The Moth’s DC StorySLAM producer, writer, storyteller, visual artist, and restaurant owner
Mojdeh Rezaeipour abandoned her double life in Iran at 12 years old, a story she tells on The Moth Mainstage in NYC. In 1998 her family settled in NoVA, but Mojdeh traveled widely as a young adult, hopping from Japan and Rome to NYC. Now settled full-time in Fairfax, Mojdeh co-owns and manages the Epicure Café with her father. Her passion for the Epicure Café grows from her love for the “supportive, collaborative community of like-minded, laid-back people with creative minds” who frequent her restaurant, she says.
This year, Rezaeipour exhibited her artwork, made from vinyl, wax and wood in five shows with five more exhibits planned over the next two months. She sketches and writes each day and has produced The Moth’s DC StorySLAM since October. Last month, she traveled to Kenya to teach storytelling classes.
In 2011, she threw her name in the hat to tell a story at The Moth StorySLAM in NYC. “I was going through a rough breakup, and whenever I’m having a difficult time, I like to shake things up and do something that scares me. It was my first time on stage, and my heart was beating a million times a minute. But there was a woman in the front row who every time I caught her eye gave me such a warm and reassuring smile.” And the rest is a swift succession of creative projects for Rezaeipour, including this Saturday’s More Than A Muse event at Epicure Café, co-curated by her and The Bunnyman Bridge Collective this Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. More Than A Muse is a collection of artwork by 13 female artists and three male artists with an emphasis on the role and importance of women in local art to counteract the “blatant exclusion of female artists and feminist art in every tier of the art world today,” says Olly Olly gallery owner Jessica Kallista. Alongside the art, drinks, food, and local female musicians will bestow a merry backdrop on the evening.
Q & A with Mojdeh Rezaeipour
How do you deal with harsh criticism? Have you ever had a surprising comment?
“I had been working with The Moth on a story of mine for a couple of weeks, and it seemed to be going well. During a conference call a couple of days before the Mainstage show, the artistic director sternly told me that a) my story has no clear arc, and b) that it sounds totally read. I received these words gracefully on the call but totally freaked out afterwards. When we hung up the phone, I took a deep breath followed by an afternoon nap for a quick reset and got back to working on it as soon as I woke up. Looking at it with a fresh perspective and managing to put my ego aside definitely helped take my story to the next level.”
Do you have any rituals?
“Yes. A tarot card a day, lavender incense in the evening, sketching in coffee shops … Often, I am inspired by some fleeting thing, hang on to it for a short while and move on—with the exception of writing my three morning pages. I remember reading in “Artist’s Way” that people get superstitious about them … and now I am experiencing that firsthand.”
What are you thinking about in the studio?
“I’m just playing … Thinking happens sometime before or after. I do sometimes start with an idea that turns itself into a piece, but more often than not I start working on something, and it introduces me to a new idea.”
How do you know when you’re done?
“I leave it be. If/when it invites me back, I give it another go. I think you can always keep going. The worst is when you go too far and feel like you’ve ruined it. But even then, you can keep going. In due time, you can turn it into something new and uncomfortable and learn some valuable lessons in the process.”
Who are your three favorite artists?
“Frida Kahlo and Patti Smith are two constants. I’m currently also really inspired by an established local artist by the name of Helen Zughaib, whom I recently met at a GMU printmaking workshop.”
What is your greatest success and worst failure?
“My greatest success: Coming to the realization that I am an artist. My greatest failure: Losing battle after battle to my ego, which makes it so hard for me to just stay present.”
Where part of NoVA do you visit for inspiration?
“Being a city girl at heart, it is a struggle to stay inspired in suburbia sometimes … I enjoy running around, bumping into people on the subway, getting caught in the rain. When I’m feeling down on our surroundings, Reis [her fiancé] always suggests we take a walk—anywhere—and he is always so right. Something about walking around where you might normally drive is so inspiring.”
Have you ever regretted selling a piece and why?
“No regrets. I am of the mindset that selling a piece, or giving one away to a friend, always makes room for more art to be made.”