Paula Goldstein
‘Bohème’ is probably the word you could use to describe Paula Goldstein. London, NYC, LA and now San Francisco, Goldstein is about to launch her new travel magazine Voyage D’Etudes. With an education coming from Dazed and Confused and a god-given fashion awareness, we felt it was appropriate to pay attention to Paula.
Traveling constantly surprises me, it keeps me curious. I decided I couldn’t just dream about living an exciting life. I had to do it.
You are living out of your suitcase. What’s that like? Where are you now? And where have you been?
Last year I didn’t spend more than 3 weeks in the same city, it was fantastic but I’m currently hoping to reunite all my clothing in one place – that’s my ambition for 2016. Living out of your suitcase makes you become both more inventive and much less precious about your clothing, which to me is pretty liberating. I’m currently in San Francisco working on the first issue of Voyage D’Etudes in print. I have been, it seems, just about everywhere.
What made you decide to live out of your suitcase for 6 months?
A need to see the world. I think routine stifles the ability to learn. Traveling constantly surprises me, it keeps me curious. I decided I couldn’t just dream about living an exciting life. I had to do it.
Has this experience given you another edge in the way you approach things in work and life?
I’m certainly braver about new things, I’m also happy to spend time alone now. I will now happily eat dinner in a restaurant alone – which had always seemed wildly independent to me. Before, spending so much time in unknown places made me feel too self-conscious, fearing I’d be seen as lonely; I now relish it.
Which has been the most inspiring place you’ve lived in the past six months?
Probably San Francisco.
What is it like living in San Francisco?
Like a quiet village and the most urban streets I have ever walked. The homeless problem challenges me everyday to think socially and also be grateful for the privileges I have. On the other hand, people are literally changing the world here; companies that rival governments in reach and power. It’s full of inventors, investors and artisans. It’s un-snobby and confident.
What were you like as a teenager?
I was sort of an odd one, quiet, and into punk – though all my friends loved R&B and wore gold hoop earrings. I was really into art and history, I liked learning. But I hated school to the point where I ended up rarely going – they kicked me out on my 16th birthday, I had bad boy boyfriends the whole bit. But in the end my love for painting and the education my family instilled in me prevailed and I went to art school.
So your teenage years really were the basis of who you are now? Adventurer, risk taker…
I guess so. I’m also really not very brave in many ways – I haven’t stayed in hostels or been to a city where I don’t at least have one connection or purpose. I’m scared I’m going to fall to my death on most hikes – and I’m learning to skateboard at the speed of a tortoise.
How did you score your first job with Dazed & Confused? What was the experience like?
My father died suddenly when I was 20, so I decided I had to leave university and get a job. Like most of my life getting my job there was a fortunate accident; I heard from a friend, I applied, and the rest is… well history. I started as PA to Robert Montgomery, our very artistic associate publisher. His personally, along with Dazed itself, opened my eyes to an array of ideas; a place where I felt the excitement of youth, and fashion… A weird little family that I felt I finally fit with.
Do you still keep in touch with the old crew?
Yes both Dazed and Purple Magazine’s staff are like family – one of my best friends in the world was an assistant at Dazed.
Jefferson Hack ve Olivier Zahm vaftiz babalarım gibiler. Robert, Voyage’ın ilk basılı sayısının içinde yer alıyor ve arkadaşlarımdan biri ile daha yeni çocuğu oldu. Bence benzer kafadaki insanlar sonsuza kadar aynı evrende dolanıyor.
Jefferson Hack and Olivier Zahm are like fairy godfathers. Robert is actually in the first issue of Voyage in print and just had a child with one of my friends. I think people of similar minds forever float in the same universe.
Do you think the industry has changed for the better or worse since that time you were at Dazed?
It’s just different. There was more creative freedom and less accountability before. Your stories didn’t have to “perform” for traffic or social media likes. Things were more subjective.
Are you thinking of putting roots in LA?
I’m going to move to LA and probably buy a place in San Francisco. But I’ll always have roots in England. LON – LA is looking like the future.
What is London like compared to NYC in terms of the fashion/ arts industry?
London is where ideas are born, NYC is where they turn into business
You’ve been working on the first issue of Voyage d’Etudes last year. What is that like? How is the experience?
I’m currently working on the first issue and it will be out in a few months, it’s scary and long, I’m making each page hand typed on typewriters. I love it! It’s crap crap crap, oh it’s good, it’s awful. But it’s now almost together and I’m feeling really proud not just of myself but all my friends who have gone the extra mile to help and make something that’s all heart and a lot of paint and glue.
Gerçekten (özellikle kadınlar için) çok da belirgin olmayan, insancıl ve samimi hikayeler anlatmak istiyorum. Eskiz defteri maceraları paylaşmak için en samimi yol çünkü her yaratan için eşsiz tutarlılıkta.
I really want to tell stories (for women in particular) that aren’t the obvious, that are human and intimate. A scrapbook is the most intimate way of sharing adventures because it’s uniquely true to each creator.
So this is not your typical travel magazine? I guess it’s not traditional. At least in the fact that the locations are secondary to the people visiting them. Finally, what do you hope to achieve this year?
I hope to find a balance between my fashion work and Voyage D’Etudes. I also hope to successfully direct and create a TV project… But that’s under-wraps for now!