It is with great excitement that we announce the addition of Anne Telford to our list of contributing authors. I first met Anne when she invited me and my then three or four year old son for a play date with her daughter at a local park. We hadn’t met before and I knew her as the force behind those coveted articles written about photographers in Communication Arts. I of course said yes and I of course was nervous. I look back on that now and recall that there was no need to be nervous because talking to Anne was effortless. She was full of curiosity and interest in our children that we had lots to talk about. I have enjoyed her friendship ever since. And, now that both of our children are in college, that is something to be proud of!
It is with that sense of friendship that she approaches all of her interviews. Her ability to make a connection with a subject is unlike anyone’s. She helps photographers bring words to their images and for that we are all very thankful.
While you await her first post, here is a bit about Anne. I thought Chris Crisman’s series, The Meaning of Life in Ten Questions, would be a great way to get to know her better. If you like her answers, be sure to link to Chris’ blog as there are many more interviews with people in our industry answering the same questions. And, if you want to see what she has been up to, please check out her LinkedIn page.
The Meaning of Life in Ten Questions, borrowed from Chris Crisman’s Blog
1) Name one actor you’d like to portray you in a movie about your life?
Salma Hayak.
2) What is your preferred vehicle or mode of transportation?
My size 5 feet. I love to walk, especially at the beach. When I drive, it’s in a 1995 white Miata convertible, the closest I’ve been able to get to the 1963 Porsche 356SC that I drove in the late 1970s—the automotive love of my life.
3) What is your favorite beverage for creative inspiration? (Specifics are encouraged)
In the summer a nice crisp Pinot Grigio or a Stone IPA (or my new favorite, Hood River, Oregon’s Full Sail IPA). For winter or truly meditative times, I like a nice Single Malt Scotch, at least 12 years old, preferably Lagavulin. Light ice.
4) Name your all time favorite band, singer, or album?
That’s easy, it’s all rolled up in one: Patti Smith’s Horses, produced by John Cale.
5) Name one place in the world that you’ve been and can’t wait to return to and why:
Paris. My husband Stephen proposed to me on our first trip to Paris. Our next trip we were married at the American Church on the Quai d’Orsay. I find the city heartbreakingly beautiful and love exploring new neighborhoods and visiting flea markets and cafés when not wandering the museums. We stay in a hotel that is part of a Gothic church, with perfect reproduction furniture and 100 steps to the top.
6) What is your favorite article/interview of all time?
I was fortunate in my long tenure as founding Managing Editor of Communication Arts to meet and interview dozens of amazingly talented people, many of whom have become my friends. The articles that stand out for me are those in which time disappeared in the excitement of stimulating conversations. Not to seem like I’m currying favor, but the feature I wrote on Andy Anderson is at the top of the list! That interview was like going on a scouting trip, fun, informative, and slightly dangerous. Getting a peek inside a creative person’s life is a gift; the challenge of capturing their personality and drive, what distinguishes them as an artist and a human, is a privilege.
7) What is your philosophy on creating and inspiring?
Make things. Use my hands. I’m always working on an embroidery project or gluing shells to stuff. I get ideas while I’m gardening and try always to have a notepad and pen handy. Writing things down makes them tangible. I find so many people and things inspiring that I am never at a loss for ideas. I mentor some of my daughter’s friends in their artistic and journalistic pursuits. I’ve had some wonderful, generous mentors and think it’s important to help young people in this complex world.
8) Describe a defining moment in your career that has led you to where you are today?
Meeting Scott O’Dell, my favorite childhood author in 4th grade when he came to speak to my class. I don’t know how many times I read Island of the Blue Dolphins. The story of a strong resolute native girl and her dog, the book resonated with me. I asked him how a writer got a book published and he gave me a serious, detailed answer. I knew I wanted to write, to tell stories from kindergarten on.
9) Name one person you wish you could have a drink with and why? This can be any person or character living or deceased.
This question is almost too difficult so answer. I’ve lost both my parents, my dad when I was 29 and my mom 20 years later. (And my beloved Scottish grandfather John was a teetotaler!) If I remove family from the equation, I’d have to say Walt Whitman. Song of Myself is my favorite poem/Leaves of Grass my favorite book, and I would love to sit down on a grassy field with a bottle of expensive Scotch and listen to Walt tell me of his travels.
10) If the world is ending in 2015, how will you change your life plan?
That doesn’t leave a lot of time for research. Gut instinct would be to take my husband, our three dogs and join our daughter in New Orleans where she is attending Tulane. I’d drink more than my usual allotment of Pimm’s Cups at the Napoleon House and go out enjoying a nice gumbo. Or I might just hike out into Sequoia National Park and hug a redwood.