Eat My Words

Johanna Almstead:
Hello everyone. I am menu planning for my next guest, and I'm thinking I want to keep things luxurious but simple. So I'm going to start with some really good crispy potato chips with some creme fraiche and a little dollop of caviar. I know it sounds very indulgent, and quite frankly, it is, but you don't have to buy super expensive caviar. You can buy just kind of simple caviar and you don't put a lot on. You just have a little tiny bit, and it's just a really fun, yummy, salty, crunchy, delicious appetizer. And I think I'm going to serve that with a Hugo Spritz. Hugo Spritzes are having a moment right now, so I think I might try a Hugo Spritz for a change. I usually am an Aperol Spritz kind of gal. But I'm going to try a Hugo Spritz, it feels summery and light, a little herbaceous. And then for dinner, I'm going to keep it really easy and delicious.
I'm going to do a spaghetti alle Vongole, with little baby cockles. I just saw at the Fish Place they have the little tiny cockles, which is the way I like it, and just garlic and white wine and just a deliciousness. I'm going to serve that with a green salad, some big crusty bread, and some good olive oil. And I think I'm going to serve a chilled Sancerre with that for music. I'm going to do a little mashup. I'm going to keep it mellow. My next guest is lovely and thoughtful and quiet, so I'm going to do a little Nina Simone, maybe a little Aimee Mann, maybe a little Édith Piaf to get a little crazy in there. But she is lovely and I'm so excited for you guys to get to know her. So let's dig in.
Hello everyone and welcome to Eat My Words, the podcast. This is like Take 475 of this. We've had a rough morning already trying to record this, but I am so excited for my guest today. She is a new friend, and someone I admire already very much. I am inspired by her beautiful work, her calm presence, and her assured sense of purpose. She's a fine artist, a horse girl, and a businesswoman. She studied fine arts with a concentration in painting and textiles at Skidmore College, and continued her studies of fiber at the Marshfield School of Weaving in Vermont.
Then she also studied at RISD, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Architecture Program, the Modern Art Foundry, Studio Art Center International, and Pratt. Lots of important places. Her current medium of expression is weaving with horsehair. She hand places strands of horsehair into forms that juxtapose organic and geometric structure, and the results are extraordinary. She's an equestrian who has worked on farms since she was young. She draws inspiration from the healing spirit, elegance and strength of horses. She feels most at home when working with her hands, whether focusing on her craft or outdoors, completing farm work. She is also, this is a very fun fact and I want to know more about this. She's also worked as a wrangler in Montana on a ranch. She's most interested in new perspectives created from human interaction with natural materials.
Alexandra Kohl, welcome-
Alexandra Kohl:
Thank you.
Johanna Almstead:
... to Eat My Words.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thank you so much. That was such a beautiful intro. I'm so excited to chat with you.
Johanna Almstead:
Thank you for being here. I'm so excited to chat with you. I want to talk all things art and horses today. Those are two of my favorite things in the world.
Alexandra Kohl:
My favorite things.
Johanna Almstead:
I'm really excited. And you've managed to figure out how to do them both as a living.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes.
Johanna Almstead:
That makes me really jealous.
Alexandra Kohl:
Every day. Horses and art.
Johanna Almstead:
Horses and art, every day. That's the best.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay, so I want to kick off our conversation talking really about the fact that you are an artist, you are a fine artist, and you make a living as a fine artist. Did you always know that you were an artist?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes, definitely. Since I was a little kid, I loved art class in school, favorite thing. And when I wasn't in school, I was at home creating in my basement. We had an art room in the basement, which was just my room to make whatever I wanted. And I would spend all afternoon down there, and just come upstairs, pop up and just bring something new that I had made. And since I was a little kid, I was painting, crafting, just always making something with my hands, baking. So yes, definitely I knew since I was tiny.
Johanna Almstead:
You're a maker.
Alexandra Kohl:
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Was it something, so I have a really artistic child and it's so important to me that she knows that she can actually be an artist, live as an artist and make a life as an artist. Was that something that your parents or your family fostered the idea that not just you're an artistic kid, but you're somebody who could live as an artist, make a living?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, they definitely pushed creativity and just following whatever I was good at. Just keep going, keep doing it. It doesn't matter what you're doing, but just as long as you're working hard at it. And my family is also very creative, so I don't think they knew or I knew that I could be an artist as a profession, a professional painter, that didn't really seem practical. I think they thought I would do something creative, maybe more in business, in fashion, visual merchandising or graphic design, more along those lines. But they definitely pushed me to keep being an artist, and somehow I ended up becoming a full-time weaver.
