Babe Vibes Interview
Kara Haupt is a designer based out of Portland, Oregon. In addition to developing a design thesis at Pacific Northwest College of Art, teaching workshops on art journaling & photography. Kara is the founder of Babe Vibes. It's a sisterhood of women channeling their inner babe, standing up for their beliefs & challenging the status quo. I stumbled upon Babe Vibes on Instagram a few weeks back, intrigued by the manifesto & self-care handbook. It's equal parts positive vibes & empowerment on your own terms. I had to learn more about the strong babe at the forefront of it all:
Why did you create Babe Vibes?
Kara Haupt: I don't know why I created it, or the name at least, in the beginning. It just appeared. I kept making Babe Vibes because I needed it. I needed to be kinder to myself, I needed to make things with women, I needed to say "fuck off" to all the stuff I've been taught.
What makes you feel brave?
KH: My younger self. When I was 18 I moved to New York to go to school (I lived there for a year). I've made a lot of hard choices, in regard to how I live my (so far, short) life. I often feel surprised with how tough I am or the badass things I've done in my past. So, she makes me brave.
How would you describe feminism? There are so many perspectives & opinions on what it means to be a feminist. How do you see it?
KH: Feminism is a response to the oppressive systems & ideologies that face marginalized people, women specifically, but also people of color, queer people, poor people, etc., & all the ways those things intersect. Being a feminist is about listening to fellow women & groups that are marginalized; actually listening. Trusting their experience, being a good human being & changing those systems & ideologies.
Describe a typical day for you lately.
KH: It really changes each weekday! I work at a marketing company part-time & then I'm in school part-time. I'm in my thesis year for Communication Design & spend my nights & weekends working on Babe Vibes, homework & whatever else I'm making. My days are pretty typical & boring. I like getting up early & getting some work done before I go to work. I listen to podcasts while I walk to work (trying to get through the Longform archive right now) & then after the workday I head home, eat, shower, make coffee & get to work. Looks pretty much the same for school days too. It's not glamorous & it's stressful. I take a lot of showers to calm myself down.
Who has guided you to do the work you love?
KH: My friends Steph, Mei & Danika have been really big encouragers of Babe Vibes. My friend Mei specifically is constantly encouraging me & reminding me to take care of myself through all I do. Also, my Instagram and Twitter followers rule. Every woman who has posted in the #babevibes Instagram tag has inspired me. I am so lucky.
How do you get through the 3pm slump? Is it just me or does this happen to you too?! Even after going freelance, I still need some serious mental toughness—aka, caffeine—to get through that hour!
KH: Ugh, I hate the 3pm slump & to be honest, I don't really get through it. When I'm at home working, I try to schedule errands or house-cleaning, or classes then. I work best in the morning & at a night. At work, I usually leave to get coffee. It really helps if you're around other people working. Their focus will guilt you into working, ha.
A piece of advice for all the Brave Babes?
KH: You don't owe men shit.
What can we look forward to from Babe Vibes?
KH: I just asked one of my good friends to help me out with the site & I'm excited to have help to make everything better. I'm pretty positive my thesis is going to be about digital publications, so I'm excited to have an excuse to research all these things. That didn't really answer your question though. From Babe Vibes in the coming months, you can look forward to good music, Star Trek, masturbation, gifs & more selfies.
Thank you for the inside look into Babe Vibes & what makes you brave, Kara. Here's to all the strong babes (that's you!). All the good vibes, Em.
Methods of Self-Care zine (free download)
All images courtesy of Kara Haupt
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