"Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain." --- Jack Kerouac
And with that, we're off . . . on a grand adventure (and what looks like a lot of rain). I won't be blogging until we return from our trip, but I will be "sending postcards" via Instagram (follow along if you're interested).
See you later, alligators!
Ahhhh.
Summer.
The days are long and the pace is slow.
Except . . . when it's not!
For me, this has been a non-stop kind of summer. High on the Good-Things-and-Fun-O-Meter, for sure! But the pace has been relentless. (Someday, maybe I'll have a chance to actually sit and rest in this lovely corner of my garden.)
I have nothing to complain about here, truly. I've enjoyed a long visit with my sister, visited Mackinac Island and Chicago, co-hosted a super successful fundraising wine tasting event . . . and a summer solstice party (in the same week), (finally) spent a week up north, helped Brian and Lauren move into their new digs in Grand Rapids (on the hottest and muggiest day of the summer). And now? Well . . . I'm headed to Alaska with Tom later this week. So. Really . . . nothing but fun.
Still. Constant activity - even when it is the fun kind - is always tiring, y'know?
Okay. Enough whining.
Let's have a cool garden story instead, shall we?
I have this WILD butterfly garden.
I do my best to keep the path clear, and I try to keep the weeds down. But, mostly . . . I let it do it's own thing. It's an . . . organic, flowing, constantly-changing kind of garden. Easy care. Friendly to pollinators. Always packed with bees and butterflies. (It looks pretty good, too.)
There is lots of milkweed in my butterfly garden -- common milkweed, swamp milkweed, and butterfly weed. (Plants in the milkweed family are the ONLY plants Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on -- and the only plants Monarch caterpillars will eat.)
Over the weekend, I happened to be checking out one of the milkweed plants to see if I could find any Monarch eggs -- and was thrilled to find this instead. . .
See him down there? Near the bottom of the photo?
Here's a close up . . .
A Monarch caterpillar . . . just munching away on my milkweed.
I love a good garden surprise!
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How about you? How's your summer coming along?
Welcome to the second installment of my Asking Questions blog series – when I ask questions of people in the fiber world that I particularly admire (and think y’all do, too).
This installment features an interview with photographer Gale Zucker. (You can find Gale on Instagram, her currently-being-updated website, or at her blog - She Shoots Sheep Shots.) As an amateur photographer, I have long admired Gale’s aesthetic when it comes to fiber and knitwear shots, and I was super eager to learn more about her work, her philosophy, and her life.
I think you’ll all enjoy learning more about Gale. She is as kind, gracious, warm and engaging as you'd imagine she is -- her personality just shines through in her photographs! (I really wish we could all just be sitting around a beach fire somewhere . . . chatting and knitting and drinking gin and tonics -- with plenty of crunchy-salty-snacks.) (I also want to spend a sunny afternoon out on her floating carpet. Just sayin'.)
Kym: Hi Gale! I’m so excited to have you join me here for this Asking Questions blog post. Let’s start at the beginning. Can you tell me about learning to knit? Like . . . when did you learn to knit, who taught you, what were some of the first things you made? What are your first memories of knitting, and why did you want to learn to knit in the first place?
Gale: I always loved fiber crafts. I grew up in a maker and artist family - we all knit, crocheted, sewed, embroidered, crafted anything and everything: popsicle trivets and pencil holders! Hangers covered with boondoggle/gimp! Beaded flowers! Sand art terrariums! Hand embossed stamped leather belts! Woodburning! Shrinky dinks! My dad did not craft with us but he's an inventor mechanical engineer and probably the most creative thinker I'll ever meet. Messing around with stuff to see what you can do was highly supported. I learned to knit and crochet as a young kid - 5-6 years old - from my grandma and my mom - but truthfully was too impatient to enjoy it. I embroidered a lot and sewed clothes, starting from 4th grade -- many crookedy zippers!
