I received an email from an NYU journalism student the other day...
Was there a specific moment/incident/memory you have of saying "I've got to do something about my clothing/the environment/etc."? No, there was not a specific moment. I had always been interested in environmentalism. I tried to be conscientious in my life, but was and am not fanatical. Doing this was typically not a sacrifice for me. When it came to my closet, however, it was not so easy. When I looked for new sustainable clothing, I was hard pressed to find something I wanted to wear (keep in mind that this was four or so years ago). That eventually led to the fiftyRX3 project. The same thing everybody else does when they are not working. Eat, sleep, do the laundry. Socialize, relax, enjoy life. Spend too much time online. "Love affair" is just a name that, to me, symbolizes the idea behind the work. I became a member of a community garden and began a project to photograph it over the course of a year. I have taken thousands of images and probably have taken the same picture more than once or twice. However, it never seems to fail that I discover something new each time I go - a new flower, a new point of view. I felt I was constantly using the macro lens trying to get inside the flowers and also for the most part cropping out the urban landscape. I had to read a book in 7th grade where a young boy divides up his backyard and studies it piece by piece... wish I could remember the name, but in some ways I have the same feeling, seeing things I missed before. I absolutely fell in love with this garden. Plus, every time visitors come in they all comment on this amazing little space. So, I began to think about why we are so drawn to nature and how we depend on it. The title "love affair" also comes from a scene in the documentary The Cruise, where Speed Levitch says... I think having an intimate "love affair" with a flower is far more psychotic and riveting than having a "love affair" with some of the banal creatures of the human race. Although, I'd be in to that too. Before that, he talks about people who just want to admire flowers, then maybe there are people who want to become flowers, but that he wants to stand before the flower and have mutual admiration. So, in a crazy sort of way, I thought that describes my garden experience. The more straight forward shots are my admiration, the more macro shots are perhaps me trying to become the flower and the montage series are a melding, so perhaps represent becoming entwined with the garden. What are some of the materials you use in project? Right now, it is primarily digital photography. The montages are in series' of four. I use the same four images, but manipulate and combine them in four different ways digitally. When it comes to printing, I have looked into eco-friendly papers and inks, but am not sure what I'll use as I am not at that stage. I did draw the garden over the summer and take some polaroids, but I am not sure what place they have yet. In what ways is it different from "possession"? Well, in a broader sense they are both ecological, but possession deals with all the physical stuff that comes into our personal environments - why we have it, why we keep it or get rid of it and how we get rid of it. Definitely, that is broad. Right now, I am just conquering mail. Piles of mail seem to build up in my apartment. Of course, I could immediately open and recycle what I don't need, but even this process seems to waste my energy and the planet's energy. I do a lot of online bill paying and paperless business, but the envelopes still manage to come in. I also find the idea of an unopened letter intriguing too, so there is that element. I am about done with the photography portion, then I may do something more three dimensional.
Besides your creative projects like "fiftyRX3", "possession" and "love affair", what else do you do on a daily basis?
What exactly is "love affair"?
I read in your interviews that you still work as a part-time pediatric therapist: how do your two worlds balance each other or complicate each other?
I do still work part-time as a therapist. I am really grateful to have a flexible career doing something that I feel good about. As fiftyRX3 grew, I became an editor at inhabitat and began working on other projects, like creative direction for a green fashion event and freelance writing. I was working around the clock. I became overwhelmed and a little disillusioned and was doing very little of my own hands-on creativity. So, I scaled back on what I felt wasn't working, made some changes in my therapy practice as well and now things are much more balanced.
Working on my own projects is a very peaceful, solitary endeavor. As a therapist, I work with a great group that is very supportive of both my work as a therapist and my other projects, but because we work with children the environment can be very stimulating and at times stressful. So, they definitely balance each other in that regard.
Would I eventually like to be able to support myself with my own creative endeavors? Yes. Would I stop practicing therapy? I would probably phase it out, as it would be nice to focus on one thing for awhile. Perhaps one day I will be more commercially ambitious and that will happen. For now I am happy to focus on the process and not the product.
