Collaborations: How Do You Know When It's Right?
Hello friends! I love my little haus maus blog, though I don't get here as often as I'd like but today, because it's Sunday AND snowing, I feel compelled to sit at my desk and tap away on my keyboard.
How are you? I've been doing fine but A LOT lately. It seems that when I get my schedule in order, something comes along and says it is more important and needs to be added, I give in, and realize that I've overdone it. Do you know what I mean?
One project I'm thrilled that I've committed to though is this: I'm currently working on a book together with Leslie Shewring, a stylist, photographer, product designer and dear friend of mine that I've known since March 2009. We met online first, then later in LA and worked together during the summer of 2010 on Decorate (her home was in my book and she helped me immensely on shooting mood boards in her studio) and later, met up in Morocco that same year for an ACE camp for 10 days. In 2011 we traveled together from San Francisco to LA and she came to two of my stops on the Decorate tour for Anthropologie AND spoke with me, then later in 2011 we met up at a big conference in St. Paul called The Creative Connection where she taught classes and I gave the keynote, and we spent that week together (I took a few of her classes also, which were incredible). We also went to Anthropologie in St. Paul and did an event where we spoke about mood boards and decorating and went out with friends after.
That same year, we met up in London twice I think - I know for the launch of my book at Liberty where we hung out for a week for my book launch party and ended up shopping in Notting Hill with Amy Butler (long story but an exciting one!) but we also met in London on a separate trip, I cannot remember for what anymore, and spent time with Sania Pell at Origins and at Emma Cassi's house buying jewelry and then getting my hair cut at Debi Treloar's house (don't ask, funny story, I love Debi and her amazing family and home).
In 2012, we met up in NYC for a week and taught a two day workshop in Soho on blogging (video here), photography and styling and now, soon again, we'll be together after a year of not seeing each other to work on our book here in Hannover, in London and maybe a few other spots.
I CAN'T WAIT.
In addition to the in-person stuff we've done, we've worked online as she was a massive help with Blogging Your Way. After I launched it and taught the first class, we became friends and she taught the 2nd Blogging Your Way class with me and a few more after that. She's not teaching currently because she is busy designing something quite wonderful that she'll tell you about on her blog soon... And she has authored a column on decor8 for several years now called Color Me Pretty.
With this kind of history, you learn a lot about a person. I think traveling together teaches you the most because you are up against all sorts of things and you both have to figure out how to deal with them instantly - bad and good. Leslie is always so level-headed, she has a great sense of humor, is very laid back and has a good head for business. She is also extremely creative and talented with not only her styling work but with her photography - her eye is one that I admire so, so much. Leslie and I are equals - I am stronger in some areas and than she is and vice versa and on some things, we posses equal strength - but altogether we create one body of work, one message, one product that is a sum of all parts - her and me - and it's beautiful and special and makes sense.
That is why I wanted to collaborate with her on a project - our book - so we could hold in our hands and enjoy for years to come, something tangible for us both but also a way to marry our aesthetics and create a little magic. I wouldn't collab with just anyone, or someone I just met - but Leslie is different and this project is special so I can't wait to get started and to take you on our journey as we begin working and later, in Spring of 2014, when the book releases...
Partnering with others and knowing when a person is "right" for you to work with can be a challenge. How do YOU know when a person is right to work with? What do you look for? What scares you away?
(image: holly becker)
How are you? I've been doing fine but A LOT lately. It seems that when I get my schedule in order, something comes along and says it is more important and needs to be added, I give in, and realize that I've overdone it. Do you know what I mean?
One project I'm thrilled that I've committed to though is this: I'm currently working on a book together with Leslie Shewring, a stylist, photographer, product designer and dear friend of mine that I've known since March 2009. We met online first, then later in LA and worked together during the summer of 2010 on Decorate (her home was in my book and she helped me immensely on shooting mood boards in her studio) and later, met up in Morocco that same year for an ACE camp for 10 days. In 2011 we traveled together from San Francisco to LA and she came to two of my stops on the Decorate tour for Anthropologie AND spoke with me, then later in 2011 we met up at a big conference in St. Paul called The Creative Connection where she taught classes and I gave the keynote, and we spent that week together (I took a few of her classes also, which were incredible). We also went to Anthropologie in St. Paul and did an event where we spoke about mood boards and decorating and went out with friends after.
That same year, we met up in London twice I think - I know for the launch of my book at Liberty where we hung out for a week for my book launch party and ended up shopping in Notting Hill with Amy Butler (long story but an exciting one!) but we also met in London on a separate trip, I cannot remember for what anymore, and spent time with Sania Pell at Origins and at Emma Cassi's house buying jewelry and then getting my hair cut at Debi Treloar's house (don't ask, funny story, I love Debi and her amazing family and home).
In 2012, we met up in NYC for a week and taught a two day workshop in Soho on blogging (video here), photography and styling and now, soon again, we'll be together after a year of not seeing each other to work on our book here in Hannover, in London and maybe a few other spots.
I CAN'T WAIT.
In addition to the in-person stuff we've done, we've worked online as she was a massive help with Blogging Your Way. After I launched it and taught the first class, we became friends and she taught the 2nd Blogging Your Way class with me and a few more after that. She's not teaching currently because she is busy designing something quite wonderful that she'll tell you about on her blog soon... And she has authored a column on decor8 for several years now called Color Me Pretty.
With this kind of history, you learn a lot about a person. I think traveling together teaches you the most because you are up against all sorts of things and you both have to figure out how to deal with them instantly - bad and good. Leslie is always so level-headed, she has a great sense of humor, is very laid back and has a good head for business. She is also extremely creative and talented with not only her styling work but with her photography - her eye is one that I admire so, so much. Leslie and I are equals - I am stronger in some areas and than she is and vice versa and on some things, we posses equal strength - but altogether we create one body of work, one message, one product that is a sum of all parts - her and me - and it's beautiful and special and makes sense.
That is why I wanted to collaborate with her on a project - our book - so we could hold in our hands and enjoy for years to come, something tangible for us both but also a way to marry our aesthetics and create a little magic. I wouldn't collab with just anyone, or someone I just met - but Leslie is different and this project is special so I can't wait to get started and to take you on our journey as we begin working and later, in Spring of 2014, when the book releases...
Partnering with others and knowing when a person is "right" for you to work with can be a challenge. How do YOU know when a person is right to work with? What do you look for? What scares you away?
(image: holly becker)
Comments
It is something I feel.
I have just leave an office where I could not find that kind of people...it is something so difficult...
You are a lucky woman and I think you will make a great job together