Since working as a “chopper” in a restaurant where she wore swim goggles when cutting onions, Food Stylist Frances Boswell rose to become Food Editor at both Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple Magazine as well as a freelance recipe developer for publications including The New York Times, Gourmet, and Food & Wine. Wanting to explore her interests in food as it relates to health, Frances also studied acupuncture and traditional Chinese Medicine. “Food is energy. Qi (vital force) is energy. Both warm, protect, defend, and move the body in ways that are both tangible and intangible,” Frances explains. Frances is a friend of Bloomist and frequent collaborator on our photo shoots.

Did you always work at home, or did you need to carve out a discrete space?

I have worked from home to some extent for a long time. The biggest challenge for me was sharing the house with other members of my family who were suddenly working/schooling from home and occupying spaces that I have come to consider mine from the hours of 9:00 to 5:00 - like the kitchen counter and dining room table.

I did carve out a space away from the family traffic pattern in the adjacent living room - usually occupied by the cat - with beautiful sunlight and horrible wifi. My desk was my mother’s - with pigeonholes for important papers. I think the technical term it is Secretary. Anyway - it closes up making it easy to hide from unfinished assignments and allowing the room to turn back into a more public space after hours.

Do you have any rituals to start your day? Ways to keep you grounded, focused, and inspired?

My love of food, hearty appetite, and desire to feed my friends and family is what keeps me inspired. Cooking is my daily practice. I am definitely a morning person. I start most days with a long run - in the summer I swim the lake too. This time is honestly when I get the most done - or at least resolved in my mind. I like to work where I can hear voices and the noises of people cooking so it helps me to be relatively close to the madness of the kitchen. I like the rhythm that the kitchen sets. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner - it comes in waves and helps me structure my day.

Any thoughts about the what the future of work might look like?

I really, really hope we can return to more in person experiences soon. To my mind nothing replaces the creative energy of a full fledge photo shoot, travel, and shared meals.