In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’re taking a moment to highlight a few of the incredible women who make Getaway possible. From our field team at our Outposts, to our headquartered team in Brooklyn, and our guests, meet the women of Getaway.
Stephanie Dombrowski is the assistant site manager at our New York Outpost. As a member of our field team, Stephanie plays a crucial role in welcoming guests into our cabins. Whenever guests have problems, big or small, Stephanie is there to help and she is instrumental in our ability to offer guests the peace and relaxation they deserve. If you find yourself at Getaway New York, you may see Stephanie’s smiling face on your way out.
Anthea Song has been a fan of Getaway for a while now, as one of our very first guests. The New York City resident has stayed in our cabins six different times and says that Getaway has become a second home for her.
“Its simplicity is so pure, and yet filled with a personal touch that shows the heart and care [the team] has put into it,” Anthea says. “It gives me space, while making me feel I’m cared for; it empowers my sense of independence.”
Over at our headquarters in Brooklyn, Afshan Dosani is the senior growth manager for our marketing team. She works on making the Getaway experience as easy as possible and helps get the word out about our tiny cabins. For Afshan, Getaway is a special place where she takes time to slow down and recharge from city life.
On International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate not only the women of Getaway, but women and girls around the world.
That’s why for every booking made today, March 8, we’re donating $10 to She’s the First, an organization that fights gender inequality through education.
The non-profit raises funds for girls who are the first in their families to graduate from high school, while training young women to be the global leaders of tomorrow. Book a cabin today.
Scattered along Maine’s rugged coastline are some 4,600 islands. One in particular stands out to Addison Godine.
Getaway’s Director of Construction grew up summering on Bremen Long Island without electricity, infrastructure or ferry access. Addison first visited at two month’s old and it’s been an August family tradition ever since.
“Being there got me interested in doing more with less and living simply,” he says.
Once prized for shipbuilding-quality timber, the island today offers isolated recreation in warmer weather. Addison singles out the feeling of empowerment that comes with surviving independently and off the grid.
“I remember, as a kid, fixing things with my hands, which is always something you have to do there,” Addison says. “There’s this quality of being intimate with the environment that you don’t get living in the city.”
The Milton, Massachusetts native has always been at home in New England. Addison graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont with a degree in architecture and a physics minor.
His undergraduate studies led to a unique opportunity with Getaway.
“Whereas most architects design each building differently, I get to iterate. I learn from previous designs and carry what works into the next house. It’s more like product design than architecture.”
Addison’s design sense is influenced from trips along the Maine coast in sailboats with cabins about 80 square feet.
“Boat interiors are extremely efficient. I think about them as I’m designing the tiny houses. Everything has its place in a sailboat, contained and tidy. There’s a term for it — shipshape. I’d like to think that our tiny house designs are shipshape, too.”
Design also runs in the family. His late maternal grandfather Alvin taught graphic design at Yale and designed homes on Martha’s Vineyard. In the Getaway tradition of naming its tiny homes after staff grandparents, Addison-designed cabins Alvin and Hope stand near DC and NYC, respectively.
Addison also helped build Getaway’s first three tiny houses in the summer of 2015. At the time he was unsure what would become of them. Would people actually pay to sleep in his creations, or would all this work amount to nothing?
“I remember that moment distinctly,” Addison recalls of the first guest booking. “It was the validation of the business idea that you’re onto something that could be bigger.”
After building those initial cabins outside Boston, Addison pursued other projects before returning to Getaway in March 2017 as Director of Construction, to design cabins and manage work on-site.
In keeping with the intimacy of sailboats and tiny houses, Addison’s construction vehicle is a Toyota Prius.
“I keep all of my tools in the back. When other contractors see my car they are intimidated and fear me,” he laughs.
As Getaway expands, Addison plans to be on the road more and is trying to pick up the guitar. He already plays piano, but a guitar is far easier to fit in a hatchback.
