This past Valentine’s Day, we asked a few of our artists to show us their hearts. More to the point, we asked them to share with us what about this industry makes their hearts beat faster – gets them moving, and inspires them.
Carrie Purcell wanted to share this polaroid from Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. “What gets my heart going is food! I guess that would be expected since I’m a food stylist, but not everyone in this world is lucky enough to do what they are passionate about for a living – not just food, but the experience of food and what it means to share a meal. Whether it’s a cheese plate & bottle of wine at home with my husband, a spread of comforting classics at a holiday meal with family or new flavors shared with friends in a cozy cafe – food brings us together and moves us”.
The house of Big Leo was full of new arrivals in 2009, so it’s no surprise that there is new inspiration in the lives of our many talented artists. For photographer Melissa Punch, her very own “sweet pea” will surely provide enough beats of the heart to last a lifetime. It’s nice to watch the circular motion of life continually influence the work of our artists.
Stylist Scott Horne literally gave us the key to his heart (he’ll take these, in no particular order, please):
- Timbuktu eau de toilette by L’Artisan Parfumeur
- Farrow salad at Al Di La, Park Slope (YUM!)
- Air Vail winter boot by Cole Haan
- Liam soft grey baby alpaca throw by Area
- Almondine baguette, by Almondine Bakery DUMBO
- Deep tissue massage, Great Jones Spa (this is the way to ANY Big Leo’s heart)
- All things White Forest, pottery
- Large Black Coffee from Ninth Street Espresso
- Ultra Lightweight Hiking Crew Socks by Patagonia
- leather goods by M0851
and the *bonus* skeleton key to his heart:
- Humanity! (ala The Red Cross)
What gets photographer Jim Bastardo’s heart going is the promise of possibilities. Captured in the aspirational lifestyle images he creates, moments like this do indeed convey the possibilities of what can happen today.
• possibilities- unspecified qualities of a promising nature; potential.
We asked Australian photographer Justin Bernhaut what gets his heart beating and this is what we got:
Who needs an answer with an image like this? We don’t know about you, but it makes our heart beat, too! “Rocker” sure does run in this family…
And, when we asked photographer Frank Heckers, the answer was pure and simple: “when my heart is moved I believe what I see”.
Finally, it’s impossible for anyone who has ever heard of Big Leo not to know what gets our hearts beating. There’s this little gimpy pitbull named Riley whom we’ve unofficially assigned to be our mascot:
But, more importantly, what gives us motivation to do what we do, what makes our hearts beat day in and out is the enormous sense of pride and satisfaction we feel when each and every one of our artists is appreciated for their incredible talents, then booked and re-booked. As Jim Bastardo puts it, “the promise of possibilities” is what drives us and keeps us looking forward in the direction of our dreams.
