I wish we would all by agreement keep those errant, knives and forks, the paper towel holder, the emptied pot in the food shots… It would normalize the effort that goes into cooking… And maybe more people would feel that they were accomplished chefs, eating food as it really looks and is really eaten
I hear you Ellen. And also, I really love a well-staged, creative, beautiful, artistic shot. Of food and everything, really. There's something magical about a beautiful photo... sometimes that captures real life and sometimes it captures an idea, fantasy, or aspiration. Perhaps there's room for both.
Thank you for the mention! One of the things I learned from my dad: people have stories that we can’t see. And the messy parts are what truly make us human.💕
We lost our son in 2020 and almost immediately I realized on a visceral level the truth of what your dad was saying. I was going about doing all the normal things while melting down inside and I realized that I was passing people every day who were in the same state. The messy parts are what make us human... and you can't always see them.
A word I think has fallen out of favor is AND. You can love living on a sailboat and lament the lack of space (I resemble that remark), for example! You’ve put this tension beautifully in this piece.
Mold on a boat ugh. DampRid works. Tea tree oil (esp Kanberra gel) works. A dehumidifier. White vinegar. Largely it’s about airflow which is hard when you’re stuffing excess stuff into lockers that have to close…
A good mattress is stupod expensive (damn boat shapes) but so worth it.
I agree with you 100% Nica. I've been trying to get better at replacing "but" with "and" because most of the time both things are true. Thank you for the advice on mold. We are going to try all the things and hopefully find something that works. One thing we are doing right away is replacing all the cushions inside. That is helping already, but we've still got work to do. I haven't found a place that makes custom boat mattresses... do you have a company you can recommend? We've been talking about just purchasing a regular mattress and cutting it to shape....
I think cutting down a regular mattress is a great idea. Just remember you need to be able to lift it to access the storage underneath, so more smaller cushions are easier than fewer big ones. A Froli-type system helps with ventilation under the mattress too but I’ve never figured out how those work on spaces you need access to frequently.
Oh Rebecca—this is one of your best (and I especially love the title!).
Everything about this resonated with me—not only the artifice of what we see, but our struggles with just keeping it real in our own lives.
We have several good friends who are lifelong sailors, so I can really appreciate how much you have accomplished in such a short period of time. Enjoy the journey of this incredible adventure. I’m in awe of you!
Thank you so much Elizabeth! You generous words have really touched me this morning. This weekend we sailed to two different ports and stayed the night in transient slips. We encountered high winds and bad weather and also perfect winds and gorgeous weather! We had a few hairy moments and a few magical ones. By the end of the weekend I felt like we were starting to find our groove. :-)
I like how you framed this, Rebecca. Many times people say that IG or magazine spreads aren’t real. Your point that they are real but just aren’t the full story is SO accurate! I had Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack on my latest podcast and she talked a little bit about this, how the pics and reels are so pretty but no one sees the mountain of dishes or feels your aching back from standing all day in the kitchen! And now I really need to make that cashew cream sauce to put on everything.
I always feel a little cognitive dissonance when people say that the things we see online aren't real because I know they aren't the whole truth... but also, they are telling us something about the truth. That's what I try to do in my own photos - give people something that's true but perhaps not the whole truth. Maybe that's what all art does? Anyway, I haven't listened to your episode with Yvette yet but I am looking forward to it!
Oh boy. Steve is allergic everything mold. Welcome, friend. We are in the same club and it's brutal! Also, my brother has a boat he keeps in Chicago and well, let's say there are some sleeping stories I'll tell you the next time we see each other in person. ;-) The heat is a difficult one, but as we have no ac here in Como nor in Tuscany when we used to go, you will get used to that, I promise!!
I'm going to trust you with all the blind faith I can muster that we'll get used to the heat! :-) I can't wait to hear the stories from your brother! I think we are maybe, kinda sorta starting to get used to the tiny bed. Our RV bed is going to feel so huge and luxurious when we move back in there!
Ahhh, thank you for this. You have tapped into so many of my own feelings Rebecca.
I was also a magazine junkie pre social media (and well, still am!)
Having worked in magazines and newspapers I know just how much work it takes to create those perfect spreads. How you have experts in every field contributing to that perfect glossy shot. And I know social media is the same.
It is the truth, but it is the absolute best possible version of that truth, with all the gritty bits edited out.
(Conversely, I've recently been chiding myself that some of my work looks 'too' glossy and I need to tone it down, and make it look more real!!)
Thank you Shell! I have also been thinking about whether all the shots I publish should be so staged... I think I like the idea of both. Some shots that show the chaos and others that are beautiful and glossy and perfect. I LOVE a gorgeous photograph where every detail has been tended to and one version of the truth has been meticulously presented. I think maybe all of art, in every form, is like this... it's intended to give us one part of the truth in an extreme way. So maybe we need both - art and real life.
