7 questions, interview with beau & meggan of the world effect

The Route from The World Effect on Vimeo.

Less than a handful of years ago a small group of friends and I took a weekend trip to Austin. We went for the micheladas, the brisket and the humidity, believe it or not. We also went for the culture indicative only in Austin, keep Austin weird has long been the motto. Most importantly we went for the music. The Austin City Limits music festival to be precise. Jevan, then boyfriend, and I rounded up a group of BBQ loving music goers and made our way South.

When planning a trip of this caliber, one in which people will be meeting for the very first time and there is only one hotel room, it's obvious everyone should get along. Because, Austin in September with 90,000 other festival goers isn't the most glamorous of vacations. Add sharing a hotel room with 4 adults and the anti is just upped. Unexplainable things happen after drinking Lone Stars all day, eating brisket and wearing sandals. One Meggan aptly dubbed body mud. Needless to say, it's close quarters and getting along with hotel-mates is required.

Little did anyone expect this little weekend getaway would spark a relationship. A relationship so perfect, everyone said, why didn't we think of that, even with 1200 miles separating the two. I was even in denial for a little while. Not because I didn't want it to happen. I didn't want it to not happen. Not soon enough, everything became real and Meggan picked up her world in Atlanta and moved to Denver. Finally I could uncross my fingers.

What began as a weekend trip, transformed into Meggan and Beau traveling the world to fulfill their dreams. As the name, The World Effect, implies, they want to see what effect the world will have on their lives. In turn they will do everything possible to make a positive effect on the world we live in. Impressive to say the least. Let them be your inspiration for the week, month or however long you decide. They are out there making something cool happen instead of waiting for it to come to them.

Recently, I Skyped with Meggan and Beau to check in on how their trip is going. They agreed to answer 7 questions for me.

1. Give me some trip stats (last updated June 17, 2009).
We have a trip score card we update regularly on the right side of our blog but here's the latest
Countries - 21
Travel Days - 125
Boats - 17
Trains - 12
Buses - 52
Airplanes - 29

2. What is the most unusual thing you have attempted to eat?
Guinea Pig in Peru. I (Meggan) picked out a live one at the market and it was promptly cooked for dinner. Probably won't do that one again. No, it wasn't like chicken.

3. What is your favorite place so far?
The 4 day hike to Machu Picchu and climbing the last 50 steps to a thick layer of fog. At first, the fog was disappointing because we wanted to see everything. Once it lifted we had the most incredible view. So surreal. The clouds, fog and mist only added to the drama.

4. You take incredible photos. Each time I look at your blog, I'm continually impressed. What kind of camera do you use?
We have 2 camera bodies: Canon 40D and a 50D (because we don't share well when it comes down to who gets to shoot, we both love photography). We have 4 lenses: an all around 17-85mm, a telephoto 70-300mm, a wide 10-22mm, and a macro 100mm. We also lug around a manfrotto tripod. Our video camera is a sony HD handycam.

5. You packed light, a rolling backpack and a small day pack for an entire year. What are a few things you can't live without?
For simply living, we would have to say sunscreen, bug spray, and bottled water. For non essentials, we use our laptop and cameras everyday.

6. On a trip like this, you take the minimum. I know you both paired down your bags. Now that you've been traveling for over 100 days, are there things you can live without?
Beau would say his solar power charger. I would say maybe I could have done with less clothes, but I have worn everything I brought.

7. What's next?
We have been in Africa since early June, mostly in a tent. We are heading north and planning to visit Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Egypt through the beginning of August. Then on to a new continent.

photos: the World Effect LLC.

7 questions - interview with scott hasson

In 2006 I met Scott Hasson on a lousy soccer field playing coed. Eventually he joined my team full time and we've been playing soccer together once a week since that summer. It took over a summer of playing together and a few beers after games to find out he's a photographer. And a great one at that. 

His quiet and modest nature is passed on through his photography. The work he produces evokes an old world feel. Like the shots were photographed ages ago instead of weeks. Part of that is due to his meticulous attention to detail and hours spent setting up for the perfect shot. All this just to capture every intricacy whether perfect or not. 

