Creative Q&A: Natalie Closner of Joseph
Name, Location, Occupation
Natalie Closner of Joseph
Portland, OR
Musician, Medicine Woman
Please describe your home:
My sisters and I are a bit nomadic at the moment so we have many homes on people's couches and guest bedrooms; but when we're in Portland we stay at our sweet parents' house. We wouldn't be able to do what we're doing right now if we didn't have a haven with warm beds and kale and egg breakfast! We live on a pretty little street that is lined with pink and white blooming cherry trees right now.
What inspires your music?
The tension that holds both the beauty and struggle of life. Longing. Conflict in relationships. Risk. Long stretches of road with snowy mountains and wide desert expanses.
Has there been a defining moment or turning point when you realized what you wanted to do for a living?
I think it was something that started as a small idea - a simple thing like trying to write a song - then it grew and swelled slowly until it was the only reasonable thing to do.
Who are your favourite musicians?
Oh dear me. What a question. Here are artists who we listen to most consistently, respect most deeply, and thoroughly savor (and who immediately come to mind): in no particular order...
Lianne La Havas, Feist, Laura Veirs, Sufjan Stevens, Death Cab For Cutie, Disclosure, Sleeping At Last, Lucius, Rhye, Bird Courage, Hunter G K Thompson, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Macklemore, Ella Fitzgerald, Sondre Lerche, Jonsi, Bon Iver, Greylag, Ben Howard, Motopony, Penny And Sparrow
What do you think is the most challenging aspect of working in music?
I think it's the same thing that is challenging about any ambition - staying connected to the people (yourself, those on your team, the people you encounter) and prioritizing right, reconciled, honest relationships over whatever task the work may be presenting.
What are your greatest loves in life?
My sisters, parents Scott and Lisa, brother Ryan and his wife Rani. My dearest friends. And that moment of clarity and peace that comes when life's hurting turns into something beautiful.
What are you reading at the moment?
Just finished The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. (weeping. so many tears.) And I always keep a copy of Rilke's Letters To A Young Poet open for constant consultation.
What are your simplest daily pleasures?
The first cup of coffee, the perfect egg, over medium, wearing my big floppy hat, when my mom kisses me on the cheek, a long walk over the Broadway bridge through the city and car dancing.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see me with a heart full of new knowings that will make me more directed, understanding, and aware. I'll probably have some more lines on my face and richer relationships that have endured bigger storms. I see myself with a home of my own where I can hold other people and give to them. I hope I am still saying true things and I hope those true things are making someone else feel not alone.
Photographs by Maria Lamb of Anthem Photography.
Creative Q&A: Leslie Shewring
Name, Location, Occupation
Leslie Shewring
Victoria BC Canada
Designer and Photographer
Please describe your workspace:
I work in a large white space right now on the top floor of an old building. I like it because it is quirky and has lovely light. Right now it is actually sunny so the space is filled with a warm glow. I try to keep the place tidy but that often does not last long.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on some new pattern ideas for another range of fabrics. I have also been doing some art direction for a company I collaborate with.
What has been your most rewarding project to date?
That’s a hard question for me…right now it is probably Decorate with Flowers, the book I co-authored with Holly Becker. It was rewarding to work with different people in a format that I have never done before. Creating a book was a whole new experience for me.
Has there been a defining moment or turning point when you realized what you wanted to do for a living?
I was getting ready to apply to Law schools but was so busy doing window displays and teaching floral design classes I kept putting it off, I guess it didn’t really excite me. One night as I was decorating a window I thought, “this is so fun there must be a way to do something creative and still get the Masters degree” my father wanted for me. I started working on a portfolio the next day and that very fall went off to work on a Master’s of Fine Arts, then a Master’s of Architecture followed. I have always worked in design of some kind.
What do you think is the most difficult aspect of your work?
Balancing time with my family and time for work. Often I need time and space around me to work and create. This can be tricky when you are just getting going on a painting or the light gets really good and then you need to pick up the kids from school. My kids always come first, which can be difficult for my work. I wouldn’t have it any other way though.
What are you reading at the moment?
The Apothecary’s Daughter by Charlotte Betts
What websites do you visit for inspiration?
There are so many, off the top of my head, Pinterest, Canelle et Vanille, Mokkasin, Hanna’s Room, Decor8.
What are your simplest daily pleasures?
My first cup of coffee in the morning, cuddling my kids, cooking, reading to my kids at night, and working in the evening when the house is still and the kids are tucked in their beds.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
In the garden, painting and doing more creative projects.
Winter Reading
This past weekend the snow finally came. For two days it fell slowly from the sky, covering our green island in white and coaxing all of us inside. Presenting the perfect opportunity to wrap up in a wool blanket, drink tea and read.
Yesterday I finished one of the most enjoyable books that has found it's way into my hands. Maria Semple's 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette' is clever, laugh out loud funny and incredibly heartfelt. I truly loved everything about it.
"That's right,' she told the girls. 'You are bored. And I'm going to let you in on a little secret about life. You think it's boring now? Well, it only gets more boring. The sooner you learn it's on you to make life interesting, the better off you'll be.”
Besides the bittersweet end of Bernadette's story and my imaginary adventure through Antarctica, I also discovered 'Darling' a magazine dedicated to the art of being a woman. I encourage you to visit their website and if you happen to come across the publication in print, look through it's beautiful pages. The essays resonate with me and I felt inclined to share this
excerpt from Darling editor Sarah Dubbeldam's essay on winter:
A clarity. a quieting of pure simplicity descends upon us in winter, as if the thousands of carefully crafted crystals falling in unison whisper, "silence and ease", as they paint a beautiful array of white upon white - a reminder to us that less is truly more. In this uncluttered space we are reminded of how far we've wandered and are invited to put away our personal adornments and ask, "Who am !?" once again. We may find a mixture of fear and strength, sadness and delight, unrest and peace, as each woman flights her own war. But the beauty is found in daily grace, where we pick up our own brush, dip it in white and repaint the canvas once more. It's in this place of messiness and renewal that we learn to see our core and stand in awe of our pure humanity, a miracle and a gift.
The truth remains, our value never changes - we are not solely what we own, what we look like, what we do, what we wear or where we go - we are each worthy of honor and respect right where we stand.