Meet Abigail Haven | Photographer & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abigail Haven and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abigail, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
It was actually by chance. I went to a vocational high school, meaning I had to pick a trade and stick with it for all four years. I always enjoyed computers and art, so I chose Graphic Design on a whim. I remember being 14, sitting in one of my first ever design classes and being suddenly overcome with one thought: “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life”. That feeling never faded, and over time I just became more and more obsessed with the ability to create and modify the world around me. Since that moment, I’ve had the opportunity to explore other artistic mediums such as photography, which taught me how to make a career out of the things I love. I’m incredibly lucky to have been able to experience that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My photography is a document of the world around me, while my design is a document of me. I’ve realized recently that art as a whole is a way for me to get to know me. I think over time I’ve lost sight of who I was and wanted to be, and I fear that I’ll forget that I was a real person. For a long time, I felt like I had to be assigned a personality or role in life, but art has become my way of reminding myself and everyone that I exist, and I have likes and dislikes and a personality that becomes excited at the world. I’ve become more lenient on my creative process and allowed myself to create just for the joy of it because it makes me feel alive, without roles or bounds. I’m ruled a bit by emotion, which often causes projects to become an obsession of sorts, but I embrace it. What I make is constantly changing and being revised and revamped, and it’s important to me to do what feels right in the moment. My pieces are a testament to who I am, where I’ve been and who I’ve met, and I take pride in the quirks, scrapes and scans that have littered the past few years of my life. On a more technical level, my designs stand out for their use of typography. Everything feels like it needs to be huge, and I’m running with that feeling of needing to take up space. Bold, maximalist, hand-to-paper vibes are important to me, and I always strive to translate that to whatever I do. On the other hand, my photography is more ruled by a single defining feature, and using the space around it to justify it. I love motion, and I’m working on making every photo I take look like it came from a movie. I’m proud of myself for slowly figuring these things out, and for letting myself be ruled by emotion in a manageable, creative way. I don’t always feel like I know myself, but I know what I want, and that’s all I need to start.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I think I’d be a super cool tour guide. My first stop would be the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) since I truly think there’s art for everyone there, and their little sculpture garden with treats for the purchasing is one of the best places you can sit and enjoy that sweet, sweet New York weather before it gets cold. The West Village is a must, since most of my favorite spots in the city start there. Greenwich Letterpress, Goods for The Study and Pink Olive carry every possible stationary and trinket you could ever need, and they’re right down the street from the Stonewall Inn, which is just one of the many LGBTQ+ friendly spots in the area. The West Village is also home to Washington Square Park, which is my favorite place to people watch or do street photography. A variety of punk/vintage stores line the area such as Trash and Vaudeville, SEARCH & DESTORY, and Spark Pretty. The things that connect these places are their roots in their varying cultures, many of which found a home in New York. If you follow the jazz clubs and cafes into the East Village, you’ll find yourself at places like The Strand, which is an iconic bookstore that is so obviously loved and cared for by the community, and for good reason (it has everything). This is also right next to the Union Square Greenmarket, which is a perfect place for fresh food and seasonal treats. If you’ve never been to New York, I always make it a point to drag newbies to SUMMIT or The Edge, which are two of my favorite observation decks in the city. Of course, Times Square doesn’t even need to be said. I could go on and on, but these come to mind first.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom deserves the biggest shoutout in the world. My mom’s a talented, crafty lady who has always been such an artistic inspiration to me. She’s also the one who really noticed my love of art and advocated for sending me to a high school where I could explore art further. She had to do a LOT of convincing for my dad to finally come around. After some time, my dad really did become a mentor of sorts; especially for art history since he has a degree in it and is good to bounce ideas off of. Finally, (of course) my friends and partner are my rock, and they’ve always been sources of love and encouragement in very different but very lovely ways.

Website: https://www.abigailveruca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aby.hav/