Monique Juliette Baron has accumulated a noteworthy list of past editorial clients like Vogue and Rachel Comey, while also creating a stunning archive of wedding images. After a childhood friend asked her to shoot their wedding, she unexpectedly found herself in love with the art of documenting love. While Baron hails from New Hampshire, she shoots all over the east coast. We love the images she captured with her friend Katie, invoking the crisp fresh air of an autumn day and its aftermath, cozy at home.
What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Sensitive, in the moment, daring.
Where do you draw inspiration from? And what inspired this shoot?
This shoot was inspired by reconnection. My muse, Kate, recently moved into her childhood house with her fiancé. Their home has remnants of her past there, quirky wallpaper & objects left behind as they carve new spaces for their life together. Just as they are reconnecting with space, I am reconnecting with my NH community. Kate & I went to high school together, but did not know each other well. Working together on this shoot has been an exploration of a new friendship. She inspired me to try mountain biking for the first time.
We have all shared a profound shift in our lives the past few months with Covid 19. We heard you’ve relocated to NH, how has your daily life changed during this time?
As someone who tends toward introversion & an excess of alone time, there are many ways in which the quarantine has nurtured those tendencies. The biggest shift has been the transition to living with my parents, however temporary, as I root down in NH. There is something special about spending this quantity of time with my parents & cohabitating, but as an adult. We cook big meals together & go on hikes. I feel like we are getting to know each other for the first time.
Where is home for you?
When I decided to leave NYC in March, it felt like home was dissolving. Friends were leaving, I no longer had an apartment. I moved ‘home’ to the place I grew up, but the feeling of home came to hold a different meaning. One of inhabiting my body, feeling my hands and feet. The moments during the day when I am present & feel most connected to my physical body make me feel at home.
What inspires you most?
Nature & my dogs. Nature will tear down your ego. On a solo hike, I have time to think, breathe, and see things outside of myself. Being active in nature has a profound effect on my creative process. Watching the seasons change, lamenting the end of blueberry season. Nature propels forward, despite us. My dogs remind me to be more loving.
What advice would you offer to your younger self?
That there is no standard of ‘normal’. What works for you may not work for someone else. From work to relationships to habits, it’s all situational. I think we are in an age of over absorption where we compare our experiences, where we are at in life, or the way we relate. That can be very damaging if we think we are supposed to be anywhere, or anything, but where & what we are.
What are you dreaming of?
Mostly just dreaming of hugging my friends. I miss physical connection so I’m dreaming of those spaces where we can hold one another again.
