DL: Nearly a year later, has life returned to any normal state since then? If any of you were displaced, have you been able to return back to your homes?
Robyn: As normal as it can be, I guess. There is a different vibe to the city now, people don’t seem as carefree, and I don’t think that can be changed. I am just happy that the save-a-center is open after 8 now. I did lose my home, sending me to live in Lafayette. I haven’t been able to move back yet, but spend quite a bit of time there, being that I had to finish school. My sister lives uptown, so I just stay there. The two hour commute twice weekly was cute.
Ken: Man if you go Uptown, The French Quarter, and some parts of downtown, it looks like nothing happened. Maybe that’s nice, but there are still whole ENTIRE neighborhoods that are like ghost towns. I wasn’t able to return home but I did retrieve some personal items. I got 12in of water (the news said 3ft, glad they were wrong!) which was just enough to ruin a lot of stuff. Some of my friends lost family members.
Erik: I lived on constance in the Irish Channel. I left 2 days before the storm, contemplating to stay. No one really ever leaves. If anything it’s a time to enjoy cool winds and rain, a few days off from work, bbq and drinks. That’s generally how storms are celebrated. I did not receive too much damage from Katrina, but it was the storm that followed, Rita, that landed a tree on our home. Things looked grim for the next 2 weeks. I took this as an opportunity to visit other parts of the US. A friend of mine and i settled in Portland, OR. I had many job leads through a site that was setup after the storm called displaceddesigner.com. Nemo, a fantastic firm in Portland made me feel welcome, and most people in the pdx area were very friendly and overly willingly to help all of us from nola. Between culture shock and missing home, I returned to nola once again. My life, if it were to be viewed in a bubble, could seem normal.
So much has not changed here. Still over 70% of the city and surrounding areas, lies lifeless. It is easy for someone to go about their business in their area, because nola is so neighborhood centric. People tend to stay in their areas in which they are comfortable. I’ve lived in a few vastly different parts of town, so it’s harder for me to ignore struggling areas.
DL: [Erik] I’ve been watching for the weareconstance launch for a while. Any idea when it will be ready to go, and how well did the submission process go?
Erik: Constance was a project that was vastly different before the storm as I was trying to formulate it.
Constance is one of the main factors I returned to the city. That particular street in the Irish Channel was so inspiring for me and I have a deep attachment to it. I wanted this particular project to get people together as a community and get their work out of nola, to show that we may do down, but certainly not out.
The response and the submissions have been great. An awesome assortment of people are involved with it and I’ve met so many great people through it. I will have a large portion ready for a local media expo mid-next month. I should then have a release set for this winter.
DL: Do any of you know each other personally?
Robyn: I have met Kenneth at a few design shows and know of Erik through some Lafayette people, but have never met him.
Ken: Ha ha, not really (that’s kinda the problem with the New Orleans design community), but I did have fun kicking it with Erik the other day.
Erik: I do know Samia and have met with Kenneth on a few occasions. I’ve no clue who Robyn is, but maybe that should change.
DL: Any upcoming projects or plans for your own personal sites?
Robyn: Right now we are putting together a site for the ad group. And I am planning on submitting some things to Constance and the next issue of degrees of separation.
Ken: Yes, but that’s a while off. I’d like to get a fancy website going but that takes time.
Erik: Besides constance taking a portion of my time I’ve continued to freelance, mostly artist portfolios, music industry related web sites and small businesses. I tend to enjoy working with them more than a large big-to-do. Seems like a headache. However, with many people in my field out of the city or relocated, many larger firms are understaffed or have lost consultants and art directors. I’m currently taking some time to help Trumpet Advertising, mostly a print firm, to expand their ability to provide not only print solutions, but also a web presence for their clients. A little different than what I’m used to doing, but it’s a nice change of pace. I still get to work from home – so thats a big factor. I set my own hours and that’s something I don’t think I can ever give up.
DL: Finally, name a few things you like to do away from the desk.
Robyn: I teach water aerobics to “senior” ladies. Old ladies are funny to me. They talk more shit than anyone I have ever met. I really like that old TV series, firefly, so I watch a lot of that. I just got into playing shuffle board…and going to any kind of gallery openings. Free wine and food and a chance to look at other peoples work, nothing wrong with that.
Ken: Um, what if you don’t leave your desk?
Erik: Eating heavy creole foods, shrimp poboys, riding my bike through town, going out to rock shows, meeting friends for drinks, making mix cds, collecting records and design journals, getting coffee with friends and discussing the lack of sober women in nola, sitting on the river and other times the lake [when i forgive it], finding hole in the wall restaurants and bars, adding to my post K weight, and talking about other restaurants we like while waiting for our food at another. Food and drink culture is what nola is all about.
DL: Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer these questions. I wish you all the best.
Robyn: Thanks man. This was a pleasure. Uptown for life!
Ken: Word, anytime man.