Johanna Almstead:
That's so cool. So let's talk about how you did that. So you went from your parents' basement art room to, you studied art at Skidmore, right?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes, yes. I studied at Skidmore. I wanted to go to Skidmore since I was 10 years old when I visited Saratoga for the first time to see the races and was obsessed with the fact that there were horses on this college campus, and I knew I needed to be there because there were horses there and had this dream since I was tiny that that's where I would go. And then finally, you're in high school trying to decide where you actually want to go to college. And Skidmore has an incredible art department. So I applied and it was a great fit for me. I loved, I loved being there. I was also riding on the equestrian team. So I split half my time between being at the barn and then in the art studio. And I actually went to Skidmore for painting. It was fun. I loved college.
So I was studying painting and then would always pass the weaving studio, the fiber studios. And we had this really cool room that you could look down. It had a glass ceiling. You walked into the art building and you could look down through the glass ceiling of the fiber room and see all of these big cones of yarn, all different colors, and you would see the looms. And I was just like, what is that? What is happening down there in that little magical workshop? What is going on? So I decided I needed to take a class and loved learning how to weave. And because I was spending half my time at the barn, I naturally wanted to create a textile for horses. And originally thought I was going to design some horse blankets, but then one day I just took some horse hair, like mane pulling, which is a grooming technique from the barn.
And you just kind of, when you thin the mane, you throw it in the trash. It's kind of gross. But I took it from the trash and brought it back to my weaving studio and started playing with it and put it into my weavings and just was obsessed. I loved colors, the natural colors of the horse hair, the texture, it's strong, it's wiry. And then being able to lift it in and out of my weavings, making it more sculptural, created this dimension and other texture that I loved and kept going with it. So that's how I created my first Horsehair weavings.
Johanna Almstead:
So cool. So you eventually graduated from Skidmore, went on to study art in a bunch of other places, but you really stuck with this weaving and with this material. The horse was your thing.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. I showed my first horsehair weavings for my senior thesis at Skidmore, and I remember someone asked if they could buy it, and I was shocked that they would want to buy these pieces from me.
Johanna Almstead:
No way.
Alexandra Kohl:
And then I got the honors award for the thesis, and I was like, maybe I should keep continuing with this and not go back to my corporate job that I had had the previous summers in the city. And so I decided after college I would take more weaving classes, buy myself a loom, save money, go live with my mom back in the basement in the art room where I was as a little child, but now with my floor loom. And I kept weaving and just seeing where it would go. I didn't really think that this was going to be my career. I just knew I didn't want to be in the city and in an office.
So I just kept making them and then eventually tried to put them out in the world and sell them by bringing them to, I would have them framed and bring them to restaurants or stores and walk in holding up my little piece and say, "Hi, do you need any art? Can you hang this for a few months? See if anyone wants to buy it. I love that. If not, no problem." And a few places took some of my pieces, and that was my real first time showing anything.
Johanna Almstead:
And did people buy them off the walls at the shops in the restaurants?
Alexandra Kohl:
A little bit. Not a ton, but it kind of got my name out there more. And I received commissions from people who were locally going to these places and saw the work. And I ended up creating a lot of custom pieces for individuals who have their own horses and wanted me to create something, a weaving for them using hair from their horse's mane or tail. So that's how that started happening. And then the first real big show I did was Field and Supply, which is a craft show in Kingston. And there I met so many interior designers and really that put me into the interior design world where I began doing more commissions with them.
Johanna Almstead:
And do people buy your pieces who are not horse people?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, definitely.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Okay. I'm a horse person, so it's hard to tell. And I mean, they're so extraordinary and they're so beautiful, and it's very clear to me why horse people would buy them. But I was wondering if people who don't even know that they're horse hair might still buy them. Just so gorgeous.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thank you. Yes, it's maybe half horse people, half non-horse people.
Johanna Almstead:
So cool. And wait, did you actually sell your thesis pieces to the person who wanted to buy them, or did you keep them?
Alexandra Kohl:
No, I've kept those. I've kept those three and maybe one or two other pieces. The rest I've sold.
Johanna Almstead:
Cool. Okay. So you're making those pieces, you're toodling around town with them in your car, you're asking-
Alexandra Kohl:
Driving around.
Johanna Almstead:
... restaurants and stores to carry them. And then how did you make the jump from that to being in galleries?
Alexandra Kohl:
So I think from there, after the Field and Supply show, I did a couple different trade shows. There was the Architectural Digest Trade Show, things like that. And after those big shows I realized, okay, this is a lot of work doing trade shows. I think I want to be more in galleries. So I made some connections from those shows and then would approach galleries on my own, which is always really scary. But through meeting different people and just really, I think my business has really grown more from word of mouth than anything, and just me meeting people and talking to them, and then getting connected that way. And then one of my first galleries I started working with is Dobrinka Salzman, who is in Chelsea. And we met, I think about eight years ago. I've officially been doing my horsehair weaving for 10 years now, but Dobrinka was one of the first people to show my work in her gallery, and I still work with her today. She's amazing. And so it was just being persistent and talking to different people and putting myself out there and a lot of rejection at first.
