CREATIVE
YOUTH
CONTENTSPRINT- RUBY GUYMER-PARKER GRAPHIC DESIGN - ALEX FAIRHEAD CREATIVE WRTING - ELLA MCDONALD FILM - EDWARD ZORAB TEXTILE - ELIZABETH WHIBLEY PHOTOGRAPHY- A.TOMLINSON BEAUTY- SAPNAM GURUNG
EDITORS LETTERWELCOME TO THE LAUNCH EDITION OF CREATIVE YOUTH, OUR AIM IS TO INSPIRE, EXCITE AND CELEBRATE CREATIVITY BY SHARING SOME AMAZING WORK FROM OUR VERY TALENTED YOUNG DESIGNERS IN THE UK. BREAKING INTO THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY IS OFTEN DIFFICULT, AND AS A CREATIVE YOU WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO SHARE YOUR WORK WITH OTHERS. NATIVE YOUTH WANT TO SUPPORT THESE DESIGNERS ON THEIR JOURNEY INTO THE BIG WORLD, AND WE’VE MADE CREATIVE YOUTH JUST FOR THAT PURPOSE. WE LOVE WORKING WITH OUR YOUNG CREATIVES AND LEARN SO MUCH FROM THEM, THEY BRING FRESH INNOVATIVE IDEAS THAT HELP SHAPE ALL OF OUR FUTURES. I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS FIRST PRINT, AND HOPE WE LEAVE YOU FEELING TRULY INSPIRED. IDA WOODROW-YOUNG XOX
1
RUBY GUYMER-PARKER Has it always been print for you, or was it an aspect of design you came across and fell in love with? As I’m studying a ‘Drawing & Print’ degree course, the aspect of print has almost been natural to turn to. But it’s also fun to combine the mediums of print and paint together! I’ve now taken a stronger turn for painting and I am more likely to carry on with this. Where do you prefer to create? I Prefer to create work in the studio. That way you’re surrounded by other people creating and interesting topics of conversation. It’s a good space to be in to feel encouraged to create. Where do you want your work to be seen? I have never really thought about that. I love creating work because it’s something I enjoy. I have previously done work for album and EP covers, it’s fun to do as you’re creating a piece of work to compliment the music.
2
“I’ve now moved on to a more abstract way of thinking and trying to project that in to my paintings”
What has inspired your current project? Towards the beginning of my research I was looking in to mould (I know, some people find it gross) and the natural patterns and colours that are created from the mould growing, Some of the outcomes are crazy! I’ve now moved on to a more abstract way of thinking and trying to project that in to my paintings.
ALEX FAIRHEAD HEAD ALEX FAI FAIRHEAD ALEX ALEX FAIRHEAD HEAD ALEX FAI FAIRHEAD ALEX ALEX FAIRHEAD HEAD ALEXFAIR “I believe that every designers role is their own and you shouldn’t feel the need to categorise yourself. A designers job is to influence the public through visual communication, how you choose to do that is up to you.”
D ALEX FAIRIRHEAD ALEX X FAIRHEAD D ALEX FAIRIRHEAD ALEX X FAIRHEAD D ALEX FAIRRHEAD ALEX-
In this fast paced world of clicking and scrolling, I think print is the perfect counter-balance. There is a slow and therapeutic process of considering size, format, paper stock and a multitude of other options which would never be considered in the digital world.
Colour plays an important role in my work, it is the spice of the visual senses. It is one of my final design decisions as, like spice, colour needs a strong design to house it.
Words by Ella McDonald
Right person wrong time That ain’t a myth We could be together but only if We stopped Playing games Taking names Staying the same Chasing the fame Passing the blame Id take ya surname Ignite the flame
We aren’t ready But I wish that we were We wouldn’t be steady But there’s no one else id rather love Than you But if we try now we could ruin it forever
You inspire me in the way that you talk You seduce me in the way that you touch
Even if i wanted it to work it couldn’t We’re young we’re dumb and we shouldn’t You see girls I see guys There’s too much to resist But when I see you There’s no one else I’d rather kiss There’s no one else that I miss
I cried about you last night The things you said kept playing on my mind I like to think that feelings are a lie So when i catch them I just Bury them deep inside Couldn’t do that to my pride
What sparks your creative writing I often write in times of difficulty, or struggle, and find that feeding that into words is the best way to grow and move on from those difficult emotions. As well as this though I am incredibly inspired by both film and fashion, and sometimes when I see a particular style of an outfit or movie, I write something that compliments it. I feel like visuals can add so much to a piece of writing. Where do you document your written pieces? I ALWAYS carry around a notebook with me, this little tatty one from Poundland, it always come in use especially when living in a big city like London. There’s always things happening around you that you can take inspiration from. I’m interested in scriptwriting too, I observe so many situations in London that could be turned into scenes in a film… so it's essential that i’m able to jot it down and don’t forget! There’s also something that feels relly satisfyingabout physically writing, a feeling of originality. What is it about creative writing that you love? It's really just such a therapeutic outlet. Whenever I’m feeling something, I can channel it into words and art. So when you’re over whatever's happening, you can look at this piece of art you’ve created. It's a way of channeling emotion into something productive. What do you do with the content? I publish all my creative writing on a blog- ones that are finished that is... which I accompany with mood boards, photography, short films. I think that visuals can really add to writing, and they shouldn’t be treated as separate art forms but instead two elements that compliment each other.
