When I met Mitch Owens a few years ago in the offices at Elle Decor I did not know that he was the author of the esteemed design blog, An Aesthete’s Lament. I did not find out until a few months later when another blogger casually mentioned it in an email. It immediately made sense that this blog, which reflected a near encyclopedic knowledge of design, was the work of a seasoned and talented interior design writer. Mitch is currently Special Projects Editor at Architectural Digest and Ms. Russell has made an honest man of him. No more clandestine meetings on the blogspot – Mitch is blogging as The Aesthete on Daily AD. And, in case you’re worried that I’ve outed him, I have not; he casually steps from behind the curtain in his first post. I will be looking forward to more.
Ohhh!! Thank you for this "outing"! I look forward to each post as well..
Have a Great Day!
Fabulous! xo xo
I had no idea Patricia. A very talented man!! You are in good company indeed!
Xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
As much as I like Mr. Owen's writing on his blog, I have zero
interest in following him on AD's website. I guess at the end of the day
most bloggers are trying to parlay their work into a money making
operation and things are bound to change. And the magazine world wants to
come up with a way to compete. Unfortunately they (the mags) only serve to
suck the life blood from the very thing that made blogging appealing in the
first place. You'll seldom get candor and honesty on the pages of a
magazine.
Thank you for the reveal.The point of view of AL's was mysterious at times, and somewhat gender non-specific, not that men cnanot be interested in porcelain or silver patterns, but the confirmation does shape how one reads the blog. I too look forward to more.
Thanks so much, Patricia, for the shout-out, which is very much appreciated. I'm happy you have always been a fan. Mutual admiration!
Anon – In this particular case I don't think your perspective is accurate. Mitch was working for magazines long before he was blogging. In addition, his editors at Elle Decor and AD were aware that he was penning AL so my guess would be that his voice will pretty much remain the same.
I know a good many bloggers and their reasons for blogging are varied. I see no harm in being compensated and I suppose it is up to the reader to decide if it is changing the editorial focus of the blog. In my relationship with AD I pitch ideas to them and they say "yea" or "nay;" from the beginning we agreed that I would not need to modify my content on Mrs. B and am free to post on other publications.
Mitch has worked for national media for years, so his circumstance hasn't changed. I won't lie to you – having the opportunity was beyond my imagination. It certainly doesn't seem like something that calls for an apology.
Blog on dear! Full steam ahead. Thanks for the tip.
Karen
Mrs. Blandings, I fear you may have missed my point. What drew me to the blogs from the beginning was their freshness and honesty. They are personal in a way not possible for a magazine blog.
I have always read the shelter mags too and have for years. But the magazines have something to sell and are in bed with any number of people who they need to be in bed with in order make it all work. Blogs could be frank, candid and even offensive. It made it exciting and felt like a much needed change.
I'm quite sure you'll disagree, but I've observed a change in your writing/blog since your own professional affiliation. This isn't a criticism but my own perception. Your voice had a much more personal and even emotional tone in the past. Things change, evolve, I know.
But no matter; Mitchell Owens remains an erudite voice in the design world and we are all the better informed because of it. But that voice alone isn't enough for me to become even remotely interested in AD's website or blog.
It is an interesting perspective. Mine has been a complicated year in a number of ways and I wonder if that has more of an influence than would be apparent. I'll read back through to see if I can see what you see .
Unfortunately, I agree with the observations of Anon 6:56. You have gone from design to "face work". It sounds like Oprah without the tissues. You write for a broader audience that those who want to attend opening night at a KC art gallery or museum. If that has now become your focus you have that option of course and we have the option to also not read here.
I'm not sure exactly what you mean.