Johanna Almstead:
Because you don't have an agent, right?
Alexandra Kohl:
No, I don't. Just me.
Johanna Almstead:
It's basically you, yeah. Going to the galleries and pitching your work to them.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes. Actually, one really funny story is that one of my favorite places in the world is Stone Barnes, where the restaurant Blue Hill is. And Stone Barnes is just this incredible property and farm where they focus on sustainable farming and all the food, the animals they raise and the produce they grow for the restaurant. And they had a little shop there. And I went into their shop at the very, very, very beginning when I was carting around my framed pieces in the trunk of my car. And I just showed up one day and I went into their shop and I said, "Hi, I think you might really like my work. You might be a good fit." And the store manager just shut me down and was like, "You need to leave."
Johanna Almstead:
Really?
Alexandra Kohl:
"We're not taking anybody." And I was so embarrassed, and I was pretty shy to begin with, so I was just like, "Okay, all right. Sorry to bother you, bye." And then a couple years later, I was approached by Stone Barnes and a couple of people who are the creators of Blue Hill, and they had seen my work at one of my shows and they didn't know about my interaction at the shop, and they wrote to me and they were like, "We love your work. We'd love to commission you to make a custom piece for our private dining room." And I was just a little shocked. I was like, what?
Johanna Almstead:
Did you do it?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, of course. So I created a weaving for them using materials from their land and horse hair from the horses next door to them, and it's still there, this large piece that I made in their dining room. So that was a really special full circle moment of hustling in the beginning, it doesn't always work, but then worked out in the end.
Johanna Almstead:
Full circle moment. A little bit of revenge.
Alexandra Kohl:
A little bit.
Johanna Almstead:
I love that. I'll have to check it out the next time I go. I haven't actually been there in a long time, but I love that place. You also have a current exhibition open right now. You have a few pieces at this really very cool place called Manitoba Art Center. Can you talk a little bit about that for people who don't know about it? It's with some other Hudson Valley artists, and I thought it was a spectacular show.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thank you. I'm so glad you came. So Manitoba is a design center in Garrison, New York. It's the home of industrial designer Russell Wright, and he created this home for himself and his daughter to live in. And it's a stunning, large glass windows overlooking, it's on a cliff, basically. It's built into a rock overlooking this pond.
Johanna Almstead:
So crazy.
Alexandra Kohl:
And it's all about bringing the nature inside. And even the landscaping around the whole property is just exquisite and everything. There are all these little paths that take you to different moments like a moss garden or beautiful lookout points, and it's just a stunning property to go visit. But River Valley Arts collective curated a show combining pieces from textile artists and woodworkers to place these pieces of art in the home. And it's really seamless the way all the pieces are either a weaving laying over a couch or a vase on a shelf. So you almost don't even, it doesn't look at a place, it's not a typical white wall gallery. Everything really is in the home. It's just stunning. All of these artists use very natural materials and it compliments the home really well. So that show is up until September.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. So if you're listening, you need to go. If you're in the Westchester or Hudson Valley, it's such a cool show. The house alone is spectacular and all the work in it. It also is with another artist from the area that I'm obsessed with regionally. I love her work, and she's got these crazy, huge ceramic pieces, which are super cool. So if you're in the area, check it out until September, and then you have this other very, very exciting thing that just is sort of launching in the world. And this is my favorite. We talk a lot on this podcast actually about the intersection of art and commerce because I think it's a tricky one always. And my background being in fashion, it was always on the periphery of that or bouncing back and forth over that intersection. So this is super cool. You have a new commission, that was Lafayette 148, the store. The brand commissioned you to do 12? 12, 13.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes. 12 pieces.
Johanna Almstead:
Different custom pieces for their storefront windows in 12 of their stores, which is so cool. So can you talk a little bit about that and how it came about?
Alexandra Kohl:
Thank you. Yes. So Lafayette approached me and for their fall collection, they're really focusing on weaving and textile and texture that comes out of all their fabrics. So they wanted to highlight that by showcasing a textile artist in their displays for this season. And so I created a series of large-scale pieces for them that are hanging in the windows next to their mannequins and everything. I'm working on this for the past year, but it just, everything was installed.
Johanna Almstead:
Wow, a full year, it's taken you.
Alexandra Kohl:
Almost, yeah, everything was installed this past week, the beginning of August, and it's now up for the fall season. And I'm just so excited. The pieces complement the clothing so well, and it's so cool to see my work hanging in the stores. There's the shop on Madison Avenue and Green Street in SoHo, and then a few others, Texas all over the place. Yeah,
Johanna Almstead:
So cool. It makes me really love and respect them as a brand because I feel like there's so many brands that would just see your work and then try to knock it off, do it badly. And so the fact that they actually commissioned you and made this investment in these pieces and are featuring it on such a large scale is huge. That's amazing.
