Hello - it has been a little while :) Writing from the New York Public Library Picture Collection, with CHESS, BAKERIES, and CALIFORNIA LIFE folders strewn in front of me. Highly recommend a visit. Some other updates are that I've been juicing in the mornings, am heading to Japan next month for a tea trip, and have started drinking Masha SKIN tea, an old favorite of mine, again. BUT more importantly than all of this, I was recently lucky enough to visit Octave Jewelry's Brooklyn studio and drink nettle tea together. Below are some photos I took and TEA WITH my beautiful and brilliant friend, jeweler Ope Omojola.
Currently reading or listening to anything during tea time?
I’m an audiobook freak. I just started a book about Dopamine and addiction that I didn’t think was going to be so fascinating. I also love listening to film scores when I’m trying to think things through. Lately it’s been Philip Glass’ soundtrack to The Hours; there’s a song from it that I really want to learn on the piano.
When do you typically drink tea?
I’m pretty much always drinking it. I almost always start my day with a really strong brew of ginger, cinnamon, and lemon peels. I’ll go for something minty or floral midday, then maybe fenugreek or chamomile before bed.
What ceramicists do you love and/or what tea cups do you gravitate towards?
This is my great shame - I love ceramics and gorgeous teaware but in practice I’m a utilitarian. I have one beautiful mug a friend gave me as a birthday gift - it looks like a little cow. My other mugs are commemorative things or picked up at a thrift store. But in an ideal world I’d have some of Josephine Noel’s flower mugs, and a teapot by Zoe Dering - I have a gorgeous pitcher she made and I cherish it. I am also that person who is always photographing the tableware when I walk through the ‘decorative arts’ portion of a museum. If I didn’t live in a studio apartment I’d love to have a chintzy ornate tea set and a bauhaus-y metal one too.
Does tea have a place in your work?
It’s an invitation to pause, and a perfect creative companion while working on sketches or looking through books.
How do you make tea?
I like to put a handful of leaves in the French press, leave it overnight, then sip that all day on ice or just as is. I make my morning brew directly in a kettle, let the ginger and whatever else boil for a while, and drink it after it’s cooled down a bit. Otherwise, I have a Zojirushi water boiler for my other little beverages. A friend got it for me as a gift when I was in my early twenties and told me I’d understand why when I got older. I use it every day, it’s so simple but so delightful.
Do you have a favorite Masha Tea?
Nettle! As it brews it turns this juicy emerald color, and tastes so fresh and green.
Last thoughts on tea memories/ sensory experiences?
I grew up in a “no soft drinks” household, so tea was one of the first consumables I could experiment with and savor for fun. I loved watching water bloom with the color of steeping hibiscus flowers, or releasing the aroma of fresh mint from my mom’s garden.
