Maven pick: A stroll through Rizzoli is all I need to get by

Good morning, Friday. Happy happy. I'm so looking forward to the weekend- weather is gorgeous and excited for a bit of a regroup. It's no newsflash that I've been feeling a bit blue of late- trying to figure out some moves and more often than not, getting in my own way. Yesterday the fog lifted a bit and felt a turnaround in the air. Thank goodness for that.

But worth noting- should you ever find me depressed or catatonic and you're wondering what to do for me, just take me to Rizzoli. Take me straight there and lead me by my limp hand to the Photography and Fashion book section. There, I will find happiness. In any instance. It's that simple. Beautiful books are good for my health. This much I know.

I remember Rizzoli when it used to be uptown- what a beautiful store. I spent hours in there during my early tenure in New York- it was so grand and so easy to lose track of time while browsing all of the beautiful books.  Now making its home right by the Flatiron, it's a stellar monument to the old world bookstores of my youth. And I absolutely adore it. Often referred to as the most beautiful bookstore in the world (their claim), it's just pure magic in there. There's just something about Rizzoli. Are you with me? 

So yesterday's stroll had me paging through some gorgeous photography books, and Lord knows I want them all. But I'm currently crushing on "Icons", the recently published  photo book from Gus Van Sant- I know I've talked about his photography here before, but Jeez. It's so good. It takes me straight back to that moody, haze of an aesthetic we all adored in the 90s. And I've never stopped loving it. Its just so stunning and raw and, well, cool. 

On a whole other dimension was my discovery of the work of midcentury fashion photographer, James Moore and the wonderful retrospective published this year. His work for Bazaar was just amazing, and though we think of names like Penn and Avedon, Moore should be included in any discussion of photography of that era. I pored over the pages and found so much inspiration- I'm particularly smitten with the cover image of the book- that haircut on the front girl is very much top of mind.  I love everything about this photographer and was so happy to have a few moments before heading downtown to peek at his work. 

So even when I'm down, I can still always feel energized and inspired by one of my favorite things, photography. And though my industry has changed, I'm still so in love with the medium itself and hope to stay engaged as I move into the next phase of my career.  It gives me life and I so appreciate the eye of a photographer- how he or she sees the world has always delighted and intrigued me. As someone with my very own particular point of view, I so appreciate the ability for photography to show us something we may not have seen before, or to put something very obvious in front of us yet show it in a new way. 

So if you too are visually inclined, you may want to spend some time in a bookstore near you and get some much needed inspiration. The world has gone awry, yet I still love looking at pretty pictures, and that's that. Cause that's what's up this well lensed Friday in the 212. Yours, in healing energy and beautiful pictures (and bookstores). XO