Today's questionnaire is answered by awesome new Heartmade artist Suzie Brisendine of Wednesday Thursday. We're so excited about her gorgeous work that mixes graphic design with string art and we know you will be too when you meet her on April 7th!
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Hmm. Perfect Happiness. Alone in my car listening to NPR? Does that out me as a boring person?? It's just that...I rarely get alone time when I'm not tempted to do other things -- like do the dishes, start some laundry, feed the cat, etc -- and NPR is one way I feel stay connected to the rest of the world. It's my main news source, it's how I hear about 90% of the books I read (the other 10% comes from Reese Witherspoon's Book of the Month Club #shoutout) and it's how I am introduced to many new and profound ideas and/or world views. So, yeah...I feel enlightened and at peace when I'm driving around - alone - listening to NPR.
Which living person do you most admire?
My sisters. They have each had unique hurdles in their lives, but are now truly the best women and mothers. They are not very much alike...but are both my go-to for advice and support. It helps that we have a lifetime of history to help us understand each other and feel safe to express certain worries and struggles, but I really enjoy my friendships with each of them.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Online shopping. Though, if I'm honest, most of the time I fill up my cart and close the browser. So, in reality, that is probably not an extravagance at all.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Heroism. If that's a virtue..? Most people don't really need a "hero" - they are the only ones who can truly save themselves.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Oh man. My hair. BUT, I am learning to cope with and appreciate it. It is SO curly and SO short right now, there's not much I can do except let it be. I'm in the process of growing it out, but...anyone who's done that before knows what a torturous process it can be.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Loyalty. I mean, I like a lot of qualities - it's always hard for me to pick ONE thing in situations like this - but...I do deeply appreciate true faithfulness and loyalty, which I have found to be more rare than I expected.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Again, loyalty.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Not to be predictable, but..my husband, Sam.
I have loved him in one way or another since I was 14 years old. He's always been my "safe place" to talk through all kinds of emotions with and work through hardships from college until just last night. We have discovered so much MORE about one another in marriage - as one does - but he's never stopped being the one I want to talk to; the one whose opinion on any subject I value most. Plus he's pretty good looking.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Singing! Oh man, how I have always longed to sing like Idina Menzel. Or, as some may know her -- Adele Dazeem.
If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
I would sleep more. A lot more.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
When I finished a 30 day yoga challenge after not working out consistently for 31 years (aka my entire life).
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing what would it be?
Oh my, I think I need this life to be it! I don't know if I could start over and do it all again.
Where would you most like to live?
Near the beach. And maybe somewhere not in the US. Not because I don't like the US, I've just always thought it would be fun to live abroad, if even for a season of life. Australia or Mexico...somewhere I imagine life to be simpler and more like a constant vacation.
What is your most treasured possession?
My coffee maker.
What do you most value in your friends?
My closest friends are the "whole package" so to speak. We laugh endlessly, but we also share our deep dark secrets and enjoy a variety of experiences together and cry together and argue (respectfully) with one another.
I don't know about you, but a large chunk of my friends fall into one or two of those categories - we laugh a lot and we share a variety of experiences, but we don't usually go near the hard stuff in life. Or, we can have really deep conversations and connect on that level, but maybe our senses of humor are not quite in the same ballpark.
Which - of course I value ALL those different types of friendships, but when I meet those few people that fall into ALL categories it is magical.
Which local artists or makers most inspire you?
Rebekah Vinyard Jewelry. She's in Austin so she's quasi local, but i think she still fits the bill. She has some jewelry in Houston shops and does Houston markets, so surely that counts for something. I met her back in college, of course neither of us knowing we would later run into one another at markets and shops. But her stuff is gorgeous. And she's been at this small business thing for a long time. She's so great.
Newton Supply Co. They're also in Austin, but have bags in at least one Houston shop. Laura has always made beautiful products and been consistent about giving back to the community. Her work with refugee women, in particular, is really inspirational. She has a good heart and I love everything she does!
Box Sparrow Studio. I don't know Abbie personally, but I love love LOVE her ceramics. I took a ceramics class in college and had so much fun with it. Now I am always drawn to that type of work, knowing what challenge and precision goes into it. Box Sparrow creates incredible clean lines in her beautifully modern pieces...oh, I can't get enough.
What are your favorite names?
Lucy and Lola - my daughters :) I always kind of wondered if parents get tired of the names they picked...i mean a LIFETIME of the same name may get kind of boring, right? But no! Those two names, I fall more in love with every day. They fit each of the girls so perfectly.
From Vanity Fair: "The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature." We've taken the original Proust Questionnaire and modified it a bit for our artists and makers so that they can share more about themselves with all of you. Check out the series to see how they all answered.