ELLA MCDONALD
EDWARD ZORAB What is it about moving image that made you want to create your own films? I’ve always loved painting, listening to music and reading books. Three different art forms - Visuals, Sound and Narrative. To me, film is a means of combining all three. I guess that’s why I love film. You can frame the context in which any of the above 3 art forms are consumed. Looking at a painting with the perfect music. Experiencing a story in the perfect aesthetic environment for that story. It’s all about contextualising things in the perfect way. What style of film do you create? I like making films about life and the emotional nuance of it all. I think some people go to films to confront themselves, whilst others do it to escape themselves. Both approaches are great but I’d definitely say I side more with the confrontational side at the moment. I think the perfect film is a hybrid of the two; confrontational themes with an escapist narrative. That’s very hard to get right but I’m working on it.
Scan to watch
“Spacemen was just my attempt at an honest portrayal of what it’s like to be young and reluctantly growing up. I think in making it honest, it resonated with people far more than anything that aspires to make a grandiose and profound point about something. Then again, this answer is trying to be quite grandiose and profound. I’m a slave to my own hypocrisy”.
What themes and narratives do you like to explore? Awkward intimacy. Youthful naivety. Bittersweet things; things you’re not sure whether they’re meant to be happy or sad. That’s a really special place in between those two things - it makes your work responsive and alive - it’s meaning and relevance changes dependant on what you’re feeling in life. On a happy day you might find my work sad. On a sad day you might find it happy. What does the future hold for Edward Zorab? I’ve just finished my fourth short film, “Junk Mail”, about a depressed postman, starring Joe Wilkinson and Thomas Gray. I’ve also just directed my first music video for a great band called “Fur”. In terms of the immediate future, I’m trying to get some slightly bigger projects off the ground and hopefully onto slightly bigger screens. Can’t say much more. Stay posted, I guess?
ELIZABETH WHIBLEY
Creativity is the ideas that one has in their brain, just reeling and spilling out on paper, fabric. it’s hard to fully define but it links with allowing your story, your voice to be told and explored by others. creativity can be shared but its a very personal experience too, it’s self expression, a deep set love of making, shaping, creating. having the ability to create is something ANYONE can do, i really mean anyone. its not just about what skills you have, its about the ideas you have floating around for a long time or sometimes it can be really zippy fleeting thoughts that you just need to scribble down and expand on. creativity should never stop. i feel true creatives minds never stop, mine is constantly flooded with inspiration, this can be gained form literally anywhere.
What are your prints about, what’s the concept behind your design? For this project my concept comes from being in touch with techniques and that freeness and spontaneity of being a child. Just doing !! I think studying all through art at school and a level you are taught and expected to paint ‘properly’ showing skill and realism. However starting uni has really allowed me to free up my motions whist creating. Painting is something I hated for years and I am of recent loving it so it’s a celebration of that too. There is something so joyous about the idea you can just PAINT and make something really cool and fresh for clothing. What is it about colour, print and pattern that you love, why do you feel it’s so important? its that possibly overused idea of making something ordinary, EXTRAORDINARY. colour is beyond important, its crucial. I like how colours make you feel, how they remind you of things, how they stand out in the dull background of a street. I love print because that involves mixing up your favourite colours to create a print with different colour dimensions. I like pattern and print because as much as colours remain the same patterns are always evolving and changing and no two are the same. Colour palettes always evolve too, but mine will always involve pink. getting the right colour way really makes the print. Colour, print and pattern make the world cheerier and more diverse and exciting.
