We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Mast and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Emily, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks necessitates a certain acceptance of the unknown, and surprises turn me on.
The Feel’s mission is to incite aesthetic bravery in our clients. We empower Angelinos to make aesthetically adventurous choices when it comes to the spaces they live and work in. We work with local contemporary artists and artisans to create objects and spaces that are as functional as they are fanciful. Maybe this means choosing a mirror with an inlaid message. Perhaps it’s falling in love with a sofa that’s just as conceptual as it is comfortable. Or going with a custom rug that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. In every case, we want to empower our clients to make choices that reflect who they are as unique individuals.
Starting my own business and becoming my own boss certainly gave me a lot of anxiety, but that anxiety also energized me — I was determined to work through it, literally.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In addition to running The Feel, I have a busy art career. I pull from a combination of practices—visual art, theater and dance—to produce multi-compositional projects that employ performance, installation and curation. I’m particularly interested in investigating how artistic imagination can be used to reimagine the world at a time when value, equality and care are demanding radical reconsideration.
I have staged “choreographed exhibitions” and presented performances both locally and internationally. (I performed at MoCA a few weeks ago and am gearing up for a show at Betonsalon in Paris this September). And for 2 years I ran a non-profit space in Highland Park called Mast on Fig that was dedicated to the development and communal sharing of experiential, live events. I am deeply invested in my creative community in LA. I’m a wrangler – making aesthetic and emotional connections gives me great joy.
I bring all of the skills I use in making art to The Feel’s design process: from assessing the potential of a space, to working with people to help them locate their unique voices and desires, to working with color and texture, to managing budgets, to working with time constraints, to attending to both the big picture and every last, seemingly insignificant detail. (And let me tell you, every detail is, in fact, significant). The goal is always the same: I want every space I design to be as memorable and meaningful as a good work of art.
I sometimes take for granted that artists have a special sort of vision. We are able to imagine what could be when we look at what is. And we can hold this vision in our minds indefinitely. This way of seeing often confounds my clients, but for me it’s second nature and is a vital skill for working the way I do. I’ve learned to trust this way of seeing and to be bold with my choices. I believe that spaces are energy and we fill them in ways that can affect us profoundly. My job is to guide my clients towards the energy and feelings they truly desire. And everyone is unique, so these decisions are unique. When a client takes a risk with color, texture, or pattern because it speaks to them as an individual, I have never known them to regret it. They only ever regret holding back…
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite way to discover a place is to meet local artists. That way you can get a taste of what creative minds are thinking about, seeing and doing in any given place.
As far as requisites, I would have to recommend visiting the Hammer Museum, MoCA, and the Museum of Jurassic Technology. I would also recommend catching a performance at REDCAT and some live comedy at The Elysian.
I would of course visit The Feel’s new brick and mortar showroom space in Cypress Park! We showcase functional art objects made by local artists and artisans. Marta Gallery in Silverlake is also great. They host works at the meeting points of art and design. And then I’d hop over to Peter Shire’s studio in Echo Park to see what new gems he’s working on.
One also has to drive around aimlessly in LA in order to get a sense of the city’s unequaled incongruity. I love looking at all of the improbable architectural choices people make here. LA is decidedly wacky in that respect.
I highly recommend the Chardogay drag shows at Melody Lounge on Tuesday evenings. Cafe Triste is a sweet and unassuming new wine bar with really good, un-stuck-up food in Chinatown. I never turn down a taco or quesadilla from Guisado’s. Rico’s Empanadas on Ocean Front Walk in Venice Beach are truly the best I’ve ever had. But my all time favorite thing to do is grab a dozen (or more) fresh oysters from Fish King in Glendale and drive to a bluff overlooking the ocean where my partner and I can shuck them ourselves out of the back of my car while enjoying a glass of chilled white wine. There’s simply nothing better.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a hefty shoutout to Mark Borman, the owner of The Borman Group, a real estate re-development company focused on the preservation of vintage buildings in Los Angeles. I met Mark through a mutual friend and he immediately tapped into my knack for color and composition in space. He hired me to transform his kids’ playroom into a colorful, vibrant, and super comfortable screening room. That job got me hooked on spatial design and I’ve had the pleasure of working with Mark and his team on countless projects since then, including a renovation of a 45,000 square foot brick and concrete creative office building near the Fourth Street Bridge, and a complete remodel on a 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom waterfront home. Everything I do with Mark is collaborative, creative and designed to last.
I also want to celebrate Adam Katz. For 12 years, he served as Founder and CEO of Imprint Projects—an award-winning post-advertising creative agency whose mission was to replace advertising with cultural production and dialogue. Adam oversaw three offices as Imprint Projects became the go-to agency for marketers seeking to build credible brand communities. He closed Imprint Projects in 2022. While contemplating his next move, he has been counseling his friends — and I am very lucky to be one of them! He has offered invaluable strategy, creative, and production advice. Adam is brilliant and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Lastly, I am enmeshed in a community of incredibly talented and ambitious artists and craftspeople who inspire me to use creativite means to impact my surroundings and the world. This community is the reason I love LA, and it’s the foundation for all that we do at The Feel.
Website: www.thefeel.la
Instagram: @thefeel.la
Other: The Feel has a brick and mortar showroom space located at 4030 N Figueroa Street in Cypress Park. Open by appointment only. Please contact hello@thefeel.la or 323-420-4234 to schedule a visit.
Image Credits
Photos c/o Emily Mast, Yehuda Duenyas, Hazel Haendel, Michael Ray Wells,