Lauren Leja: Invisible Commute
Known in Boston as "The Shoe Whisperer," Lauren Leja has a rich artistic practice outside of the Barneys shoe department. Along with collecting vintage snapshots and autograph books, Leja is herself a documentarian. Every day Leja documents her commute with a photo, training her eye to seek the tiny beauty in the netherworld between Point A and Point B.
Where are you right now?
Mentally? Astral projecting.
Physically? In my home office.
What inspires you?
Everything. Color, shape, words, sound, texture. My brain (and eyes) zeroes in on tiny stuff and then magnifies it.
Your idea of happiness?
Writing, taking pictures, Brimfield.
Of misery?
An office job.
What is your most creative time of day?
During my commute and also 11pm-2am when the world is asleep.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Books and anything Celine.
What fault in others do you tend to tolerate most?
Tardiness.
3 things you could not live without?
NARS black eyeliner, pizza on the beach, flea market box lots.
New York or LA?
NY-- I'm a terrible driver!
When is honesty not the best policy?
When the 15 year old cashier asks if I qualify for the senior citizen discount.
Fight back or compromise?
I should fight back but I usually compromise (and sulk).
Have you ever been arrested?
Nope.
If not yourself, who would you be?
Baroness Elsa von feet tag-Loringhoven or Joan Didion.
If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would it be?
Curious.
What do you most dislike about contemporary culture?
The cult of celebrity.
In your time away from work, what do you do?
Read. Art projects. Sew. Garden. Try to write.
Follow Lauren @invisiblecommute
