Forever Nasty Emma Askren
For
Bella Ilsa, Cara, my mom, and my dad Freestyle Academy
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Intro
Preface
table of Conte 7 9 11 15
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Works Cited
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Preface
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ne day, after struggling to find an intriguing and important topic for this documentary, a friend told me that I should talk to Bella Baynard and hear what she’s been doing with her art. I had seen her around school and knew that she was a really artistic person who had an online business to sell the art she made, but I didn’t know what the exact purpose of it was. After contacting Bella and agreeing to profile her for this unit, my partner and I got to learn all about the effect that the recent political climate has had on her art, and how her art went more from decorative designs on phone cases to patches with phrases inspired by the words coming out of Donald Trump’s mouth. I was really interested to see how she was making her voice heard through her art, because it’s not a common concept to many. It was hard to coordinate times to meet for the interviews since we had different schedules, but in the end we got really valuable and insightful words from Bella about her art. I feel that after this whole process, I have become more aware of the political climate and the variety of ways I can get involved if I wish to. I hope that the people who read this book take Bella’s message away and are inspired to go out and pursue what they love, whether it makes a difference in the world or not.
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Introduction
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magine you are in a women’s march, and you see jean jackets everywhere. They are covered in patches, but you notice one in particular: a vibrant blue, rolled up sleeves, and speckled with pops of color. As you step forward to examine this eye-appealing collection, you see tiny masterpieces inspired by the recent political climate. One rectangular shape says “Forever Nasty” in white and pink embroidery. Another oval-shaped piece has a mysterious, sassy cat surrounded by the words “I grab back.” While many people avoid politics at all costs because they don’t want to get involved in the cloud of arguments and anger that never settles, Bella Baynard is different. All her life, she’s had an artistic talent and hard-working mindset. As a young African American woman in today’s society, Bella has put these characteristics to work in light of the recent political climate, but not in ways one might imagine: Bella makes bold fashion statements to spark political change.
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one Start
As I sat with Bella in our first interview, she explained where it all started: “I moved here about four years ago from Colorado, and I became a member at the Tech Shop.” The Tech Shop is a place located around the Bay Area in San Jose, Redwood City, and San Francisco. “Basically it’s a place that has a lot of access to different innovative machines… They have laser cutters, 3D printers, C&C embroidering machines, vinyl cutters, and I learned how to use those.” With these skills that she learned with her dad, whom she signed up with, she started making t-shirts and patches. As she got more experience, Bella realized, “This is pretty cool, I should make some money off of this and start a business.” Bella hasn’t been independent through this whole process, however. She has had her dad by her side the whole time right from the start, but she also has been inspired by public figures and celebrities. Bella said that Alicia Keys has always been her idol ever since she was a kid. “I think that she’s always been one of those people who shape how I look at things, and how I have decided this is how I’m going to handle different situations.” Not only has Keys inspired Bella, but Zendaya has also helped her throughout the creation of her business. “She’s one of the younger ones who has come onto the scene and been
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powerful in who she is and her own business… and I know she’s faced a lot of tribulation with her racial identity.” Bella explained that it’s easier for her to connect with public figures when she looks like them because if you don’t, “then you feel like well, now I have this extra thing to overcome. So having those kind of people in the media and on stage and performing and being able to use their voice has been really inspirational for me and guided me.” The Tech Shop hasn’t only helped young entrepreneurs like Bella, but now-major businesses have started there, such as the Square card swiper. A recent article from the St. Louis Riverfront Times described the Tech Shop as a kind of “ground zero” for Jim McKelvey and Jack Dorsey’s prototyping of the popular card reader. “Tech Shop is a membership based workshop stocked with every tool a tinkerer could want. That’s how McKelvey and Dorsey built the first Square credit card reader in 2009.” Now, you can see Square being used in almost any retail store because it provides easy digital checkout and connects to smart phones, so prevalent today.
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two Create Soon, Bella’s increasingly hard work and talent in the Tech Shop started to pay off. She made the designs for the patches on the computers provided, and then the Tech Shop tools did the rest to make the finished product. Throughout her growth in her business, Bella became more aware of the political climate. A tight race between the Democratic and Republican parties, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, along with the rest of the world, were waiting to see who would become America’s next president. Bella had always been interested in politics, as she explained that she’s always enjoyed discussing both today’s issues and history with her parents. Bella put the techniques she learned in the Tech Shop to work, voicing her opinion about what was going on in the Presidential election. She also started to get more involved in political events, including the peaceful protest and a rally at Los Altos High School students were involved in. As seen on almost any news channel in America, images and video footage from protests were broadcasted. Women held up signs saying, “This cat bites back,” or “I’m a Nasty Woman!” Since Bella was paying close attention to the politics and people’s reactions, this inspired her to create patches with the phrases, “I grab back” and
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“Forever nasty.” Her patches not only became something to add onto a jean jacket, but to provide an artistic response to comments Donald Trump had been making in the news. Art is commonly known as a source for people to express themselves in a free-minded way, but now things like street dancing, pop culture magazines, and photography are being used as ways to express political and social views. Bella’s close friend Monica shared her insight on how people have been using their art: “I think fashion has been making political statements, not just now but for a really long time.” She said that what Bella is doing is really important especially in this generation. “I mean we’re going to be adults really soon, it’s just the truth… it’s going to affect us in five years when we want to get a job, and it’s going to affect us in ten years when we want to buy a house. So I think it’s really important that they [Bella and the younger generation] are bringing up these important topics this early.”