At Getaway, we believe in disconnecting from our busy lives and reconnecting with what’s important to us. We’re happy to partner with Los Angeles-based sustainable fashion brand, MATE the label, to promote our passions for getting offline together.
We caught up with MATE founder Kayti O’Connell Carr to talk about the company, what it stands for, and the Offline t-shirt we’ve grown to love so much.
When and how did MATE the Label start?
I founded MATE The Label in 2013. MATE was born out of my love for vintage clothing, visual storytelling, and a need to create something for myself. I started the company by selling vintage t-shirts with no intention of creating my own line, however, it was a natural progression. MATE has been committed to offering locally-made, vintage-inspired tees, and other broken-in basics since its beginnings, but in 2018 it evolved into an environmentally friendly label.
What is the mission of MATE the Label’s distinct point of view?
MATE’s Dress Clean initiative is what truly guides the brand’s ethos and vision. We have always been domestically developed and produced; within a 5-mile range of our HQ. Transparency, ethical manufacturing, and environmental impact have always been important to me; but there is also another component that I think is missing from fashion’s ‘sustainability’ consciousness. That is, fashion’s impact on the individual in regards to health. The consumer understands the importance of organic foods, clean beauty products, but what about the clothing that you wear everyday? We have committed to using natural GOTS certified organic fabrics and have removed all synthetics from the line. We are also using low-impact dyes. Things like pesticides, endocrine disruptors, and carcinogens are rampant in the industry and I hope to offer the cleanest product possible to our customers. We like to think of our product as skincare for your closet.
How do you disconnect?
I disconnect by meditating at home every morning or attending guided meditations at the DEN Meditation studio in Los Angeles.
Tell us about the Offline tees.
Going “offline” is so important, I put it on a t-shirt as a reminder. I think it can be very challenging to unplug and truly disconnect. I find myself having a difficult time, even when I am on vacation to not be tempted to answer emails and continually think about work. The tees are made in our best-selling Alex Crew shape – which is flattering on all body types. What I love the most about this tee is it can be worn over and over again and is made out of 100% GOTS certified Organic Cotton.
Where’s your favorite place to get away?
One of my favorite places to escape to is Big Sur, California. There’s something almost mythical about its rugged and mountainous terrain. I love the seaside cliffs, misty coastlines, winding turns, and redwood forests. It has extremely limited cell phone reception which makes it the perfect place to just get away from it all.
If you want to know more about MATE the Label, you can follow them @mate_the_label or visit their website.
This week we’re launching a promotion where the first 200 people to use code MATETHELABEL when booking a Getaway will receive a promo code for a free MATE the Label Offline tee and $10 off of a Getaway booking. Terms and Conditions apply.
Terms and Conditions:
Offer cannot be retroactively applied and can be used towards any future booking, as long as you book before March 1, 2019 at 11:59pm EST. You will be emailed within 48 hours of booking with your code for a free OFFLINE tee. Quantity and sizing for OFFLINE tee is limited. T-shirts will be fulfilled by MATE the Label and are dependent on inventory availability. All questions regarding order fulfillment can be directed to Care@matethelabel.com.
Kuzu Creative was born out of an artistic collaboration between Sera Boeno and Fredric Freeman. After completing their first project together back in 2017, Sera and Fredric knew that if they combined forces, they could unlock so much more creative potential. Thus, the creative services agency was born.
Drawing inspiration from their environment, Sera and Fredric took their skills to our Artist Fellowship program at Getaway’s DC outpost. Our Getaway cabin and surrounding foliage became their canvas for elaborate projection mappings. We were totally in awe of what they were able to create using such simple surfaces as inspiration.
We sat down with Sera and Fredric to talk through their creative process and how they get away.
Kuzu Creative House cabin projection mapping
Hi Fredric and Sera. Please introduce yourselves.
