
At Home With Artist, Photographer, & Mother Of 2 Erika Layne
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Erika Layne
We first met today’s subject, Erika Layne, through her work behind the camera (you might recall her beautiful photos of Alex Elle and Christine Platt). But today, the Silver Spring, Maryland-based mother of two (Camden, 15, and Jayda, 9) steps in front of the lens to tell her own story. And we’re sure glad she did. Not only did we get a look at Erika’s relaxed digs that are surrounded by lush nature (an ideal spot to shelter in place), we also got to go one-on-one with the creative about parenting tweens and teens, a recent separation with her children’s father, her ethos when it comes to documenting others, and her new biz, Loupe and Grain, amongst other things. We suggest you grab a cup of tea, settle in, and enjoy!
- "We had a realtor at the time, because we were interested in buying our first home, but my mom was helping us look at listings and she actually found this gem. It was way above our budget at first, but our realtor said we should put an offer in significantly lower than the asking price. This was in 2010 when the market was in the buyer’s favor. In the end, it worked out and with an extremely generous gift from my grandmother, we were able to afford a standard home loan. We have been shifting in this home for 10 years."
- An outdoor living room, surrounded by nature.
- "I’m attracted to natural materials, textures, elements, and colors. I definitely try to bring those natural elements into a space and juxtapose it with some minimal, modern pieces."
- A well-loved, statement-making trunk.
- "Resourceful, purposeful, and livable. Resourceful because I have collected and acquired items and furniture that I fell in love with throughout the years. A lot of our pieces came as hand-me-downs, found in secondhand shops, and most importantly, serve our needs as a family. I gravitated toward the term 'maximalist' after hearing Christine Platt describe its meaning. It’s using minimalism as a base and having things in your home that are purposeful while not limiting yourself to just those things, making space for items that you carefully consider to bring you joy."
- Beautiful memories, all around.
- The office nook.
- An important daily reminder.
- "My favorite space is currently our kitchen. I have never redesigned a kitchen before, and I had a blast choosing the finishes and materials that felt good to me. I was most excited about basing the design on our needs and operations as a family. I asked myself questions like, 'Where would I naturally reach for a coffee mug while standing at the coffee maker?,' and 'Can my 9-year-old be self-sufficient and reach the snacks and plates?.' I decided to walk on the edge a bit and install the backsplash myself, using flooring leftover from the basement. I figured if it was sturdy enough to walk on, it was sturdy enough to handle kitchen wear and tear."
- "It has definitely morphed and I feel a huge sense of gratitude and appreciation for having a safe haven to protect us from this very unpredictable virus. I can’t even imagine the reality for a lot of people who may not have a consistent place they can come 'home' to for any number of reasons. My husband and I recently separated and we chose to keep our children in our home consistently, partly because of COVID-19. We are able to alternate our time in the house and we are both fortunate enough to have local family we can stay with during our time outside our home. Even throughout our separation, this is the home that we made for the family and that will continue to hold true during this time of uncertainty."
- A short stack of indie magazines: CRWN and Tribe De Mama.
- Tween mom life!
- "Our area is considered the most diverse place in Maryland. I am most proud of the fact that my kids have grown up in a place where they can see themselves reflected in so many different ways and socio-economic statuses. They have had a wonderful variety of perspectives growing up here, from their teachers to their physicians, nearby restaurants and store owners, neighbors, and friends in our community."
- "I would, but I think I’d be constantly comparing the level of diversity to Silver Spring’s standard. I’d probably feel the need to constantly talk about diversity in different areas, in order to compensate and make sure my Black and Latinx children knew they had a place in this world and had the power to carve their own lane in life."
- "We live in a very high-level COVID-19 county of Maryland, so we have stayed put mostly. I choose to stick to small local grocery stores and produce markets that don’t get a lot of foot traffic. It’s harder for my daughter to be kept indoors because she is my more active outdoor child. Fortunately for her, our neighborhood pool opened and is offering socially distant swim practice in the mornings. We let her play with 1-2 consistent neighborhood friends and she tries to keep her distance. My 15-year-old son has no problem staying inside the house because he mostly socializes with his friends online through playing and creating video games. I have not been working, but people are slowly calling to make outdoor photo appointments."
