a girl named leney

[agirlnamedleney]

Folkling Brick & Mortar Shop Opening

It feels surreal to be announcing this at all, let alone at the end of this particular year. This contemplation, of having a shop, was long held as a “oh wouldn’t that be fun…” kind of dream. A dream held in partial disbelief of it ever being a reality. And then, this year, things shifted. Photo work was placed on hold during the pandemic and my side business, Folkling, where I curate beautiful old things from my travels around the country and share their stories, became all I had in the way of making a living. So I put my all into it. I worked from sun up to sundown every day on this dream. This dream to continue to be able to provide for myself a life of independence shaped by my artistry and sharing the beauty that I see in the world. It took off. Turns out when you can’t go anywhere for months and you have limited options in the way of artistic output, focus and motivation pushed into one direction can do pretty amazing things. The reluctance and reticence I felt at the beginning of the year at the requirement to stay in one place turned into a blessing beyond measure. A kismet happenstance of needing a change, praying for a sign for the-next-right-thing and a spontaneous drive through a small town and noticing an empty storefront. The rest, as they say, is history. In many ways this space feels like the ultimate tangible representation of all I have worked for in the ten years since I started A Girl Named Leney and the three since starting Folkling. To have a physical space to share with others, even with the limitations of this current time we live in, feels like such an incredible gift. This dream that I held in partial disbelief of it ever being a reality, has now become tangible and it leaves me in awe and more grateful than I feel capable of expressing. It would not be possible without the support of so many along the way. This is by no means a feat of an individual, so many have helped shape this venture into what it is today and I know there will still be many more yet to come. But as for the official opening…. I was going to call it a soft opening because, well, we still don’t have a sign, there’s a lot of inventory that still needs to be tagged, we need more clothing racks and a couch and shelves and a bunch of other tiny details that no one but me will notice... and even though I feel beyond ready I also really don’t feel ready. But I recognize that this space, this extension of me, will be ever changing and evolving as the months roll on. So whether soft or grand—consider this the opening announcement.

Staring December 11th, the Folkling showroom will be open exclusively on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-6pm. During the week will be reserved for business-as-usual online listing, photo work and going out on The Road to pick! So grab your mask and a friend and come out and say hello this weekend! 107 S Main St. Suite 1 Gordonsville, VA 22942

[agirlnamedleney]

This Is Virginia In The Summer

You have to close your mouth when biking at night. This is Virginia in the summer. The air is thick and hung with winged creatures. The moon winks at me from the water filled ditch, newly filled after the afternoon’s down pour. The low-hanging magnolias unfold their skirts towards the grass beds, entangled in a flirtation with the sweet scented leaves. I cut some Queen Anne’s Lace with my pocket knife and revel in its silhouette against the dusk. Petal pushing, pedal pushing. This routine is one of the few I perform without fail. A small days end respite from the unrelenting speed of time. My bike basket fills with little pink slips of paper. They hold a promise of something more if I choose to exchange them at the post office down the road. (I never do take them with me, somewhat absentmindedly but more so as an act of defiance of the one mean post master in town…) I hoist my bike up onto my shoulder and ascend the porch stairs  1-2-3-4-5-6 and into the house. I run upstairs to my computer, where I can record my thoughts faster than any other medium. My feet are so hot I start to pull off my boots (because I wear boots year round…) but I’m afraid I’ll lose the words so I stop half way. Typing feverishly with one boot on and one boot off. “Are you awake?” He asks. “Yes but I can’t talk right now. I don’t want to lose the words I just found.”

[agirlnamedleney]

Folkling Shop Update | Dressed In White

These two dresses evoked a type of simple elegance and beauty to me when I found them. Meant for bare feet open-field running and adding a hint of sunshine to your life even on the cloudiest of days. Pieces meant not for a special occasion, but to make an everyday kind of day special. Handpicked in Ol Virginny.

Shop dresses here and here. Suggested listen: Scenic World by Beirut

[agirlnamedleney]

Folkling Shop Update

You all know that I am always juggling a myriad of passions, and while I’ve been at home in Virginia for the holidays and some down time to work on some writing and photo projects, I have been curating more vintage and sharing my finds from The Road this past year (and for that matter, previous years as well as I go through all of the things I had in storage while I was gone…) Head to the shop to see what’s new and find something special for your space or your body or maybe the space or body of someone you love. Many of these were found on a Virginia back country road on the best kind of meandering day. Here’s to having more of those and to remembering the true and good things that make up the places we call home.

Check out some of these finds from my life on The Road in the shop below!

