In Her Words: Meet Karen Elson
"I need space and silence to make music. I need to strip myself emotionally bare." -Karen Elson
Karen with Mystic Crossbody
Seriously, Karen Elson is going to be part of our Modern Day Hobo Series Nashville Edition and create a limited-edition Artisan Series collection? We thought too good to be true, but then it happened. So much has been written about this woman who has graced the covers of magazines around the world. Her outer beauty is obvious, and we found out firsthand that her inner beauty is even more captivating. Karen uses her influence to speak up for issues that matter to women around the world, the song lyrics she writes are emotion-filled and her first love, well, that is being a mother.
Karen with Sable Wristlet
Why Nashville:
It was a whim, I was on a road trip through Nashville and said "I’m going to live in Nashville" and that’s what I did, moved here 12 years ago. Why I stayed in Nashville? The city grew on me. There’s something charming and supportive about the women here. The women I know here have become some of the greatest friends I have ever had. It’s also a great place to raise kids.
Music Style:
That is such a hard question. I am sure other musicians could nail it in a minute, but for me it is a lot more esoteric. I don’t think about "this is how I want my music to sound". It ends up sounding a bit haunted, dark and folk-ish, and I am going to keep going with that.
Creating Music:
I need space and silence to make music. I need to strip myself emotionally bare. I sit in my living room with my amp and guitar and just daydream. For me, creating music is very personal and very introverted, unlike the character I play as a model. Music is much more of a shy process for me. I am passionate about that because it’s a very real side to my personality.
Motherhood Means Absolute Joy:
The greatest gift of all things is to be a mother. I have 2 kids and they are quite literally the light of my life. Wherever I am in the world, whatever it is I am doing, I’m always a mother. I can’t get carried away with things because I always know where my grounding is and where my roots are, and that’s being a mother.
Personal Style:
Over the years it has evolved so much. And at the moment, if I get quite real, in light of the things that are shifting in the world, in light of #MeToo and Time’s Up, I am finding myself gravitating more towards clothes that feel powerful and less things that put me in an archetype of frail femininity.
Watch her video:
