“By the time we got onto World War II i was a nodding soundboard, a bobblehead stuck to the dashboard of a car I wasn’t driving.”
This month on The People We Meet I speak to Stephanie, the female owner of an auto glass garage. Stuck in a small neon lit waiting room with a man who knew how the world started, how it was going to end and all the conspiracy theories in-between, she and I find solace in stories as old as time and our favorite cups of tea.
Following that we venture into the world of Warby Parker and the celebrities I photographed for their new Editions campaign.
STEPHANIE and ….
A few months ago I discovered a crack splicing across the windshield of my car. Doing anything grownup like fixing a broken window sends me into a panic and procrastination set in, it wasn’t until a heavy snowstorm, pushing the crack further along its journey, that I finally called a garage. Walking into the small neon-lit offices a loud bell announced my arrival. It was warm in there with windows beginning to fog. From out of the back came a tall attractive woman, dark hair piled on top of her head and thick black Amy Winehouse eyeliner swiped across her eyes. Her name was Stephanie she was the owner. Pointing to the four black pleather chairs that fit snuggly into the corner she told me in a thick raspy voice that I could wait there but warned it could take up to two hours. Located in a desolate industrial park and with at least five inches of snow already clogging up the streets I had little choice but to wait. Across the linoleum floor an old TV was on, a muted Gordon Ramsay silently destroying lives. Two seats over a man sat waiting for his car. I smiled as I sat down, excited that I had the excuse for two hours of reading, two quiet hours for me.
“Are you from England?” he asked
This question is never really about me, for the most part, peoples interests lie in being able to talk about their connection to the country, what family members used to live there, or where they had been on their vacations. In this case, the man had three friends from different parts of England who he had met online. They were gaming buddies. Middle-aged men talking about playing video games frightens me. They make me think of mother's basements and kidnappings, a life stunted with no proper connection to reality or women. I asked the usual questions about where his friends were from hoping the conversation would end there and I could get my book out. On the chair next to him lay a magazine about guns. He spied it, he saw me spy it, and before I could grab a lifeline we free fell into conspiracy theories and preparations for invasion. I zipped my bag up…. click here to read rest of the story.
What else, what else….
This summer I worked on a dream job with Warby Parker and the seven celebrities who designed frames for their new Editions campaign. Traveling from East to West and back again we shot actor/director Natasha Lyonne, celebrity chef David Chang, NBA star Jordan Poole, stylist Gabrilla Karefa-Johnson, artist Jose Parla, internet personalities Reece Feldman and Zaya Wade. Below are some of the shots.
A big thank you and so much love to my pal Molly Dowd who brought me in and introduced me to everyone at Warby Parker. The last time I saw her was at the meeting with them where the idea that I work on this shoot was planted. We all sat around a big wooden table, laughing, gossiping and planning. I left there thinking how much fun it would be to work there with them. Thanks PP, I miss you so much, we talk about you all the time
That’s that for this month.
Thanks for taking the time to come all the way down here with me.
Until next time,
Stay childish.
Frances x