Let's Meet Autumn Bockart

Today I’m so happy to share my friend Autumn Bockart with you all. Autumn and I met through the amazing world of Instagram.

Autumn welcome to the Chalet my dear! So where should we start - how about your name? Hi Meryl people often ask where I got my name, and I always tell them my Dad chose it. I guess you could say my parents were leftover hippies. I didn't like my name when I was younger because I could never find any novelty trinkets printed with my name; no coffee mugs, license plates, key rings – you know all the important things necessary for a happy childhood, but somehow, I survived. Ha! Autumn I absolutely appreciate not loving your first name as a child - we definitely have that in common.

Tell us where are you from. I grew up in a small suburb just outside of Houston, Texas where I met my junior high sweetheart and husband of 34 years, Scott. We lived in the Fort Worth area for a few years right after college, but ultimately we moved back to our hometown when he was offered the head basketball coaching position at our alma mater. So, we have lived in our current home for 23 years and raised both of our kiddos here.

Our son, Hudson is 21 and will be graduating from Texas Tech University this May. Making our last college tuition payment in January was a momentous occasion worth mentioning! Our daughter, Summer is 24 and lives in New York City working as a graphic designer for LOFT. And yes, I'm Autumn, and we named our daughter Summer. Neither of our kids could ever find their names plastered on any trivial merchandise that every kid lives for either. I guess you could say we as a family have an appreciation for the rare and uncommon. The hubs and I were both public school educators for about 30 years. He ultimately became an Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education, and I taught sixth grade ELA. Scott retired in 2018 and my retirement just so happened to coincide with Covid and us becoming empty-nesters. At 55 years old, it is now just the two of us and our Shih Tzu pup, Berkley, but we gladly welcome our kids home anytime they fancy.

Autumn please tell us about your childhood. I come from a long line of educators. Both of my parents were lifelong teachers. My father, Larry, was a history professor at the local community college, and my mom taught freshman English at the local high school. My brother Chad and I both followed in their footsteps. Chad is still a professor at Texas State University. So, needless to say, there was never a shortage of books or scholarly conversations around the dinner table about worldly topics. We discussed everything from the Beatles, to Watergate, to Apartheid. Both of my liberal parents had a healthy appetite for truth, equality, and fairness and that was evident in the way they lived. Sadly, my dad passed in 2017 from pancreatic cancer. Anyone that has battled with this nasty disease knows it is an ugly beast. It was brutal on all involved. My soon to be 80 year old mom is Pepper. Yes, yet another unusual name. There is an entire story behind her name, but that’s for another day. Anyway, she and I both retired from teaching in the same district in the same year. She, with 50 years of service, me, with 27. I do not know how on earth she taught for 50 years!! Although my parents divorced when I was in high school, they remained good friends. In fact, it was my mom, my brother Chad, and me together at my dad's bedside until the very end.

Both of my parents had a benevolent humanitarian side, and at a young age we were taught the importance of grace, gratitude, and generosity. Dad was a fierce fighter for justice and spent much of his free-time working on bringing about social change, helping those in need, and donating regularly to charities and causes. Until his dying day, there was a stack of complimentary gift bags, bumper stickers, and thank-you letters on his kitchen table, evidence of his latest donations. My mother graduated from college with a double major, a degree in both drama and English. She was everyone's favorite teacher because with her theater background, she had a knack for bringing literature to life. She always taught Great Expectations in October and would show up as the ghost bride, Mrs. Havisham, decked out in a wedding dress for Halloween and would then serve her students wedding cake. Her affection for the arts, plays, musicals, and of course literature runs deep. She and I started going to New York City annually and attending Broadway shows when I was in my twenties. When Summer turned eight, she started coming with us. I'll never forget as she walked down the taxi filled streets for the first time in her pink crocs. That was the moment I knew she would live there one day. So, no one was surprised that after Summer graduated from college, she headed straight for The Big Apple.