I definitely remember loving crochet in 9th grade, making granny vests (long vests with a tie closure in front), scarves and bucket style hats. I started knitting a brown sweater in 10th grade and never finished it. Knitting more than one project at a time was definitely NOT cool in my family.....so that was pretty much my only knitting till I graduated high school. In college I knit all the time since I could cast on a new project with impunity. (But still monogamously! I didn't start having more than one wip till I was 40). I knit a lot of sweaters, and I think they are still my favorite kind of project.
Kym: How about photography - when did that interest pop up in your life? I’d love to hear about your journey as an artist/photographer! When did your love of photography intersect with your love of fiber?
Gale: I got a little camera at age 7 and never turned back. I am nothing if not consistent in my interests! I learned to use a darkroom when I was 11 and loved it. In college I started out majoring in environmental science but what I really loved was documentary photographers who used their art for environmental advocacy (like Eugene Smith's moving Minimata photos in Life magazine - especially this one). I spent most of my free time my freshman year in a campus darkroom. So in my sophomore year I transferred to the University of Minnesota where I could major in Photojournalism at the Journalism school there.
I worked as a newspaper and magazine photojournalist from my mid twenties until I was in my forties, as a regular weekly contributor to the NY Times, and shot on assignment for national magazines and book projects, everything from TV Guide and Forbes to Woman’s Day and Yankee and Parade, Coastal Living and airline mags -- I had lots of great adventures. I moved from that to shooting for universities and hospitals and non-profits, and then to working on longer term projects (for my soul) and commercial projects (for supporting our family). It never occurred to me to combine professional photography work with my love of fiber, although I often got assignments to shoot sheep farms or weavers from editors who had no idea of my affinity. I facetiously started a portfolio called She Shoots Sheep Shots thanks to those assignments -- and it later became my blog name, in 2005.
Also in 2005 I was working on some gritty social issue projects about youth at risk, youth ageing out of foster care, youth in the judicial system...and I was knitting a lot and reading knitting blogs to de-stress. A book agent/packager I was working with asked me if I had any book ideas, expecting some kind of social issue subject. I surprised both of us by blurting out that I wanted to visit fiber farms around the country and do photo essays about them along with a knitting pattern for each one. That became Shear Spirit,a book I co-authored with writer Joan Tapper.
I am making it sound instant but it took us months to get a proposal off the ground, then get the contract we wanted (from Random House, with a very good budget-- knitting and craft books were having a MOMENT). I shot it mostly in 2007 and it published in 2008. While working on that, I shot the 2nd Mason Dixon Knitting book, having befriended Kay and Ann through blogs...and as one thing leads to another, my work moved more and more into the fiber and knitting and yarn and knitwear fashion worlds. I love it! I can immerse myself in two favorite things, knitting and photography, and get paid for it.
Kym: What is your basic process . . . when you go on assignment as a fiber/knitwear photographer? How do you find the great locations you use for your photo shoots? What do you think run-of-the-mill knitters (like me!) might be most surprised to know about what goes on behind the scenes on knitwear photo shoots?
Gale: My photo shoots start with a conversation with the creative director or the author or designer and a mood board of some kind. Pinterest is very helpful for that -- we pull things that appeal to us vibe-wise, not necessarily with knits in them. I love looking at a collection of mood pictures and extracting the aesthetic or parameters we'll use for a shoot. I try to get clients to define their aesthetic verbally, as well. Some just say "do you thing, Gale" but others have a direction in mind. Then we think about models and settings and styling to go with the aesthetic. The model has to be able to pull off the look, and the background needs to support the style. I am lucky to live in a beautiful part of the country (shoreline New Engand) in a small community but near a large city. I've been here for ages so I "collect" locations in my brain (and phone) for just the right photo shoot. I am also willing to ask for access to places as locations, mostly everyone is helpful when you say you want to do a photo shoot.
