Austin TX editorial photographer
I met Connie and Matt, at a favorite cafe, (Elizabeth Street) for some sweets and tea. It was pouring. And it continued to pour the entire shoot. Which sucks for some people, but it was magic for us:) It created so much extra beauty, and texture, and atomsphere. Here are some highlights from our time together...
I love this last image, despite the lens being completely wet and foggy. I cannot believe my camera made it through such a beating! Love these two:)
I come from a really creative family and when I get the chance I love to hang out and listen to my younger brother make all kinds of gorgeous music. He is usually behind his guitar but just recently started singing and recording in his bedroom studio.
A couple things about him:
He has Becker Muscular Dystrophy and kicks its ass everyday.
And also, he cries when he laughs. A full on torrent streaming down his face. It's so completely awesome.
I love when I get the chance to meet someone for the first time and they are totally real, and vulnerable, and just all around lovely. That was my meeting with Hannah Stoney ( http://thethinks.com/). And starting off a photo session with tea and biscuits? Booom!
How did this all start for you?
I have been making art, with intention, for about ten years, but things really accelerated for me a lot last year and it went from being more of a hobby to a career.
This steely determination came over me and I really challenged myself to up my game. I started investing far more time and energy into each piece I made; making large scale works that were full of intricate and careful detail. And I also really tried to sharpen my drawing skills -- I practiced consistently all year long and closely studied the work of illustrators I really admire.
What places or things inspire you?
I normally have these seasonal moods or tones that become really important to me and either represent something I'm longing for or something I'm thinking about a lot or feeling. It's a bit of an abstract answer (!) but to give you an idea -- last summer it was all about the forest and the nighttime, Gothic tones, Victorian theatre sets, lepidoptera and taxidermy. Another year I was really into super heroes and everything was really bright and graphic-y. Like a lomo on acid. Crystal? Ha.
Then I have ongoing motifs like birds in flight (an obsession of mine) and the sea.
What types of tools do you use in your work?
Pencils and pens (microns normally, if you're curious) and of course my exacto knife and self-healing cutting mat. Most of my paper-cuts are made using kids' art roll from Ikea. It's lovely and cushiony to cut and it's an ivory hue which I enjoy.
I really find it difficult balancing being a Mom and being an artist. How do you find time to do what you love while juggling life and kids?
Yes, that's definitely a tough one. I have two little boys. When the first one was younger I used to work around him quite a lot but he's more of an introvert and so we rubbed along quite nicely.
My second child is much more sociable though and I came to realise that it wasn't fair to them to be half-distracted all the time and so I work every nap time and for a couple of hours most evenings. If I have a big show coming up, I'll even try to get up an hour before them to get some work done.
I once read a tip from a writer and mother that really helped me -- she said she always leaves her desk after a work session having set up what she is going to work on next. I do the same -- I have a very tight schedule because when your hours are so limited, you don't really get the time to stare out of the window and wend your way into projects. I miss those times in a way but I ain't half productive these days!
If you would like to follow Hannah's work, or buy something gorgeous, you can do so with the links below:
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thethinks
Website : http://thethinks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thethinks
This is a little preview of a new project I'm working on. The next few months I will be photographing artists ( musicians, artisans, etc.) and doing a brief interview and photo journal of their work and process. My husband has been building a guitar, from recycled materials, on and off the last couple years, and I wanted to start this series with him.
Ryan Chism | Day Job - IT stud at The University of Texas School of Public Health | Hobby - Guitar building
What inspired you to start this?
I always wanted to try my hand at making one. I become interested in ergonomic guitars a while back, and liked the idea of having that with a fanned fret board...and a bigger body since I'm so tall. I think I was slightly out of my head when starting this project. I was a few months out from having back surgery and dealing with a great deal of pain. I guess I started it to take my mind off of my back. I had always tinkered with things over the years, and kind of approached with a helping of "How hard could it be". Man, was I wrong! It has been a ton of work and I have learned a great deal about how hard it is to actually do. It looks so easy, but the design challenges when you are building an unconventional instrument are really difficult sometimes.
What types of materials and tools are you building with?
This was a big reason why the project was so difficult. I had to cut down a Live Oak tree from my front yard that needed to be removed. Here is a link on the facts about it, http://sptreefarm.com/interesting-facts-about-live-oak-trees.html . All that wood, how could I pass up only using it for firewood? I guess I had romanticized the idea of building something from material in my own yard. It felt like a natural thing to do. And, I will say that there probably aren't that many guitars in the world made from it. For good reason though! It's extremely tough wood to work. It dulls tools and became even worse to work with over time. The wood itself is interesting though, as you can see from the photos. It's grain can be tight but also swirl in unpredictable ways. It's prone to cracking, but is an extremely hard wood. I think it was used in ship building because it was so tough.
I really only used hand tools. Chisels, scrappers, files. I did use a drill press with an attachment to do most of the hollowing of the body though. The body is made from 2 pieces that were split from one big piece of stump. The neck is made from a piece of an old door from my house. I'm pretty sure it's Douglas Fir. The house was built in the 50's so the wood is at least that old. It actually resonates really well. The fretboard is Macassar Ebony that I bought through LMII. The other small pieces on the end of the neck are from a friend's Pear tree. It's very dense as well. As you can see from the photo of the pickups, they are from Bill Lawrence and family. Bill just passed away, and so I wanted to pay tribute to him in this build by including them.
If you could give your past self some wisdom, about this project , what would it be?
Choose the right wood! Some woods are just easier to work with and make into instruments. There is a reason maple has been used extensively in instrument building. Each species is unique and offers it's own benefits, not just for sound but for actual ease in building.
Enjoy the process and don't rush the execution.
Use the right tools for the job. I guess this goes for any endeavor :)
Pace yourself and take breaks. Sometimes something will feel overwhelming, but you usually just need a break to work it over and come at it with a new perspective.
Make sure you finish and it's playable.
That's it for now....I'm still finishing it so maybe I'll have more thoughts on the way.
