Nick Murway Mailer 006
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Hey everyone,
Hope y’all are well. I’m pretty excited about this month’s haul and hope you enjoy it. First up in the new Questions with Friends recurring feature is Jackie Rivas, the photo editor at Time Out Chicago. Be sure to recommend anyone you’d like to see featured.
My reading has been super slow lately, so no real book recommendations this month. I’ll be better in April.
Anyway, have a great month!
Nick
I shot some uber tasty Mexican eats around town for my friends at Time Out Chicago. Not a bad gig. Oh, and these Al Pastor tacos at Taqueria Traspasada #2 are fire!
I like using my Instagram as a bit of a travel journal whenever I’m on the road and shared some images from a little weekend trip to Urbana, IL. We visited Prairie Fruits Farm which is a magical, magical place.
QUESTIONS WITH FRIENDS
As I mentioned in the intro, first up is Jackie Rivas, photo editor at Time Out Chicago.
Where do you live and what do you do?
Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois. I’m the Photo Editor at Time Out Chicago.
What’s a project you’ve worked on lately, or are currently working on, that you’re excited about?
I’m all over the place at the moment. I’ve been shooting a lot of food & drink pieces for work which has been a blast. In terms of personal projects, I’m currently in the early stages of some collaborative works that I’m super excited about. These pieces are more portrait & studio focused, so I’m pumped to get to work with folks & create some new images.
What does the first 60–90 minutes of your day look like?
My day starts with my little babes Meeko & Mushu (my Boston Terrier pups) attacking me with kisses to wake up & feed them. I’ll then start getting ready for work, make myself a little something for breakfast, usually a bowl of cereal or oatmeal. If I wake up with enough time, I’ll make some eggs or pancakes but that’s usually saved for the weekends. After that I’ll walk the pups & then head off to work.
What are some of your favorite food/drink spots?
One of my absolute favorite spots is Bruna’s. It’s this incredible, old school Italian restaurant in the Little Italy neighborhood. Just phenomenal & authentic dishes from Northern Italy. Other favorite eats are Pleasant House Pub, Dove’s Luncheonette, & Pub Royale. For drinks, I love Bad Hunter, Best Intentions, & Lost Lake but if I’m looking for a chill low-key evening, Rainbo Club & Maria’s are my go to.
What are you listening to lately (music, podcasts, audiobooks)?
I play music throughout my day, so it’s a big source of inspiration & motivation for me. My music tastes are wide & varied. Lately, I’ve been listen to a lot of hip hop & r&b. Some of my most recently played artist are, SZA, J. Cole, Anderson Paak, Kendrick Lamar, ABRA, Solange, & Drake. Also Selena Quintanilla always works her way into my daily playlist no matter my vibes.
Where do you go for inspiration?
Inspiration comes in a variety of different forms for me. As I mentioned above, music is huge for me. But physical spaces also hold a lot of charge for me. Two of my favorite spots to escape to for inspiration are the Garfield Park Conservatory & any forest preserve far enough from the city.
How do you unwind or relax?
Going home, throwing on my pjs & curling up in bed with a good book or podcast.
What are you reading currently?
I’m reading this incredible anthology titled, The Bridge Called My Back. It’s a stellar collection of writings by women of color. For me, it’s a crucial read, especially given the current political climate.
ARTICLES WORTH SHARING
I really enjoyed the New Yorker piece Anthony Bourdain’s Moveable Feast.
“I’m not a cook, nor am I a journalist. The kind of care and feeding required of friends, I’m frankly incapable of. I’m not there. I’m not going to remember your birthday. I’m not going to be there for the important moments in your life. We are not going to reliably hang out, no matter how I feel about you. For fifteen years, more or less, I’ve been travelling two hundred days a year. I make very good friends a week at a time.”
I also particularly enjoyed How to Log Off of Facebook Forever, With All Its Perks and Pitfalls in the New York Times. I recently shut down my Facebook page as I found myself mindlessly logging in for no reason only to find a hot mess of politics and really not getting much value out of it.
The internet and social media have provided platforms where “everybody’s unintelligent ideas are flying in circles like mosquitoes around the digital campfire,” he wrote. “So now, in the world of online commenting, it’s all stupidity, all the time.”
TWO PURCHASES I’VE ENJOYED
Yunnan Longrun Pu-erh Tea Cake
If you’re into tea (particularly loose leaf tea), give this Pu’er tea a try, it’s one of my favorites. Bonus, mix it with some ginger-turmeric tea from Rishi, you’ll thank me!
Think Tank Photo Airport Essentials Backpack
If you’re in the market for a new camera bag, give this one from ThinkTank a shot. I’ve recently gone through a complete revamp of my camera kit (more on that next month) and am loving this bag. It’s small enough to fit under a seat on an airplane so you’ll never have to worry about checking it. I’ve always been a Lowepro guy but dang, I’m completely sold on ThinkTanks gear.
Have something I should be covering? Let me know!
Be well,
Nick