I don’t think you are run-of-the-mill by any means! However, I get what you are asking. Often the most natural looking of my photos have lots of un-natural things going on to make them look just right. We block off the sun with huge 6 foot square silk scrims...there's makeup, there's careful angles that jussssssssst manage to avoid the wrong thing creeping into the background. I spend a lot of time laying on the ground or crawling around. I spend more time than I like gathering wardrobe and shopping. It's hard to do that when you are a knitter trying to get a photo of yourself in a FO shot for Ravelry and no one around to help! I bet most knitters don't know that at virtually every photo shoot ever, there is someone knitting away furiously on a piece that isn't quite done when we start shooting but has to be in the photos! Sometimes the models are wearing a damp -from-blocking sample or one with ends discretely hidden not woven.
Also - for all the fun-looking behind the scenes work I share online there are many days of me grinding away at my computer in my office. I have editing, retouching, estimating projects, writing contract and agreements, making spreadsheets for shoots and styling and bookkeeping work ....not picturesque and at times very tedious.
Kym: How do you balance your own creative pursuits with your photography work? (If I were photographing all those awesome yarns and brand new designs, I’d have a never-ending to-knit queue. And a stash to match!)
Gale: Balance?? hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahaha!!! Have you seen my queue??!!!
I do what I do and avoid pressure on knitting or making. My photography work is extremely deadline-oriented so I tend to avoid 100-days-of projects .... or KALs with rules, for my own creative pursuits. I do not like rules, tbh! I've never been a big shopper or stasher -- but wow does stash accumulate when my clients give me yarn to play with. It’s kind of a dream come true in that way. I wouldn't be able to indulge in much of the yarn that gets gifted to me! And I often purchase a skein or two from businesses that I want to support. So yes, there's plenty of yarn here! This year, for 2019, I decided to finish one wip for every new knit I cast on and make. So far it's been a very satisfying plan.
Kym: When I talked to Kirsten back in May, she mentioned how helpful it is (for designers) to have knitters update their finished projects on Ravelry - with photos (she said “good, modeled shots”!). Do you have any quick-and-easy advice for knitters about taking good (or even just decent) modeled shots of their projects?
Gale: Do I have advice? I ALWAYS have opinions and advice ;-) !
Find a spot with open shade or indirect light to make the photos. Use your phone. The optics and lenses are fabulous and very light sensitive. I love using an app called Bena (for IOS) that lets you take motion activated selfies, allowing you to have time to pull yourself together for the pose and see yourself while doing so. It is easier than a remote trigger or self-timer or holding the phone up with your arm, and lets you get more flattering angles. Many Android phones have gesture activated shooting so check that out as an alternative. Showing FOs on a human form (instead of a hanger or flat on the sofa) is so much better for Ravelry and your fellow knitters!
Kym: You do so many cool things BESIDES knitting — what do you enjoy the most? What do you reach for first when you have downtime? How do these other “hobbies” (“practices”?) influence your photography work? What advice do you offer to others . . . in terms of “following your muse?”
Gale: I'm an extrovert-- so in my downtime I enjoy hanging out with family and friends and being part of a tight community in my quirky neighborhood. It’s an old beach neighborhood, not fancy, but lovable. A group of us women are devoted to being in the water as much as we can from June to October. We take long swims together at high tide in the ocean, and chat while we swim and meet almost every morning in warmer weather for deep water aerobics while we blab. We collectively bought a floating carpet last summer, which has been a riot. I like to be active and be outside. In a never-woulda-predicted-it turn, I became a granny younger than I'd have expected, so I spend a lot of time hanging with my fave 7-year-old. Lately we've been playing wiffle ball and testing slime recipes. Fortunately she is a mermaid and will be in the water with me in a blink so that all works out well.
TBH I am not sure how any of this influences my work, although I do think being social and getting energy from meeting people helps me connect well with other humans and that shows in my photos.
My best advice is don't overthink and don't analyze--just do it. Whatever the creative pursuit, this applies. Knitting and making are not about perfection, and they are not brain surgery. Dive in first and think about it later and then dive back in!
