Smile You’re on Camera

Truth be told, I’ve never stolen anything in my life. Not a boyfriend from another girl, not a single piece of candy, term paper, tube of lip gloss, test answers or anything else that kids are stealing these days. So when I hear stories of people who steal others’ identities as a way of life I have to wonder – where’s the justice? Does karma ever catch up with these people or do they just lollygag through life as someone else until the credit cards are maxed out and it’s time to pick a new name? For many this is probably the case, if they keep their spending low enough and random enough. But for one of these thieves, things panned out a little differently.

As the story goes, in 2011 a photographer named Jessamyn Lovell had her wallet stolen from SF Camerawork a San Francisco gallery. As the unaccounted  charges started rolling in, Jessamyn decided to depart the typical path of someone in her shoes and, with the help of a private investigator, tracked down Erin Coleen Hart, the woman who had stolen her identity. What started out as a plot to confront the thief turned into a creative opportunity for Jessamyn. Rather than confront Erin, Jessamyn followed her and documented her daily routine through a series of photographs.

Images source petapixel.com

These photographs, along with others, were used in Jessamyn’s exhibition titled “Dear Erin Hart” which was displayed at SF Camerawork September 3 – October 18, 2014. Moral of the story, while not everyone ‘gets theirs’ so to speak, this story has cemented me in my ways and has made sure my streak of never stealing will continue for years to come. And for those who aren’t similarly deterred, don’t forget to smile – you never know when you could be on camera.

Posted by Gillian

One Damn Fine #FinishLine

We here at mm/c are truly blessed to have offices that overlook the finish line of the historical Boston Marathon. Painted just last week, the finish line is proudly emblazoned on Boylston street in the weeks leading up to the race.

It’s during this time that runners reach the peak of their training. Logging the craziest amount of the miles (until the big day of course!), starting to get serious about pre-race nutrition and, if they’re anything like us, post-race celebration.

A runner myself, the idea of logging 26.2 miles is definitely inspiring. That said, it just wasn’t on the docket for me this year. Thus, I’m left to ponder the truly important things in life – like Instagram.

For the sake of research, I stepped out of the office to log some facetime with the finish line and see which filters flatter the BAA logo best. To save you the trouble, I’ve included my findings below. It’s all a matter of preference, of course, but I have to say that Lo-Fi is my hands-down fave.

Consider this your cheat sheet for taking great shots on the big day!

Brannan:

Valencia:

Willow:

Mayfair:

Lo-Fi:

Posted by Erin K. 

Finding Wisdom in Unlikely Places

“Silence is sometimes the best answer”

“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”

“Input the value you want.”

One of these was the Dalai Lama, one was Saint Augustine and one was a calculator. It seems obvious that we idolize technology. Our church is the Apple store. Our Quran is Yahoo Answers. With all that in mind, is it surprising that you can find timeless wisdom in the instructions or commands of a technological object? The correct answer is, “No.”

A website, Twisted Sifter, compiled inspirational and thoughtful messages in technology and everyday household items. Below are some of my favorites.

When you feel like the world is moving too fast:

When you are wondering what it’s all about:

When it’s time for a change:

When you are facing a problem and just can’t think of a solution:

When it’s time to let go:

Posted by Ben

 

An Online Education in Taste

While my first design inspiration came in the form of a “white trash” theme for my high school dorm room (think Astroturf carpets, pink plastic flamingos and trucker hat collages), I like to think that my tastes have improved in the last 10 years or so. The natural development of good taste has, in no small part, been hurried along by a few key décor/style blogs that I like to reference – especially during those emotional times spent morning the loss of Domino magazine. *sobbing*

A breakdown of some favorites –

Adventures in Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone
A day-by-day account of a gut renovation – great photography, cool ideas.

Luxirare
A fashion/food blog by some wackadoodle who can afford to buy fistfuls of truffles and Chanel shoes with working light bulbs as heels. Most of the stuff is a little out there, even for me, but I appreciate the extreme attention to detail – personalized labels, clever presentation and painstaking construction.

Garance Doré
OK, so everyone knows Garance. She’s a hip little Parisian who’s engaged to The Sartorialist’s Scott Schuman (another favorite). She takes amazing street-style photos that make you want to move to France and wear socks with heels while riding a bike all over Paris.

Jak & Jil
This blog’s author, Tommy Ton, is pretty well-known in the fashion world and there’s a good reason why. His candids of Vogue editors outside the tents at Fashion Week have this incredible way of making their clothes so much more interesting than those on the runway models.

Good Bones, Great Pieces
A mother/daughter duo with pretty sweet pedigrees (mom worked for Martha Stewart Living Television, daughter is a features writer at Teen Vogue). Their aesthetic is all about finely-edited taste.

A couple more that have hit my radar – SightUnseen and Decor8. And if you’re still on the hunt, check out the sites above and see whose blogs they watch – always interesting to see who inspires who.

Posted by Amelia