Fredric: Hey it’s Fredric. Pleasure to meet you. I have a pretty varied background. I’ve been everything from a reputable underground music artist, to award winning agency animator, professor of virtual reality, and pizza delivery professional. My current professional endeavors have focused on exploring more augmented, extended, and virtual realities.
I grew up in Maryland. Born in Baltimore, only a few hours aways from our Getaway stay near the Blue Ridge Mountains. I can remember visiting this area a few times as a kid. Flying along Skyline Drive losing my mind from how beautiful it looked.
I’m currently based in Philadelphia, working as an adjunct professor of animation at Jefferson University. I also do non-profit work serving as the President of the Philadelphia Area New Media Association, a tech agnostic organization that promotes diversity through education.
Sera: Sera Boeno here. Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey and currently residing in Baltimore, MD, by way of Hanover, NH. I am a sculptor, installation artist who also dabbles with digital design and curatorial work. I just earned my M.F.A degree in Sculpture from Maryland Institute College of Art’s Rinehart School of Sculpture. Currently, I am an artist-fellow at the Hamiltonian, DC, and I work as the Asst. Creative Director of KUZU Creative. The KUZU title is a broad-spanning type of hat, having a broad spectrum of expertise helps with that.
Kuzu Creative House cabin projection mapping
How did Kuzu Creative come to be?
Fredric: At the end of 2017, a fashion school in Philly approached me to do a projection installation. I was in need of a person who can wear many hats from research and conceptualization of creative projects to organization and production to help out with the project. At that point Sera and I had been acquainted, and knew of each others work; I approached her to see if she would be interested in co-creating this installation. The work was a huge success and was followed by inquiries of more work, which was a sign to institutionalize our working relationship. We wanted a flexible structure through which we can leverage, and provide for our individual creative networks. This mindset turned out to be a great way to work, as we now have the opportunity to curate a specific team of contracted creatives that we trust according to the specific needs of any project from projection installations for children to animated music videos to product design.
Kuzu Creative House Tree Projection Mapping
Where do you go or what do you to to feel inspired?
Sera: I either do something completely unrelated for inspiration, like going swimming. Or I go to art spaces and museums, visit other artists’ studios or peruse a good book/documentary around a subject I am thinking about.
Fredric: I agree with Sera. Positive distractions.
How do you recharge?
Fredric: Nature. It’s the easiest way to recharge. One of the things I love about the Getaway is its ethos- the idea of unplugging and enjoying the space you are currently residing in. I’m a strong believer of taking walks in the woods. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that nature provides all the stimulation we need.
Sera: Agreed with Freddie, nature is a good way to come back to ground zero. I also find it really important to make space and time for self-care routines; mine are, in no particular order, exercising, reading fiction, making and eating good food, baths, meditation, and Skype dates with friends on the other side of the Atlantic.
Kuzu Creative House Projection Mapping
Can you take us through how you created these incredible projection mappings? Step by step if possible.
Fredric: We started with a concept: Lost Digital Civilizations.
Sera: This is how we usually start, we muse about the possible response to a space/prompt we are given. After the concept is loosely set, we start collecting “assets”; in this case, zoom-in photographs of micro-chips, stock photos of archaeological artifacts, etc.
Fredric: We then created digital imagery and animations infused with these photos of ruins, microchips, cultural icons, etc. to create images of, say, Digital Gods Descending or something like that…
From there we did some test projections in Sera’s studio. We also took some time to build concrete objects to project on. Then we packed everything up and hit the woods. From there we scoped out a few areas we thought might create a nice composition and mapped our images on to these spaces. A huge reason things came together was the fact that we just went with it. We projected onto everything from tree trunks, to branches, to rocks, to even the front of our cabin.
Sera: I agree. I think most of the time our concepts are starting points but chance happenings have a big part in how the end-result is shaped. We welcome such opportunities to end up with things that we did not necessarily foresee. I personally believe it’s best when the work is one step ahead of you.
Kuzu Creative House cabin projection mapping
Where do you go to get away?
