Conjuring epiphanies

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Every Modern Heirloom Book tells a story. Biographical, but not a biography; memoir-like, but not a memoir. Rather, a poetic narrative and photo arc that hones in on experiences and emotions, beauty, and memory. A story that makes you feel, and that invites your loved ones to remember with you.

Before deciding to call this company by the descriptive name Modern Heirloom, I strongly considered Epiphany Books. While I clearly left that name in the dust, the background behind it is telling, and encapsulates my approach to creating personalized treasures especially for you. So for our blog today, a little #ThrowbackThursday look at how my affinity for epiphanies led me to become the founder of Modern Heirloom Books.

noun epiph·a·ny \i-ˈpi-fə-nē\

a (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure

b : a revealing scene or moment [Merriam Webster]

c : “moments of being” [Virginia Woolf]

How “Moments of Being” Transform our Books

I have had little epiphanies my whole life—moments when something profound has seemed crystalline. A glimpse of the meaning of life while rounding the corner in downtown Manhattan. A whisper of some long-forgotten truth while showering.

But by their very nature epiphanies are fleeting. I could never fully grasp what I had known in those moments, no less articulate it for another. Yet I was better for having experienced them.

Memories can come to us in similar ways—conjured by a smell, the glance of a stranger on the street. And they can disappear as quickly.

The books we create from your own life material, like poetry, give physical form to memory. In the hopes that you—and those who come after you—may continue to have “moments of being.”

My Own Personal Epiphany

I relished working in the magazine industry for more than 20 years. My experience at some of the world’s top fashion and lifestyle titles helped me cultivate a keen eye for beautiful detail, an ear for an exquisite phrase. I honed my ability to edit and curate. I told stories to the masses.

As the publishing landscape evolved, so did our way of consuming our own personal media.

More than 200,000 photos are uploaded to Facebook every minute. We shoot everything from what we eat to makeup-free selfies daily. Our pictures are everywhere; and they are nowhere. Never have we needed editors more than now.

And, somewhere along the line, I had a personal epiphany: I wanted to help tell stories, but no longer on a mass scale—I wanted to help you tell your story. Beautifully, professionally, meaningfully. Uniquely.