7 questions - interview with scott hasson

kc: Where are you from?

scott: I'm from Maryland but live in Colorado now.

kc: When did you start photographing? 

scott: I always enjoyed taking photos but I never had an official camera until 1998. I decide to go back to school for photography, my first major was Sports Medicine, and got a degree in photography from the Art Institute of Colorado. Over the past 8 years have I made photography my profession.    

kc: What are you working on these days? 

scott: Currently a trip to the Pacific Northwest is in the works. The series is going to be called water. I would like to go for a month, camp and just shoot. I usually travel alone on these trips so I don't have to worry about other agendas. My time is limited and this way I can focus on what I want to get done.

kc: Digital or film? 

scott: Film. Digital is great to an extent. I have a digital point and shoot that I took on my honeymoon so I wouldn't spend the entire trip working. For work I use a large format camera and film. There is something about film that isn't captured through digital. 

kc: Any tricks of the trade?

scott: I've been working on light painting. When most photographers are packing up because the light is going down, I'm just getting started. I would say another is patience. I'll wait for hours and hours just to get one perfect shot rather the instant gratification of using digital. 

kc: What/who is your inspiration? 

scott: For photography, David Burdeny, Chip Hooper, and Bruce Barnbaum all have amazing work.

kc: Since this blog is a collective, is there anything you collect?

scott: My wife would say I collect anything made out of wood. I would say I collect unique wood stumps with the purpose of making either furniture or just as design elements.

7 questions - interview with justin cucci of root down

"We really do give a shit." That's what Justin Cucci, owner of Root Down, told me when I met with him recently. This is apparent because he took time out of his day to meet with me, just a girl with a blog. After making that statement, he told me that although they are busy, the focus will always remain on their roots; good quality food and unpretentious service. If by chance they ever stray, the concept is so strong it will be an easy reminder to get back to the focus. One might think this is a no-brainer but in the service industry, once you're hot, it's ironic how simple it can be to forget humble beginnings. Fortunately, a name like Root Down will make things easier. He went on to say, "when we were first getting started and had only 10 reservations per night we were really able to focus on these things, we want to offer that same quality when we have 100 reservations per night."

You might remember my first post, i kick it root down, about the new Denver hot spot. I ate there in January with some friends and was impressed. I shared my post with Justin (nothing like a little shameless self promotion) and he invited me back to get a better feel of the space, take some pictures and learn a little more about the concept. Now on to part two.

1 Why Denver? I'm from NYC, I spent 27 years there and started my first restaurant. Then moved to Key West for 10 years and started two restaurants. The city (NYC) is emotionally and spiritually exhausting and to an extent, Key West is just the opposite. I needed a happy medium and Denver seemed fit.

2 Tell me more about the concept. Did you always want a mid century modern restaurant or did it evolve? The seed was planted in 2007. I knew I wanted to do seasonal sophisticated food yet a little gritty. I found the garage and added the other half of the building and the interiors were inspired by the architecture. It's such a great corner I wanted to bring life to it and hopefully the neighborhood.

3 Why the name Root Down? It's a jazz term about improve and pays homage to Jimmy Smith, a legendary jazz musician. The term literally means to return to the root of the song after a jam. I want the restaurant to always come back to it's roots regardless of what direction we stray, the concept should pull us back to our beginnings.

4 You're from NYC, does the name have any influence from the Beastie Boys song Root Down? To an extent the restaurant references the Beastie Boys. Growing up in New York and listening to them was an influence on me. I feel like the restaurant has both parts; the sophistication and the grit. The dining room references the jazz side and the bar is more about the Beastie Boys.

5 What's the best kept secret? The patio. We won't open it until it's warmer but it's going to add a new life to the restaurant. A new layer.

6 Can you name a few menu favorites? The organic carrot and red curry soup with pear apple chutney, the seared diver scallops and the veggie burger sliders. The menu will change seasonally with a few favorites that will remain.

