No. 08: Michaela Kotob
Film archives, herbal elixirs, kundalini yoga, All About Love, and renaissance pj's
Michaela Kotob is a Brooklyn-based Lebanese-American photographer and the founder of We All Dream, which launched its podcast last fall. In an episode from Valentine’s Day, Michaela asked 40 people what love meant to them. It’s a really sweet 12 minutes.
I. a nostalgic film photography archive
Whether it be old family photos, past personal work, or digging through online archives and books... I am fully inspired and down the rabbit hole of film photo archives. Some current favorites are Angela Hill, Lottie Hampson, and Glen Luchford. I really love and find inspiration from photos that look like a friend or lover captured it. Something intimate and personal that stimulates relatability and nostalgia. If a photographer can capture its subject's natural essence, nothing is more captivating to me.
II. a witchy herbal elixir to nourish + ground the body
Recently my body is not agreeing with alcohol (this happens as soon as the weather drops below 60º) and wants to do anything and everything to nourish and ground as the seasons change. I love creating witchy elixirs to enjoy throughout the week and grabbing all needed ingredients from my neighbors + favorite herbal shop, Anima Mundi Apothecary in Greenpoint. I recently made this one for my girlfriends and I think it's the perfect potion for autumn.
ROSE AUTUMN ELIXIR (Named after my grandmother Sis Rose)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of Rose Hips
- 1/2 cup of Hibiscus Powder
- 1/4 cup of dried Rosebuds
- 1/4 cup of Dried Ginger Root
- 1 tbsp of Cinnamon
- 1-4 tbsp of Honey (depending on preference of sweetness)
- 6 cups of water
Additional Bliss
- 1 Blood Orange
- Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
- Sparkling Water
- Anima Mundi Euphoria tincture + Raindbo Reishi mushroom tincture (optional, you can use tinctures of your choice or none at all!)
*add ingredients into a pitcher of choice and add boiling water, let steep. If you want to strain ingredients, wait to add sweetener and tinctures until after you strain. Drink hot OR add ice and sparkling water for an Elixir Mocktail. Garnish with blood orange slice and rosemary sprig.
III. a yoga practice + a sensual playlist to connect to your body and feminine energy
I've been attending daily yoga at my neighborhood studio, Yoga Space NYC, and they just added a Kundalini practice to the weekly roster so I'm really excited to explore it more and keep my practice going. Every month I look forward to attending the Be-Shen sessions at Tangerine NYC where we meditate, breathe, chant, visualize, heal, and connect. It has been completely transformative for me and I've met the most amazing community of women through it. As much as I’d love to gatekeeper both, they’re too good not to share.
OH and I've been completely mesmerized by Chantress Seba and will be ordering a Steel Tongue Drum to learn to play ASAP.
Here's a playlist I recently curated that helps me with my Kundalini practice and get in touch with my body + feminine energy: 11:11
IV. a romantic fantasy escape
I was in Spoonbill & Sugartown Books in Williamsburg with a friend a few weeks ago and picked up a copy of All About Love. I've had many friends tell me it's their favorite book over the years but am only just now reading it myself. I'm only a few chapters deep, but I get it now. Speaking of books, I'm thinking about starting an IRL book club for We All Dream. I'm craving community connection and book chat so TBD on deets.
My other current (and forever) romantic fantasy escape: Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. I get an itch to re-watch this film every autumn and spring while I fantasize about life in England during the 90's.
V. a modern renaissance, but make it pajama outerwear
You know when you want to get rid of all your clothes and commit to one particular vibe? Well mine is renaissance pj's you can lounge in at home or wear in public. I purchased these vintage sheer bloomers / pantaloons (for far too much money but also, worth it) from Seven Wonders in Greenpoint and it was the re-ignition of my baroque obsession. I was born with this identity crisis and will die with it.
~ bulletin ~
los angeles
Open: Brittany Fanning’s Getting Away With Murder at The Lodge until Saturday. Soumya Netrabile’s Between Past and Present/Between Appearance and Memory at Anat Ebgi until Saturday. Michael Berryhill’s Scenic Route at Night Gallery. James Goss’ Gates of Paradise at The Pit. Dike Blair and Maja Ruznic at Karma. Shara Hughes’ Light the Dark at David Kordansky. Vanessa Beecroft’s Rules of Non-Engagement at Jeffrey Deitch until Saturday. Rose Marcus’ Repro at Night Gallery. Manuel Lopez’s Stepping Into the Night at Charlie James.
November 8: Faye Webster at the Novo.
new york
Open: Jane Dickinson’s Promised Land at Karma. Ed Clark’s The Big Sweep at Hauser & Wirth (22nd st) until Saturday. Henry B Taylor’s B Side at The Whitney. Group show Clairvoyance at SHRINE featuring Adrianne Rubenstein, Hayley Barker, Aglae Bassens and Gwen O’Neil until Saturday. A Glorious Bewilderment: Marie Menken’s ‘Visual Variations on Noguchi’ at the Noguchi Museum. Emme McIntyre’s an echo, a stain at David Zwirner (69th st). Wolfgang Tillmans’ Fold Me at David Zwirner (19th st). Ed Ruscha’s NOW THEN at MoMA featuring over 200 works. Ruth Asawa’s Through Line at the Whitney. Jules de Balincourt’s Midnight Movers at Pace. A special exhibition juxtaposing pioneering early 20th-century Swiss modernist Sophie Taeuber-Arp with works by three contemporary artists – Leonor Antunes, Ellen Lesperance and Nicolas Party – at Hauser & Wirth (69th st). Merrick Adams’s Soft Stars Hard Thunder at Turn.
Tonight: Chickee’s at Colbo. Decisive Pink at Baby’s All Right.
Tonight - Saturday: BRIC JazzFest
October 23 - 25: Faye Webster at Brooklyn Steel.
💌❣️