Kym: How do you deal with stress in your life?
Gale: 1) A good gin and tonic or margarita and crunchy salty snacks. 2) Yoga and swimming. That's what really keeps me sane. 3) Avoid the front section of the newspaper during the week, avoid political anything on FB, and since the last presidential election, no discussion of our so-called leadership during dinner. We get too ratcheted up! 4) The months of the year that are colder with short days really get to me. Every year I think of something that makes me happy that I haven't been doing enough, and add it to my routine.
This winter I realized how much I love seeing the sunrise over the water, and I was only catching it on days when I had an early morning job and would catch a view on my way. How silly is that? It’s a 1-minute walk to the beach! I started getting up and taking a walk on the beach to see the sunrise daily. Amazingly my 7-year-old granddaughter decided she'd like to join me, so it’s become a wonderful thing we do together almost every day. (Even more amazing, occasionally her father, my oldest son, joins us as well). I started being a sunriser because I am buoyed by the light and colors of sunrise on water, but I've become addicted to the natural world changes that we see day to day: migrating birds, sea creatures that are active right on the shoreline at dawn (who knew), and my already sizable sea glass collection is expanding almost too fast. It definitely reduces stress to have that peaceful beautiful start to the day.
Kym: Anything else you’d like to talk about/say? Trends you see? Things that make you crazy? Things that bring you hope?
Gale: Lots of things make me crazy! Don't ask!
Trends - silver hair being appreciated - and not called grey. Comfortable clunky shoes being fashionable (I live in 3 inch platform sandal Tevas-best invention ever!). Knitting and crafting and sewing seems to be hanging in there, with new knitters joining in who missed the entire knitting blog/knitting revival period from fifteen years ago. I kind of like that....I hope you weren't expecting something deeper than that!
One thing that brings me hope is the intense and up-front discussion of racism happening in the knitting and making community, as well as in larger society. From my own little niche within the knitting and yarn industry, I see positive change regarding inclusion and representation in the photos for patterns and books and yarn. In the past year, every single client has asked for POC and increasingly, for models with different sized and larger bodies.
Most photographers reflect their own world when they set up photo shoots or choose their subjects. I'm part of a multiracial family and have a diverse social life, so I have always represented that in my photos. Interestingly, I have always had clients say they appreciate the inclusion, or comment that they loved my range of models, long before the recent online conversations. Not to say I haven’t felt the established racism. A couple of years ago I had a chat with a would-be client who asked if I could use "normal" looking models. When I asked what she meant (tho I was kinda suspecting I knew...), she said "you know--models who wouldn't be too...distracting." And that pretty much ended our conversation about working together. (I don't think this person's company is thriving. I totally believe in karma.)
Kym: Would you like to promote anything? Upcoming books? Classes? Anything at all?
Gale: One more word about inclusion of race, age, body type, anything... please take the time to message any yarn company or business who you think is doing it right! Just a quick "I love that silver haired model/larger model/POC model I saw in your pattern collection" goes a long way. I was horrified to learn that yarn companies/publishers regularly get emails and calls from customers saying what they don't like, but not many supportive messages. Cranky people take the time --so we need to as well!
I'm excited about a bunch of projects I am photographing this summer, starting this week. I'll be visiting fiber farms for the Hudson Valley Textile Project, a fibershed collaborative. I'm doing photography for some beautiful collections and books and indie designers this summer and autumn, but they won't be out for a while.
One thing I am super excited about is I will be at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck) helping my friend Jani Estell with her Starcroft Fiber Mill booth -- its her first time there ever. She's the one who uses the wild Maine island sheep flock as her wool base and it's gorgeous stuff. I'll be selling some of my sheep photos there -- cards and small prints on wood. But just come say hi!
And hopefully by the time you publish this my professional website, which is in overhaul, will be back up at www.gzucker.com.