I wish we would all by agreement keep those errant, knives and forks, the paper towel holder, the emptied pot in the food shots… It would normalize the effort that goes into cooking… And maybe more people would feel that they were accomplished chefs, eating food as it really looks and is really eaten
I hear you Ellen. And also, I really love a well-staged, creative, beautiful, artistic shot. Of food and everything, really. There's something magical about a beautiful photo... sometimes that captures real life and sometimes it captures an idea, fantasy, or aspiration. Perhaps there's room for both.
Thank you for the mention! One of the things I learned from my dad: people have stories that we can’t see. And the messy parts are what truly make us human.💕
We lost our son in 2020 and almost immediately I realized on a visceral level the truth of what your dad was saying. I was going about doing all the normal things while melting down inside and I realized that I was passing people every day who were in the same state. The messy parts are what make us human... and you can't always see them.
Love this, Rachel
A word I think has fallen out of favor is AND. You can love living on a sailboat and lament the lack of space (I resemble that remark), for example! You’ve put this tension beautifully in this piece.
Mold on a boat ugh. DampRid works. Tea tree oil (esp Kanberra gel) works. A dehumidifier. White vinegar. Largely it’s about airflow which is hard when you’re stuffing excess stuff into lockers that have to close…
A good mattress is stupod expensive (damn boat shapes) but so worth it.
I agree with you 100% Nica. I've been trying to get better at replacing "but" with "and" because most of the time both things are true. Thank you for the advice on mold. We are going to try all the things and hopefully find something that works. One thing we are doing right away is replacing all the cushions inside. That is helping already, but we've still got work to do. I haven't found a place that makes custom boat mattresses... do you have a company you can recommend? We've been talking about just purchasing a regular mattress and cutting it to shape....
I think cutting down a regular mattress is a great idea. Just remember you need to be able to lift it to access the storage underneath, so more smaller cushions are easier than fewer big ones. A Froli-type system helps with ventilation under the mattress too but I’ve never figured out how those work on spaces you need access to frequently.
Oh Rebecca—this is one of your best (and I especially love the title!).
Everything about this resonated with me—not only the artifice of what we see, but our struggles with just keeping it real in our own lives.
We have several good friends who are lifelong sailors, so I can really appreciate how much you have accomplished in such a short period of time. Enjoy the journey of this incredible adventure. I’m in awe of you!
Thank you so much Elizabeth! You generous words have really touched me this morning. This weekend we sailed to two different ports and stayed the night in transient slips. We encountered high winds and bad weather and also perfect winds and gorgeous weather! We had a few hairy moments and a few magical ones. By the end of the weekend I felt like we were starting to find our groove. :-)
Yes. Yes. And yes. ♥️
I like how you framed this, Rebecca. Many times people say that IG or magazine spreads aren’t real. Your point that they are real but just aren’t the full story is SO accurate! I had Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack on my latest podcast and she talked a little bit about this, how the pics and reels are so pretty but no one sees the mountain of dishes or feels your aching back from standing all day in the kitchen! And now I really need to make that cashew cream sauce to put on everything.
I always feel a little cognitive dissonance when people say that the things we see online aren't real because I know they aren't the whole truth... but also, they are telling us something about the truth. That's what I try to do in my own photos - give people something that's true but perhaps not the whole truth. Maybe that's what all art does? Anyway, I haven't listened to your episode with Yvette yet but I am looking forward to it!
Oh boy. Steve is allergic everything mold. Welcome, friend. We are in the same club and it's brutal! Also, my brother has a boat he keeps in Chicago and well, let's say there are some sleeping stories I'll tell you the next time we see each other in person. ;-) The heat is a difficult one, but as we have no ac here in Como nor in Tuscany when we used to go, you will get used to that, I promise!!
I'm going to trust you with all the blind faith I can muster that we'll get used to the heat! :-) I can't wait to hear the stories from your brother! I think we are maybe, kinda sorta starting to get used to the tiny bed. Our RV bed is going to feel so huge and luxurious when we move back in there!
Ha! That is a wild and crazy that your RV bed is so much bigger!!!
Ahhh, thank you for this. You have tapped into so many of my own feelings Rebecca.
I was also a magazine junkie pre social media (and well, still am!)
Having worked in magazines and newspapers I know just how much work it takes to create those perfect spreads. How you have experts in every field contributing to that perfect glossy shot. And I know social media is the same.
It is the truth, but it is the absolute best possible version of that truth, with all the gritty bits edited out.
(Conversely, I've recently been chiding myself that some of my work looks 'too' glossy and I need to tone it down, and make it look more real!!)
Those cherry chunk cookies btw 😋
And I hope you get some sleep soon.
Thank you Shell! I have also been thinking about whether all the shots I publish should be so staged... I think I like the idea of both. Some shots that show the chaos and others that are beautiful and glossy and perfect. I LOVE a gorgeous photograph where every detail has been tended to and one version of the truth has been meticulously presented. I think maybe all of art, in every form, is like this... it's intended to give us one part of the truth in an extreme way. So maybe we need both - art and real life.
A bit of both. Sounds a perfect balance to me. (And agreed about the glossy photography, it is an art form!)