My parents were avid readers and loved Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. They taught my brother and me that “you never really understand a person until you consider things from [their] point of view – until you climb into [their} skin and walk around in it.” They recognized that there was always a story behind each person. They took time to listen to and learn the stories of those who crossed their paths. My parents were champions for kindness, empathy, and grace. Slow to judge, and quick to forgive. Their love of the arts and commitment to authentic conversations with people from all walks of life instilled in me the desire to freely use my creativity in unconventional ways. I’m thankful my parents taught me that art has the power to help society find common ground, to look at the world with fresh eyes, and to give life to stories that matter, because ALL stories matter.

I always ask this of my interviews - Did you decorate your bedroom while you were growing up? My teenage bedroom: a floor to ceiling cork bulletin board plastered with pictures, posters, homecoming mums, a yellow donut tone touch phone with an extra long cord, a peach satin bedspread with lace trim, a framed portrait of me in my ballet recital costume, an antique dresser that still lives in my current bedroom, and a four-poster canopy bed…an early 80s temple. When I was in junior high, my mom allowed me to work with a friend of hers that was a decorator and makeover my bedroom. For a teen exploring their style in both life and home, EVERYTHING is a matter of life and death. It’s not just a place for sleeping, it’s a private cocoon. It's a place for sharing delirious giggles at 2 a.m. with a best friend sleeping over, a place for singing with a makeshift hairbrush microphone like a rock star when the door is closed, a dressing room with a landing spot on the floor for the ten outfit changes tossed aside before leaving for school in the eleventh #ootd try. It’s a portal transporting us into who we are on the way to becoming.

We know you’ve retired from teaching but, you also worked in the flight industry. Would you share with the readers why this career ended and you returned to teaching. Scott and I married shortly after I graduated from Abilene Christian University with a degree in Elementary Education, and we moved to the Fort Worth area where I began teaching 3rd graders. I loved my first two years, and then, in my third year, we got a new principal. She was a mighty micromanager. She would stand in the parking lot every morning watching her wrist watch with her other hand on her hip, tapping her toe while she took note of the exact minute each employee arrived. Scott and I were young, we didn't have children, and Scott, an assistant coach at the time, was working long hours. So I decided it was a great time for a career change. I wanted to see the world and embark on new adventures, so I became a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines.

“...the best way to describe my style would be thoughtful maximalism.”

— Autumn Bockart

I flew for four years and traveled the world until I was in an accident on the airplane. I was working a flight headed to Ft. Lauderdale when we hit some turbulent air, and the pilots asked us to sit down. Just as I buckled into my jumpseat, an overhead bin popped open. Luggage started shifting, so I got up to close the bin to keep it from falling and injuring passengers. When I got up, we hit an air pocket and began to lose altitude quickly. When the plane dropped, I literally became Superman, minus the cape. Gravity swept me off my feet. I flew up and slammed into the ceiling. When the pilot recovered control, and the plane began to climb again rapidly, it slammed me into the floor face down. I shattered my left arm about an inch below my shoulder and couldn’t move, so they radioed ahead and made an emergency landing in Mississippi where I was taken off on a stretcher. It made the national news, and my mom saw it, but had no idea it was me because my name wasn't released. The company flew my hubs to Jackson so he could escort me home. The ER doctors had to cut off my uniform for the examination, so I flew home in a hospital gown in First Class. And that was back in the day when women employees flying standby had to wear dresses and hose, and men employees had to wear suits and ties.

Once home, I saw an orthopedic surgeon, and because it was so close to the shoulder, it could not be set. I opted not to have a pin put in trying to avoid surgery, and I was in a pillow sling for 8 weeks. Unfortunately, when I got out of the sling, my shoulder had frozen, and I ended up having multiple surgeries after all. It was during that recovery year that I discovered my love of 6th graders. They are mature enough to carry on a conversation, but young enough that they still like school, at least most of the time. I then returned to teaching and taught 6th graders for the next 25 years until I retired, so it all worked out in the end. I figured working with 11 and 12 year olds who were predisposed to having hormonal surges, I could handle any challenge. Then, Covid hit. I was eligible to leave the profession and start anew, so I did. Teaching was always a creative outlet for me. I loved spending hours preparing unorthodox lessons that would engage students in authentic and meaningful ways.

