A Conversation with Rebecca Goldschmidt of Big Things
By Pluck Staff, published October 18, 2011

   photo credit

Pluck Magazine recently caught up with the fabulous Rebecca Goldschmidt, the mastermind behind Big Things –which is part fashion blog, part travel log, part event holding, and part online shop. In addition to curating her own blog, Goldschmidt is the photographer and stylist for the SF boutique Metier.

Read on to see what inspires her, why Muji socks are the best thing in the world, and her advice for becoming kind of a big deal.

Pluck Magazine: Between Big News, Big Things Ahead, and the Big Shop, you seem to have built quite an online media empire. What inspired you to start Big Things?

Rebecca Goldschmidt: Wow! While I don’t think we can really consider what I’ve created an “empire” by any means, I’m blushing at the hyperbole! I had my initial blog for a few years, documented my travels, photos, and interesting things that I wanted to share. After two years of traveling and meeting really wonderful people around the world, I decided that I wanted to expand the blog to share their lives to try and get everyone inspired to start something themselves. That turned into the Big Things Ahead interviews. Along the way I had collected all kinds of objects and I had friends who were making stuff on their own, so I figured I could put those items together into a little shop- bing! The Big Things Shop was born! And then I had all these grand ideas for parties and get-togethers that would sort of extend from the virtual into the real world, allowing people to meet and learn and connect in person, so that’s where the Big Events come in.

I guess in the end, it was about having way too many ideas, a lot of really inspiring friends and not having a place to celebrate them – so I just made my own!

PM: How would you describe your aesthetic philosophy behind your websites?

RG: Hmm, our mantra is probably something like, “Why choose one color when you can choose them all?” Courtney Price is the design mastermind behind the look of BIG THINGS. We share a deep love for colors and shapes and she did an incredible job of interpreting the content and the feeling of the site to create a look that is alive, vibrant, playful, and approachable. I want people to come away from it feeling invigorated and happy and I think we really succeeded with that.

PM: Your style seems quite vibrant and eclectic, what would you say are your biggest influences?

RG: Without getting too stoney-baloney, just simple life things like sparkly sidewalks, a tart kiwi, or noticing something new on the ride home really affect me. Big in the bigger picture, anyone succeeding in the face of adversity is a huge influence to me, too. That means practitioners of dying arts, indigenous peoples, single parents, stray cats, people who study lost languages, struggling artists, etc. There are some moments of incredible beauty that can happen in trying times.

PM: In your online bio, you mention travel as one of your main inspirations. What countries in particular do you find the most inspiring?

RG: I can’t play favorites with this one because every place I have been lucky enough to experience has given me something, from various parts of the States, to Mexico, Greece, Germany, etc. The Mediterranean lifestyle is always quite appealing- olives, cliffs, terraces. Morocco was an unforgettable place that really made me reconsider how I live my life. But I’m ready for a big jump over to Asia or down to South and Central America, so I’ll let you know how I feel when I get back from that.

PM: If you were forced to only wear one brand or one designer for the rest of your life, who would it be and why?

RG: Fashion fascism?! I never really shop by brand and I buy most of my clothing used! But if I had to wear one brand of socks for the rest of my life, they would be the recycled thread socks from Muji!

PM: What fashion blogs, magazines, or writers do you like to read to get a feel for what’s on the horizon?

RG: I’ve always loved Hel-Looks, Advanced Style, and Street Peeper, which give a pretty good view of the wackier side of dressing. All those sites are a little less trendy and more about personal expression and a glimpse into strangers’ lives and personalities. The Cut blog is pretty hilarious every once in a while for fashion news and Hint Mag, Bullett, Purple, i-D, and Acne Paper for all the artsy fartsy avant garde-y fashion stuff.

PM: Has fashion always been something you were interested in pursuing, or have your recent career moves been something you fell into? In other words, is there something else that you’re dying to get into outside of your current jobs?

RG: I’ve always wanted to work in fashion journalism, so to be where I am now, styling and shooting for Metier and running BIG THINGS, I feel like I’m in a really, really great place. Of course I still have dreams of working with kids, being a marine biologist, running a museum, starting a magazine, and just saying “fuck it all” and going back to Morocco to weave carpets. Those dreams will never go away, so I can’t say that fashion is the end-all-be-all of my career, but I do hope that I can stay involved with it in some capacity – even if that just means getting dressed in the morning! But I guess I have a while to figure it all out!

PM: You’re involved in several different creative projects, how do you balance them all? That is to say, do you have a daily routine that helps you maximize your creativity or efficiency?

RG: To be honest, I’m not really an organized person, I’m just a compulsive worker and efficiency freak. If I’m not using my time for something that I consider to be productive, I panic! I’ve learned that being active- riding my bike every day, doing yoga a few times a week, and running around the lake- chills me out and gives me time to think about everything that needs to get done. I also have realized that sometimes you just need to get the hell away from work to actually get something done, so I try to travel a lot and go on lots of little adventures around town. I also should give a shout out to my good friend the iPhone, without whom my life would be infinitely more difficult.

PM: Finally, any advice for the folks out there aspiring to break into the fashion world?

RG: Just go for it!!! That’s what I did! I started off as (and still am!) a kid with a zillion ideas. Use the resources you have- the library, your friends, the internet- and just reach out to people. Be positive! Don’t be afraid to ask, to fail, to be yourself, and to believe in yourself. There’s a lot of BS in the fashion world (in the world in general!) so just ignore it, figure out what you want and just fucking do it!

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