I met Anna Grimes (née Reynal) at Hank’s in Windsor Park for a happy hour libation and a truly sparkling Shop Athlete Spotlight interview. The frozen Paloma was refreshing, but the real tonic was Anna’s frank and thoughtful assessment of and appreciation for creativity. Our conversation ranged from her role as a photographer of our community to the unbridled sexiness of her dog Oso!
Coach Chad: Let’s get this going! So the way that I wanted to frame this conversation is: you’re now our community photographer! Have you been enjoying it? Has it changed your perspective on the community?
Anna Grimes: Yes, it is really fun and I think it made me feel like even more a part of the community. I’ve got to meet a lot of people I wouldn’t otherwise meet, because I have a very specific cluster of classes that I attend, so I get to meet people from other time zones-
Time zones? Like Shop Standard Time, Shop Mountain Time?
*Laughing* No, like morning zone, afternoon zone. You know! I’ve got to meet a lot of the different coaches too. It has just been really fun. I enjoy it!
Have you learned anything about the difference in tone for the various classes?
I mean, I learned that even before I started photographing classes. Every coach has a different flavor.
Which coaches do you typically have in your specific cluster of classes you attend?
Mostly Keith, some Dane, and a little bit of Bean.
Can you talk about the difference in the flavors of different coaches?
*laughing* I need you to note that I’m shaking my head right now! Well, Dane and Keith know that I like to instigate between the two of them.
Oh! And how do you instigate?
I just like to repeat the things that they say about each other the next time I see them.
Can you give an example of something Keith has said about Dane or Dane has said about Keith?
Wow! I love that we’re just jumping in with this!
I told you that this conversation could go in any direction.
*laughing* I don’t know where it started, but the most recent thing was I told Keith that Dane thinks that he is smart and good at his job.
Oh! So it was something nice you shared?
Yeah, because I thought I had gone a little too far in pitting them against each other. And they are both so great. You coach Strength, so you know Keith has a very specific way of doing things and sometimes when Dane subs for Keith he doesn’t completely agree with how Keith wants things done. So I think it started when Dane gave me a note on my power clean and I told him it was different from what Keith said.
Well that is fine, because there is more than one way to skin a barbell!
Always!
Circling back to photography, when I prepared for my interview with (SAS nom from last year) Natalie Cincotta, I looked up her instagram page and she just had really dynamic and thoughtful photos. So I asked her what draws her eye; what draws your eye Anna?
For personal photography, the thing that catches my eye most is going to be color. I love to photograph movement, so doing photography at a gym is awesome for that. Double exposures- I like to take things that seem like they might not belong together and smoosh them together.
That is super cool! You’ve worked as a wedding photographer and a real estate photographer, is that correct?
Yes, I did weddings for 8 years and then we moved to Austin and I was burned out so I quit weddings and then the pandemic hit-
Oh yeah, that thing-
Yeah, yeah, that little thing. It was kind of a forced detour. My plan had been to work on building up a print shop; to take my personal work and put it in a place where people could purchase them to add colorful art to their house. But the pandemic sidelined that because travel is an important part of my personal work. So I picked up working at a company that did real estate photos and that was very boring.
So, aside from photography at The Shop, what is your outlet now?
I really miss working with other people, so I’m working on doing photography for other business owners, particularly individuals who are creatives. I don’t know if Dane would call himself a creative, but I see a really creative spirit in the way that The Shop does things. Particularly the mini-meets- you can’t tell me that Brains & Brawn isn’t a creative outlet.
He would probably humbly demure and say that he isn’t a creative, but he is.
Absolutely! I use that word to describe anyone who has a creative spirit inside of them. It doesn’t mean that you are a painter or you are a writer- those are great things- but I think there are plenty of other people who the label of “creative” fits.
That is actually a great transition because I also wanted to ask you about writing- I know you do that also. Can you talk a little bit about that or talk about your larger artistic vision- what drives you?