[agirlnamedleney]

The Road

I think this film photo from Washington a few months ago is just about the most accurate and perfect portrait representation of my year.

The Road.

One of the foremost loves of my life.

I have been home for two weeks now.

333 days before that were spent largely in my car all across this country.

But now I am back in Virginia, I won’t say for how long, mostly because I don’t know. And though it makes others uncomfortable I’m usually okay with not knowing. It puts me in a place of trust in something (someone) other than myself and I know that’s the best place to be.

I am happy.

To be amongst my people and the other strips of pavement that don’t represent the proverbial “Road” to me, but are open and inviting nonetheless. Familiar in their curves and bumps, they illicit a different type of pleasure. One of anchored contentment, knowing and recognition.

Of home.

Consistency too.

Which has always been one of the two dualities in my makeup.

My love for nesting, being in a space of my own and near my people who I’ve spent a decade or two or (nearly) three doing life with. 

But also my addiction to newness—it is the thing in me that tugs at my center when I’ve been stationary and stagnant too long.

Which I recognize not only as a physical state but a mental one as well.

Most people think this is a thing I will outgrow.

A characteristic of indecision and lack of maturity. Of youthful “wanderlust” and do-it-now-while-you-can. 

I used to believe them.

Used to be ashamed of my insatiable appetite and voracious curiosity. “You’re just restless” people would say. 

“Oh, you’re finding yourself…”

But actually, I’ve known for quite some time who I am. 

I have for most of my life. 

As a child I remember being quite sure of things. Sure of myself. Sure of what I wanted to do. It is only with age that I somehow reverted and lost this confidence. 

Perhaps because there is more at risk. But I don’t even know if I really believe that.

I think we get tricked into thinking there’s more to lose, but really, it’s the same always. We are just more trusting when we are new and resilient to the voices trying to tell us otherwise.

I encountered a great many people this year who thought what I was doing, traveling alone as a woman, quite insane and unsafe.

But I also encountered those who encouraged it.

But neither should matter. Whichever way the scale tips in its outward affirmation of who we are: we know. 

We know because if you pause long enough to listen, you will hear that rhythm inside of you that was created and placed in exactly you and made to push you towards your place of purpose.

[agirlnamedleney]

⋒⋒ Folkling Vintage Shop Opening ⋒⋒

I am super excited to announce that my little vintage venture is expanding from Instagram to a full fledged online shop right here on the website! Mark your calendars for

⋒⋒ This Friday, November 1st ⋒⋒

and keep your eyes peeled on the Folkling instagram for sneak peeks! There will be some sheepskins, denim, cool mens jackets, special books, pieces from the 1970s (of course), homewares for your space and all kinds of other unique finds from my life on The Road this year! Check back here on www.agirlnamedleney.com this weekend to get a head start on your Christmas shopping and maybe treat yourself to something special too. xo

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[agirlnamedleney]

Artists In Film | Siobhan Watts of Bless The Weather in Hitchin England

Siobhan is someone who you might recognize my having talked about before here on the journal. I visited her in England last fall and took these portraits but she and I have been virtual friends for nearly eight years through our blogs and social media. She is quite definitely my favorite virtual-turned-real-life-friend and though my practice of doing that throughout my life baffles some people (you mean you’re going to somewhere you’ve never been to meet someone in person that you met online… that you don’t even know…) I have to say that it is that very openness that has invited what I would deem some of the dearest friends I have in this world. She has taught me many things in the way of bringing artistry and beauty to all that you do (we share love and vocations with photography and knitting for one thing, though she has many other talents besides). But one of the primary ways I’ve witnessed this is through her relationship with her daughter, Rory. Being a mother is a thing that in most societies, defines a woman once she becomes it. All-at-once she loses her identity as anything other than Mother. Motherhood is an incredible roll to have and embody. One I hope to have myself one day. Indeed, it is through my own spectacular Mother raising me in just the way she did that I have the view and independence I do in the world. If it weren’t for the way she helped shape my view of myself and others and the world around me, I wouldn’t view it as the miraculous and beautiful place that I do. And so, I believe, that it is because of women’s own personal identity and diverse and unique traits that make them good mothers. It is so important to show our daughters what it means to be a woman. To be an individual to them and not just a Mother. To help shape the understanding of themselves through lenses not specific to jobs or rolls or activities. That worth and merit is defined outside of what we do and who the world says we are. How to navigate the oceans of emotion that some of us are born with, how to follow our curiosity, how to be brave in our individuality amidst a world telling us to conform. Watching Siobhan with Rory is just fun. The way she communicates with her is truly quite unlike anything I’ve ever really seen between a Mother and Daughter. They are not just Mother and Daughter, but friends, a team. There is open honesty and listening and patience and consideration in the smallest ways to the biggest. There is an intricate balance of allowance and freedom with children vs. the restriction and discipline it takes to shape them in healthy ways. The ways of which are of course endless in discussion, and will always be from now until the end of time. But I think the thing I have learned through watching my friends with their children, and of course just being a child myself once: There is no one right way. Children are individuals just as you are and they show signs of their specific and uniquely created selves from day one and it takes patience and kindness and love to encourage and foster their growth just as it does with anything tiny young and beautiful. Siobhan is so much more than a Mother. But it is within her view and execution of Motherhood that I have learned so much in the way of being an artist and inviting and creating beauty in your life for not only yourself but the ones you love as well. It should also be noted that Rory herself is now a dear friend of mine too. But of course, learning how to do yoga-dance in the kitchen, run around town confidently in a giraffe costume, independently bake tasty cakes and requesting moon themed bedtime stories is enough to make you fall in love with just about anyone I suspect… Truly though, I cannot wait to continue witnessing the beautiful human being she is becoming and feel so fortunate to have personally felt and experienced the very special and strong light that she is in this world.

