remember being like, “I'm doing this cool, weird thing with my skirt.” I would cut up my Barbie’s clothes. I think from like a tinkering aspect, I wanted to tinker with something and I was drawn to clothes and fabric and textiles. I was always a crafty person, so that’s where I got my start. I know you’re not a crafty person.

Elena: I am not a crafty person. I appreciate people that are. I wish I was, I admire people that can create things on their own. Back in the nineties, I was obsessed with supermodels and fashion magazines and I was so inspired. I would say my earliest fashion memory would be when I was in junior high, trying to wear my clothes in different ways. I was inspired by the magazines that I would receive. My mom was nice enough to subscribe to some of them. I have always loved fashion. I think as I’ve gotten older and become an adult, I definitely love the aspect of personal style as well. Getting inspiration from high-end, I think you get even more inspired when you see other people doing their own thing and putting their own twist on stuff.

Brittany: Can you tell us about Autumn + Bower? What will our readers see for sale in your shop?

Kalesa: Right now, it’s a summer collection. We wanted to approach the idea of selling clothes from a fashion industry standard, so their seasonality and, you know, give people a preview. We just did our lookbook. It’s kinda like a catalog, but it’s more artistic and it’s not necessarily about the individual items. It’s more to express a feeling of the brand or a feeling of how we would want the women wearing our clothes to feel. We’re trying to kind of behave like a normal fashion brand, but yet everything is secondhand. It obviously puts a lot more restraint and restrictions on how we can do that because we’re not making our clothes, we don't get to choose how many we have of each item, there’s only one of each because we’re finding them secondhand. In order to maintain seasonality and to do something like a lookbook and to have it feel like a normal fashion brand is a lot more challenging. We’re doing seasonality, but in fashion world, they are already on fall. We’ve been on fall. We wanted to be bit more realistic and I don't really agree with buying a season’s clothes three months before you can wear it. That seems impractical and it buys into that exclusivity and it’s too far on the fantasy end. We want to have the timeline similar to the fashion industry, but have it be a little more down-to-earth and be a little more realistic. Right now, there are summer clothes on our Instagram -- we actually sell through Instagram -- but we just launched e-commerce on the website. On the website, we have past seasons and they’re on sale. Spring and winter are on the website because we launched in December. That allows our customers to buy any season that we have clothes left over from. We are following the formula of putting past season items on sale in order to make room for the new stuff. Whereas other vintage-selling brands and secondhand brands are just posting or selling things that they find, we feel strongly that we really want to curate an aesthetic and a seasonality so it feels more professional and it can stand up to the fashion industry and be taken seriously, I suppose, instead of like a kitsch vintage shop.

Elena: And reflect our vision and what our aesthetic is too.

Kalesa: There are lots of brands that have aesthetics, but I think when it comes to vintage, it’s usually specific decades and we are not decadist. Of course, we have personal favorites, but we just have a bigger vision of what our aesthetic is. So, if we find something from the seventies that fits that, great. If we find something from the nineties that fits that, great. We feel strongly that vintage fashion doesn't just have to be for people who want to dress like they’re in Mad Men. It can be for anyone, it doesn't have to feel like a costume, and we’re not selling exclusively vintage. I think in the clothing world, vintage has to be twenty years old. We’re selling anything that's secondhand, but we’re drawn to vintage.

Brittany: How do you… Do you guys pick a theme at the beginning of each season? Is this summer’s different from last summer’s? Is it based on current trends or what you feel like in the moment or whatever you planned?

Kalesa: We take into consideration current trends and the mood. I do think fashion can reflect what's going on in the world and what people are feeling. The seventies has been really big the past year. I love the seventies. I'm totally excited that that’s popular. So, you’ll definitely see some of that influence in the stuff we’re selling. The same with the nineties. The nineties has come back and you’ll see some of that. How we start -- it’s not like a direct theme, like it’s going to be “Vacation in the Maldives” is our theme for the summer -- we start by creating an inspiration board. We have a Pinterest and we’ll pin images that we like and we’re vibing on for that season. We don't have the direct comparison yet because we’ve only been around since winter, so we don't have two winters or two summers to compare to yet so we’ll see how that evolves. The color palette happens organically whereas-- (Elena laughs) She’s laughing because we ended up with all this purple for the summer and neither of us wear purple. Not that the brand is exactly how we dress, but we didn't plan on purple at all because a normal fashion brand would. It’s almost like they're storyboarding, they're coming up with an inspiration, they’re pulling photos and fabric swatches and colors and feelings and whatever, and so they create something. But we’re using clothes that already exist and so we’ll start shopping and all of a sudden we’re like, “Wow, we have a bunch of Hawaiian print and purple.”

