Meet Kristin Cohen

Photo: Carl Bengtsson

Kristin Cohen thrives on variety and change. The New Jersey native was recently appointed publisher of Garden Design. But it wasn't her new position that brought her attention at September's GRID10 conference, it was her passion - she was chosen to speak briefly about how her passions have shaped her life.
 
"I am a brainstormer," Cohen says. "I got into magazines originally because I wanted to restart my career in something more creative. I've done a bit of everything - events, sales, merchandising, licensing - you name it." 

Cohen's first job in magazines was as an assistant for Men's Health and since then she has moved her way up to her current position. "In my professional career, I've been lucky to work with so many passionate people that have always inspired me to the do next thing," she says. "If you're not constantly challenging yourself, you're doing yourself a disservice."
 
At GRID, Cohen spoke about one of the biggest inspirations in her life: her grandmother. "She was always traveling somewhere or doing something fabulous," Cohen said in her talk. "We spent a lot of time experimenting... she was very focused on all of her grandchildren really having time to learn together. Whether it was experimenting or literally blowing things up, she really encouraged us to do roll-up-your-sleeves, down-and-dirty things together."
 
However, it was Cohen's grandmother's capacity for reinventing herself late in life and taking risks - she went back to university in her 50s and got a degree in architecture - that inspired Cohen to be fascinated by change. Which definitely helps in her new job at Garden Design, a magazine that has just undergone its own makeover that will be launched in January 2011. It also helps in her private life, where one of her newest hobbies is real estate. "I like the idea of gutting something and reinventing it," she says. "And I'm not scared to do it myself. Taking a risk and learning new things is what makes any project fun."

You can see Cohen's talk and the rest of the GRID speakers here.