Since my visit, Siobhan has now had the beautiful second daughter that she was expecting in these photographs. I cannot wait to meet the new addition to her girl-gang (Not to exclude you Gav… you know we all love you dearly too. You’re just a bit outnumbered over there is all) and know that there will be at least one more beautiful, creative and kind human being in this world.

Follow along with Siobhans adventures in Motherhood and beyond on her instagram and on her website.

If you enjoyed this Artists In Film essay please check out the others below!

Artists In Film | The Cowboy Prince In New Orleans Artists In Film | Anna of Experimental Vintage in Portland Oregon Artists In Film | Jeanie Tomanek of Everywoman Art in Marietta Georgia

and

A newer series I’ve started Spaces In Film

Keep an eye out, because there are more essays in the works! 

I would really love it if you have an artist or a space you’d like to introduce me to for these series. Send ideas and intros to: [email protected] or through the form on the contact page!

Thanks for reading friend. 

This project is one that is incredibly close to my heart and it means the world that you paused for it. —☽ —

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[agirlnamedleney]

The Right Reasons

This is somewhat of a belated follow up post to my post last month on Rhythm and Routine. I mentioned that my life long struggle has been to find the balance between contentment and dreaming. How to hold both. How to be present and enjoy what you have and where you currently are, while still striving to better yourself and achieve more. This topic of thought has been even further at the forefront of my mind after reading this passage in A Journal of A Solitude by May Sarton :

"I asked myself the question, 'What do you want of your life?' and I realized with a start of recognition and terror, 'Exactly what I have --but to be commensurate, to handle it all better."

Later she writes:

"What is destructive is impatience, haste, expecting too much too fast."

This has actually been one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year and it has provided a nearly never ending list of various deeper thought paths of exploration. But in regards to this particular one, I had a brief conversation with a friend and they expanded on it with this thought: ”For me it comes down to the intent of the achievement. Is the ambition born of genuine personal desire for something or from external forces?” A Bachelorette reference was even made… are you doing this for the “right reasons”… (I suppose that reference will be lost on anyone who’s never watched that silly show… embarrassed to admit I have despite my fairly consistent aversion to television.) So then, it is about an analyzation of the motives. The who/what/where/why of the motion pulling us in a direction other than exactly here. Wanting another pair of brown leather boots for instance is possibly drawing you out of contentment in an unproductive and harmful way vs. being unsatisfied with the inconsistency of your writing practice (very base analogies that in no way apply to me… at all… whatsoever… ) What then are your reasons? I’ve been asking myself that this week.

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[agirlnamedleney]

