The Wandering Bark

Yesterday I had tea with a friend and conversation turned to our long term aspirations for our careers and the quality of life we'd like to have as artists. Here's the question that arose: How do we continue putting our best efforts forward in the more practical corners of our career while finding a balance of artistic pursuits that foster a real exchange of ideas, talent, and emotional depth that makes being in this line of work so rewarding?

Enter Julia Ziegler-Haynes. A brooklyn based graphic artist. She has a deft hand at prints and you can see some of her work showcased at Cavernhome; a boutique wallpaper design firm.

but listen to this,

When she's not making gorgeous art, she is the heart and soul of "The Dinner Bell"; a twice a month, seasonally prepared four-course meal in an East Williamsburg home. AMAZING.

There's a little feature on her culinary brainchild in Papermagazine, this month. Here's a short quote from her interview, that I found particularly inspiring:

" I don't want The Dinner Bell to just be 'Let's all sit and moan and go crazy over the food.' That's part of the experience -- it's also about getting to know people. The first course, you're breaking the ice and by the end everyone's exchanging emails...I like that people can come here knowing they have time reserved for them and only them."

So I still don't know the answer to my first question, but I know that it's possible to have your cake and eat it too; to do what you love and love what you do... you can be a graphic designer and a slow-food chef.

Perhaps the sooner we stop believing that we must adhere to one passion and embrace our multidimensionality, is when magic starts to happen. On that note, reserve your spot at a beautifully set, communal table with a few perfect strangers in Brooklyn, and start dreaming big.