Alexandra Kohl:
I've loved getting to know them, and since the day I met them, they were just incredible. And they appreciate the craft that goes into it, and they're just very down-to-earth and excited about the work. So it was really an honor to work with them.
Johanna Almstead:
I need to go on a field trip and go see them all in the New York windows.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, it looks great.
Johanna Almstead:
And what was the creative process with them? Was it kind of like you do or did they tell you
Alexandra Kohl:
A little bit? They were, did
Johanna Almstead:
They have guidelines around it?
Alexandra Kohl:
They were pretty flexible. They wanted me to really have my creative process. They didn't want to get in the way of it too much, but I did get to go to the preview of their fall fashion show and see all of the pieces of clothing before I finalized my designs and looking at all their pieces. I just kind of absorbed my favorite aspects of the texture that they had for the season and tried to bring it into my own work. And then another thing that was important for me for these pieces was because they're hanging, they're suspended from the ceiling that you can see them from the window, but also if you're in the store, you see them from behind. So I wanted to make weaving patterns that you could see from both sides.
Johanna Almstead:
Was that a new process for you? Most of the things you'd done before were always on one
Alexandra Kohl:
Side. So usually I'll make a piece and then sometimes take it off the loom and just be blown away. I'm like, wow. I love the back so much more than I love the front. So I'm kind of always keeping notes of what's the reaction of do this on the front. This is what's going to happen on the back. But this was, I think my first time intentionally creating a piece that could be viewed from both sides.
Johanna Almstead:
And what are they going to do with the pieces when they're done? Do you know?
Alexandra Kohl:
So I think they're going to be installed in the store on the walls after, or probably their offices.
Johanna Almstead:
Not sure. Amazing.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. Oh, that's so cool.
Johanna Almstead:
That's huge. How did they hear about you, or how did you end up on their radar? Do you know?
Alexandra Kohl:
I'm not exactly sure. I think a lot of people see me on Instagram or at the galleries. I also have shown before my work, they showcased a ceramicist Yuna who also has incredible work, and I've shown it a lot of similar places to Yuna. So I'm wondering if maybe that's how they found me.
Johanna Almstead:
They saw you guys together somewhere.
Alexandra Kohl:
Our work has been photographed together.
Johanna Almstead:
That's so cool. Yeah. So obviously a big commission. That is awesome. As a working artist, how do you manage the sort of uncertainty of life as an artist?
Alexandra Kohl:
Oh, it's crazy. It's horrible. Having savings, and just trying to be...
Johanna Almstead:
Having savings, is that what you said?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes. Yeah, because some months are, for the past 10 years of doing this, I really have not been able to nail down a pattern of times of the year that are slower or that are people are buying more. It's always different. And I try to take the quiet times as more of, okay, this is great. I don't have any pieces right now, commissions, but I'm going to just focus on new designs, maybe take this time to go on a trip or do something, get inspired some other way. And then when I'm really busy, that's great too. And it can be overwhelming, but it really is a little bit of a roller coaster and not knowing when the commissions are coming or going.
Johanna Almstead:
That must be, I think a lot of people would be uncomfortable living that way.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, it's tricky, but I don't think I would trade it for a nine to five job that had a weekly paycheck. I prefer to have my own schedule and just I feel like I'm more creative this way.
Johanna Almstead:
So I'd love to talk to you a little bit about your creative process. Do you have any kind of routines or rituals or how do you keep, or do you not have an option? You just live as a creative spirit all the time. How do you keep your creativity fueled and how are you disciplined about your work? I would love to just get into your creative process a little bit if you're comfortable talking about that.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. I think the biggest thing is finding a balance for myself. If I spend too many hours on the loom, I get burnt out and I don't want to do it at all. So always throughout my whole career, I try to have some other part-time job, something on the side that it's really just for me to get out there in the world and be working with other people and doing something else that's not weaving specifically. And that inspires me more and energizes me. And then I will come up with ideas and bring them back to the loom. And I also, whether it's taking sculpture classes or working on a farm, different things like that. If I can do that for a few hours a day and then come back to my studio, that's when I'm most energized and have the best ideas.
Johanna Almstead:
Cool. And one of the things you do or have done as a part-time job is you are an exercise rider, right? For people's horses.
Alexandra Kohl:
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
So for people who don't know this, if you own a horse that is not a retired horse and is a well and happy horse that gets ridden, horses need to be ridden basically every day, or many times a week. And so if you own a horse and you can't ride your horse every day, you have to hire someone to ride the horse. So that's one of the things you get to do, right, is that you get to go out and ride other people's horses.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes. I'm here in North Salem, that's where my studio is, and I moved here because of the horses and because I love riding and I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by so many barns, and it's so fun for me, it's a great change of pace. It's a great break to be able to spend a few hours in the morning at the barn and then go back to my studio.
Johanna Almstead:
That's literally my kid's dream job. It's kind of my dream job too. I would just like to do that.