Thanks so much for interviewing me! This was fun.
Kym: Thank YOU, Gale! Now I need to find a way to get myself to Rhinebeck so we can meet in person – and maybe find a gin and tonic or margarita!
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If you respond with a comment to this blog post, you will be automatically entered into a drawing for a copy of Drop-Dead Easy Knits, a fabulous book by Gale Zucker, Mary Lou Egan, and Kirsten Kapur. (I have two copies to give away!) The deadline for commenting is Tuesday, July 9. The winners will be notified by email.
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For read my previous Asking Questions interview with knitwear designer Kirsten Kapur, click here.
I've returned from my time up north . . . and find myself caught between two worlds.
Or something.
Today I seem to be zigging . . . when I should be zagging.
I went to a haircut appointment.
Right day.
Wrong time.
(Luckily, I was early and just returned at the right time later.)
I went into the grocery store after the haircut, but couldn't find my glasses.
Because they were on my head.
Along with a pair of sunglasses.
(Uh huh.)
I thought I wrote a blog post for today.
And published it.
But . . . I didn't.
(I don't think I even had a topic, actually.)
So.
There you have it: I think I'm not quite "here" yet . . . but I'm certainly not still "there" either.
Anyway.
Be sure to stop by tomorrow.
If all goes well (and it might not) (because caught between worlds), there will be a new Asking Questions interview here!
(And if not, well. I'll think of something.)
It's Monday. Time to . . .
On Mondays, I share some things I've collected over the weekend . . . to get the week off to a good start.
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A Quote
"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen." --- Leonardo da Vinci
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A Word
There are certain words that we use in my household . . . because Chemistry. Turns out that chemists describe things with very specific words that (I've discovered) sound odd outside the lab, when used by non-chemists in . . . oh, say . . . a social gathering. Here's one:
It's not that it's such an unusual word. You've probably come across it in your reading now and again - and understood exactly what it meant without needing to look it up in the dictionary. It's just that you don't . . . hear it used in normal, everyday conversation all that often. (Unless you're married to a chemist. . . )
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To Read
Last week, the Washington Post put together a list of the best books to read at every age (from 1 - 100). Their premise is that certain books resonate best at certain ages. Check out their list and see what you think!
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A Challenge
Try to use the word "turbid" in a sentence.
Out loud.
In public.
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Hope your week is off to a great start!
I haven't been up to our lake cottage "up north" yet this season. Between crappy weather and a busy schedule, I've opted to stay at home so far -- while Tom has traveled up for frequent fishing trips.
But I'm here now!
It's such a treat to work from my office-in-the-woods -- outside on the back deck, surrounded by trees and bird song and a gentle breeze. (And, thankfully, no mosquitoes at the moment.)
I love being up here! Life is slower. There isn't anywhere for me to go or anthing I need to rush off to take care of. No appointments. No gym. No garden to weed. (But still plenty of chores. Always with the chores.) I'm looking forward to a few days of quiet re-freshing. (Until the Fourth of July crowd arrives. Then we'll head home again.) Reading. Thinking. Knitting. Sitting around the campfire with Tom. And enjoying the lake in the morning!
When I wake up, I always take my coffee out on the deck. That sunrise over the lake usually beckons -- and before long, I'm heading down the steps to the lake, where I can just sit on the dock and enjoy the peace of the lake in the morning.
Most mornings, it's still and quiet, the water like glass. Usually there's mist, rising from the surface of the water. Some mornings there are a few folks fishing, but not today. (Plenty of fish rising, though!)
This morning, when I turned around to head back up to the cottage, I noticed how very l-o-n-g my shadow was!
See my legs on the dock? And my head . . . way over on the shore? (And in between, the lake -- perfectly reflecting the trees overhead).
Mornings at the lake. . . a pretty great way to start the day!
In my garden . . .
garden humor rules!
Toward the end of each month, I like to spend a little time reflecting on my word for the year -- intention. It's always nice to have some sort of observation or "learning" about my word to share.