That’s a fun question because I’m still ironing that out. What drives me right now is figuring out how to allow myself and the people that I work with to feel free in whatever I’m working with them in or whatever I’m creating for them. My writing right now is mostly journaling- writing about what my artistic vision for myself is and how to help others create.
That is really interesting. Dane recently leant me a book on writing, Bird by Bird, and one of the themes it keeps returning to is the idea of creativity coming from sort of unclogging the pipes.
Yeah! I think that is true. Doing weddings, for example, my goal was to help people not feel boxed in by their time lines or that they have to do things a certain way because that is how it has always been done. I want people to be able to do things the way they want to do them and also to have whatever I create for them to be an expression of who they are. I think that applies to photographing The Shop too. There is a desire in creative people to make something that feels like them, but when I’m working with someone I want to be able to create something that feels like an expression of that person or that thing.
So kind of creating a canvas for them to put themselves onto? That is really cool. I always like to get a little bit of background information in these conversations, so I was wondering if you could talk a little be about where you come from, but keep it through the lens of your artistry as well.
I grew up in Maryland. So… *laughs nervously* hmm. I probably shouldn’t let my mom read this. I grew up in a very religious environment and I thought that was what I wanted for myself because that is what my family wanted for me. But I think part of why I got so burned out was I was spending so much time doing what other people wanted me to do and not following my own vision for myself- following rules that were set for me in that religious upbringing. I think that is a huge part of how I grew up and then who I became is maybe a little bit of a reaction against that.
Were you already doing photography or writing when you went through that transition?
I was actually a musical kid- so I was in choir. My major in college was music- ironically, my other major was leisure and sport management. I wanted to be a wedding planner, which is how those two majors combined. I’ve always enjoyed creating, but it wasn’t always photography. The first thing I did with photography was when I was studying abroad in Italy I took a film photography class there and I think that set me on that path.
Do you think that something about your art changed when you made the change to honoring your own path?
That is a really hard question to answer because it has been a lifelong progression for me. I have a really strong autonomous streak and I think that actually shows up in the gym. If I’m being told to push it in class, my upbringing means that my first reaction is that I need to push it, but that pulls me away from being able to listen to what is going on inside of myself and that is the thing I want to focus on. So going to Italy was something that no one else wanted me to do- I’d never even traveled abroad. This was also the time that I started to explore the world outside of my religious upbringing. I didn’t connect the two at the time, but I think that trip and making that decision for myself made an impact.
Can you point to anything in that trip that influenced you as an artist?
Everything! How do you leave the culture that you grew up in and not be changed by that? It completely changes the way you view the stories that you grew up with.
That is a great point. It just gives you the power to challenge your assumptions I guess. How did you end up in Austin?
That one is a boring story- my husband’s job. We got here about a year and a half before the pandemic.
That is a good amount of time to get a feel for the city. Prior to the pandemic, what did you gravitate towards?
I gravitated toward finding other people in creative communities- and not necessarily photography communities. I wanted to play around with other creatives. I think that creativity is very interesting *laughs* obviously! About six months before the pandemic a friend and I took a trip to Oaxaca and that was really cool- again getting to see a completely different culture. They were celebrating Dia de los Muertos and noting the different way that that time of year is celebrated down there as compared to in the United States-
Ah, so you didn’t dress up like sexy bunnies?
*laughing* No we did not dress up like sexy bunnies!
Moving things towards talking about fitness, have you noticed anything about the interplay between fitness and creation? For me, I do one longish run per week and I am always at my most creative after that.
That is what yoga was for me for the longest time. The first time I photographed anything fitness related was at a yoga studio in Annapolis- that was before I even got my yoga teacher training. There was something about photographing other people connecting to their bodies and then I did a trade with them so I took photos for them in exchange for classes. So I took a lot of classes and I think that was my entry point into understanding that my body had a lot of things to tell me. Yoga is more of a quiet form of fitness and I think there is a lot of benefit to that silence- to be able to hear what your body is trying to tell you. I don’t think there is anything better or worse about yoga compared to cardio or strength training, but I do think that silence aspect was my way in to understanding that my body had a lot to say.
I like that observation! Now that you mention it, I think it is a similar thing for me with running unclogging the pipes.
I think there is a lot of conventional thinking about meditation being silent and still. Meditation doesn’t have to be completely still- I think you can be moving and also observing your thoughts with detachment which is the key to meditation.
That makes a lot of sense too. As an actor, one of the tools for finding an authentic emotional space is using an activity to guide you into that state- not just telling yourself “I’m going to be sad now!”. That is really interesting. Please keep peppering in these sage observations. I wanted to pivot to socializing. One of the through lines with our Spotlight Athletes- and there are many reasons we nominated you-
Oh sure! *laughing* It’s because I’m the strongest person in the entire gym right? *big laughter*
Oh yes! You’re the strongest person and you’re also the hottest person-
Oh yes, lets keep going with the sarcastic reasons I got nominated!
People are saying that you are the smartest person at the gym, no one has ever been smarter than you, you and you alone are the most stable genius. No, one of the through lines with the nominees is that they are often participants in or even in the center of the little sub-communities at The Shop-
Cliques? Can we just call them cliques?
I feel like that word has such a pejorative connotation, but yeah cliques! You’re in the doggie socializing clique. Can you talk about how that happened?
Come on, who has a dog that hasn’t made a friend just because they have a dog. Isn’t that the real reason to get a dog in the first place?
No, you got a dog because Oso is the sexiest dog in the world. He is objectively perfect on an aesthetic level and I won’t hear otherwise!
*laughing* The actual reason was to be a guard dog. My sister had sent me a picture of him and literally that night someone tried breaking into our house. But he’s the worst guard dog ever! We had a stranger in our back yard months later and Oso slept through the whole thing- he didn’t wake up until the cops showed up.
Well we know how he feels about the police then! So you occasionally get together with other members who have dogs- who are some of your peeps?
Well, Oso picked Linus as his best friend, so Marc (long time member and resident stud muffin Sturdivant) and obviously you and your lovely wife and Bean. Then there is this whole dog party so Janelle and Sara Abrams and Heather and I know I’m going to forget someone and I feel awful about that.
Who’s got the best dog other than Oso?
*Only half a beat of hesitation* Rimas.
Yeah. Yeah, Islay is just awesome. Who’s got the sexiest dog other than Oso? As we’ve established, Oso is the sexiest dog- you’ve sent me so many sexy photos of him.
I think Whiskey is a pretty handsome dog (shouts to the good little boy who comes to class with Sierra!)
Yes Whiskey is a very good boy. So you got a pool installed in your back yard over the pandemic. Any pool plans with warm weather around the corner?
Um, open invitation to anyone who wants to use their big muscles to help me build my patio and then we can have a pool party afterward!
Alright- open invitation and I might take you up on that. Just briefly, I wanted to ask how you ended up at Dane’s Body Shop? How’d we get so lucky?
Google plus location!
Fair enough- what is your favorite style of workout?
Anything strength oriented which is not something I ever would have anticipated saying.
So that is a bit of an evolution for you as well?
Yes! I definitely didn’t do a lot of weightlifting workouts before coming to The Shop.
Do you have a favorite lift?
The deadlift is definitely my thing. It is the one that I don’t have to work as hard at to be good at- isn’t that everyone’s favorite though, the one they don’t have to work as hard at!
That’s true! Okay, well I’m going to transition to some random questions. The first one that I’m going to ask is: someone is making a movie of your life, who plays you? who directs the film? and what genre is the film. You can answer any or all of those.
I’m going to come up with a way better answer for this when I leave! I think it would be some sort of romantic comedy, but instead of me finding my perfect person it would be about finding my perfect way of creating. Something like that. Kind of a genre breaker in a way. When I was a kid, someone told me I resembled Natalie Portman and who wouldn’t want Natalie Portman to play them.
I sure as hell would love her to play me! Similar question, if you were a professional wrestler or in any situation where you needed entrance music, what would the entrance music be?
Something by Lizzo- probably “Juice”. That is what Bean played for me during the Strong Person Mini Meet. It’s my hype up music.
That’s great! Which coach has the best music and which coach has the worst music?
Obviously Keith has the best music *Knowing look and a laugh*. I don’t know who has the worst music, I’ve never been to a class where I can’t stand the music. Since I was a music major, I can handle quite a variety of music listening experiences.
What is your favorite swear word?
Obviously fuck. That is the one I was yelled at for saying as a kid. Not even yelled at- mom was just like “I’m so disappointed in you”. So now it is all I want to say!
And I all I want to DO! Bahahaha! I asked Grant (check out his interview as well) and his answer was “I try not to swear at all”. I was like “come on man, that’s no fun!”. If you were to fall into a toxic radioactive slurry, would you come out as a super hero or a super villain?
Hero.
Do you know what your power would be?
I’m pretty sure it would be something with fire or light- I don’t know what it would be exactly, but those are things I resonate with. I read a decent amount of fantasy, so I’ve actually thought about this question a lot.
Oh really? What is your favorite fantasy story?
I’m currently reading the newest book by Sarah J. Maas. She writes a lot of- well, they are sometimes called “sexy fairy stories”.
Ooohoo! A little erotica?
There is a little in there. They’re fun *giggling*.
I respect that, the woman I dated before Becca was quite the impressive amateur erotica writer. It was fun.
Did you help her research?
Naturally! I’m a very collaborative person! Okay, so you’re having a dinner party and you can pick 1-3 people currently living or throughout history to join you. Who do you pick?
I actually had to write an essay about this to get into the honors program in college. I’ve gone back and read that essay and it is unreadable! The people I picked were so different than people I would pick now. The person I’d want to have coffee with would be Taylor Swift.
That is a great answer. Do you have a burning question you’d want to ask her?
I just want to know how she writes with such depth in her lyrics. Lyrics are essentially poetry and anybody who writes poetry, I’m always amazed with the way they can convey so much emotion in so few words. I can’t do that! I’m such a wordy person.
I absolutely agree. That economy of language is so impressive. That is probably a good place to wrap things up. So this is where I ask if you have any extra words of wisdom to impart. I feel like you’ve been very wise throughout. Think about newer members, maybe even members who haven’t joined yet. They’re scrolling through the SAS! page on the website and they go “who is this Natalie Portman looking broad” and they click on your photo.
*laughing* My advice to myself is probably what I’d give to anyone else and that is “just show up”. No matter how afraid you are or whatever your expectations are, just show up because that is all you can do.
It is remarkable how almost every Spotlight Athlete says that. They are cliches for a reason. I think that is because everyone has had that experience of something being hard and not being sure if they want to come back and then coming back a few times and realizing that it is hard and that is why you come back.
Yeah and I would say showing up is the way I’ve been able to connect with people- whether it is showing up to photograph a class or to participate in one, being there is the only way that I’m accomplishing my fitness goals yes, but also social goals on a daily basis.
Absolutely. And I want to piggyback off of that; I kept my shit together relatively well during the pandemic and I think that was in large part because I had to be around other people because it was my job. I had to coach, I had to see people every day. Safe- masked when necessary and often outdoors, but I still had to be around people. You took classes pretty much throughout right?
Yeah and that was a really hard decision at the beginning. It felt like everyone on the internet mostly was saying that no one should go anywhere. I feel like Dane’s handled the pandemic really really well. I know it sucked for you guys to close down for those eight weeks or whatever, but you reopened when you were able and stayed open safely. When the pandemic started, I felt like all of the relationships I had made in Austin started filtering away. I understand why because everyone was trying to take care of themselves. I don’t know that we would have stayed in Austin had I not had somewhere like Dane’s.
Well Anna- it is Anna right?
*laughs* Yes! Two A’s and two N’s!
Fabulous talking to you. Anna Grimes everybody!