Alexandra Kohl:
I go crazy if I don't ride for a week. That's not okay.
Johanna Almstead:
How often do you ride every week? Well, on average.
Alexandra Kohl:
Maybe about four days a week, probably.
Johanna Almstead:
Dream.
Alexandra Kohl:
It's fun.
Johanna Almstead:
And do you take them out to Baxter and stuff, or do you ride them in-
Alexandra Kohl:
Oh, yeah. I love the trails are the best. The trails are the most fun. Yeah, there are so many miles.
Johanna Almstead:
So for people who are listening, where we live in Northern Westchester, there's all these incredible bridle trails and people just go out and take their horses out on these trails, and they're spectacularly beautiful, and it's just the most magical thing in the whole wide world. So that's kind of living the dream, or at least my dream. Maybe not everyone's dream, but it's living my dream. Okay. So you have to get out of your house, you have to go do other things. You have to work on a farm or be on a horse or do another part-time job.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. Or be in the city, go to a gallery, go to a museum. I just need to, if I'm spending too many hours in the studio, then I go a little crazy.
Johanna Almstead:
And how do you decide what you're going to do next? So you just finished this huge big commission that took up a year of your time. How do you decide what's next?
Alexandra Kohl:
So I have a lot of commissions right now that I am working on, so picking those up again and finishing those is my priority at the moment because the Lafayette product took up a lot of my time.
Johanna Almstead:
That's probably a great problem to have.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. So I have a lot of commissions, and aside from my weavings, I also like to do a lot of metal work. So one of my projects that I'm working on right now is hardware, and I'm working with this really fun interior designer who has commissioned me to make new hardware for a home they're designing, and so I'm sketching out these pieces and there are a lot of handles, drawer pulls, hinges, and it's just so much fun. They kind of have my barn aesthetic. They're a little rough, a lot of hammered texture.
Johanna Almstead:
That's so cool.
Alexandra Kohl:
That's one of my current projects for the fall is working on those pieces.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh my gosh.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
That is so cool. So you seem to have, you're a very creative person. You seem to have a pretty savvy business side too. I would love to know, is that something you had to cultivate or is that sort of naturally just you've always had a little bit of a balance of a creative and business.
Alexandra Kohl:
I'm glad you think I am a good business person because I find it really hard.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, it's really hard for most creative people by the way. You are not alone.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. It's hard because my business is Alexandra Kohl and having my name be that, I almost wish I gave my business a different name, so it wasn't so personal. When I'm emailing people, I really feel like it's me, but it's my business.
Johanna Almstead:
You have to make up one of those fake assistants. Haven't you heard about people who do that?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes, I have heard about that. I need a fake assistant, but I'm too shy to do that. But yeah, I mean, I've always loved business and selling things since I was a little kid. Lots of lemonade stands or making, what was I making? Little cards and selling those. I think I've always had fun doing that.
Johanna Almstead:
You always sort of had an entrepreneurial mindset.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
That's so cool. I feel like most, there's so many artists I know who are incredible artists, but they are so freaked out by the business side of it, or they're so freaked out by the sales side of it that they end up sabotaging their own businesses.
Alexandra Kohl:
And it's scary. I mean, in the beginning, how do I price my work? It's crazy. It's confusing, but over time kind of come up with formulas and put it together.
Johanna Almstead:
So what is the best part about your work life?
Alexandra Kohl:
It's so fun.
Johanna Almstead:
You get to do what you love all day.
Alexandra Kohl:
It's so fun. Yeah. I wake up and sometimes before I even get dressed, I go to my studio and just start playing with my hands and making things and tweaking things. And then I feel like I'm a little bit all over the place. I love working in different mediums and whether it's making a leather tassel or a metal sculpture or one of my weavings, or even just a natural sculpture with sticks that I found outside, I just get excited to make something. So the fact that that's my job is really fun.
Johanna Almstead:
So cool.
Alexandra Kohl:
So I love it. I love being able to get paid for the ideas that just pop out of my head and I get to perfect them, and I like to collaborate with other artists and then having the flexibility to live wherever I want and then also still have horses in my life.
They're a big inspiration for me as well, especially for the weavings. It's something that I hope comes through my weavings is when I think about the horses, I think about just their eyes and the calm presence that they have, but that they're still so strong. They're these huge animals that are so powerful, but they're so quiet and peaceful and you just forget about everything when you're with them. So that's something that I always hope comes through in my weavings is kind of that meditative calm that the horses give, but still the strength of, hopefully from the structure of the geometry in my pieces, because they're so strong and powerful as well. So yeah, those are my favorite-
Johanna Almstead:
It certainly does, I think it does.
Alexandra Kohl:
The best parts of my job is just having fun and being with the horses.
Johanna Almstead:
It's amazing. You're so lucky. It's very cool.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thank you.
Johanna Almstead:
What is the worst thing about your job?
