Q: How long have you been members? and Why did you join RoCo?
A: We've officially been members since around 2020? But we've felt like a part of RoCo since we moved up here in 2017. Bleu and the rest of the team were so welcoming to us and made us feel like part of the community.


Q: You both work professionally in creative fields, tell us a bit about your careers?
Brent: I'm a graphic designer currently working at Partners and Napier. I've been in the field for about 15 years, which is no small feat because it is a very challenging career path, but also a rewarding one.
Kristin: I'm a web developer with the University of Rochester. I changed careers in my late 20s from working in the fashion industry and it's the best decision I ever made. I love thinking through problems and finding creative solutions.


Q: If you could learn a new skill, what would it be? 
Brent: Composing music. I'd like to learn the practical theory of writing music and putting sounds together.
Kristin: I love learning new things, so I want to learn every new skill, but if I had to choose one, I think it would be learning a new language. I speak German (ok) and a little Spanish (not very well), but I'd love to learn French fluently.


Q: Who do you consider to be your greatest artistic mentor? What did they teach you?
Brent: Adrienne Leban. She taught me to not conform to what society's definition of art was, but to find my own path in it.
Kristin: Brent Joseph. Before we met, I hadn't made any art in a very long time. Brent encouraged me to pick back up with drawing, painting, and photography. He re-ignited my love of creating art and has been a very patient model for all my photographic endeavors. Since meeting him, I've also picked up embroidery and fibre arts.


Q: If you could own any piece of art, which would it be?
Brent: Any artwork by Paolo Serpieri
Kristin: Untitled (for Travon), 2021 by Devon Shimoyama. It's a giant hoodie created with silk flowers, beads, and rhinestones on fabric on a steel mount and frame. It's incredible.


Q: What is great about Rochester? What can we do better?
A: Rochester has a thriving art scene, a surprising number of fantastic restaurants, and a manageable pace of life. One thing we'd love to see change is the greater Rochester community being as welcoming to newcomers as RoCo was to us when we first moved here.


Q: What are you currently streaming?
A: We just finished the final episode of Attack on Titan
Brent: I've been watching documentaries on 19th and 20th century history.
Kristin: I'm (not so) patiently for next episodes of Our Flag Means Death