For our latest edition of Show & Tell, Dallas-raised, Brooklyn-based performance artist, dance maker, and yoga teacher Catherine Kirk shares some of her prized possessions, practices, and rituals with us.
I was lucky to grow up with a village of amazing folks who are deeply caring and supportive. I was raised in the same house my parents still live in today, so moving around was foreign to me until I departed Texas for NYC in 2010 (university called). Since then, I’ve found pleasure in moving around because it’s allowed me to fall in love with different neighborhoods in the city. I’ve lived in Brooklyn the past seven years and find myself seeking more quietness and community. I’ve been blessed to feel at home in many places throughout my life, and I’m now creating that for myself as I recently became roommate-free when I made the move to live solo this past fall.
MORNING RITUAL
I enjoy practicing self-care in the early morning when it feels like the city is still asleep. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos (hypo-thyroid) in 2015 and can really struggle with inflammation, so anything that promotes lymphatic drainage is my jam. This Philosopher's Stone and Truth Serum by Maison Quiquine are the best combo when I guasha my neck and face (and as a dancer sometimes I use it on my body when I’m feeling stagnation and soreness in my muscles). Plus I’m a sucker for minimal and chic packaging.
COFFFEE TABLE BOOKS
My parents have collected Black art in our home in Dallas and my sister is the art historian of the family. She has a gnarly coffee table book collection that I’ve always admired. I love getting lost in a visual book—I’ve found it organically informs my own movement artistry and unwinds me a bit from some of what can be overwhelming about living in the city.
BED SIDE
I’m someone who could burn candles day and night if it weren’t so costly! I love minimal design because it helps me relax and focus (especially while working from home more!), but to have a bit more fun, I try to bring in texture and shape to add warmth and a homey-ness to my apartment. My donut shaped candle and circular candle holder make me happy simply because I think they’re so cute!
MIRROR/DRESS
I try to shop second hand as much as I can. I scored this dope plaster wrapped mirror hand-made by the designers behind Skilset. It was the first find that anchored my new apartment and informed how I wanted my home to feel. (And peep the garb hanging from my door! It’s my late and great, Granny’s frock from Eileen Fisher. I used to wear it often when I could travel back home to visit my family in Dallas, but I brought it to my Brooklyn closet to keep her close. My Granny transitioned seven years ago, but I literally still miss her everyday and try to wear something of hers on the daily.)
MUSIC
I would be nowhere and get nothing done without having music playing constantly in my home. It was also a way of life in my home growing up. I love grooving and dancing and finding new artists to listen to. My partner got me a Sonos as a gift and I put it to very good use!
TEA
I joke that I couldn’t get through Marie Kondo’s book because it felt like she was in my brain. A random hat I’ve worn is one of an interior organizer. And while I should pick Kondo’s book back up (I have wayyyy too much stuff), I do love to organize so that I can see and appreciate what I do bring into my life, and I have a knack for helping others do the same. My kitchen has these amazing inner drawers that sit at the perfect height to place all of my tea bags. Since showing it off on my IG story, I have received an overwhelming amount of gifted tea so I’m glad this drawer is huge because my tea collection is growing faster than I can drink.
MINIMAL WASTE LIFESTYLE
I’ve composted for years and have kept my eyes and ears open to learning from intersectional environmentalists. Now that I’m living alone, I’ve been able to commit and hold myself accountable to clock my own impact and reduce my waste. I think it’s important to be intentional with how I shop and where I spend my money because as consumers we have so much more power than folks want us to tap into. I really enjoy putting effort into making my community and the world a better and healthier place. I love making my own cleaning products and I invested in a bar dish soap and scrubbers that will last some time and not make their way to the landfill.
LOVE
Years ago, my partner and I stumbled into a Valentine’s Day event at Maude and fell in love with their Massage Candle. I don’t usually go for scented candles, but this one smells so natural and soothing and melts into the most feel-good massage oil. I like supporting and investing in multi-use products, and this candle creates a vibe that is irresistibly pleasurable.
VINTAGE (IN MY KINDRED BLACK TEE!)
I can’t remember the last time I walked out of the house with something that was not passed down from my Ma or Granny. I snagged this woven paper hat when my Ma was purging her closet during quarantine days / weeks /months / who knows and it has become a staple accessory of mine. It somehow works with everything and keeps my recently-shaved head from feeling too hot in the summer sun.
We grapple with consumerism everyday – we are a store that sells stuff that hates waste and too much stuff. So you can imagine the collective cognitive dissonance brewing around the KB office. Our mission, for ourselves and for our store, is to dial back the urge to consume mindlessly and voraciously for no other purpose than to own lots of stuff. The opposite of a throw-away culture – a society that feels connected enough to what they own to keep it, keep it nice, and pass it on. More simply put, people save things when they feel connected to them. For our new series, Show and Tell, we’re taking a different approach to the classic Q&A and asking friends, family and followers to introduce us to some of their things, and through those things learning a lot about the person behind the piece.