I had the opportunity to collaborate with Jake Eshelman of Side Project Skateboards and Mike Harboldt of Normaltown Moto for an upcoming print project that Jake is working on. I'll share more when it launches; it's a bit of a secret for now. But I wanted to post these, because they show both of these elements - Side Project and Normaltown Moto - in conversation with each other because the combination is so fitting. Both Mike and Jake started their respective endeavors as a passion/interest that they were able to turn into a business, which is rad. We have a Side Project board, and it is amazing to watch the girls learn their way around the board, mostly through the halls of our house for now, but soon they'll be graduating to skating out in the wild. It's also one of my favorite things to watch my youngest, Faeren, push Piper and Larken around while they sit on the the board. These boards are so well made, and Jake is an inspiring guy with a story; check out his site to learn about it. As for Mike, we've been friends for a while now, and it has been awesome to watch him along the way - graduating from art school, becoming part owner of his blacksmithing business, St Udio, and now having a dedicated space for working on his (and other people's) bikes. And also playing poker, along with other such leisurely activities, because it truly is a perfect space for that sort of thing.
I shot these a while back, and have a lot of work that I've already shot, edited, and made ready to post. This is work that I love and am super proud of, but haven't had the time to update my journal or portfolio for months. We've dealt with a lot of challenges as a family this past year - a move, sickness, John's job and personal work as he grows as a developer, and our changing day to day life as the girls get older. All of this, though sometimes difficult and often somewhat disorienting, has brought us closer and made us more resilient. John and I will mark four years together this coming March, but it feels like we have been each other's partner and best friend for ages. Piper will turn nine this coming May, Larken will turn six in January, and Faeren will be two in February. Most of the time, we have no idea if we are parenting and loving them in the best way we can, but we know that the most important thing is to 'just love them' - wise and true advice that a professor of mine shared with me after Piper was born. We navigate the various issues as they come and often feel like we have no idea what we're doing, but we do know that we love these girls and choose every day to do our best for them and for each other.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with other artists, especially those that I can call my friend, and I'm looking forward to putting some new/old work up here soon.