Elena: That was literally what happened.

Kalesa: We didn't plan that for summer at all. All of a sudden, that's what we’re drawn to right now. It happens organically. We look back at the photos we were pinning and we try to integrate what we thought we wanted versus what we actually picked up. We try to have the collection feel cohesive even though it’s all used. If we get some bright, true red, that’s generally not in our color palette, but we found some pieces that we really liked, so we thought we’d save them for the holiday season. For us, bright red is not something either of us would ever wear generally at all. Not that it’s a bad color, it’s just not part of... what we are envisioning for the brand. We morph a little bit with the seasonality and we’ll change our mind if we see a piece that’s just so awesome and we’ll make it work.

Brittany: Cool. I used to intern at Nasty Gal before it was really big. I asked Sophia, “Where are these clothes from?” But it’s a secret; she won't tell anyone. Do you get your clothes from all over? Do you have any secret spots? If it’s a secret, you can just say that, too.

Elena: We thrift. We like to go to secondhand stores. We’ll go to the flea market.

Kalesa: We’ll take stuff that people give us. They’ll donate stuff. Friends, family members that are editing their closet.

Elena: Our own closets.

Kalesa: It started out with half of it was our own stuff.

Elena: Actually ninety percent of it was hers.

Kalesa: It was mostly my stuff. But when you work at a clothing brand for six years, you have way too much clothes. All of the secondhand options. Generally speaking, we’re not going to super high-end vintage boutiques because we can't turn that item. It’s not like, “We can't get a ton of money for this, so let’s not use it.” We are trying to run a business so we need to be able to mark up the item. That's just how it works. The point is we’re going to dig and hunt and do that hard work for you. Some people have the reaction, whether it’s high-end clothing or used clothing, they’re like, “I could have made that myself. I could have bought that myself and it would have been cheaper.” Well, but you didn't and that's the point. We sifted through all the stuff and picked out the goodies so you don't have to do that part. I think a lot of people like the idea of secondhand, but they find it really overwhelming. If you go into a Goodwill, Goodwills are sometimes massive. There's a lot of stuff in there, some of it better than others. A lot of people just don't like shopping in general and that’s kind of our approach. We like the hunt, we like digging. I don't necessarily want to shop at a super-curated vintage shop anyway, so we like hunting stuff down.

Elena: I remember going to thrift stores with my mom since I was in elementary school and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Kalesa: Yeah, yeah. My mom was a thrifter too so it must have been in our blood.

Elena: Totally.

Brittany: I'm so glad it became popular. I guess I was in high school or middle school. Pieces would stand out more than at regular stores or department stores, where there's the same item in multiple sizes. At thrift stores, there’s only one and it might fit. It might not.

Kalesa: It feels more special. At least for me, I like the idea that there's a story. It was once somebody else’s and who knows who that person was and then it goes onto a new person. Sometimes we say on our Instagram, “There are still items that need a new home.” When you’re buying secondhand there's a story behind it even if you don't know what it is.

Brittany: Can you take us through a typical day at Autumn + Bower?

Kalesa: Elena and I are not necessarily the most organized people so we usually meet up -- and neither of us are morning people either -- so our start time is usually at 10am and we may or may not go across the street and get something to drink. (Laughs) Then we have a habit of going over the to-do list when we arrive, but it’s not a previously made to-do list. We make the to-do list in the moment. It usually includes planning the next post on Instagram. We have a variety of posts. We have inspirational posts, we have in-the-moment, behind-the-scenes posts, and then we have sale posts where we’re actually putting clothing items up. That requires measuring all the clothing, pricing the clothing. We don't usually photograph the clothing in the moment. We’ll have a day that we plan where we just photograph tons of clothes, it's easier that way. There’s usually an AirDrop of, “I have these photos. You have those photos.” So, we’re sending things to each other. There’s usually some Photoshop action that needs to happen ‘cause we’re doing layouts of little Instagram -- “Here’s a photo” and we’re putting text on top of it. That part is not necessarily exciting. That’s a day in the studio. If it’s a day where we’re going to go shopping, which is the more fun part, we meet up and we usually hit up three stores in one day. We usually go with the idea that we’re shopping for the current season, things that need to go up soon. But we always keep our eyes open for something in the future. We were buying fall four months ago because we found things.

