I went to Nashville last weekend to learn a thing or two about food and prop styling from the inimitable Beth Kirby of Local Milk. I agree it’s a decadent notion to fly somewhere for a seven hour workshop but I love Beth’s work, I love to learn, I love to travel, I love music, I love southern food and the promise of all that seemed justification enough to venture into a red state at the height of the most soul-destroying election season in modern history.
It would try the outermost boundaries of your patience to explain what I learned from Beth in such a short time, but 25 pages of notes and a buzzing brain left me wanting to be not only a better photographer, but indeed a wiser, gentler, more appreciative, gracious, and unlikeliest of all considering the climate of these times, a more hopeful person. To say it was worth the journey is an understatement even though there were aspects of the city that I described to the Baron as downright Lynchian.
I don't knit, but the yarns at Earthen Studio make me want to.
I made some new friends in Nashville. We are forming a band.
I had approximately 12 hours outside of the workshop which I filled mostly in East Nashville where I was staying. I didn't even make it to the much heralded downtown strip, but if ever you should find yourself in Nashville’s sunny, if occasionally bizarre borders, you can be assured to pass a happy hour or two amongst these folks:
- IMBIBE: East Nashville Beer Works for pizza, beer, outdoor deck, yes please.
- HEAR: The Basement East for a delicious trifecta of William Wild, Steelism, Lera Lynn.
- REFUEL: Garage Coffee Company - the most adept and kindest barista on earth even asked after my jacked up hand (don’t ask).
- NOSH: AMOT - Fried chicken and mashed potatoes with this dear old friend. Enriching for mind and stomach.
- BROWSE: Earthen Studio - Goodies for body and home, a balm to the eyeballs and soul.
Here are some outtakes from the workshop with Spiced Madelines + Lapsung Caramel, prepared and styled by La Kirby, which we all agreed, due to some unplanned-for caramel-cooling, looked like something out of a scene from CSI. Très seasonal.
The scene before the crime.
