We were lucky to catch up with Denise Cordner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Denise, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I knew, as a youth, that I had a desire – a mission – to bring people together, as a community, through communication (listening, speaking, observing, behaving) and education. I think this flame was likely sparked when I was two years of age, living in Tripoli, Libya, with my French mother, American father, older brother, companion Boxer, and Italian caretaker. I was surrounded by different languages, and consequently spoke English, French, Arabic, and Italian….in one sentence…..because I did not realize, at that age, that these were separate languages. To me, these were simply a variety of ways to say the same thing. And so it began: my world vision of a people living on the far edges of the planet actually being one people with their own languages communicating the same thing with different words.

As I grew older, and lived and traveled through different countries, I recognized the similarities and the differences in cultures and experiences. And I dreamed of these cultures being brought together, with a respect and love for the differences and similarities, and maybe my somehow being a part of this bridging process. Because I believed, and still believe, we are all on this planet together to help one another and teach one another, and ultimately live without conflictual separation.

My desire to be a part of unifying people grew clearer as I grew older. I graduated from college with a BA in psychology and a minor in sociology. Knowing we cannot be open to others unless we are open to ourselves, it made sense that this would be an ideal way to begin my efforts to help people come together. I was also writing a great deal in college and the years following my graduation. I began writing poetry within the confines of the Sonnet and poetic rules of iambic pentameters and so on and so forth. Soon however, my writing morphed into a free style with its own informal structure that I believe is natural, not forced, and hopefully easily translatable into different languages.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I enjoyed writing early on and it was just assumed in high school that I would be the first one in my class to publish a fiction novel, but it soon became apparent to me, that I am much more inclined to focus, in ridiculous detail, on one single issue or moment or item, than I am to create focus in others on an unwinding, growing story or tale. Writing poetry and writing stories are similar in some ways, but the creative process – I think – is unique to each. I don’t know. Perhaps I am making excuses because I am so easily distracted…ENTER CAT…just as I began writing about being distracted, my cat came along and literally fell into my arms which were leaning on my knees as I typed. So now, 30 minutes later, I return to tell you how easily distracted I can be. Usually it is smaller things, such as the sound of a unique bird or the horn from a passing train or the crackling of the fireplace or a floating dust bunny – what is a floating dust bunny called? A flying dust squirrel? I don’t know. Anyway, as you see, I am easily distracted, often by my own thoughts. A fiction novel is not in my future. Okay, now where was I going with all this? Oh yes, I was going to tell you about myself and my work. I may have inadvertently done some of that in my babblings so far. But I will try to be more specific.

I am both a writer and a photographer, although both of these cherished activities necessarily took a backseat to my primary employment in the mental health field (family and adolescent crisis therapist, mental health evaluator, and forensic evaluator). Aside from my primary employment, photography has been my most prolific activity and what I am primarily known for by my peers. My photography voice/style is in need of sharpening, however. I tend towards landscapes, but again, I enjoy a variety of additional “topics” – people (portraits, candids, headshots), pets, architecture, and nature; and a variety of “styles” – either using no “in darkroom” photographic editing tricks or, on rare occasion, redeveloping the photograph, after-the-fact, with editing tools to enhance or change it entirely. Consistent feedback I have received about my photography is that it is moody, as well as it is enjoyed for being colorful (although I enjoy black and white photography as well). But ultimately, I believe I need to identify one or two styles to be identified by. So, my goal this year is to sharpen my voice in my imagery. My written word is somewhat more consistent. My poetry, although free-style, has a familiarity from one poem to another, as I express my emotions, sometimes too cryptically, and attempt to carry the reader along with me. Overall, in both my photography and my writing, I try to re-create the normal, often overlooked, or mundane, by reintroducing it to the audience from an angle by which they may not have seen it before.

One example of the above follows, in my poem, DEPARTURE.

Blue lantern glow flickers
yielding to yellow
while vibration
rat tat tat
plays chipping tile
and the cockroach
startled
scuttles behind
the cereal box
into the corner
counter crack
seeking refuge
in simple shadows
where silence speaks
in consistent repetition
comprised of void
and crumbs fallen
for free feasting.
(emotion arrives
and you depart.)
(C) Denise Cordner 2000

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

This will sound very cliche, but in all honesty, my favorite or most rewarding aspect of being an artist, is when others purchase my art. When someone purchases a piece of my work, it tells me my work interests and pleases them enough for them to hang it on their wall or put it on their shelf, not only for their own enjoyment, but also as a public reflection of who they are. And it connects us. My work, which is a reflection of who I am, is also a reflection of who the buyer is, and in that way, we are spiritually connected. What a beautiful thing!

Have you ever had to pivot?

My life has been a series of pivots, when I actually think about it. I suppose any good life is. One cannot be as-happy-as-a-clam-ought-to-be, with the dull grayness of absolute predictability. One big pivot, that possibly changed the trajectory of my creative journey, took place when I was in my late 20’s. I was working at the local public television station, learning the skills of videography, with the utmost respect for, and fascination in, a well produced documentary, and a prayer for a fulfilling career writing and filming such documentaries. I had saved up enough money to purchase the recommended professional, high-definition video camera, and just before I could do so, a family member contacted me, with a story of grief, and requested to borrow the very money I had saved to buy the camera. I was reassured the loan would be paid back in full, with interest, within three months, but unfortunately, it was not. So I was unable to buy the camera and consequently made changes in my plans. A pivot, I hoped was temporary, but found to be a full change in the trajectory of my life. Shortly thereafter, my mother passed away. Her death caused a temporary but prolonged death of creativity in me. I stopped writing. I stopped photographing. I had already stopped videography. It took some hard work to return to a place of creativity. So, even though I am older in years, I at times feel like an infant in my creative life, which is absolutely fine because if I add my real age to my imagined age, I end up safely in my mid-30’s, which is not a bad place to be, in the scheme of things.

Contact Info:

• Website: denisecordner.photography
• Instagram: @dfcphotography61
• Other: Viewbug.com/member/dfcphotography61

Image Credits
All photographs by Denise F. Cordner