Elena: I feel like... ‘cause we meet twice a week, so I guess it’s just whatever it is we need to get done for the week.

Kalesa: We’re packing and shipping. Luckily, because technology is so awesome and efficient, we only meet physically twice a week, usually, but we’re texting every single day. We started the business on Instagram so everything is off the phone. Half the time we don't even need the laptop in order to do what we’re doing. Now that we have the website up and running, it's going to require a little bit more activity on the laptop. But it’s definitely a mobile situation. We both have day jobs so we would love to both commit entirely to Autumn + Bower, but it’s just not financially feasible right now. We’re a little baby company.

Elena: We also plan our personal shopping parties. We try to have at least two a season.

Kalesa: That's a whole other ball game, but basically we’re thrifting items but it’s for particular attendees of the party. It’s kind of like a personalized pop-up. We allow five people to come at a time and we get a style profile from them and we go out and thrift for those particular clients. Then we have them all come and we drink champagne, eat cheese, and try on clothes.

Brittany: Sounds perfect. You guys mentioned that you started selling on Instagram. What are some of the advantages and challenges of selling on a social media platform?

Kalesa: I think one of the advantages is so many people are on Instagram, they’re checking it constantly, it’s instantaneous, it’s handheld, so just like accessibility. I think one of the challenges would be…

Elena: It’s kind of in the same ballpark as much as it's an advantage to be exposed to so many people, it’s been hard to create a following. Even though we’re part of Instagram and there are so many people on it, figuring out what the key is to getting more followers and more people to see our product has been quite the challenge. It’s slowly been happening.

Kalesa: Absolutely. Short of hiring someone who specifically has Instagram marketing experience -- which is a new thing to begin with, it’s not your classic marketing job, which we’re not against getting help at some point -- we’re kind of trying to see how it goes organically first. It’s more hands-on as far as we do everything. We call it an Instashop. The Instashop is via Instagram and PayPal. For someone to buy something, they have to comment on the photo of the item, and then we get notified there’s a comment. We have to go onto PayPal and invoice them. They have to see that email, pay us, and then we get notification from PayPal. Then we ship the item. There's more steps than a typical e-commerce platform where there's a third-party credit card host who's doing all of that for you, where it’s not us personally invoicing everyone by hand. Because we’re so small, buying and shipping hasn't been too laborious. It's still slow enough that we can handle it by hand. Whereas the website, we literally just launched that three days ago, we haven't experienced what that will be like, but I feel like it will be easier because it’s all happening instantaneously online without us having to take any extra steps. We’ll just pack it up and ship it at this point.

Elena: Instashops have totally exploded on Instagram. It's kind of crazy. We’ve gotten new followers from other Instashops.

Kalesa: I would say that between our followers and the people we follow, there are probably at least thirty Instagram shops, all in clothing, and that's just the ones we know about and like. It’s definitely become way more popular and so the market is more and more saturated.

Brittany: Who is your ideal customer? Do you have someone in mind that lives in the Bay Area or California? Since we don’t really have seasons here, it might be harder to find clothing you’d wear in a colder place. Or is it just anyone in the world? Is it location based?