But, even while teaching, I would often help friends source items for their homes and style them. Retirement allowed me to use the newly acquired extra time, along with a worldwide lock down, and an empty nest, to redirect my creative energy into our home. We live in a "track" home in suburban Texas, but I have done my very best to take the track out of the house. I’ve also always loved and collected art, but teaching full time, raising two kids, and doing life with my husband, I never really had the time to devote to creating my own pieces. Surprisingly, I found painting to be a great escape from the Covid world. I was able to escape by painting for days and days at a time, uninhibited by a to-do list, family obligations, or work deadlines. Leaving teaching left me with a creative void, and decorating our home and painting allowed me to fill that chasm.

And while I was painting, Scott discovered his love of woodworking, his post retirement brain stimulation activity of choice. After experimenting with making mirrors, shelves, nightstands, and toy chests out of reclaimed pallet wood, Hudson's bedroom was beginning to overflow with his "masterpieces". So, I requested a decorative wooden mushroom. He spent weeks designing, gluing, carving, sanding, and polishing the piece. The end result was a true one-of-a-kind hand carved sculpture sprout. I posted a picture of it on Instagram, and suddenly we had people asking where they could buy one. His woodworking hobby became a surprising new source of retirement income. He spends hours in the garage creating each new little fungi. The grain and natural characteristic of the individual pieces of wood glued together make each one a unique treasure, no two are alike. Since wood is an organic and natural medium, the end result is a mystery until it is bathed in varnish oil and buffed to glow.

One of the spaces I admire most in your home is your dining room. I especially love your vignettes filled with eye-catching pieces. I believe the best interiors are the ones with objects that have been collected over time. A home should tell the story of the people that live there. So many times, when people walk into our home, they comment on the collection of artwork and books. I am passionate about both. My art collection doesn’t consist of rare or expensive pieces per say, rather it is an assortment of my work and pieces I have found on Etsy, Instagram, flea markets, and antique malls that speak to me and make me happy! And being a former 6th grade ELA teacher, I have always been a champion for books and the opportunity they provide for escape and creativity. I love how a good book can transport me to far away places I may never visit and arouse my imagination to view life through a variety of lenses without ever leaving my comfy chair.

Has your style evolved/is it evolving now? Our home is a petri dish, my experimental lab if you will. It is always evolving and changing. I march to the beat of my own drum, and never is that more evident than in our home. Following trends tends to leave me dissatisfied and unfulfilled. I learned early on in my decorating journey that I am happiest when I am true to myself. My style is authentic to me and a reflection of all of the things I love. It’s quirky and colorful, layered and eclectic, bold and collected. I am a deeply visual person, so my surroundings affect my energy and creativity, so I style it to suit my mood. I love mixing prints and patterns, modern and vintage, wood and metal. I’m always looking for ways to pair the unexpected with the predictable. I’m a little bit country, a little bit rock-n-roll. I suppose the best way to describe my style would be thoughtful maximalism. However, I don’t like stuff, just for the sake of stuff. I love stuff that tells a visual story. Everything is personal or useful or beautiful in my eyes and works together to create a feeling.

Diningroom

How would you describe your personal style? Summer and I both delight in the unusual, the uncommon, the unexpected. Admittedly, we are both fashion freaks, but we wear our addiction proudly. When Summer lived at home, we had a communal closet. We shared everything except shoes, only because we didn't wear the same size. That became a tad bit of an issue when she left for college because we had to decide which beloved items went to Nashville, and which items stayed in Houston. We have an intense emotional bond with denim, leopard, camo, band tees, color, and sneakers which likely accounts for our eclectic style. Some days we are a little bit vintage. Some days we are a little bit rock n’ roll. Some days you will find us sporting 90s androgynous chic mixed with oversized skater street style. Our friends affectionately call us the pattern queens. We are not afraid of color and are enamored with strange shapes. Our wardrobes are our fantasy world. A place that belongs to us and only us. It is a creative outlet where we can boldly express our artistry without restrictions or conditions. We feel fearless and self-assured. Whenever people compliment our style and say, “Oh, I could never pull that off”, we stop them and say that we believe that anyone can pull anything off as long as they wear it with confidence. We believe that clothes should not make you feel insecure. Rather, they should give you the confidence to be whoever you want to be and do whatever the heck you want to do.

