Editor's letter: A true kindred creative spirit
On a freezing winter's day at the beginning of July, she hardly said a word to me, but she brought threads of small warmth — a soft, comfy delight. A woman of a few words, she expresses herself without needing to say much.
Almost a week later, on the phone, over my morning cup of coffee (with a toasted peanut-butter and apricot-jam sandwich) we reconnect for a lengthy, passionate conversation focused on her being a master of reinvention. That serene charm and warmth emerge once again and leave my nervous system completely at ease. At the end, Qongqo offers me wise words filled with gems of insight, inspiration, and observation.
'Thank you for having an eye and being intentional about observing the industry and being curious about people,' Qongqo tells me, before we wrap it up almost an hour later. Wry and luminous in my response, I try to use humour to mask my discomfort.
'I'm not necessarily in the spotlight,' Qongqo continues, not falling for my digression. 'I like that you can be curious enough to say, 'What is she about? What does she do?' And then going as far as to read and understand who she is about. So I do appreciate that your involvement in the industry really isn't about putting yourself on the pedestal but more about growing the industry, enriching it, and seeing value in things people might easily pass. I like that you have the type of curiosity that has depth and your curiosity then leads to other people having access to information or people they would not have cared about. The fact that you care and are curious is an invitation to my world.'
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