WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD BE SURPRISED TO FIND IN YOUR SPACE?
Perhaps technology. Although our work is not high-tech in its nature, we use a lot of technology when creating. Mostly because I like to see and hold and touch everything along the way. We 3D-print a lot of components even before we start prototyping, so I have a chance to really feel every part. Inevitably things change in subtle ways I would never have expected from drawings and renders alone.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL WORKSPACE IN THREE WORDS…
Focused, textured, energetic.
WHERE DID YOU FIND THE COURAGE TO FOLLOW YOUR OWN PATH?
I was fortunate to work with very talented people from a young age. I think so much of my headstrong spirit was forged by these people. I worked with creatives who had built everything they had from the ground up. I was able to see what they did that worked and didn’t work. I started to understand how strong my own instincts were.
WHAT IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE PRACTICAL TIP YOU COULD IMPART ON TO A FELLOW CREATIVE?
“Don’t force it,” and what I do takes a lot of planning, so over the years, I have gotten better at giving myself enough time to work on a collection or project. Now, I know how long my process takes for me to feel best about the results. It has also allowed me to say no to projects, even if I think I could technically stretch it and make it work. I have become more aware of the things I look back at and regret or that stick out when I look at the finished product or space. And it’s not just about execution. This also relates to concept. I feel like I have to let myself live with an idea for a while before I feel it’s ready. All of this is built into our studio calendar at this point.
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR 18-YEAR-OLD SELF?
Honestly I would tell him that he’s loved, and that he’ll find all the love he’s looking for. I also might tell him his haircut isn’t working, but maybe I’d let him figure that one out on his own.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO CENTER YOURSELF AND FIND FOCUS?
I find my focus in music and in conversation with friends and colleagues. I think I’m most centered when I’m able to tap into something larger than myself.
DOES THE SPACE YOU WORK IN HAVE AN INTERESTING STORY?
It was built as a school in the late 1800s. The main part of our studio occupies the top floor, which was originally the gymnasium, so we had these huge unbroken volumes, and we could carve into everything we needed and still have a sense of drama! For twenty-some years, before we took over the space, it was the home and studio of the painter Philip Taaffe. He had left it pretty raw, so when we got there we were standing in a turn-of-the-century school, with paint splatters on all the walls from where his enormous canvases had been. It was pretty wild, and I think he left a lot of good creative energy in the space.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN THE SPACE?
I am most proud of my team. We’ve put together a really amazing, dynamic group of people that come into the studio every day and help us make beautiful things. For as much as we’ve grown and evolved, we still have some of our first team members around. I don’t think I realized when I first started Apparatus how close I would get to some of these people, and how they would feel like family.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM PROJECT?
I want to design a nightclub. Dancing is my meditation, and I think these spaces have so much power. I can’t help but redesign every club I have ever been to in my mind; it’s just the person I am. I would love to put that into action and make my perfect club with all the dark corners and runways and meeting points that I long for.