Kalesa: I would say it’s not location-based. We definitely want to provide anyone with the opportunity. I would say it's probably like, if you want actual demographics, roughly 25 to 40. Roughly because I think that women, I'm generalizing obviously, women under 25 or under 18 are less likely to have a PayPal account or be online shopping, although I don't know the actual statistics on that. Maybe online shoppers have gradually gotten younger and younger. But I think they are less used to buying clothing for themselves so because it's secondhand and because right now we don't have a return policy, it's a risk to buy something online that you can't try on first and that’s secondhand and especially vintage. The sizes are not the same as they are now and so we measure everything. We give a more educated opinion of what the size truly is for contemporary sizing. I think just the risk factor for a younger demographic, they might be less interested in committing to that. Whereas a woman who has been shopping for herself for fifteen to twenty years knows her body type better and will be more confident in making a purchase like that. By the same token, I think that we’re still targeting people that want something unique and interesting and like the idea that it's one-of-a-kind and secondhand. Someone like my mom will thrift all the time, but I feel like there's plenty of women in the 45 to 65 who are probably not interested in doing that and want to touch and feel the clothing before they're receiving them. It’s more about someone who believes in the secondhand movement, who wants to help reduce waste in the garment industry, and who likes the idea of getting something one-of-a-kind and special, and who likes getting something in the mail that they didn't already see in person.

Elena: I think generally the people that buy from us, they love vintage. They love secondhand clothing and they appreciate it. They've probably been shopping that way for a little while now.

Kalesa: I still think we can get people on board who are not necessarily used to it. I think the price point helps. We feel strongly about keeping the price point approachable and I think that's because I don't think vintage should be exclusive. Of course, a really beautiful mint-condition forties dress, I can see why that needs to be priced higher, because it just generally is worth more.

Elena: And is so rare.

Kalesa: We’re not trying to target collectors. We’re trying to target someone who wants clothing for their everyday life, but who thinks this is a fun way to buy secondhand clothes. The seasonality aspect, just because you mentioned that, we’re probably not selling ridiculously heavy winter down coats. I mean, we had wool coats, we had tall leather boots. We’re still trying to stick to a seasonality, but maybe shifting it a little more towards our location just because that's what we’re going to have more access to since we’re shopping here and not making it ourselves.

Brittany: How has working in Oakland influenced your work?

Kalesa: I think that's a good question especially because Anthropologie is a very clean, feminine -- there are occasionally edgy pieces that came into Anthropologie -- but since we both spent so much time there, I think that my style and what I liked when I was really in it, when I was steeped in Anthropologie, was different. Getting out of being in that store was a huge part of it. Physically actually having the studio be in Oakland, I think just getting to know other boutiques, people who are making clothing, people who are making accessories, what they're wearing and shopping and making, has definitely influenced.

Elena: I think just spending more time in Oakland too and seeing people around, like us going shopping, even if we’re grabbing a coffee somewhere at a local shop, I think that definitely helps to influence.

Kalesa: To see what people in our actual environment are wearing.

Elena: When we were in the Anthro world and that environment, we were influenced. We obviously started out at that company because we were attracted to it, but once you’re working in it, and you’re there every day, or not every day, but... You're going to be influenced.

Kalesa: You physically have to dress a certain way there. I think that we’ve both become more casual, so our personal style and aesthetic obviously bleeds into the brand.

Elena: I think for me, personally, becoming more aware about the whole garment waste industry. I work for a small boutique in Oakland and the owner only carries brands that are made in the US, specifically because she knows the people making the clothes are being paid a living wage. If they are going to source outside of the US, she makes sure that it's done ethically. Just being more aware of the whole industry, in that sense, for me personally, has been great. Knowing that we’re contributing to that movement makes it even ten times better.

Kalesa: I think that there are values of the people here that we were already leaning towards, but to be around it constantly is inspiring and makes us feel good that we’re contributing to that. I actually don't know about all the brands in Temescal Alley, but we’re in a creative area of Oakland, which is really exciting. Being in the studio, we have a painter. This girl teaches art classes to little kids. I don't know what her personal medium is, but I’ve seen her do all sorts of things over there. The studio manager does silk screen printing and you can see there's graffiti over everything purposefully. I think it's inspired even it's not directly influencing our style aesthetic. It's an appreciation of the eclecticness and the variety. I feel really grateful to be somewhere that people can pursue all of that. You saw the very interesting installation that's right there. We arranged everything and they had a performance art piece. Somebody was reading poetry. It’s really nice to be in a space where people can express themselves in so many different ways and it's all respected and appreciated by everyone else. That's really reaffirming.