Alexandra Kohl:
I mean, the unpredictability of when I'm getting paid for things is a little rough, and sometimes it will bother me, but I just have to kind of center myself and be like, you've been here before. It's okay. You got it. Everything will work out. So that's a little tricky. And then I would say the hardest thing that's ever happened to me was having my work copied, which is rough. And getting past that was one of the biggest struggles for me.
Johanna Almstead:
And did someone copy it with horsehair?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes. I've had my samples taken and reproduced, so it's not cool for any artist to copy another artist directly like that, but there isn't really anything I can do besides just make something new.
Johanna Almstead:
Right. Just make something new. They can't copy your brain.
Alexandra Kohl:
No.
Johanna Almstead:
I mean, I know they say it's like the highest form of flattery, but it must kill. It must really hit you in the guts.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. Not when they're profiting off something that feels so authentic to me, the combination of the horses and the weaving, everything. That's why it was so hurtful.
Johanna Almstead:
Is it someone you knew?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. We had worked together for a long time. It was actually a close friend, no longer, but...
Johanna Almstead:
Oh.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Fuck that person. I hate that person.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
That's horrible.
Alexandra Kohl:
Mm-hmm. Yeah. I definitely went into a bit of a depression after that happened. I didn't even want to weave anymore. I was just so sad and didn't know what to do, but it took a while, got back into it, and I'm just like, okay, just have to keep going.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, you have to just keep going. They can't copy your brain. They can't copy everything that you do.
Alexandra Kohl:
Nope.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, that's horrible. Now I have a pit in my stomach for you. I'm mad.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
So shitty. Okay. What is something that you've once believed about yourself that you have since outgrown?
Alexandra Kohl:
Oh, man. So I feel like I haven't really, when I think of outgrowing something, I still kind of think of myself as a little kid all the time, and I feel like I'm the same person I was in kindergarten. Which is really weird.
Johanna Almstead:
You're like, I have not outgrown anything.
Alexandra Kohl:
I don't think I've outgrown anything. I have a swing in my studio because I like to swing and be silly.
Johanna Almstead:
I think that's kind of cool though. I mean, this has never happened on this podcast, but maybe it's like you just don't need to outgrow anything. You weren't carrying anything that was gnarly.
Alexandra Kohl:
I mean, I had to outgrow the sadness from what I was just explaining to you, and I definitely, that took a long time and I guess thinking I could never do it again. I was like, I'm done after that. So yeah, I outgrew that.
Johanna Almstead:
You outgrew that. I'm glad you outgrew that. That would be a shame to let them win.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thanks. Thank you. Yeah, it's too much taking up my energy of being sad and dwelling on that, so there's nothing I can do.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. That would've been a real tragedy if they had convinced you not to create anymore.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Is there something that you've said no to that you wish that you've said yes to?
Alexandra Kohl:
I've been saying no more recently, and I'm really happy about it.
Johanna Almstead:
It feels good, right?
Alexandra Kohl:
I feel like I'm twisting all your questions.
Johanna Almstead:
No, it's okay. That's what it's for.
Alexandra Kohl:
No, I don't think I've said no to anything and regretted it, but I am trying to say no to more things that I actually don't want to do,
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah.
Alexandra Kohl:
Which gives me more space.
Johanna Almstead:
That seems to be a theme on this podcast. I feel you.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. I'm trying to say no to galleries or our consultants that aren't offering me what I think I should deserve or offering me less than what I should be making, and just trying to be stronger and come from that voice of the fake assistant who is the boss that doesn't have any emotions, such as like, "Nope, this is what needs to be done. This is what Alexandra wants." So I'm trying to be a little tougher.
Johanna Almstead:
That's great. I think that's huge. I think there's so much of that sort of scarcity mentality with people who are creative because they're just always afraid that they're not going to get the next job or they're not going to, if they don't sell this piece they're not ever going to sell this again. So you take less than you're worth, and I think it's amazing. But that's a new evolution for you. I think that's huge.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, I'm working on it. Thanks.
Johanna Almstead:
Do you ever just take a day off? Do you ever are just like, I'm not going to create today. I'm going to just go off and do something else?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. Sometimes I'll wake up and I'm just not feeling it, and I know if I force myself to do it, I'm not going to make anything. So I need to restore the creative energy. But I definitely am thinking 24/7 about my work and my clients and who's emailing me and who I need to get back to. And it's always, my brain is always on work mode, but if I'm having an off day, I need to see that and just get out of the house and go do something totally different and shake it up. So otherwise I'll just, I won't be productive.
Johanna Almstead:
You can usually recognize when you need to do that.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
That's good. Okay, so now we're at the lightning round of silly questions part of this interview, which is my favorite part.
Alexandra Kohl:
Great.
Johanna Almstead:
Don't overthink it. This is going off and doing something silly for your brain. They're not that deep. They're just meant for fun. Because I know you're very thoughtful. What is your favorite comfort food?