What inspires you? I like to take my eyes on field-trips. Travel, museums, movies, Instagram, books, and my coveted stack of old Domino magazines are always my go to sources for inspiration. We tried to give our children the gift of travel growing up, so they could see and experience life outside the small suburban town where we lived. Many people collect magnets from their travels, I collect art. I try to find a piece of art of some sort from each place we travel. Likewise, some of the museums we have visited during our travels always provide eye candy. I find that the art inside and the architecture of the building are equally stimulating. Art makes my heart beat. I also love a good binge watch, so television and movie sets, especially Nancy Meyers movies, are a feast for the eyes. I still dream of Jule’s (Anne Hathaway’s) brownstone in The Intern. That kitchen. And the artwork above the mantel in the kitchen! Additionally, I can easily fall down the rabbit hole studying the photos I have saved from some of my favorite Instagram accounts. But, my favorite source of inspiration is probably print publications, be it a book or magazine. I love nothing more than sitting in my chaise lounge chair with a cup of coffee and a good coffee table book. And I always have a stack of my old Domino magazines at my fingertips. Even though some of those magazines are over 15 years old, and I’ve looked at every single page of every single magazine a thousand times, I still find little nuggets of inspiration every time I pick one up for a browse.

Let’s talk about your business with your daughter Summer. We are Autumn Summer Luv. We are a mother-daughter duo split between Texas and New York. We are lovers of all things: design, fashion, art, and city life.

Back in 2015, we started a lifestyle blog. At the time, I was a 6th grade ELA teacher, and Summer was in high school. The blog was a creative outlet, a therapeutic way for the two of us to spend time together and spotlight some of the things we loved. Much has changed since the beginning of this adventure. I retired from teaching and started painting, and Summer graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee with a degree in graphic design. Thus, a reboot was in order. Our previous blog was dated, so we took it down, and while Summer began working on the rebrand, I took over our Instagram feed. I enjoy writing, so the captions afforded me the opportunity to continue developing this craft and allowed Summer more time to focus on designing the website. We make a great team because we each have different strengths. For example, on Instagram, I generally take the photos, Summer approves and edits them, then I post and write the captions. Meanwhile, Summer maintains the website and, of course, takes care of all our graphic design needs. I create the art for the shop, and she adds it to the website. The rest varies from day to day, project to project, client to client. We've always believed the best way to catch dreams is to chase them, so that’s what we’re doing. Our new website is a one stop shop online service boutique offering interior styling, fashion consulting, graphic design, and of course art. For now, our online art gallery will carry my pieces and Scott's wooden mushrooms. Sadly, the whole starving artist thing is a reality for so many. So, eventually, we hope to offer art from lesser-known artists as well. We hope we can ultimately provide a space for creatives to sell their work and find a community of collectors. So, we are a space styling, fashion fancying, design digging, art adoring duo available for hire. But honestly, we are just a mom and daughter team striving to use the power of creativity to share ideas, spark imagination, and inspire beauty that nurtures the human spirit.

How has Social Media –specifically IG assisted with your business? We have met some of the most genuine, supportive, and talented people on Instagram. The very best part of growing our account over the last few years has been the community and relationships we have built with some beautiful people that we now call friends. We've never actually met most of our Instagram friends in person, but we have built genuine friendships through our captions and side conversations. We have found our people! Over time, friendships have spawned. Through the platform, we’ve met people that we might not have ever met otherwise. People that are artistic and articulate, creative and captivating, ingenious and interesting, gifted and giving, and for that we are so grateful. For us, it is all about connecting with creatives and using our little squares however we can to help others, love others, and understand others and our world better.

One of Autumn vignettes filled with collectibles and her art

Autumn what are your plans for the rest of 2023 with regards to your business?
Getting our website up and running was truly our number one priority this year. So now, we just want to work together to keep moving forward, keep creating beauty, keep learning lessons, and keep loving others. Just hoping 2023 brings beautiful things our way.