Sera: It’s tough to get away when you are in the creative hustle, because most of the time that means you are juggling multiple jobs/contracts while also trying to maintain an active studio practice. The two strain each other quite a bit. My solution is finding art residencies away from the city. For example, I spent some weeks in Steuben, WI, at ACRE residency where there was barely any cell phone reception. The surrounding area was so isolated that the moon shone bright enough to create shadows. I committed to making work here away from urban life, and while practicing to focus on doing so without thinking about to what end. That was my get away. Though, when I am able to travel, spending time in Istanbul, at home with family, usually serves as the ultimate getaway.
What is your dream creative project?
Sera: I would love a client to come to us with endless budget, space and time to commission an art project.
Fredric: Currently I think it would be to direct a music video for the Turkish rapper, Ezhel.
What are you most proud of?
Fredric:The journey Kuzu Creative is on.
Finish the sentence. At Getaway…
Kuzu Creative House made some pretty cool projection installations in nature.
For more information and to see more art from the Kuzu Creative House, you can visit their website or follow the artists on Instagram @seraboenostudio and @fredric_fresh.
Meet Christina Chun. Christina is a talented illustrator-turned-entrepreneur, running her very own stationery business called Forage Paper Co.
Christina is also one of our recent Artist Fellows in New York. You may have caught some of her work if you purchased our Black Friday deal; she designed beautiful postcards below inspired by her Getaway stay. We loved the postcards so much, we printed them up and sent them along to our guests who booked on Black Friday. Take a look at the design below.
We sat down with Christina to talk about her stationery work, what inspires her, and how she gets away.
Let’s start off by introducing yourself. Hello! My name is Christina Chun. I currently live and work in New York City with my husband and my studio-mate German Shepherd. After graduating from college with a degree in illustration, I worked as a freelance illustrator for many years until Forage Paper Co. came into the picture.
How did you start Forage Paper Co.? Several years ago, I started creating my own stationery and sharing them with everyone–friends, family, my local community, and the internet. To my pleasant surprise, people began purchasing them and retailers started carrying my cards in their shops! It was then when I realized that merging my love for illustrations and my passion for stationery was the perfect marriage. After mustering up enough courage, I started my very own business: Forage Paper Co. officially opened in 2015 in Oakland, California.
Where do you go for inspiration? I forage for inspiration and ideas wherever I go. It can be as grand as my travels around the globe or quotidian as a walk through Central Park with my dog. From there, it all gets recorded in my sketchbook, and then I take it to the literal drawing board.
How do you recharge? I recharge by either reading, cooking new recipes, exploring a new part of the city, or spending time with friends.
Where do you go to get away? Living in New York City, Central Park is my get-away. Thankfully, I live close by and can enjoy it whenever I please.
What sound do you find most relaxing? There’s nothing like the sound of a heavy downpour with a chorus of thunder. It can put me right to sleep!
Let’s talk analog in a digital world. What does making stationery mean to you in 2018? Nowadays, everything we do is quick and on-the-go. We microwave our food; we send emails from our phones; we snap, click, and go. In this hyper digitized climate, nothing beats receiving a handwritten letter in the mail. Why? Because it’s saturated with purpose and thoughtfulness.
When I see someone smiling as they pick up my products, I know they intend to share a slice of that joy with pen on paper. Seeing it truly affirms my belief that people desire to be connected to others. There is nothing more poignant and meaningful than a handwritten note. Knowing that my stationery can be the sweet medium makes me happy.
What’s your dream illustration and/or stationery project? The beauty of my job is that I get to illustrate my dreams anytime I want–and I have. I pour myself into my illustrations, and I think others get a glimpse of it in my work. In terms of projects, I am always cooking up ideas in my studio. I recently launched a series of notepads, and I have plans to expand my line even more!
Finish the sentence. At Getaway… I took my time cooking over white-hot embers, slept without an alarm, woke up to the best view of fall foliage, and read to my heart’s content.
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