Photo Styling with Interior Designer Noz Nozawa

Whether you're setting up a shop or doing online dating, you probably already know that it's important to have good photos. I was vaguely aware of this the first time I picked up a DSLR camera about a year ago. But now that I've gone through a few different rounds of product photography, I'm blown away by just how much of a difference it makes! My photos have improved dramatically over the last year, and I'm actually starting to enjoy the whole process! 

My most recent shoot was extra fun because I had some help from interior designer Noz Nozawa! She and I met a few months ago through Makeshift Society, which is a coworking space and community for Bay Area creatives. We bonded quickly over our shared background: Ivy League educations, tech marketing jobs, and finally, venturing out on our own. 

Noz's whole portfolio is beautiful, but her own home in Hayes Valley is insane -- charcoal walls, marble surfaces, and quirky accents and art. I'd been drooling over it ever since it was featured on Curbed last fall. So when Noz offered to let me photograph some of my pieces in her gorgeous apartment, I jumped at the chance!

I packed up my camera gear and my latest pieces in a couple suitcases, and headed over to her place. She made me feel at home, and let me rearrange pretty much anything I wanted so that I could get beautiful, clean shots. 

After experimenting a bit, I eventually got in the zone and played around with different ways of styling each piece. I even got some new ideas for how my pieces could be used! For instance, I'd always imagined the Marble Strip Stand as part of a vanity arrangement. But when I saw Noz's extensive (and beautiful!) whiskey collection, I realized the stand would make for a nice bar accessory!

Check out the photos from the shoot below. And if you like anything you see, head over to the shop to purchase it! (I finally set up a fully-functional e-commerce shop, yay!)

Huge thank-you to Noz for her encouragement, inspiration, and for sharing her space with me!

Recap: FUTURES Showcase

Nicole Sweeney and I had a blast at the FUTURES: RAW Artists Showcase on Wednesday night! It was a multi-modal art show hosted at the San Francisco nightclub 1015 Folsom, and it featured 60+ artists, including visual artists, live music, pole dancing, aerial performances, and poetry. Nicole and I teamed up on a joint wood+metal booth, which came out pretty well, if I do say so myself! 

A few days before the show, we decided to join forces on a booth, rather than doing separate, side-by-side booths. I think it came together really beautifully! Nicole had her gorgeous wood wall hangings up on the white walls she built herself (in her small, SF apartment, no less!), and I had my steel stuff out on the table. We strung up some cozy lights, unrolled a rug, and set up the nesting tables we designed and made together. Preparing for the show was truly a team effort, with both of our partners and Nicole's family helping out in the days leading up to the show. So much more fun than doing a solo booth!

Most of the pieces are still available, so contact me if you're interested in buying anything you see!

Nesting Tables: Elektra Steel x Nicole Sweeney

This set of triangular nesting tables was a fun collaboration with woodworker Nicole Sweeney, and I think it might actually be the coolest thing I've ever made. Nicole and I designed the piece together, she made the rad geometric tops out of wood, and I welded steel bases for each of the three tables. We'll be debuting it tonight at the FUTURES show at 1015 Folsom in SF! And if you love it as much as I do, it can be yours!

Nicole and I actually only met a month ago, which seems crazy, given how close we've become since then! We were both selected to show our work at the FUTURES show, and we met at the walk-through for the event in mid-December. We struck up a conversation, took a quick look at each other's Instagrams (see here and here), and fell in love. As we were leaving, Nicole casually asked, "Hey, wanna collaborate on a project sometime?" 

Over the next few weeks, we texted ideas and sketches back and forth. Nicole's specialty is making beautiful, geometric wall hangings out of wood, and we thought it would be fun to turn her signature triangular pieces into a set of nesting tables. She came up with a striking pattern for the table tops, and I designed a simple set of bases that would complement the bold tops. 

Working with Nicole was magical. Not only did we work well together, but we also became fast friends -- we shared meals and coffees, met each other's partners, and discovered that we had a lot of the same passions (road biking, camping, yoga). 

We're also in similar stages in our careers. It's been so helpful to talk through business and creative challenges together. Turning one's art into a business is an emotional roller coaster, and having someone who both inspires and coaches you is such a gift! My studio mate Jeff from Krakatoa Design has played this role in my life for the last year, and I'm so grateful to now have two buddies who are going through the same things that I am! The three of us are already fantasizing about the kickass metal and wood shop we're going to share one day...

Come see our Nesting Tables in person tonight at the FUTURES show! We'll be at 1015 Folsom in SF from 7-11pm tonight. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 at the door. And if you'd like to buy the set of tables, we're selling it for $1500!

Let me know what you think of our nesting tables! I have a feeling that this won't be the last Elektra Steel x Nicole Sweeney collab, so if you have ideas for what we should make next, leave me a note in the comments section!

Newsletter: January 2016

Elektra Steel is kicking off 2016 with an artist showcase at a nightclub, a pop-up shop at West Elm, and a wood+metal collaboration with Nicole Sweeney! Check out today's newsletter for more. Want to get the newsletter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here!

FUTURES Show + Raffle + Nicole Sweeney Collab

UPDATE 1/19/16: Raffle is now closed! You can still buy tickets to attend the show, but the drawing for the vase is over.

I've got some fun announcements to kick off the new year: details on my next show, a special friends-and-family raffle, and an upcoming collaboration with woodworker Nicole Sweeney! 

I'm doing a show in a few weeks called FUTURES, and it's going to be one hell of an evening: There will be visual arts, live music, dance performances, poetry, comedy, and a fashion runway show. It's at 7 pm on Wednesday, January 27th, at 1015 Folsom (nightclub in SOMA). Come by after work for an hour or two after work!

Tickets are $20 each, and I'm doing a special for Elektra Steel friends and family! For every FUTURES ticket you buy in the next two weeks, you'll get one raffle ticket to win a large Wedge Vase (worth $85). I'm capping the contest at 20 entries, so get your ticket ASAP! Use this link to buy tickets -- it's the only way I can track which Elektra Steel friends and family are entered to win the Wedge Vase. May the odds be ever in your favor!

I'm also excited to announce that I'll be debuting a new collaboration with woodworker Nicole Sweeney! Nicole is a kickass artist and maker who's based in SF, and I'm obsessed with her work. If you like her style, make sure to buy a ticket to the show -- you'll get first dibs on our upcoming wood + metal collab pieces!