Michelle Porter’s Bedside Table

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

I am a self-employed photographer living on the outskirts of Ōakura, New Plymouth. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to meet and capture some very inspiring wāhine through my work with Shepherdess. I also work part-time at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre and love the balance of working solo with my photo business and being with people, talking about art. 

At one end of my road is a rugged West Coast surf beach and at the other end is Egmont National Park. I feel very held and nestled in nature, living here between the mountain and the sea. I have two of my kids and my dog at home, and my eldest has flown the nest to follow her passion in acting.  

On my bedside table you will find…  

My bedside table is an art piece in itself, I love the minimal lines designed by Charles & Ray Eames.  Design was a huge part of my creative journey. For many years I worked as a commercial interior/3D designer in New Zealand and London, and it still continues to inspire and bring me joy.  

There are some of my personal photos printed out in a stack so I can rotate through them. I plan to do an online shop for some of my fine-art photos, so it’s nice to view them daily. 

Being a creative person with a jumbled mind I also have a journal for ideas and thoughts.  

Then I have a rose quartz heart crystal given to me by a friend during a hard chapter of my life. This stone represents universal love – from motherly love, the romantic sort, through to the important and often overlooked self-love. This sits next to some heart shaped rocks found at Haumoana Beach, Hawke’s Bay, near where I used to live. A friend told me about this beach and the heart rocks that are formed there, and it never fails to deliver when I go there with special people in my life. 

Lastly, a pile of books sits under my table, to tantalise and motivate me to read more. I am quite a slow reader and a busy person, so I don’t tend to read that much – but I am working on that.