It started as a name that stuck. It was one of those restless notions that strikes as you’re falling asleep and forces you to turn on the light and jot it down, promising to be a terrible idea when you re-read it in the morning. But over the next few months, for whatever reason, I just kept referring to this concept I wanted to start as A Face Project.

I knew I wanted to explore different perspectives and connect with people all over the world. I knew I wanted photography to be a major part of the work, but that I also wanted to explore something challenging and different that wasn’t photography. So, I bought the domain and sat on the idea for months.

My husband, Paul, has patiently heard me out and offered up ideas when I’m stuck. He was completely supportive of A Face Project and advised that I just dive in and make something, it could evolve from there. If I sat on it too long, he thought, I’d never actually start the thing. That November, or more appropriately to this telling, Movember, Paul decided to grow a beard. By the end of March he boasted a bushy, ginger collection of facial hair. It was pretty great, but it was also scratchy, and in a qualification I can only directly quote, “was a bit of a patchy mess.” It was settled. The beard was coming off.

I decided it would be fun to interview Paul about his decision to grow and remove his beard and snap some photos of the process. The photos and audio became a slide show backed by a tune Paul and I wrote and recorded on my phone while sitting (a few drinks in) around a campfire in the mountains of northern Idaho. At the time I didn’t know much of anything about audio recording and quality, so it seemed like a great idea. Three years ago I published my first story for A Face Project (see above slide show).

As a photographer, I’m constantly delivering digital files to my clients and don’t often get a chance to see them in print. I knew that A Face Project would be different, would perhaps evolve into a place where many photographers would have a chance to submit their work and have something tangible to keep. After receiving a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board early the next year, A Face Project Magazine was printed. We published a summer and winter volume, and then went quiet.

Getting to this point was exciting and frustrating, filled with moments of high spirits and incredible self doubt. But, with the help of family and friends, and the talents of Dan & Aaron, A Face Project was shaped into the podcast and magazine we’re launching next week. Most of all, we wanted this content to be accessible and easy to enjoy. A podcast seemed like a logical choice, and with each episode’s collection of photographs from the interview, the quarterly magazine was reworked, too.

We’re looking forward to this journey. Join us by listening to our first podcast starting March 1, 2016. Thank you for your support and interest.

Cheers,

Natalie