Have you ever thought about marketing the "30-minute dress"? Yes and no. When I began learning how to make clothes, obviously, I wanted to make them sustainably. At that point, there was little opportunity to work for another company as a designer doing this and there was absolutely no mention of these issues in my classes at Parson's or FIT. Things are starting to change, but the bulk of the companies that are focused on sustainable design remain small and independent. That was the path I thought I might take. However, as an independent designer, you typically have to run your business as well. You can end up spending a large chunk of your time on managing production, marketing and finances. I had just closed a business I ran for five years and didn't want to dive right back in without taking some time. In the end, I don't feel that the mainstream fashion industry is right for me. I think more than mass producing my designs, I wanted to raise awareness about sustainability in fashion. I still fiddle around with things to wear for myself and perhaps at some point I may do something small, probably made-to-order, not following the typical industry schedule and direct to the consumer. I have really limited my shopping and am actually more focused on getting rid of things, but I do still order from ebay on occasion. I would estimate that at least 50% of the packaging is reused and 95% of it I can recycle or reuse. Mail is usually handled in bulk, so that doesn't seem any worse than any other shipping method. In September's Fashion Week in NY, there were a number of high-end designers exhibiting sustainable/eco-conscious pieces (though at the moment their names escape me). I think you are referring to the Earth Pledge Future Fashion show. The event actually took place on January 31st, during the previous fashion week. While I think this was a great awareness raising event when they first did it back in 2005, I was dismayed that in 2008 things weren't much different. Very few of the participating designers have eco-friendly goals in their business or items in their collections. The pieces that were on the runway were mostly one-offs and not produced or sold. In my opinion, they should have used looks from designers who are more committed to these practices and produce these items in their collections every season. Unfortunately, those are not the "big names" and that is often what the fashion and media industry is all about. Do you think this trend will continue? To be cynical, as long as it makes money. It should remain profitable as long as people continue to care about these things and demand more environmentally friendly products, so I hope it will continue. What are some praise-worthy/criticism-worthy aspects of the growing trend, in your opinion? For instance, you place emphasis on not only purchasing ethically-manufactured clothing but also on recycling old clothing or buying things that will last for years. Well, rampant green consumerism may only be a little better than rampant consumerism. I may need a solar panel on my roof, but probably don't need one on my backpack. I love design as much as the next person, but the amount of things that are marketed to us on a daily basis can be overwhelming. We tend to think we need all of these things. I have fallen prey to it like everyone else, but I really try to focus on what I can use. I don't expect people to wear vintage or make their own clothes, that is just not for everybody. However, putting thought into purchases and needs might be a good thing. What would you like to see high-end designers say to the average consumer on wearing pieces for years to come? I don't really think high-end designers should have the burden or the right to tell consumers what to wear. I think they should make the clothes they believe in and consumers who identify with that and can afford it will be their customers. I think any designer would hope that their pieces will be cherished for years to come. Do you think there's a conflict between it being their job to consistently change what's 'trendy' in order to make profit and to also give environmentally-sound advice like "buy things you will wear forever"? I don't think it is their job to consistently change what is trendy. I think designers are creative people and they are going to want to play with different ideas and influences. I think the media and the chain stores tend to be more focused on trends. However, nobody is putting a gun to anybody's head to buy anything. People want change, they want something new and sometimes they actually need it. Is there anything I'm forgetting to ask you/anything that you feel is important that I did not mention? Buying local, organic vegetables, old Danish modern furniture, and recycling old clothes into new is all well and good for the environment and something that I am happy to do, but it is not going to solve the pressing issue of global warming. To deal with this we need international cooperation and governmental policy.
I read in an interview that you purchase some second-hand clothes from eBay. since this is a growing trend among most Americans, how do you think the process of mailing can be made more environmentally conscious (less packaging, changes in transportation methods, etc.)?
