In today's 5+5 we feature the exuberant and entrepreneurial Anjelika Temple, a 20x200 alum whose life and career has blossomed magnificently since her tenure with us back in the day. (As a nearly ten-year-old (!!!) company, “back in the day” really means something.) Anyone who follows her on Instagram knows: Anj makes California living look real good. By day she hustles her heart out as Brit + Co’s founding creative director. By night—and, we’ve gathered, many a jam-packed weekend day—she and her (adorable!) fam partake in all the goodness the Bay Area has to offer. Up now, she shares her arty predilections and favorite 20x200 editions with us. Read on for her selects! – Jen Bekman
5 Perfect Picks
1) Ideal Bookshelf 974: Feminists by Jane MountFeels like the cultural climate right now is primed for a brush-up on classic feminist literature. I remember being in my teens in the late '90s and going to used book shops to purchase some of these very tomes—I'd love to give them another read.
2) Stop Talking by Martha Rich
Somehow this sweet little black cat is the ultimate in snark, and I love it. You know when someone comes to your desk and has a simple question to ask but leads with about five minutes of explanation and unnecessary detail? I'd love for this piece to pop out of the top of my head during one of those times, because it's exactly what I need to say but just a little bit more charming.
3) The Catalogue of Imaginary Beings, Plate No.42, by Johanna Goodman
I'm going with a pretty literal interpretation here, but I was immediately drawn to this photo because I love the idea that we're made up of a patchwork of places we've traveled to. I'm a camping and hiking addict, and feel like every time I discover a new beautiful landscape I breathe it in, and it becomes part of who I am.
4) Grand Canyon National Park, a free government service, a 20x200 Vintage Edition
I've got a thing for vintage park service posters! I really do. When my husband and I drove across the country from New York to San Francisco, we stopped at a few parks along the way including the Grand Canyon. I'm particularly enchanted by the graphic nature of this poster, and the way these muted pastel colors come to life.
5) We Are So Good Together (blue) by Dylan Fareed
I loved this print when it came out in red, and I love it now in blue. And I actually have both versions! Sometimes it's as simple as just being so damn good together.
5 Q's + 5 A's
1) What's your favorite museum?The Hakone Open Air Museum in Hakone, Japan. I went there in May of 2016 and felt like I could spend a week walking the grounds, admiring all the outdoor installation pieces and dipping my toes in the warm foot bath filled with citrus. The stained glass tower that you can climb up is easily my favorite piece.
2) What's your most coveted coffee table book?
Tie between Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris and One Hundred Flowers, a collection of Georgia O'Keefe paintings.
3) You've got $5m to spend on one piece of art. What would it be?
A site specific installation by Yayoi Kusama. The site would be a house that I do not yet own :)
4) If you could be reincarnated as an artist, who would you want to be?
Seems lame to say Yayoi Kusama again so...I'll go with Joan Didion.
5) You're a new mama—yay! Any tips for art-fitting a nursery?
For my babe Anokhi's nursery, I actually created all of the art because I wanted it to be made of textiles—cozy things that eventually Anokhi can touch and fiddle around with without fear of glass breaking or sharp edges. Embroidered wall hangings, pom poms, weavings and the like are perfect for a nursery. I also created a little bulletin board salon wall so I can pin up photos, postcards and other personal mementos. (You can see the nursery here!)
The 411 on Anjelika Temple
Anjelika Temple is the Chief Creative Officer of Brit + Co. She received her BA at Middlebury College and was subsequently awarded three post-graduate fellowships in fine art. She spent one year as an artist-in-residence at the Vermont Studio Center followed by ten months traveling abroad to work on a series of commissioned works. Temple then moved to New York and worked in the creative department of Lowe/Deutsch, and subsequently went on to work at art-meets-tech startup 20x200. She and her husband David moved to San Francisco in 2011 which led her to being Brit's first hire at Brit + Co. She's been dreaming up creative ideas, products and stories ever since! When she's not ideating her heart out, you'll find her throwing dinner parties with friends or adventuring with her husband David, daughter Anokhi and slightly internet-famous dog Turkey.
Professional Site: Brit + Co Twitter: @anjelikatemple Instagram: @anjelikatemple Pinterest: @anjelikatemple
Read the prior 5+5 with wordsmith and bad feminist Roxane Gay »