Rhythm and Routine

It’s been a stationary week and a half. I’ve been spending some time in a little coastal town in Oregon working on some projects. Something I’ve really relished after the rush and spiritual high of driving up the Pacific Coast Highway earlier this month. Driving up Highway 1 was a venture I embarked on for the first time last year when my brother and I drove across the country and back over the course of a couple months. It was a highlight of that year in a way that I have been unable to put into words in person, or virtually, since. So of course being back on this side of the country I knew I needed to do it again this year. My left shoulder is a bit darker than my right from the sun ushering me up the highway, but my heart is lighter for having done it. Anywhere on the water is a place I call home. Finding balance in stillness amidst the motion I am so drawn to, has been a reoccurring theme in this season. The ever constant duality in my life of holding both contentment and far reaching dreams. I am unsure if it is the heightened self awareness I have at this point in my life, or the constant information overload that plagues my generation especially, that keeps the search for this balance at the forefront of my mind more often than not. But I am finding that, wherever I am, it is in the tiny in-between things that I choose to make time for and often the things that have little to do with work or “making a living”, that bring that balance. And to be sure it is a choice… It’s rare that the things that sustain us in life are easily earned or just so happen to fall into our laps. We have to choose the important things. We all know this. We do. But we so easily let them slide by and time unrolls behind us and all-of-a-sudden we look back and think… Did I even enjoy that? When I was there, in that place, did I appreciate it for what it was? I am trying to do that more. Enjoy the now. Especially on this journey of being on The Road this year. To not look ahead to the next place quite so much and just be present in the morning I have here. Such has been the gradual accumulation of tiny motions of thought towards the goodness of searching for symmetry.

[agirlnamedleney]

Folkling Vintage | The California Coast

I have been in California for part of August, and while there I picked up a few vintage finds for folkling.

Shooting these pieces while driving up the Pacific Coast Highway was such a fun artistic endeavor for me.

It is combining many of my loves, photography, vintage, travel, all into one.

I appreciate all of you who’ve supported Folkling over the last two years of its existence. It’s a venture that I get so much enjoyment out of and not only something I preach, but practice. I truly believe in the sustainability and ethical consciousness in buying secondhand first and appreciating that which already exists in the world. Additionally, you are fueling my life on The Road in more ways than one, and that’s a dream for which I cannot thank you enough. If you are interested in any of these pieces, shoot me a direct message through the Folkling instagram. Thank you to everyone who sees value in shopping slow. xo

[agirlnamedleney]

— harvest — ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ cyclical routines: plant, water, grow. relearning already known things, until the seed sowing is deep and lasting. the moon pulls in the tides and the sun evaporates it’s drops. so too are my lessons pulled into me and dissipated through my outward actions. proof of harvest. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ( a season of growth is so executed, whether observed or not, it will always go on ) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ —————⌓————— ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ++ Image shot in Agfa Vista 200 35mm film for an upcoming #spacesinfilm photo essay ++ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #arcosantiarizona #arcosanti #interiorism #agfavista200 #airbnbexperience #airbnbhomes #airbnbarizona #rewildedhomes #interiordesigngoals #arcosantiworld (at Arcosanti, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxul_v0lRzO/?igshid=9syf3l7y9kou

[agirlnamedleney]

The straight spined grass popped and crackled as the sun burned the frost off of its tips. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Hat clad sillouhettes rolling down the high curbed street. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My head is full of road songs. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In coffee shops it never occurs to me to get something other than regular black coffee. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I am watching always now for the time of day when the shadows sleep. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The rules I live by don’t feel much like rules at all. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cyan colored fingers creep through the cracks of the doorway. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My half-mast eyes blearily witness their presence and I think to myself how I really need to stop competing with the moon. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Desert dwelling desperado. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Is unmediated solitude necessary to begin? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ —A Long List of Unfinished Thoughts ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ —————●————— ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ++ Image shot in Agfa Vista 200 35mm film ++ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #writingsfromawouldbebeatnik #theshadowdiaries (at Marfa, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxjRN-PlYmG/?igshid=14idm5slhvsej

[agirlnamedleney]

Lobstermen off to work on a foggy morning aboard Sea Princess in Brooklin Maine -2016- ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ • Shot in Agfa Vista 200 35mm • ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I have such admiration for the working class of America. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ They are the back bone of this country. The oystermen on the bay in Virginia and the lobstermen off the coast of Maine are some of the more romanticized recollections of my childhood. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I lived on the Chesapeake Bay for over a year not too long ago and being awakened early each morning by the motors of their boats as they headed out to get their days haul, I still had a somewhat dreamy and unrealistic idea of their lifestyle. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Starting the day on the water and with the early-rising sun sounds like the perfect start to the day. However the reality of what they do is hard, dirty, ruled largely by the generosity of Mother Nature and often overlooked by the many of us who benefit from their labor. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I want to always be conscious and appreciative of those who do so much to contribute to our society and put food on our tables. They are men and women to be celebrated and admired for their work ethic and character. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Though their way of living may look different than yours, there is much we can learn from their resilience. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ —————●————— ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #thepeopleimeetandthestoriestheytell #daughterofasailor #lobstermen #mainelobstermen #lifeonaboat #bornonaboat #agfavista200 #agfavista #lifeinfilm #filmisnotdead #theknittingqueentakesmaine #workingclass #bluecollarlife #documentaryphotography #workinghardforabetterfuture #filmphotographer (at Brooklin, Maine) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvhv84GFXBY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1s7qxhffyhgdn