- "My daughter and I love to scout different local parks that have a waterfall or lake. We also take adventures through the woods in our backyard. I’m thankful that we’ve been able to do those things still because they are obscure and outdoors. I’ll be glad when we can visit friends and family and spend quality time with them in person."
- Green as far as the eye can see—plus, a sweet surprise if you look closely.
- Erika wears a cotton top by Denisio Truitt of Dope Society, mixed with a hand-me-down dress.
- "I am a self-employed artist, working mostly as a photographer. I specialize in capturing the human connection through portraiture, lifestyle branding, growing families, and intimate weddings. I love finding unique ways to incorporate nature into any shoot."
- "I’ve lived most of my life in Montgomery County, Maryland, but knew I wanted to go away to college and had the honor of being accepted into the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City. I always knew I wanted to be an artist. After graduating from college with a newborn baby in tow, I moved back home with my partner and we lived with his parents for a while. I kept in touch with my high school art teacher, who told me about a teaching position at her current school. So, for the next 7 years, I was a darkroom and digital photography and graphic design teacher. In the last three years of my teaching career, I slowly transitioned to part-time teaching and built my own business on the side, until I finally matched my income in both areas of my life. It took three years to accomplish, but on that third year, I told myself 'it’s now or never,' and transitioned fully into running my own business. That was 7 years ago."
- The butterfly whisperer.
- Just beautiful.
- "I definitely find nature inspiring and I find that it informs my art and the way that I live. I often start my mornings sitting outside with a cup of coffee and my journal. When I feel overwhelmed, I have to step outside and have a moment to myself."
- A beautiful soul.
- "I’ve always known the importance and power of the visual representation of underrepresented communities, especially when people of color are the creators of the stories. I am even more proud of my diverse portfolio of clients and I’m honored that they choose me to share their stories. I feel personally responsible to represent them in the way they want to be seen. I’m just glad the rest of the world is beginning to recognize how important it is to not only share these stories, but also hire and pay diverse creatives fairly for their time and talent. As far as the affect COVID-19 has had on my work, I have a heightened value for each life I capture, knowing that at this moment in time they were here and present, even if there may be a looming threat to their health and well-being."
- "Working with parents and children, I understand a lot of the challenges that come along with being pregnant, a new parent, and having children in general. I apply the same level of flexibility from my own personal operations to my business practices, along with the understanding of how things can change at a moment’s notice when you have children. I also just love children and admire their wonderment from a parent’s perspective."
- A look at the family's relaxed living room set-up.
- A dreamy spot for plants...and pets!
- "It takes a lot of self-forgiveness, trial and error, and perseverance. The artistic process, parenting, and partnership each come with their share of self-doubts and no manual for your specific situation. I have learned to trust that although we strive to maintain the same level of functionality within each role, it’s often impossible to consistently feel adept at all three. On any given day you’re just going to feel like a crappy 'fill in the blank' and the key is giving yourself the grace to acknowledge that it’s okay."
- Colorful artwork hangs above a stack of Erika's current reads: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and It's All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life, What Follows, Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Alex Elle's latest release, After the Rain: Gentle Reminders for Healing, Courage, and Self-Love, and A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.
- "Absolutely, especially when I was transitioning from teaching to owning my own business. I didn’t feel like I was a good anything. I would yell at the kids because I was spread too thin and overwhelmed. I currently feel like a bad mom sometimes when my oldest (15-year-old) doesn’t really talk to me that much about his feelings or thoughts. I try to remind myself, that I am most likely connecting with him in other ways even if it doesn’t match my most proficient love language of quality time."
- "I am starting a new company with my business partner called Loupe and Grain and we are so excited to launch during this heightened time of allyship and progress of the Black Lives Matter movement. The mission of the company is to change the visual landscape to a more diverse, comprehensive representation of humanity. We will accomplish that by providing services to startups and established businesses to help measure and implement more diverse practices with a focus on hiring creatives and providing consultations through a diversity lens on a per-project and long-term basis."