Alexandra Kohl:
Chocolate covered strawberries.
Johanna Almstead:
Love chocolate covered strawberries. Okay. What is something you're really good at other than weaving and horseback riding? We know you're really good at both of those things.
Alexandra Kohl:
I love making things and want to make a present for a friend. I feel like I go all out and will just go crazy crafting to make presents.
Johanna Almstead:
I love that. That's a great skill.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thanks.
Johanna Almstead:
What's something you're really bad at?
Alexandra Kohl:
Public speaking.
Johanna Almstead:
As she says on a podcast.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. What's your favorite word?
Alexandra Kohl:
Oh my God. I don't know.
Johanna Almstead:
I'm kind of surprised it's not horse.
Alexandra Kohl:
That's what I was thinking, but I was like, it can't be right. It has to be a horse. And then I think about myself in the car driving down a road and being like, horse.
Johanna Almstead:
Horse, still, every time.
Alexandra Kohl:
Horse. Every time fast horse.
Johanna Almstead:
I still do it every time.
Alexandra Kohl:
Guys, look, look, look.
Johanna Almstead:
My heart still goes pitter-patter every time I see a horse.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. It's allowed to be horse. What's your least favorite word?
Alexandra Kohl:
Emails.
Johanna Almstead:
Emails?
Alexandra Kohl:
Emails.
Johanna Almstead:
I love it. I agree.
Alexandra Kohl:
And texting. Emails and texting. Just call me, please.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, are you a caller?
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes. I hate texting. And I hate emails.
Johanna Almstead:
I feel like that's kind of rare in your generation.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, I think it is.
Johanna Almstead:
Most people your age are more texting people.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. So texting and emails. I won't do it anymore. I'll call you.
Alexandra Kohl:
FaceTime or call. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
I love a FaceTime.
Alexandra Kohl:
Me too.
Johanna Almstead:
And you're not one of those people that gets weirded out if someone just calls you out of the blue without the warning of the text?
Alexandra Kohl:
No. I love it. I prefer that my friends call me and I'm in a face mask in my pajamas. We're like, "Hey."
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Alexandra Kohl:
Probably, this is not really art related. It could be.
Johanna Almstead:
It doesn't have to be art related. It could just be advice.
Alexandra Kohl:
Going through a breakup and having somebody tell me that I've graduated from that person and that I got what I needed and I learned a lot and I grew from them, and now I've graduated and I'm ready for the next thing.
Johanna Almstead:
I love that.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
I'm going to start referring to breakups as graduations. That's really good.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes. Mm-hmm.
Johanna Almstead:
If your personality were a flavor, what would it be?
Alexandra Kohl:
Well, my favorite flavor is chocolate and raspberries, so I hope it would be that.
Johanna Almstead:
When I grow up, I want to be a chocolate and raspberry. All right. Okay. So it's your last supper. You're leaving this body and this earth tomorrow. You've graduated and you're going on to the next thing. What would your last meal be?
Alexandra Kohl:
My grandmother's spaghetti and meat sauce.
Johanna Almstead:
Are you drinking anything with the spaghetti and meat sauce?
Alexandra Kohl:
So the memories of eating this spaghetti and meat sauce are more me of a kid. So if I'm drinking something, it's maybe a glass of milk or something, but now I want a good glass of red wine. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Milk first, you can't put red wine. Isn't that funny How drinking milk, I don't know. As a kid.
Alexandra Kohl:
Now, I never drink a glass a milk.
Johanna Almstead:
My kids don't drink milk. No.
Alexandra Kohl:
But when I was little, all the time.
Johanna Almstead:
I did actually, weirdly, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, I would drink milk. It was very strange, but yeah. Okay. Have you had a moment in your life where you've had to eat your words, where you've had to sort of take it back or admit that it was not a great thing? Or do you just blame it on your imaginary assistant?
Alexandra Kohl:
I have been told that if I don't like somebody, everyone can see it on my face.
Johanna Almstead:
Not a good faker.
Alexandra Kohl:
I've been trying to control that recently.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. That counts. You had to eat your words.
Alexandra Kohl:
Eat my face, yeah, exactly.
Johanna Almstead:
Your face. So if you had to eat one food for the rest of your life every day, all day, don't worry about nutritional substance, it'll keep you alive. What would it be?
Alexandra Kohl:
I love sushi. Sushi. I would go to Omakase every night.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, me too.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
So good. Where is your happy place?
Alexandra Kohl:
Riding bareback in the fields, 100%.
Johanna Almstead:
Dreamy.
Alexandra Kohl:
Picking berries. Did that with a friend last week. We went out in the fields here, and they're all the little wine berries, they're just about gone now. But just riding bareback and going in the woods and picking berries.
