Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Boyer.
Hi Karen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a costume designer based in NYC. Growing up in the woods of New Hampshire, I was always dreaming of imagined worlds; either out building forts and trails in our back woods or buried in a book. I always loved drawing and making things, and went to undergrad at an art school in Baltimore, MD, intending to study illustration and graphic design – but ending up in the sculpture and textiles department. I grew up with my grandmother teaching me how to sew, quilt, knit, crochet, embroider…and to be able to mine and push these techniques to express myself was really mind-blowing. One of my favorite teachers there was a costume designer and really opened my eyes to how varied and interesting the work could be, and so I began assisting, designing my own shows where I could – and discovered how much I love working with a team to create something new; often ephemeral: once again, my mind opened by a new way of working and experiencing the world.
One of my favorite parts of being a designer is constantly being asked to view the world through a new lens – a different time in history, another part of the world, an alternate universe, a writer’s niche obsession, a character with a very different viewpoint – and to make visual or character driven decisions based on this alternate set of parameters.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the things I didn’t realize when I first started designing is just how much emotional intelligence is needed. I think that one of the most challenging – but also one of the most rewarding – parts of costume design is that you are constantly working with people – real people, physical bodies, real emotions, memories or associations attached to a specific material or fit. Sometimes this is a conversation, other times its something to pick up on by tuning into a performer’s mood – I think being able to listen and observe closely, and knowing when to try something different – either a similar piece or the wild card piece! – is key.
When I first started designing, I would get very attached to my original sketch or idea – for example, I once fought long and hard for a giant pair of vintage snowshoes to be worn in a scene despite them being clunky, unwieldy, slowing down the scene considerably – in the end we cut them, which looking back was absolutely the right choice – but at the time I was heartbroken.
Now I try to remind myself to be nimble and open-minded and remember that a good costume is a collaboration between performer and designer – people wearing clothing, rather than the other way around.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m always interested in seeing the hand in made objects – the tiny imperfections and irregularities that let us know something was made by a human rather than a machine is often what makes me want to keep looking at an object or a work of art; I think this is what is interesting about live performance as well – real people all together in a space, with no two performances being exactly the same.
Studying textiles and sculpture, a desire to build things with my hands is why I started designing, and I love to build rather than buy pieces for my shows, as I find working with material often unlocks new ideas and forms.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I’m lucky that there are so many things, big or small, to find happiness in – spending time with loved ones and friends will always be number one, but following that in no particular order – the ocean! Feeling the sun, smelling the salt, hearing the waves; uninterrupted afternoons into nights at my studio, chance encounters – running into a friend unexpectedly on the street, starting a new book by a favorite author, the rest of the pages ahead of you, cute dogs on the street, in the store, really everywhere you go! Hot lazy summer days turning into hot summer nights, but also the occasional mad thunderstorm that comes out of nowhere and falling asleep to the sound of rain.
Contact Info:
- Website: karenrachelboyer.com
- Instagram: @karenrboyer
Image Credits
Headshot: Maria Baranova Portfolio images in order: Chad Finer Hunter Canning Helena Gruensteidl Ella Bromblin Whitney George Karen Boyer Nona Catusanu-Popp Helena Gruensteidl
