For over a decade, artist Mary Jo Hoffman has been photographing found nature. What started as a creative daily ritual for the former aeronautical engineer has transformed into much more, from collections with Target and West Elm to her widely-acclaimed blog STILL. Now, she’s preparing to launch a book showcasing her stunning collection of photographs, set to launch on May 1. Here, Mary Jo discusses what inspired her to write about her decade-plus project, her favorite microseason and more.
Photography provided by Mary Jo Hoffman
What sparked your daily creative practice and how did you stay committed to it?
I started STILL, my one-a-day photo practice of found nature, on January 1, 2012. It was about a year before that I happened upon an online community of creatives who were making art and sharing it online. They were all having fun and were so supportive with one another that I thought, “Hey, I want a place at that table.” I had creative aspirations for many years and my youngest child had just entered elementary school, so I suddenly had an hour or two every day to devote to a creative practice. I took stock of my interests, talents and commitments (like walking the new puppy every day) and decided on a one-a-day photo of nature found on my daily walks. I photographed the items on a bright white background (my kitchen floor) using natural light, and I would post it to a blog I called STILL. I committed to one year.
By the end of the first year, the project had already received quite a bit of press, and some of it was not scheduled to be published until the following year. So, I just kept going and re-committing one year at a time. But then something unexpected happened: After about two years, the practice turned into something I didn’t want to quit. In order to find a new subject to photograph every day, I had to live in a heightened state of attentiveness for at least part of every day. And I found that I liked living that way. It was life-enhancing and became my daily mindfulness practice. I really don’t plan on quitting until my circumstances necessitate it.
Photography provided by Mary Jo Hoffman
How does your background in aeronautics and astronautics inform your work?
I grew up in Shoreview, Minnesota, where I still live now. At the time, Shoreview was the edge of suburban development. I was one of those kids that left the house in the morning and didn’t come home until dinner. We spent our entire days outside, usually in the woods building forts and generally making mischief.
When I went to college, I learned I had a weird superpower for applied mathematics. So, I went into aerospace engineering because it was the most math-intensive of the engineering fields. I even went on to get a master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford. I went into aerospace research for Honeywell and worked there for 17 years. I loved it. But companies get bought and sold, and things you once loved change. I left when we were trying to conceive our second child and that is how I ended up with free time on my hands once the kids were in school full-time.
I would say my images are influenced by my science background. My aesthetic and compositions are very orderly, gridded and geometric. Also, I am drawn to subjects that often have mathematical properties, like a perfect Fibonacci branching sequence for example. I’m a nerd, I know!
Photography provided by Monacelli
What inspired you to write a book and how did you distill your archive down to 275 photographs?
Honestly, I never aspired to write a book — I am an engineer after all. But after several years of doing STILL, it started to seem like the most obvious way to commemorate the enormous achievement of making a daily image for more than 4,000 consecutive days. So, when a literary agent approached me about doing a book, I was ready to consider it.
Picking just 275 images from my archive of more than 4,000 was the hardest part. As I saw it, there were two ways to approach it: either pick the best images and structure from there or structure the book, then pick the images that fit within that framework. I went with the latter. I wrote six personal essays that formed the outline, then picked the images that illustrate the essays. Some of my personal favorite images didn’t make it into the book, but it’s only about a handful. Overall, I am over the moon with how it all came together. The early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s bonkers.
Photography provided by Mary Jo Hoffman
Can you tell us about the concept of 72 seasons?
Ahh, “The 72 Microseasons of the North” is one of my favorite essays from the book! The way it came about is so serendipitous. Because I do not work ahead, I generally carry one or two ideas for STILL subjects in my head at all times. After years of so closely observing my natural environment, I had begun to notice patterns. For example, in spring I would first notice the willow and red osier dogwood branches becoming brilliant yellow and red. Then the pussy willow would appear, next the birch catkins, then the maple blossoms, then the forsythia, etc. I started to notice that it happened in the same sequence year after year. All of this noticing was simply to make my life easier when it came to finding that day’s STILL subject.
Then one day I was reading an obscure book by Japanese designer Kenya Hara and he mentions an ancient Japanese seasonal calendar that broke the year into 72 five-day increments called microseasons. It was the fact that the increments were five days long — the exact same conclusion I had come to — that made me gasp. I did a deep dive into this ancient Japanese calendar, which was easy because it’s regaining popularity as a result of many of us craving a stronger bond to the natural world. Then, I looked at my archive and made a detailed list of our 72 micro seasons of the Great Lakes North. In the Japanese calendar, there are 24 seasons (called sekki) and 72 microseasons (called kō). So, I did the same for our seasonal year. It was a lot of work and I am really proud of it. I hope people study it and don’t just look at the photos.
Photography provided by Mary Jo Hoffman
Which season resonates with you and where you are at in your life currently?
That’s a good question. I turn 60 this year. From a seasonal perspective, I am probably in the mid-autumn of my life. But, my favorite season in Minnesota is spring when everything is emergent and the weather is getting better day by day. One of the springtime microseasons is called “Red-winged blackbirds trill in the cattails.” We live on Turtle Lake and have a large cattail bed between our home and the water. The arrival of the red-winged blackbirds each March is a big deal, so that may just be my favorite micro-season.
What do you hope readers take away from STILL?
STILL has taught me so much about art and life! Right now, I am working on a three-part lecture series for the 92nd Street Y in New York City, and there’s no shortage of topics I plan to discuss. But in a nutshell, I would say the main lessons have been:
- Dailiness is a sneaky superpower that can transform your life.
- Placefulness is the best anecdote I have found to the anxious placelessness we are all feeling with life online.
- A daily creative practice is one of several on-ramps to finding the sacred.
- Other popular practices are prayer, music, running, meditation and yoga.
- And finally, the art of noticing is the same as the art of living. Or put slightly differently, love is a prolonged state of paying attention.
Photography provided by Mary Jo Hoffman
Do you have any other exciting projects on the horizon?
I have an interesting convergence of life events happening this year; my husband and I just became empty nesters, my book is launching on May 1 and, interestingly, my husband Steve Hoffman also has a book launching this year on July 9. His book has taken 8 years to write, so for a long time we have been heads-down. As a result, this year is very symbolic for us.
In addition to continuing my daily STILL practice, I do foresee very soon being able to add an additional creative routine. I have thoughts. But given how busy the last few years have been, I think the wisest thing to do is take a little time to just be still.
