poetry. lyrics. musings. stories. articles.

Story Time:

My business and brand- Cori-ography- was actually born a long time ago when I opened my first brick and mortar business in California. It was a boutique partner dance studio that focused on teaching couples, communities and families the art of kinetic connection through dance- my specialty and niche as a dance professional. That business was named ‘Cori-ography Dance’.

When COVID-19 first broke out and changed so many of our lives, it certainly changed mine as well. Between shut downs, event closures, cost of living in Southern California being exponentially impacted, and my own health becoming compromised, I was unsure what lay ahead for me… but it spurred on some magical and big life changes that have brought me to this current iteration of my professional work.

The perfect storm that was the pandemic sent my partner and I on an adventure and started the most unexpected of new chapters. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was the millenial urge to Zillow non-stop to attempt finding anything anywhere that was decent and made me feel like maybe I could actually afford housing and not have to move in yet another year when the landlord jacked the rent up.

Whatever it was, long story short: I ended up finding myself back in Connecticut as the owner of an estate…? (A sentence with 2 parts I truly never thought I would say).

When life hands you a pandemic and shuts down your career, the next logical move obviously is to buy an island (yes this is literal- we are surrounded by water on 4 sides and have to cross bridges) just outside of Hartford, CT in a rapidly developing area complete with: forests; riparian corridors; a house where a gristmill used to stand but where no one knows the history of how said house came to be; and a guest cottage on a hillside above a brook. The word ‘estate’ suggests that we had means…haha, no. When I say this is a labor of love and a passion project…our home was due and demanding of A LOT of love and passion. It took community to get us this far into the dream- whether by resources, knowledge, or skills. Also, we could not even buy a starter condo in San Diego for the cost of this place so everything is relative. Also, I am nothing if not resourceful, resilient, have a lot of elbow grease, and love accomplishing things most people would look at and say ‘nope’.

The rule of thumb here was quickly established: if I haven’t replaced or fixed it yet, never assume it functions- this includes doors which I can attest to having been locked into several rooms in unfortunate circumstances. But aside from all the things working out (even extremely imperfectly), it honestly felt like this place was just waiting for us to happen upon it. We knew this was ‘home’ before we got more than 3 steps onto the bridge and I know it sounds woo, but the connection and care we feel to the land here feels like the way a grandmother and grandchild love each other. It feels ancient and deep.

It has not been all rainbows and butterflies (our monarch population has doubled each year so far tho!). It has been extremely stressful at times- like living for a winter or two without any heating because everything was backordered during the pandemic or doing some mega projects on a shoestring budget and narrowly avoiding divorce or mariticide in just about every renovation project we do together. BUT… it has also been totally magical, an adventure for the ages, and I wouldn’t trade this labor of love for anything.

This wondrous place we call home is The Old Mill Eco Island and contains the 2 eco homes including the cottage known as Otter Falls Inn and nearly 5 acres I have been restoring to native habitat and establishing as a nature sanctuary with educational programming.

[For context here, in case you’re thinking that this passion project sounds ‘nuts’:

I have always been what I would categorize as an ‘eco-nut’- thanks to my parents. I grew up in a green home in the 90s because of my immigrant-contractor father who remodeled our home using materials sourced from dumpsters (1st gen kids know our parents are the original sustainable living pros- have they ever thrown anything away?) and my flower-child-mother who wanted to protect forests in town from developments and taught me that the trees were alive. I have been teaching and preaching in some capacity to the public and my community about sustainability since I was a wee lass. So, the idea of undertaking this project was a dream to me and seemed totally normal.]

I’ve spent the last 5 years applying everything I (and my ancestors) know about sustainable living and conservation to remodel the 2 houses into ecologically conscious homes that are unique and beautiful; created a business that teaches folks about sustainable living and gives them a beautiful, relaxing vacation where they can be inspired and embrace eco-conscious living; have been stewarding and restoring the 5 acres of forest, waterways and gardens to a native habitat and nature sanctuary; partner with schools and community members to provide educational opportunities on the land; and established the Bloomfield Native Seed + Plant Bank as a mutual aid project for my community because I want to see everyone enjoy the benefits of and be connected to a healthy ecosystem.

This passion project shifted my career into working with folks who also want to enjoy the benefits of a sustainable space and life- creating beautiful, functional, efficient, ecologically-beneficial, comfortable and intentional spaces; guiding folks to develop their lens of stewardship and relationship to the world around them; and providing connections to beauty, nature, and experiences and education to my community.

Welcome to Cori-ography

And so, even though the what I’m doing can look different at different times, the modalities shifted- I am still very much basically just trying to achieve care and connection through creativity. It’s what I’m always attempting to do whether through all the various professions and practices I have or have had- music, writing, expressive arts, design, sustainable living and education. This new iteration of the name is simply able to encompass all that I am and offer.

When I was working through that big transition geographically and professionally a few years ago it was pointed out to me that ‘-ography’ was a suffix meaning: ‘the art + study of’. And given that my life- my projects, passions, skills, knowledge, and life experiences- are all pointed towards truly making the intersection of creativity and care for people and planet an artform and a practice…truly my business and brand are still very accurately summed up as: Cori-ography: the art + study of a life led with creativity + care for people + planet.