Creative Icon Brita Filter

My interviews with icons from a variety of creative realms continue on ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME.  I get together with creative talents to discuss how they approach their days and careers while photographer Maura Sullivan shoots it all in black and white.  The photos and interviews can be found on ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME’s website

Below is some additional insight on what I see that Brita and I share in common.  

Creative Icon Brita Filter

Brita Filter Reeves Desk Lamp Barry Goralnick Currey
Brita Filter finds her light
(Reeves desk lamp by Barry Goalnick for Currey & Co.; photo: Maura Sullivan)

Last year, Brita and I met through a connection in the theater (my other obsession).  Immediately, her warm presence and hilarious sense of humor made me feel that she was like family. I’ve seen her perform live at Hardware, a club in Manhattan, where she was hysterical, smart, and cranked it up to 150%.  It’s an unforgettable show that shouldn’t be missed.  Brita is a tour-de-force of positive energy, community cheerleading, and great entertainment.

Prior to becoming the drag icon Brita is today, she performed on stage in regional productions and national tours, including Cinderella and South Pacific. This experience has prepared her for an act that is way beyond the expected drag show – it’s clear you are being entertained by a true professional who knows how to work the stage, hoof it, and charm the pants off you – sometimes literally! 

Barry Goralnick Brita Filter Nick Silverio Davy Desk Lamp Currey
Barry, Brita Filter, and Nick Silverio having a laugh
(Davy desk lamp by Barry Goralnick for Currey & Co.; photo: Maura Sullivan)

At first blush, Brita and I couldn’t appear more different, but we share commonalities in our creative pursuits.  For starters, we both love a little bling and a lot of glamour.  And we both know how to pull a look together. 

The day of our shoot, her imposing glamour (over six feet of it) was awe-inspiring. Meticulously put together, she wore a red wig that would make even Ann Margret jealous. Her black sequined dress was perfectly detailed to feature every asset. Black tassels tastefully graced the top of her décolletage (I’ve been known to use a few tassels on pillows, settees – for some spice as needed). 

We also share a deep commitment and passion for what we do.  We each pay attention to specific elements that, when put together correctly, deliver something memorable that people can enjoy.  Plus, we each care for the communities we work in and believe in bringing people together through our work.  We know that no one does it alone. 

I couldn’t be happier seeing Brita on RuPaul’s Drag Race – I believe the more people who experience her positive energy, the happier this world will be.  And these days, who couldn’t use a little more joy?!  Brita’s “anything but pure” tagline is perfectly apt for her performance, but definitely a misnomer for the big heart that lies within.       

Brita Filter Drag Queen Reeves Desk Lamp Barry Goralnick Currey Maura Sullivan
Brita dreaming up her next big move
(Reeves desk lamp by Barry Goralnick for Currey & Co.; photo: Maura Sullivan)

To read my interview with Brita Filter, click here.

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Creative Icon David Korins

My series of interviews with creative icons continues with David Korins on ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME.  I visit creative talents where they work and live to talk about what’s brought them to where they are in their careers.  Photographer Maura Sullivan captures it all in her own iconic black and white style.  The photos and interviews can be found on ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME’s website. Read more below for more on how David Korins and I have worked together in the past.  

Creative Icon David Korins

I met David Korins through my other passion – theater. At the time, he was a twenty-something wunderkind running the set department at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. We had dinner one night and he was ruminating about a problem with a set that was just about to go into production. Overnight, he re-painted the entire set a monochromatic color. It was a big hit.

I was impressed by his boldness and his talent. Later I hired him to design the sets for an Off-Broadway show I was co-producing, Eve-olution, and a regional production of the musical Saint Heaven.

David Korins Barry Goralnick Reeves Desk Lamp Currey
David Korins and Barry at David Korins Design.
Reeves desk lamp for Currey & Co. Photo: Maura Sullivan

David has a knack for doing what only theater can achieve: he can suggest the time and place without being literal. That gives the theater-goer the license to expand their imagination in a way that no other medium does. He is also the master of “the big reveal,” which can be jaw-dropping.  Just when you think you’ve seen the extent of David’s set, it reveals even more and elevates the theatricality of the piece.  The experience can be breath-taking.

Since then, I have watched David’s career skyrocket as he has designed sets for Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Beetlejuice, and the Broadway bound Mrs. Doubtfire.  Plus he’s created sets for many major rock concert shows including Kanye, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, and Sir Elton John.  Not to mention, the Academy Awards.

I was on the Board of The Edge Theater Company, that he founded with director Carolyn Cantor and was lucky to see his process – and the resulting productions – closely.  Some of my favorites were Orange Flower Water and Blackbird.    

David and I can talk for hours and it was fun to shoot this in his office, which is full of sketches, models, and wonderful “weird stuff.”  David never stops creating, believing you’re only as good as your most recent work.  It’s a reason he’s the creative icon he is today. 

Read my interview with David on ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME here.

Creative Icon David Korin photographed by Maura Sullivan
Creative Icon David Korins photographed by Maura Sullivan
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Creative Icon Scott Bromley

Creative icon Scott Bromley is next in my series of interviews on ASPIRE HOME AND DESIGN, where I talk with talented friends across industries about how they’ve made it.  It’s all documented in stunning black and white photos shot by Maura Sullivan.  The photos and interviews can be found on ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME’s website.  Below talks more about how Scott and I know each other.

Creative Icon Scott Bromley

Scott Bromley is a legendary figure in New York. Just the fact that he designed Studio 54 would cement his place in history. There is not a single book or documentary about New York life in the 70’s that doesn’t feature Scott. He knew Warhol and everyone imaginable, and he was even photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe.

Creative Icon Scott Bromley Barry Goralnick Reeves Desk Lamp Currey
Scott Bromley & Barry at Bromley Caldari.
Reeves desk lamp for Currey & Co. Photo: Maura Sullivan

Scott is a great modernist architect and has designed over 60 homes on Fire Island alone.  He and his business partner, Jerry Caldari have run the gamut of projects from landmark buildings, restorations, and apartment buildings to a block-long rooftop farm in Long Island City.  

For years, I knew of Scott and saw him around, but I was too in awe of him to approach him (ironic, because he’s one of the most approachable people I know).  Then, years ago, I joined the Designers Collaborative, a group of 12 designers with successful firms who share all of our professional information, as well as our personal issues. Scott is a founding member, and I was thrilled to be in his company.

Scott Bromley Davy Desk Lamp by Barry Goralnick for Currey
Scott Bromley sketching at Bromley Caldari
Davy desk lamp by Barry Goralnick for Currey & Co.

Scott is a kind, thoughtful man, and he possesses a wealth of knowledge about architecture.  I never hesitate to call him or Jerry Caldari when I need advice.  Plus, Scott throws memorable parties – Valentine’s Day soirees and summer beach bashes at Fire Island Pines, just to mention a few.  And he makes a mean margarita, usually using something fresh from his garden.

It was so cool for me to sit and sketch with him in his office at Bromley Caldari for this photo shoot (did I mention that beyond his architectural drawings, he’s an amazing artist, too)?  Always an inspiration – I want to be Scott when I grow up – because Scott will never grow up.

Scott Bromley Barry Goralnick Reeves Desk Lamp for Currey
Scott and Barry sketching out the future.

Read my interview with Scott Bromley on ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME here.

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