Johanna Almstead:
I mean, dreamy. When we first moved up here, and those berries appeared in my yard for the first summer, and I was like, what is this? And I was like, "Don't eat them. Don't eat them." To my kids. We had just moved from the big city and I didn't know anything.
Alexandra Kohl:
You weren't sure.
Johanna Almstead:
And my husband's like, "No, you can try them. They're delicious." And now they make me so happy. My kids are so cute now. Every time they come up, they're like, "Mom, the berries. The berries are back." They're so delicious.
Alexandra Kohl:
They're so good.
Johanna Almstead:
What do you wear when you feel like you need to take on the world? You have a big meeting or a big event or something. How does that work out, sartorially for you?
Alexandra Kohl:
I'm usually in black. Today I'm in blue, but something loose. I like to wear really loose, flowy clothes. But I guess my favorite take on the world outfit is I have a dress that was a cape in the back, and I just feel like I can do anything when I'm wearing that dress.
Johanna Almstead:
Literal superhero.
Alexandra Kohl:
Mm-hmm. But it's very elegant.
Johanna Almstead:
Artsy-fartsy superhero. I love it.
Alexandra Kohl:
My cape dress.
Johanna Almstead:
Your cape dress. Ooh, I need to see that.
Alexandra Kohl:
You can borrow it anytime.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. I think I might.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. What is your go-to coping mechanism on a bad day? Nothing's working. It's all going haywire. What do you do?
Alexandra Kohl:
I get out of the house, go show up at a friend's, get out of there, shake it up, go get a drink, and then maybe jump on some horses. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
After drinking.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yes. Yes.
Johanna Almstead:
I like it. That sounds perfect.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, just some friends to shake it up.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, there's nothing better.
Alexandra Kohl:
Mm-hmm.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. So speaking of friends, who would be your dream dinner party guest list? You can have as many as you want.
Alexandra Kohl:
Oh, wow. I mean, I have a few best friends that have moved and are in different countries now, so I'd love to be able to bring them all to one place. Preferably we'll go to them because I like where they live.
Johanna Almstead:
They're more exciting than here.
Alexandra Kohl:
A little bit.
Johanna Almstead:
I feel like I have a couple friends, same thing, that are in far away places, and I'll just text them out of the blue, can you just come over for dinner and they're in Amsterdam or LA or whatever. I just want you to come over to my house for dinner.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah, please.
Johanna Almstead:
And lastly, what is one thing you know for sure, right now, here in this moment?
Alexandra Kohl:
Oh, man. I know that the rest of my afternoon is weaving and drawing, and that that is pretty good. I'm pretty happy with that, and I'm really glad with what I'm doing, so I don't really want to change anything. I'm like, just keep growing in what I'm doing.
Johanna Almstead:
That's beautiful. That's a really beautiful place to be in your life, huh?
Alexandra Kohl:
Right answer. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
There's no Wrong answer.
Alexandra Kohl:
Yeah. I've thought about it so many times, applying for their jobs, those moments where I don't have a commission or something, I'm like, I really need a steady job. And then I get my one commission. I'm like, no, I'm good. We're fine. We're good again. I'm just going to be an artist for the rest of my life, so I know that, that I'm going to be an artist for the rest of my life.
Johanna Almstead:
That makes me really happy.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thanks.
Johanna Almstead:
And it makes the world a more beautiful place because your art is in it.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thank you.
Johanna Almstead:
Can you please tell people where they can find you? Tell them your Instagram and your website and all those things.
Alexandra Kohl:
My Instagram is Alexandra Kohl, which is K-O-H-L, and then Design, and my website is AlexandraKohl.com and yeah, that's where you can find me or at the gallery in New York. Any of the stores.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Say the name of the gallery again so people hear it.
Alexandra Kohl:
Dobrinka Salzman.
Johanna Almstead:
Dobrinka Salzman In New York City. And she's currently, her work is in the windows of Lafayette 148 in New York, LA, all kinds of places.
Alexandra Kohl:
And Manitoba.
Johanna Almstead:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your creative spirit and your lovely heart and your ideas and your stories.
Alexandra Kohl:
Of course.
Johanna Almstead:
And I'm so, so appreciative.
Alexandra Kohl:
Thank you, Joanna. This is so nice.
Johanna Almstead:
That was such a lovely conversation. I just adore her so much, and I'm so glad we persevered through our technical problems to get that one recorded. I hope you all enjoyed it. I hope you're feeling inspired, delighted and excited by doing something creative. And thank you all for your amazing support. If you're not doing so already, please make sure you follow the podcast, follow us on social media, tell us what you want to hear about, tell us what you're needing inspiration for, and tell us how you're liking things.
As always, I'm so grateful for you. I'm so grateful that you are continuing to help us build this community, and we'll catch you on the next one. This Eat My Words podcast has been created and directed by me, Joanna Almstead. Our producer is Sophy Drouin. Our audio editor is Isabel Robertson, and our brand manager is Mila. Thank you.