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- Bella Baynard
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One of the most important thing is using your voice to try and unify people.
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three Inspire In addition to being inspired by family and political figures, Bella also has been an inspiration to others. Hannah Pang, a fellow classmate of Bella’s, reflects, “She’s [Bella] one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and she’s so genuine about her cause- it’s just really inspirational. She’s very positive in what she does and I think that’s awesome because there’s also people who do the same thing but it’s really in a negative way, and hating instead of loving.” While Bella is making these bold fashion statements to spark political change, she is also getting the message out that instead of beating someone down and demeaning another person, Bella explained that “one of the most important things to remember in political activism and reaching out to people and using your voice is to try and unify people. Just because you don’t agree with them doesn’t mean you should put them down.” Along with this, her friend Monica also said that, as a makeup artist, “she’s [Bella] really inspired me to do my own work and become more passionate about what I do because she’s extremely passionate about her work,” (Badea). Monica explains that whatever the situation is, whether it be her business or school, you can tell how much passion Bella puts into it.
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Bella’s efforts remind me of a young Beyonce. As a woman who is making a great political change through her music, especially for African Americans, Beyonce is an idol for many people. Just like Beyonce, Bella is a woman who is using her lifelong skills and art to make a revolution that empowers the younger generation- especially in her case, African American women- experiencing the effects of today’s political climate. Throughout the interview, Bella, who is leaving a mark on people who wear her art, reminded me of another woman, too: Frida Kahlo. Frida influenced friends and family through her paintings and left a personal mark on them: “While at school, Kahlo hung out with a group of politically and intellectually like-minded students,” (Frida Kahlo - Painter). She remains an incredibly famous person for being viewed as an “icon of female creativity,” and even after death, still makes political statements and her art supports feminist movements. Bella is still in high school, but with the work she’s been doing and the success she’s being rewarded with, will Bella someday join the ranks of other famous women who’ve gone before her?
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Right: Bella’s jacket // All of her patches on the back of her denim jacket; the bottom one more politically themed.
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Works Cited
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Badea, Monica. Personal Interview. 27 March 2017. Baynard, Bella. Personal Interview. 7 March 2017. “Frida Kahlo.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 29 Nov. 2016, www.biography.com/people/frida-kahlo-9359496. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017. Friedman, Vanessa. “When Politics Became a Fashion Statement.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/fashion/the-year-in-style-politicsdressing.html?_r=0. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017. Gilbert, Sophie. “Teen Vogue’s Political Coverage Isn’t Surprising.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 12 Dec. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/12/teen-vogue-politics/510374/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017. Pang, Hannah. Personal Interview. 16 March 2017. Wartzman, Rick. “TechShop Gives the Maker Movement a Big Boost.” Fortune, Fortune, 11 June 2015, fortune.com/2015/06/11/techshop-makers-movement/. Wicentowski, Danny. “High-Tech Workshop Where Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey Built Square Eyeing St. Louis.” Riverfront Times, Riverfront Times, 3 Feb. 2017, www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2014/02/27/high-tech-workshop-where-jack-dorsey-and-jim-mckelvey-builtsquare-eyeing-st-louis. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017. Wunderlich, Annelise. “What Role Can Art Play in Creating Social Change?” KQED Learning, KQED Learning, 12 Jan. 2016, ww2.kqed.org/learning/2016/01/12/what-role-can-art-play-in-creatingsocial-change/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017. 25
about Emma Emma Askren is a junior at Los Altos High and Freestyle Academy. In 2009 she moved to Los Altos from Portland and felt limited to art class options. She now enjoys coming to Freestyle every day because she learns things in areas that have always interested her and feels free to express herself in her art. In her free time, Emma likes to go on drives in the hills, make smoothies, watch Netflix, and take pictures. When she is presented with a task, Emma will put all of her work and care into it to get the best finished product. Emma says that Freestyle has been one of the best opportunities life has given her and even though the projects also give her the most stress she’s ever felt at times, she’s very thankful.
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