Celebrating "Living" on My Podcast with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey
I hope you've had the chance to listen to my latest podcast, "The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey." It's a very special hour reminiscing about the creation and development of the magazine that launched my brand. If you haven't, please do - it's available now on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Media App, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Earlier this summer, I invited Isolde and Gael to join me at my Bedford, New York farm, to recount some of our fondest memories - how we crafted each shoot, tested each recipe, and chose each cover. Living put an emphasis on beautiful visuals and timeless ideas. It was a huge effort, and I had a team of extraordinarily talented individuals to help make it all happen.
Here are just a few photos showing some of our past Living covers and behind-the-scenes moments over the years, enjoy. And please take some time this holiday weekend to listen to "The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey."
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- This was our very first issue of Living. It was on newsstands in the winter of 1990. This photo of me was taken on my porch at my Westport, Connecticut home, Turkey Hill.
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- Here I am with Gael and Isolde holding that very first issue of the magazine. Isolde was Founding Editor-in-Chief, and Gael was our Founding Creative Director. At the time, there was no guarantee anything would last, but it did, and it got better and better every year.
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- And here is a black and white image me with a group of employees standing in front of a wall displaying the pages of the first issue at the offices of Time Inc. We talk about these early days on my podcast – there are so many fun memories.
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- Here’s the cover of another early issue – this one from April and May 1992.
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- And the fall Living issue of that same year – October and November 1992. Many of our first magazines were released by season.
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- This is a summer issue from June and July 1993. So many of you loved our entertaining and decorating stories. We wanted all of our readers to know they could incorporate all our projects and ideas into their lives.
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- This cover is from our October 1994 autumn issue. The magazine was growing and thriving. Martha Stewart Living was different from other publications because of its honesty and clarity.
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- December 2000 was one of our favorites, and the best selling issue in the first 10 years of the magazine.
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- Here’s another beautiful cover from March 2001. We made sure every photograph was real and beautiful.
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- We used story boards to create every issue – illustrations and images displayed in sequence so we could closely visualize what each issue would look like.
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- Then we took Living abroad. In this 2010 photo, we show all the international titles in publication at the time. Our magazines were loved around the world.
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- This spring 2012 issue of Living is from Germany.
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- And here is one from Indonesia in August 2013.
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- Remember this? We were the first to release our magazine online in 2010. Our digital magazine cover of Boundless Beauty, was rated by Time Magazine as one of the top 10 covers of the year. We worked tirelessly to create, what we felt, was a stunningly spectacular digital version filled with original content and many innovative concepts. This digital issue celebrated our 20th anniversary of Living.
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- Here’s a photo of me and Gael at one of our 10-year+ employee celebrations. We worked with an incredible staff of smart, creative and enthusiastic individuals.
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- To prepare for my podcast, more than 30-years after creating our first issue, my team and I looked through hundreds of back issues and pulled all our favorites – there were so many. These stacks of magazines are about 25 high.
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- Gael and Isolde visited me at my farm – it was a lovely reunion. We only had a couple of hours, but we could have sat for days…
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- We talked about those first days of shooting, when we did everything ourselves – I even did my own makeup.
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- We also talked about the long shifts working to get the issues out. Isolde even purchased a crib for her young child for the office because she was working such long hours. I don’t want to tell you everything – you’ll just have to listen, but the podcast is filled with stories, and behind-the-scenes memories.
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- And here’s a photo of the three of us after our show. What a fun time. Thank you for joining me Gael and Isolde. And please listen to my special podcast this weekend. “The Beginning of Living with Isolde Motley and Gael Towey” on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Media App, or wherever you get your podcasts. You will love it.
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