7 What about the interiors? They were spurred from the 50's gas station. I worked with a designer to help me edit and make sense of all my Craigs list and ebay vintage finds. I bought vintage pendant lights, old rotary phones, signs, gym flooring and chairs. We also installed a reclaimed 1950's phone booth located just off the bar. The space definitely inspired the interiors.

photos: all photos taken by kid collective

7 questions - interview with audra knutson

marid, 12x36

About this time last year I started searching for a piece of art. I'm talking a bonafide piece. Something that would begin a collection, something that told a story. Since this was my first official purchase, if you don't count music posters and anything under $25, I wanted it to be just right. Did I mention it was a gift for my husband on our first anniversary?

In my research I came across Audra Knutson. She showed about two years ago at one of my favorite galleries in Denver. I missed the show but Space Gallery happened to have a few of her pieces left and was willing to let me peruse. In her series, Audra created linocuts at a very large scale. Just so you know I have this thing for line work. I don't know if it's the influence of design school, the years of working for architects or the fact that I love detail. Either way, she had exactly what I love. When I saw her work in person, it was that much more perfect. So, when I decided to incorporate artist interviews, it seemed fitting that my first official art purchase would become my first official interview with an artist.

the loss

of fear

1 Where are you living these days? I lived in Brooklyn after college and then moved to Chicago for a short stint. While in Chicago, I visited San Francisco and fell in love with the city. So I moved back to Denver to save money and plan a way to get to San Francisco.

2 Why linocuts? My dad is a carpenter by trade. So the tools he used always intrigued me. I like the tactile process and the work involved in creating a linocut. When living in NY and working at a record store a friend game me tiny lino blocks. She just handed them to me and said, I think you'll like this. Later my roommate, who is a painter and sculpture, gave me a book on printmaking. It evolved from there. I went from doing 2"x2" blocks to 4"x4" blocks. Because space in the city is at a minimum and I wanted to work less and create more I decided to move back to Denver to be creative and save money. While there I went from tiny 2"x2" linocuts to 36"x36".

3 Where do you begin when you start a new piece? Is it the name, an idea, concept? I start with a photograph or an image in my head. Then I start drawing. While living in Denver I would ride my bike past Washington Park and see these perfectly manicured flowers that were so vibrant. One day I decided to photograph them and they were eventually integrated into one of my prints. I would just take weird aspects of obscure ideas and with linoleum those loose ideas would translate based on patterns due to the tools or even through little mistakes while carving. When carved, the piece takes on this whole other thing from the original concept.

4 The piece of yours that I have is 16 of 17 in a series. Is there anything behind the number 17? I like 7's, I like things to be a little off and the set to be more quirky rather than a typical series of 5 or 10.

5 Are you currently working on anything now? When I first moved to San Francisco, I did a few linocuts because I had access to printing facilities. Most recently I've been working on large scale drawings, which is a whole new thing. With linocuts the drawing is a preparatory step; it's something to get me started before I carve and print. Unlike the prints from my linocuts these drawings are a one of a kind piece. They are large scale, 22x30, with French shellac based ink and gouache. I'm also working with washes, 2-3 colors at first and now on to monochromatics with shades of blue. It's the same level of detail as seen in my linocuts but the figure has fallen out. Lately I'm drawing lots of structures, boat frames, buildings, crumbling temples. There are a few figures but they are more obscure. Right now it's more about abstracted buildings and fields of environments with the same sort of emptiness as before.

6 Are you currently showing your work? My work is showing at 18 Reasons in San Francisco until March 1st.

7 Who inspires you? In Denver, there are two painters who inspire me very much with the dedication to their craft and their beautiful imagery: Andrew Warner and Jean Warner. They are siblings and are showing work at the Hinterland Gallery. The show opened in Denver on February 6th. I also find Paul Wackers paintings to be oddly beautiful and intriguing. And in Barcelona, Spain, a dear friend, Gloria Vilches Fernandez, who I knew when we both lived in Chicago, makes stunning collages.