But, y'know? Sometimes things just don't work out that way.
June has been a fun-filled, crazy-in-a-good-way, running-with-my-hair-on-fire kind of month. I have (pretty much) loved every single minute! But . . . well . . . let's just say there hasn't been a lot of time for reflecting (on much of anything) this month.
Still, my word is right there . . . in my head all the time, just rattling around in there, and loosening up these thoughts (for future reflection) (you can count on that):
As you can see . . . it's all a bit of a muddled mess right now.
How about YOU? What's going on with you and your word these days?
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Last call for this month's Stash Giveaway! If you're interested, be sure to leave a comment by 5:00 pm EST TODAY!
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Want to find your Ravelry number? Follow this link (it's a Love of Ravelry group post) for the how-to.
Another Monday. Time to . . .
On Mondays, I share some things I've collected over the weekend . . . to get the week off to a good start.
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A Quote
"There is a lie that acts like a virus within the mind of humanity. And that lie is, 'There's not enough good to go around. There's lack and there's limitation and there's just not enough.' The truth is that there's more than enough good to go around. There are more than enough creative ideas. There is more than enough power. There is more than enough love. There's more than enough joy. All of this begins to come through a mind that is aware of its own infinite nature. There is enough for everyone. If you believe it, if you can see it, if you act from it, it will show up for you. That's the truth."
--- Michael Beckwith
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A Word
There are a few words that just don't seem to stick in my brain. I've looked them up over and over (and over) again. For whatever reason, I continue to need to look them up every time I encounter them. (Does that ever happen to you?) (Please tell me it does.) Anyway. Here's one of them . . .
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To Read
I often say flowers are magical. According to this lovely essay by the late Oliver Sacks, they really ARE! Read about the healing power of gardens. Nature . . . is a powerful force!
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A Challenge
This week, make a point to spend some time in a garden -- either your own or a friend's or a public garden in your community. Enjoy the blooms, listen for bird joy, watch the butterflies.
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And in the Audacious BADASS Department . . .
We have Ravelry (following in the footsteps of RPG.net) banning Trump and his administration in a brave, bold move to put an end to white supremacy, hate, and bigotry on the site. I am so proud to be a knitter today. Read Ravelry's statement here. Check out RPG.net's list of citations and reference materials here. And read this opinion piece from The Mary Sue for a glimpse of just how audacious and badass Ravelry's move really IS!
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And, lastly, if you're interested in my monthly Stash Giveaway, be sure to let me know by tomorrow evening at 5:00 pm EST. I'll contact the winners by email on Tuesday night.
When I hear the word convergence I usually think of streams or small rivers coming together to form a larger river. Or paths converging to become a road. That sort of thing. (And that is the main definition, according to my Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary . . . "the act of converging and especially moving toward union or uniformity.") But every once in a while, I experience my own personal kind of convergence. The kind where all manner of things and events converge in one little corner of my calendar.
And, well.
I'm there right now!
Not only is our summer solstic party happening this Friday, but last night I was one of the co-organizers of a wine tasting fund raiser for a group I'm involved with. And tonight is the big, annual potluck-book selection meeting for my book group. And we just met Brian for dinner in Grand Rapids (he was in town for a job interview; keep your fingers crossed). And my dad has a medical procedure re-scheduled . . . for tomorrow morning.
I mean, really. It doesn't get much more convergent than this when it comes to balancing a 3-day stretch of calendar.
How am I managing? Oh, pretty well.
(Although let's not ask Tom.)
What am I doing to keep myself moving forward?
1 - Finding the time to meditate.
2 - Keeping up with my fitness stuff.
3 - Lists! All the lists.
What do YOU do to keep the balls in the air when All the Things . . . converge?
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Remember to leave a comment by next Tuesday if you're interested in my June Stash Giveaway!
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Be sure to join Carole today for more Three on Thursday posts!