Episode 694 – A Conversation with Mary Jo Hoffman on her new book STILL: The Art of Noticing
December 11th, 2024
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More
Every day for more than a decade, Mary Jo Hoffman has made a photograph of found nature – no subject too small or too ordinary. For Mary Jo, a former aeronautical engineer, this daily ritual cracked open profound revelations about the connectedness of all things, the importance of place, and her own life. She joined me to talk about her daily practice that led to more than 4,000 consecutive days of images filled with surprise, play, wonder, and joy as she paid attention to the natural world. We discuss STILL, The Art of Noticing, Mary Jo’s stunning new book — a fabulous holiday gift for yourself or someone you love.
Today, we have a very special episode to share with our creative community as we welcome Mary Jo Hoffman, a botanical photographer, writer, and artist, whose eyes and camera capture intimate portraits of the flora and fauna in her world. Every day since January 1, 2012, for 12-and-a-half years, Mary Jo made a photograph of found nature, capturing it in an alluring minimalist style.
Her daily ritual cracked open profound revelations about the importance of place, the passing of time, the connectedness of all things, and the trajectory of her own life.
Here’s a bit more about Mary Jo Hoffman:
Mary Jo Hoffman is an artist-photographer renowned for her unique and personal engagement with the natural world. Best known for her project, “STILL” — where every day (every single day) for over a decade, she made a photograph of found nature – no subject too small or too ordinary.
Her book, STILL: The Art of Noticing, features 275 of the most stunning photographs the author-artist has accumulated over thousands of consecutive days of daily shooting accompanied by perceptive, deeply felt, and often humorous essays illuminating the insights gained through this daily creative practice.
Mary Jo lives in Shoreview, Minnesota, on Turtle Lake, with her husband, Steve, a food writer and author, and her indulged puggle, Jack, who accompanies her on her daily foraging walks to find new subjects.
I received a review copy of STILL when it was published earlier this year in May, and I wanted to save it for a special episode. We usually feature Slow Flowers members as our guests, so the exception I make is to host artists and creatives whose work moves me personally. Now that we’ve arrived at the gifting season, sharing my conversation with Mary Jo will, I hope, inspire you to check out STILL. There’s still time to purchase your copy.
Follow Mary Jo Hoffman on Instagram
Subscribe to Mary Jo’s newsletter
View her Pinterest Galleries
Order your copy of STILL
I will leave you with a passage from one of her essays, which spoke to me, from page 50. I hope it resonates with your own mindful practice:
Mary Jo Hoffman, STILL: The Art of Noticing
“You are what you do. If you show up every day and make a little bit of art, however incomplete or unsatisfying or misguided or not how Georgia O’Keefe would have done it, you are an artist.”
Thank you, Mary Jo, for helping us notice the places where we find ourselves – and to see them with new eyes.
Slow Flowers (Virtual) Member Meet-Up on December 13th
In our news of the week, you’re invited to attend our December Slow Flowers Meet-Up, coming up Friday, Dec. 13th – 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. The topic for this month’s session: New Cut Flower Seeds for 2025 + Breeding News. We will be joined by three floral experts from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. We recorded a similar presentation one year ago when Hillary Alger and Joy Longfellow unveiled the new flower seed varieties for 2024. The replay video has been viewed more than 5,000 times on YouTube – it was our most popular episode of 2024.
This time around, we are again welcoming Hillary and Joy to the Meet-Up to reveal the new flower seed introductions for 2025, but a very important BONUS guest will join them. Lindsey Wyatt, Johnny’s Senior Plant Breeder, will discuss what it takes to select and breed gorgeous new petal palettes and bring them to market!
And guess what? Our giveaway includes a drawing for three collections featuring the brand new zinnia and celosia seeds in Johnny’s catalog for next year. You must be present to be included in the drawing!
Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2025
And we’re one month away from the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, so now is the time to grab your ticket! The SLOW FLOWERS WORLDWIDE SUMMIT takes place online – January 9-11, 2025 – and you will enjoy 15 hours of amazing floral education from Slow Flowers experts. Check out the details at slowflowerssummit.com. Slow Flowers members receive $50 off their registration and you can find the link in today’s show notes!
Thank you to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.
Thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists. Save $1000s when you build your own walk-in cooler with the CoolBot and an air conditioner. Don’t have time to build your own? They also have turnkey units available. Learn more at storeitcold.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
Drone Pine; Gaena; Turning on the Lights; Glass Beads; A Burst of Light
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue
Lovely
by Tryad
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
In The Field
audionautix.com