- A look at Erika's kitchen, which she designed herself.
- All the pretty details.
- "I think at this stage, my favorite part about motherhood is watching what kind of human beings my kids are becoming, I’m so excited for them to figure out what their interests are and I love listening to their stories of friendship and how they see the world."
- "I don’t want to pass on my trauma, whether it's generational or from childhood. I hope to do all the healing I can in order to be able to show up for them in a healthy way. I hope most of all to be able to show them by example what respect, empathy, responsibility, love, and stability look like."
- A sweet little spice rack.
- "We had our son first. We didn’t find out his sex before he was born because we told ourselves that we’d be happy just to have a healthy baby and it wasn’t important to us at that time. Camden was a surprise baby, and I was finishing my last year of college when I was pregnant with him. We’ve never really agreed with binary definitions assigned by American society. So, when it came to people giving us gifts, I wanted them to be as neutral as possible. I was an only child, so I knew I wanted to have more than one child. When we found out we were pregnant with our second child almost 5 years later, we tried to wait, but wanted to find out if we were having a girl. I remember being really excited about our second being a girl, but thinking to myself that I didn’t want to raise them with different expectations or guidelines based on gender. I wanted to find out who they were as people with personalities before thinking of solutions to raising them. Jayda currently identifies as a female, but presents herself societally like a boy. I truly believe gender is fluid and I’m just here to learn from her and let her lead the way in discovering her own identity."
- "My daughter had to have open-heart surgery at 4-days-old to reroute her arteries. She was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). I will forever be grateful for the sonogram tech who caught it at my 20-week checkup. We were definitely shocked, humbled, and scared when we found out, but we reacted with calm logic and just wanted to research and find out everything we could. We were able to interview the two top doctors in our area who knew how to perform the surgery she needed. I remember feeling so relieved when they told me that even though this heart defect was very rare, it had been around for a very long time, and the surgery had been perfected throughout the years. Fortunately, she was fine in my body because I was providing her oxygen, but the moment she was born, her body’s circulatory system would have been running two separate tracks, unable to deliver oxygen to her body after picking it up from her lungs."
- "I think the hardest part was that they had to take her away from me so quickly when she was first born, my husband was able to follow her through the underground tunnel to Children’s Hospital. When I was able to join her in the cardiac ICU, I remember a rush of feelings hitting me, as I looked around the room and saw that the other babies in the room had much more complicated surgeries to undergo. I remember being so thankful that at least Jayda had been born with all of her parts, they were just out of order, and I felt for the families who had been there multiple times because their children couldn’t be healed in just one surgery. I think that’s how I was able to keep my sanity throughout this experience. She will be turning 10 at the end of August and is able to do anything she wants to with no restrictions."
- "Jayda, who is almost 10, is my adventurous, socially intelligent, fort architect. She loves to swim, play with friends, and spend time outside. Camden is 15 and he’s my tall, witty, and academically intelligent gamer child. He’s currently making a game with his friends this summer as a fun project."
- "I was so afraid to name my first child, because we kept changing what we liked every month before he was born. We named him Camden a day or two after he was born because we had to see what name fit him best after meeting him. His middle name is Alexander because that’s what his grandfather called him every day I was pregnant. I personally love names that can be used for any gender. The first day that Jayda was born her name was Jayden, then we decided to change it the next day to Jayda because it was less common at the time. Her middle name is Aliana, because of a close childhood friend, and we wanted to pick middle names that could be easily pronounced in Spanish."
- Harvesting some final touches for the tea.
- Rinsing the mint before it's tea time.
- ...gotcha!
- "I did! I’ve been looking back in old journals of mine recently and I was reminded of how I would include children in my dreams of the future."
- "Like a gardener who provides water, nutrient-filled soil, and an unencumbered location for the child to grow. I try to give them the basic things that they need, and let them lead the rest of the way."
- "I would say it's just different. I really miss the cuddles and affection they let me give them when they were younger, but I’m trying to recognize that their affection just looks different now. As they have become more self-sufficient, I try to let them step into that independent role and just offer suggestions, guidance, and boundaries."
