Meg & Tau
Photography by Tonhya Kae
We’re back with a special Q&A with Meg Stacker King, a freelance producer and photographer. This session is here to remind us of the present joys and challenges of life during COVID-19. To help mothers stay connected, Meg began shooting an intimate Photo series on motherhood over FaceTime called “We the Mamas.” She writes, “ I was feeling a lot: Anxiety, Fear, Depression, Anger, Frustration, Overwhelmed, Unrealistic expectations...And yet we rise to guide our child, to entertain, to teach, to love, to comfort.” This series gave rise to “We the Kids,” which documents quarantine life from the perspective of children as they navigate through. We caught up with Meg to find out more about how she and her family have been navigating their days and finding inspiration.
Meg & Tau
Photography by Tonhya Kae
Where do you reside and how have you been quarantining?
I live in Brooklyn and have been hunkering down here with my husband and 19-month old son in a one-bedroom apartment with no outdoor space. We attempted to take off to be with family in Seattle, Chicago, or Houston but ended up just making it work here in NY. After all of our work evaporated in an instant in mid-March, it has been 24/7 with my toddler, keeping him occupied inside, while my husband attempts to write new music for a project that got fast-tracked after all of his tours were canceled until 2021.
Meg & Tau
Photography by Tonhya Kae
What has been your go-to meal during quarantine?
My go-to has been and always will be tacos...I think I could eat tacos every day. I definitely miss sushi! I have been super lucky because my husband cooks every meal! He does an incredible salmon - my Mother’s Day dinner request. I have also been loving this sweet potato, lentil curry dish served over rice!
What has been one indulgence or luxury (small or large) that has helped you cope? Time alone in the shower definitely counts!
Rose lol! Honestly alone time in the shower and workouts have maintained my sanity. Showers are my time to think and dream and take a truly deep breath. Many of my showers have the little one in the high chair coloring and listening to his old McDonald jams so solitary shower time feels like a spa-inspired moment! For workouts I have been doing a ton of IG Live Workouts, rotating through boxing, yoga, HIIT - it’s been fun to take classes from instructors all over the country!
How would you characterize your quarantine style?
Mom jeans and oversized sweaters or Nike tights with a cropped T, hair pulled back tight in a bun and no makeup, my skin is definitely missing the vitamin D! I have learned that I need to get dressed in the morning to get the day going on the right note - makes me feel like there’s a slight differentiation between days.
How has quarantine impacted your work?
None of us, including Tau, have ever been home consecutively or together for this much time, so we have all been getting antsy to travel. At the same time, we’ve been able to connect and spend more quality time together than ever before.
I sneak work in while he naps and after he goes to sleep at night. During the day I am doing virtual shoots with him in my lap, while I try to occupy him with a snack and Sesame Street sing-alongs. I had a goal to not introduce him to television until 2, but it was TV or lose my mind, so we make sure to watch educational shows, music, but balance that with coloring with a Color Wonder, finger painting, puzzles, books and Legos and racing through the house to burn energy. He is attached to me and with nowhere to hide in a 1 bedroom apartment, I am looking forward to playdates coming back into the rotation! I know he wants to play with kids so badly, he just stares at them at the park, I wonder how kids will be with each other after such a long social break!
Meg & Tau
Photography by Tonhya Kae
Let’s dream a little - what do you think the future will look like for your industry?
Technology has been a catalyst in a lot of ways. Nothing replaces in-person connection, but virtual meetings, seeing how it all can still function when people work from home, will hopefully make maternity leave longer and going back to work smoother and less stressful for new mothers. I do know that the new “normal” will not be the old normal.Professionally I was producing events, I don’t see those coming back anytime soon honestly, at least not in the fashion that we were operating before, so I am redirecting to produce photo and film shoots, in order to blend my two worlds of creativity and logistics.
What constitutes a good day these days?
I have noticed that a good day starts with intention in the morning. If I can get at least an intense 15-minute workout in, one shoot for the series and a shower, then I feel like I can maintain some semblance of sanity! I am normally a to-do list fan, but it was causing me so much frustration because I wasn’t able to accomplish them at the pace that I normally would and it was impacting my ability to be present with my family. My multitasking abilities are off the charts now for sure!
Do you have a mantra that is seeing you through or helping you cope?
I have just continued to breathe, in through my nose and out through my mouth - it’s a reset at any point of the day. I just kept listening to interviews, researching content, having conversations, and then inspiration found me. It is all about taking it one foot in front of the other, day by day, but really hour by hour and having unending grace for yourself because this is an absolutely unrealistic alternate reality situation.