[agirlnamedleney]

To Walk In Beauty

One of my pursuits in living here in New Mexico has entailed learning more about the Diné (Navajo) culture. I came across this blessing today which from my understanding is often traditionally sung during the process of weaving, in reference to Spider Woman, who is said to have first woven the universe and taught the Diné to spread the “Beauty Way” by creating beauty in their own life and thus encompassing the balance of mind, body and soul. It is also a part of the story that when Spider Woman discovered her abilities and after showing Spider Man, he created tools for her with which to weave out of the Juniper tree (read more here). A fact that seems even more meaningful to me due to my own fascination and interest in Juniper trees. (I don’t fully know why this feels meaningful exactly, other than the fact that I always take note when more than one interest seems to intersect with another…) The more I learn about this beautiful culture, the more I feel it has to teach us in so many ways. I thought I would share the blessing here with you today— I got chills reading it and cannot imagine how beautiful it must be in it’s original native tongue.

The Beauty Way

Today I will walk out, today everything unnecessary will leave me,  I will be as I was before, I will have a cool breeze over my body.  I will have a light body, I will be happy forever,  nothing will hinder me.  I walk with beauty before me. I walk with beauty behind me.  I walk with beauty below me. I walk with beauty above me.  I walk with beauty around me. My words will be beautiful.  In beauty all day long may I walk.  Through the returning seasons, may I walk.  On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.  With dew about my feet, may I walk.  With beauty before me may I walk.  With beauty behind me may I walk.  With beauty below me may I walk.  With beauty above me may I walk.  With beauty all around me may I walk.  In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk.  In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk.  My words will be beautiful.

[agirlnamedleney]

Goodnight House

i feel at home within the stillness of a house at night i rarely waver in the dark or quiet spaces of a slightly unknown place

for there is a lightness there it is inside these spaces that i find my place amongst tired floors and resting furniture

it is me and the small-slow creeping things (unsure as i am if the dark impressions of motion are on the floor or inside of my mind—there is even comfort to be found in that too) the creaks and groans are the tones of hidden hellos specific to these walls

the things heard are of my own creation or that of the inherent nature of the frame i’m inside of

it is on and under these sloped sleeping lines that i am able to recenter and remember my sense of self that is now and at once a mirrored home: the inner home of me

[agirlnamedleney]

The Rewilded Bookclub

I shared on Instagram last week that I was reading Women Who Run With The Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. A book that I’d had in the trunk of my car for three months and was eagerly waiting for the right moment to start. It generated so much interest and wonderful conversation that I decided to start a virtual bookclub! The #RewildedBookclub can now be found on Facebook in a private group (join below!) or followed through that hashtag on instagram. It is one of my inherent qualities that as long as I make time to at least both read and write in a day, I feel pretty good about the day as a whole. Although despite this belief, they are almost always the things I place on the back burner when I feel stressed or overwhelmed. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ However, these two habits are both such important parts of who I am and part of how I process and engage with the world in a way that feels meaningful to me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Balancing screen time with these things is hard. Which is of course the irony of sharing this... because it’s taking me away from this very book that’s presently in my lap... But I am so excited to have a group of women to encourage and remind me to make it a priority in my day-to-day.

If you’d like to join, follow the link below! I foresee this being a whole thing and I have a whole stack of other books in the trunk of my car to share in the coming months…. ;)

 The Rewilded Book ClubClosed group · 36 members

Join Group

This is a bookclub for women to come together and have conversations centered around themes of living a more engaged and mindful life. Challenging the...

[agirlnamedleney]

Across The Sky

The days begin with the slow saturation of the suns rays kissing and caressing the landscape gently awake, like you would your lover who’s still asleep next to you, deep under the warm darkness of sleep.

The sun always arises before the land. 

Dutiful in its routine. 

In the way that you too are always the first to awake before the form in bed next to you. 

A morning person. 

I wonder if the sun ever gets weary in its lonely trek across the sky, day after day, fated to a pre-planned path of journeying. Only able to have temporary, though distant relationship with the land and the things upon it. 

Too far to ever have much of a chance to get to know the moving things down below, though it’s impression in turn upon them is lasting.

But, I suppose it does have the moon, if only for a brief moment, to play for a time with at dusk on some days. When both the moon and the sun are parallel in the sky from one another. 

The moon is in fact the only one who knows a little of what it’s like to be the sun. 

More so than any earthbound thing. 

Two celestial friends.