- "My upbringing was based heavily on the Christian faith. I learned a lot about what it means to be humble and forgiving, but I didn’t learn how valuable it is to create my own boundaries and take care of myself first before others. My parents separated when I was three, so I never knew them as a unit, yet I would say I had a stable upbringing. Both of my parents were there for me and I never was in need of anything."
- "I try to emphasize a respect and appreciation for all life that surrounds us. I find myself teaching through empathy and hoping it will become part of their way of life. At an early age, I want them to feel respected and be able to recognize and respect their own feelings so that they have a reference point in life."
- "Not at all. I’ve always had a strong belief in justice, equity, and inclusion for all and have tried my best to talk about difficult subjects concerning these topics with the kids from an early age. I’m just glad that my kids have been able to witness the people demanding better from our government and seeing the effect we have as individuals to make a change in the world."
- "Openly and honestly. We are even able to watch the growing number of documentaries featured on streaming platforms. We then follow up by doing some research on the actual people and often find discrepancies."
- Family huddle.
- "I have been able to pull from some of the self-help books I enjoy reading, because they have to do with how humans in general operate. A Whole New Mind, The Four Agreements, and The 5 Love Languages have been helpful in learning more about me, and in understanding how to best relate to my children."
- "Follow your gut and do what feels best for you and your baby. Honor your own intuition and the way you feel about any given situation, because no one knows your child more than you. Also, it’s very hard to ruin your child, so whatever is going on, it’s most likely not your fault."
- "I’m still nervous, lol. But so far it’s way calmer than expected. I try not to fight against the grain and pick my battles. I’m more of a problem-solving parent, so if something is not working for either me or my child, I will consult them on their ideas on how to fix it, and we will try different ways until we figure out what’s best for both of us."
- "I would say I take inspiration from a lot of the moms I know, close friends, and Insta friends—i.e. people I imagine would be my friend if we ever met: @alexelle, @sugartaylorco, @momma_lips, @watermeloneggrolls, @brandichantalle, @yolonda_j, @yasminecheyenne, @afrominimalist, @lesliekershaw, and @heyjamyla, just to name a few."
- Braids done, game on!
- The sweetest face.
- "Easy and minimal. I have realized that keeping things simple prevents me from becoming overwhelmed and overthinking things, which I don’t have the capacity for right now. After becoming a mother, I would say it has morphed from being eclectic and experimental, to more elemental and intentional."
- "My main outfit staple is my leather fannypack from Tree Fairfax. It forces me to just think of the basics I need to have with me when leaving the house, like my phone, keys, wallet, and lip balm."
- "I keep it simple in that part of my life, as well. I switched to using as many raw ingredients as I can. In the summers, I moisturize my body with coconut oil, but I found that my face doesn’t like it and will break out. For my face, I use an olive oil-based handmade product that a friend made. In the winter, I switch to making my own whipped shea body butter and adding essential oils like ylang-ylang, frankincense, and a bit of eucalyptus. I buy all-natural soap bars for the house, so I mostly use those to clean my face. Every once in awhile I will make a face mask using Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay as a base, then adding apple cider vinegar and lemon. I’ll also use a face scrub made of brown sugar or coffee grounds with a little olive oil."
- "We have the sweetest dog, Coconut, whom I walk every morning to get my day started. I’ll then take some time to write in my journal. I really enjoyed Alex Elle’s recent course A Journey Home: Healing Through Self-Love, it was perfect timing given my recent separation. I’m also in therapy, which I very much see as a form of self-care."
- Erika's baubles collection.
- "I have no problems slipping away from the hustle and bustle of life into my room or outside to be by myself. My children are totally self-sufficient, so if they are hungry, they can make sandwiches or get snacks at the very least. They also know to check outside if they can’t find me. I often incorporate 'me time' into other things I have to do, like listening to an audiobook while driving or sitting by the pool while Jayda swims."
- Be sure to follow along with Erika and her beautiful family via Instagram.
Share this story