Karin Elizabeth is smart, funny and gives an air of beauty that so far only Kate Winslet has managed to capture. Her self-portraits are amazing, her words are sharp summaries hidden in book reviews that remind me of Jane Austen’s style and tone. In short, she is a woman to be admired.
I talked to her about her neuropsychology degree, her career in photography and her blog, Reading and Reviewing, a self-described ” creative book reviewing series”
My first question, what, exactly is a neuropsychologist?
“A neuropsychologist specializes in the relationship between brain and behavior. The brain is still not one hundred percent figured out; neuropsychology is a field always actively in research. One of my passions has to do with learning more about Parkinson’s disease and how to improve quality of life for patients. It will always remain fascinating to me. But it’s hard to find work in psychology here [in Netherlands]. In these current economic circumstances, where unemployment grows, it’s even harder. At some point I decided to let go of the small chance that someone will give me the benefit of the doubt and give me a job. Instead I wanted to focus on working independently in that other field I love: photography. I’ve always felt I’d be more suitable for a freelance career where I can put my creativity to use so this is a more natural route for me.”
“Living in The Netherlands is probably the same for me as it is for an American living in the United States. It’s home, it’s normal. I love to travel and I try to do this when I can, because it does enrich my life, but for myself – I have already experienced everything I needed to experience at age 17/18. It wasn’t always easy, the year abroad [Karin stayed in South Dakota] – to be honest I think it was the hardest time of my life. I was young and had to deal with things I didn’t expect to deal with before I went abroad. But I learned to persevere through good times and bad, to believe in myself and to count on myself. And to trust my own heart and instincts.One thing I have learned since living in the USA is that it doesn’t matter where you are, it’s who you are that matters… and who you are with.
Through a fluke of luck, this year Karin shared her birthday with Obama’s inauguration.
“Oh that was one of the most exciting days for me. I always feel a birthday is an an opportunity for change – which is what Barack Obama stands for, for many people (mostly Americans but also other citizens). I always try to set goals for myself on my birthday and I try to celebrate all of the good things I have accomplished the year before. I haven’t always made the best choices or handled things well, but as I’m growing up I’m learning to just be proud of myself for trying. My birthday feels like a bit of a new start. What better way is there than to celebrate the day ‘with’ the person who represents hope and change the most at the time?
So what makes her blog tick?
“A blog is a great way to connect to like-minded people; lots of avid readers also blog.
“[I started my blog because] Books have always been important to me. I love browsing bookstores, bringing home books and when the time is right, open one of them up and read. It’s kind of my own private ritual and the whole process calms me. I figured it was time to add to this ritual by writing reviews to become more aware of what I am reading. The photos add a personal touch to it.
“Apart from hoping to provide other people with well-grounded book recommendations, it’s also very inspiring for myself. Since I’ve started this project (Jan. ’08), I’ve been reading twice as many books as I have the years before I started this! That alone has made it worthwhile to me. In the meantime I’ve also started reviewing books for authors and I joined a reviewing program for a bookstore. It would be fun to take this further, I’m definitely open to it, but whatever happens, I know I will continue this project because I just love it.”
Being a blog writer requires a lot of motivation during the week, when you’re feeling despondent, how do you move yourself to post?
“I think about how accomplished I feel each time I’ve completed an R&R. What brings me down the most is feeling useless, so why not do something that makes me feel useful? Writing reviews does that. So the best way to beat feeling down is to post.
What inspires you?
“Other people! Whether it’s their work, or their personality. I can look at someone’s photography and the wheels in my head start spinning. But beautiful people also bring out something in me – and with beautiful I mean the way they carry themselves and how they are on the inside. People fascinate me, always have. Finally, I notice the world around me. Ever since I’ve started photography I’ve been so much more appreciative of the things that used to slip by me before.”
Considering that your blog is based around self-portraits, how did you get over that initial awkwardness of critiquing what you look like in photos as well as critiquing your pictures objectively? Do you still get those moments where you go “oh, that was awful!” or are you more accepting and forgiving these days?
“I think I’ve always been okay with myself in photography. It’s usually been more about composition or something, not so much about how I appear. I just embrace my dorkiness. I can be such a goof. Most of the time when I put myself in front of the camera, I’ll pull a crazy face at least once and have a couple laughs when I go through my photos to select which to post-process. If you can’t laugh at yourself, then what is there? I don’t mind acting like a complete idiot in regular life either and I don’t fear embarrassment. I’ve spent years apologizing for who I am. I didn’t want that anymore.
What Women of the Web would you recommend?
The ladies of the Female Self-Portrait Artists’ Support Group take self-portraits and share them with each other. And they also listen to each other’s doubts, and share in one and other’s joys. I don’t spend enough time there. I should.
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