We are missing our friends alot. Yes, we can video chat, but we're finding that it's not the same as physical proximity, as real intimacy. Turns out here is no replacing being close to the minutiae of each other's lives, the tiny details of someone else's world that are so rich. Their cooking, the way they dress, laugh, their wacky facial expressions. I honestly even miss the stuff I thought bugged me.
Wishing to somehow approximate that closeness, looking to scratch that itch, we sent clothes to a few photographer friends and asked for snapshots of their time at home, in isolation. They're coming back now, and it actually works! An impression of very real people, at home, where things are so normal, yet so not. Over the coming weeks we will be bringing you a series of these stories. Nothing epic, but rather some glimpses of the comforting familiar.
Myleen Hollero is a San Francisco photographer who we met through mutual friends at the tiny world that is West Coast Craft. I like to think we hit it off right away, and it's always a highlight running into her there. Now we have the strange modern joy of checking in digitally, and watching each other's children grow from afar...
All photos Myleen Hollero
What did you do before the pandemic, and what do you do now?
I work as a freelance photographer. I'm lucky I am still getting some work in Covid time - I specialize in photographing people, places, timing and space. Being freelance for so long, I've become quite used to operating in unknown and unpredictable spaces, feast or famine - peaks and valleys. But I never could have imagined work during a pandemic! But here we are...I'm so grateful and really lucky to still have some work. But it will change...it always does.
If you feel comfortable discussing, what has been the biggest challenge about the pandemic for you?
The biggest challenge has been maintaining focus and my mental health...it's pretty challenging trying to plan for an unknown future...but my pandemic/quarantine situation is pretty comfy compared to others. I don't take that for granted.
Any recommendations of the moment - movies, songs, recipes, drug cocktails, stretches, or breathing techniques?
It's all day by day for me. For a while I was just focusing on drinking 9 glasses of water! Lying on the ground for a few minutes daily is also pretty grounding. (pun intended!) When I'm feeling low and lonely, watching the sunset is always a good salve.