PRINT DESIGNED BY ELIZABETH WHIBLEY
Where do you take inspiration from when designing? Getting away as much as possible is how I have such a large resource to take inspiration from. New York and Tokyo are the two most inspiring places I have ever been, being somewhere new is just so refreshing and exciting. I feel like you appreciate what you’re seeing as you’re unlikely to see it again. In the area where you live you may walk past or see something day in/day out, therefore making it seem not quite as special. This doesn’t mean local places or UK destinations can’t give you just as much inspo. I take inspiration for my prints from the natural world, plants and people often, but this project is entirely focused on the abstraction of shapes from anything as mundane as seating and flooring I saw when I went on a crazy girls holiday to Great Yarmouth. We went to Pleasure Beach, which has a very tacky colourful aesthetic. its basically a large amusements park. Think childish shapes and bold clashing colours and rollercoasters and waltzers alongside the sea side. I always look back at the decades from the last century too. Why is uniqueness and innovative new ideas/ talent important in the fashion industry? it reflects your personality, everyone has different views and likes and dislikes, these are reflected in your designs. where you have been, what have seen. what you’ve felt. innovation is about taking inspiration from past ideas and recreating it with your own flair. this is important because it recycles what we loved years ago but with a modern and zingy recreation.I don’t believe in creating something totally unseen and totally undeniably new, this world is so advanced and we all have memory and we all get taught about past styles so we must take inspiration subconsciously from this. however creativity is something you can’t really teach. you are born with it, you can develop it i believe but its not something you can buy or suddenly get. some people are extremely blessed and just have the ability to do, I feel I am lucky to have this. Ideas never dry out for me. you need to believe in your ideas and this alongside your own experience and style (undoubtedly a lot of hard work too) will enable you to be a success in the fashion industry.
A.TOMLINSON Fashion to me has always been a way to express myself, be it my mood at that time, my music taste and also depends on what I’ll be doing on that certain day. It’s always fun just to mix it up. People absolutely love it, the first time I went out dressed more femininely I was wearing heels, suit trousers, a white blouse with hoop earrings and a full face of makeup. I was in London and we were heading out to get something to eat, I was very nervous of course but on the tube a man stopped shook my hand and told me that he loved me and that I should keep doing what I’m doing, then later on in the same night I was walking through Leicester square and someone stopped me and was asking for photos and said I looked amazing and she just kept asking me if I was a ‘movie star’. I have obviously had some negativity and some funny looks but I understand that it takes people time to adjust to change. During pride I was even questioned about my ID, and whether it was mine, nobody would believe that I wasn’t female. On my way home on the same night I was walking from the bus stop to where I was staying and someone shouting “damn look at them two” as he got closer he suddenly realised that I was actually a guy and was super surprised, he came over and spoke to us and they were so complimentary and were saying that people should always be allowed to do what makes them happy and that it makes no difference to anyone because at the end of the day me wearing some ‘more feminine clothes’ hurts nobody. I see creativity as another huge outlet for emotions and feelings, and I believe a lot of it is pure passion for something that you love, be it music, art, photography, whatever it is, it is a way to project yourself and can really help people who struggle to deal with things a lot of the time, such as myself.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY @A.TOMLINSON
“Femininity in fashion is something that has always interested me,where the ‘line’ is between masculine and feminine and why there even is a line to begin with. What says that only one kind of person can wear a certain shape of material, and why It’s more accepted in society for a girl to wear makeup and a frilly dress to make themselves feel good, but not men, we really have nothing like that. We just sort of are what we are and we have to deal with that.”
SAPNAM GURUNG
Make-up artist and stylist Sapnam Gurung Beauty is a perception, it comes in all shapes, sizes and forms that pleases different eyes. My perception of beauty is mostly based on conceptual aesthetics that strikes emotion and question . I am widely taken by the beauty industry and perceive make-up as a form of art. I started experimenting with make-up when I was around twelve and was heavily influenced by the Harajuku scene in Japan that was sensationalised by artists such as Gwen Stefani and Avril lavigne my idols back then. I started experimenting a lot more with make up, trying to define my features in various ways which also lead to doing all of my friends make up in the toilets after school. I also had really bad acne growing up, which then had a huge impact on me socially so it forced me to seek solace in artistic make up. Coming into to my late teens I became much more interested in editorial shoots and was far more interested in the works of a person’s skin and enhancing that. My confidence in myself would show in my work. I am hugely inspired by vogue’s beauty editor Pat McGrath and this artist from Moscow called Sergey x who creates sensational face charts. We must find beauty in everything.
MAKEUP AND STYLING BY SAPNAM GURUNG
NATIVE YOUTH MEETS WITH SOME OF THE MOST TALENTED YOUNG CREATIVES IN THE UK, EXPLORING FILM, TO FASHION TO BEAUTY, WE WANT TO CELEBRATE CREATIVITY AMONGST EACH OTHER, AND GET EVERYONE THAT WE CAN INVOLVED. FEELING INSPIRED, AND FANCY GETTING INVOLVED FOR THE NEXT EDITION? PLEASE SEE FURTHER INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE ABOUT SUBMISSIONS - WWW.NATIVEYOUTH.COM/CREATIVEYOUTH/SUBMISSIONS. OTHERWISE CHECK US OUT ONLINE FOR OTHER INTERVIEWS, BROADCASTS AND MUCH MORE!! @CREATIVEYOUTH CREATIVE YOUTH #CREATIVEYOUTH
GET 20% OFF YOUR NEXT NATIVE YOUTH ORDER USING CODE- CREATIVEYOUTH ENJOY!!