Brittany: I feel like Oakland has some of the most interesting people in the Bay Area I've encountered. Just going to Art Murmur, seeing a little bit of everyone, it's so cool. I love it because the people-watching is great and everyone really dressed up in whatever their style is. You wouldn't see these people otherwise. I see the same types of people all day at work. In tech, we wear the same zip-ups. Do you have any advice for people who’d like to start their own web store?

Kalesa: We use Squarespace and it has limits, but if you don't know anything about building a website, then it's super awesome. I would say create a support system. Find the friend who knows stuff about websites, find the friend who knows any kind of business strategies, find the friend who knows about where to find, for us, maybe the people who know great estate sales in this area or something like that. It’s really… pooling your...

Elena: Your resources.

Kalesa: Elena and I say a lot, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Babies are on the brain. It's a very present thing in our lives right now. But it takes a village to start a business.

Elena: Totally.

Kalesa: Because I don't think either of us believe in the whole the American Dream the way of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps... Work yourself to the bone,” we’re much more invested in friends and family and support. What's the saying about…? About the “sum is greater than the parts?” The idea that we can create something better as a collective.

Elena: Which I think is really true for the artists in Oakland. There's such a huge support for independent businesses, small business, artists, creative types.

Kalesa: We don't really know any of these people, but we’re following each other on Instagram and we’re tagging each other on things. Someone will come in to visit her and she’ll sell something for us. Especially as someone who doesn't have capital -- we just jumped into this with nothing -- you reach out to everyone that can help you. Be patient. That's been one of the really hard things. We see people doing similar things and we’re like, “Why aren't we as successful as them?” Knowing that it just takes hard work and time and being open to feedback. I've had friends come to me about what they're seeing in the feed, especially because fashion can be a very sensitive thing for people, being body positive, showing variety in ethnicity and body types. Neither of us are a size zero. We want to represent the real woman and that every woman is different. Getting feedback from people and learning from that has been a big thing for us. Not being afraid to ask for help.

Brittany: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Kalesa: Ooh! Since we don't have a physical storefront and we don't necessarily plan on it -- it’s not a yes or a no on that -- we are having a pop-up shop at one of our friend’s businesses. They sell home goods and art supplies. We’re going to have a rack of clothes and accessories for people to come and shop and see stuff in person. More events like that where we just show up somewhere and have a little pop-up. More awesome, fun photo shoots so that people can see the clothing on another person and get to play in the fantasy world with us.

Elena: More services. That's definitely something we want to expand. Right now the services are obviously the shop and our personal shopping parties, but we also want to be available for one-on-one personal shopping, styling for other people’s projects, photo shoots or something like that. I think just growing in general. We’re still so new and this is just the beginning. I think we’re just open to however our business ends up growing or expands. We’re just open.

Kalesa: I think that we’ve talked about potentially altering clothes. So, taking vintage and secondhand and tweaking it. That's something that could happen in the future that gives a little more room for creativity because we can actually morph the clothes into more of a vision. I got people asking about baby stuff and we get asked about men’s. Men’s is an option that we might expand into as well.

Elena: I think because I'm pregnant people just automatically think, “You should do baby clothes, too,” and it’s like, “No, not necessarily.” I'm not going to count it out, but that's not something--

Kalesa: That’s not her priority.

Elena: Yeah, and I don't think us as partners, that's a priority either.

Kalesa: So, styling services, menswear, pop-up shops.

Elena: Pop-up shops. We definitely want to get out there.

Kalesa: Show people the goods. That's what we think is great about having this space and other creative types we know are doing similar things because we can collaborate. Our friend’s store is called Long Weekend and I just think it's so great we can go and sell clothes and they're giving us a place to do that. Ideally we’re bringing a customer base in and then we’re getting some of their customer base. It’s helping each other out, just spreading the word of both brands. People that are into our clothes will more likely be into stuff they're selling and vice versa.

Elena: Ironically enough, they're women entrepreneurs.

Kalesa: We’re all about women helping women, instead of women competing with women. We’re all in this together.

Elena: It's all about a support group.

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Photos of their studio taken by myself.

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Special thanks to Kalesa and Elena for discussing Autumn + Bower with us. You can follow Autumn + Bower on their website, Instagram, and Facebook.