Fall 2011
Fall is...
Table of Contents HOMEBASE 3 6 7 9 15
TA B L E O F C ON T E N T S T O YO U , F R O M U S THE TROUPE CONTRIBUTORS HOT LISTS
Allison Rachel Open Spaces
NOTIONS 21
S E A S O N A L S TA P L E S
Wardrobe Whimsy Party Down Pad Provisions Flight School
25
DEAR SIR
Bradford Otis Quintin Dorian 29 G R O O M E D : Mark Taylor 31 T H E C U T : Made For Blade 33 B E AU T Y M A R K : Better Off Red 35 P O L I S H E D : Sidra Gross 38 K A L E I D O S C O P E 47 FA S H I O N F O R WA R D : Fallen 49 C L O T H E S - TA L K E R : Wide Open Spaces 51 B L A C K B O A R D Modern Ink Magazine | 3
Table of Contents SPOTLIGHT 53 55 79 87 91 101 107 119 121 133
S P O N S O R S P O T L I G H T : The Happy Envelope A B O D E : The Yeltons T H E E V O L U T I O N O F A L B E R T O M I E R T H E L O V E L Y L A D I E S O F S E D G W I C K F O R T H E L O V E O F F I L M : Jenn Page S E A S O N E D I N T H E M I D W E S T : Jess Camilla O’neal N E B R A S K A L U G G A G E TA G U S A : Hingham, Massachusetts WA N D E R L U S T : Amsterdam I N G R A I N E D : Amsterdam
SHELF LIFE 135 B O O K B A N T E R 137 L I S T E D
SENSED 141 143 145 150 160 165 169
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E AV E S D R O P P I N G : You Spoke. We Listened! L I S T E N U P ! L I F E C Y C L E I M P R E S S I O N : Johnny Cash S O U N D O F F : Bonnaroo B A C K T O B A S I C S L A C O C I N A
Table of Contents PERSPECTIVES 175 177 181 191 198 204
S E A S O N E D : Brian Balest F R A M E O F R E F E R E N C E : Look Pa! I’m A Real Girl!? T H E C O N S T R U C T I O N O F A M Y D E V E R S L I V I N G L A R G E : Cindy Wallach W I T H I N T H E J O U R N E Y : Jani Moon Irion T H E C R I T I C : Soul Kids
THE LOUNGE 208 A R T I S T AW E Hans Kline Elena Gorelik David Bechtel Stacey Carlson Zachary Goff Melissa Mcclain Htet T San
I N S P I R AT I O N 222 224 232 237 242
U N C O V E R E D : Ashley Glorioso T H E L O C A L : Somerset, Kentucky T H E G I V I N G W E L L : fashionABLE F O O T P R I N T : Open Spaces Green Spaces F R E S H L Y P I C K E D : Eco-Friendly Items to Write Home About!
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, u o Y To s U From
Rachel Wood Turner Editorial Director
Allison S Creativ prouse e Dire ctor
We can’t even begin to express in words how ecstatic we are with the response you’ve given to Modern Ink Mag! Your support has become the backbone to our project, given it beautiful feathery wings, and it’s now taking higher flight than we imagined possible.
We have been so inspired by the acceptance of our readers, and when discussing the direction we wanted to take our second issue, it became our utmost desire to grab onto the warmth we felt in that supportive embrace and sprinkle it throughout the pages of the magazine. It seemed very apropos to a season filled with cozy sweaters, friends, and family...relishing the togetherness that autumn presses upon us, but seeking out open space, both figuratively and literally in the midst of it all. We hope you find yourself blanketed by inspiration and enjoyment as you glimpse through this issue of our magazine. Enjoy!
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HOMEBASE
The Troupe Allison Sprouse Allison Sprouse is a co-creator and the creative director for Modern Ink Magazine. Having begun her career as an advertising sales manager for a national magazine, she marvels at the full-circle irony of being back in magazine saddle after years of departure. As creative director, her hope is to serve both reader and contributor well through innovative means that push each person to think beyond themselves. In addition to her roles at Modern Ink Mag, Allison owns The Modern Hostess, an event planning and design company. Her work has been featured in several national magazines, as well as on many top blogs. Allison lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with her husband and two little girls.
Rachel Wood Turner Rachel Wood Turner’s footprints can currently be found in Knoxville, Tennessee where she daydreams with her husband, their two young sons, and their baby girl. When she isn’t busy working as the editorial director for Modern Ink Magazine and donning the eclectic hats that being one of it’s co-creators entails, she is freelance writing, editing, blogging, and interior styling for other projects. Prior to her work as a writer and editor, she worked in several city school districts as an educator and reading specialist...Rachel sincerely hopes that in her next life she can freelance as a traveling, antique-book-dealing, glitter-laden gypsy, known only by her middle name, Baila.
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HOMEBASE
The Troupe
Daniel Wiseman
Rob Bennet
Daniel Wiseman is a web layout specialist and
Rob Bennet is a technologist and application
illustrator from St. Louis, MO. He likes flying kites,
developer out of St. Louis, MO. If he is not developing
hunting foxes, and learning as much as he can
a website or tinkering with some interesting new
about dinosaurs. When he’s not sitting in front of the
technology, he is enjoying his family, and hopefully
computer, drawing funny looking people, or taking
doing something outdoors. You can check more out
pictures of the world around him, you can probably
about Rob at www.robbennet.com.
find him riding his bike for hours or cooking dinner with his lovely wife.
Susan McCanless Susan McCanless is a graphic designer, stationery enthusiast, and the principal designer/owner of J Press Designs. Her days are filled working with a range of clients: fashion designers, photographers and brides-to-be, whom she enjoys working with to help make the world a more aesthetically pleasing place to live. Currently living in Memphis, Tennessee, Susan also enjoys traveling, riding her bike and exploring the great outdoors with her husband, Jonathan.
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Contributors Claire Turner Balest Claire Balest is busy actualizing her childhood dream of a life spent playing with lipstick, working as a freelance makeup artist out of Knoxville, Tennessee. A regional artist for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, she works in all arenas: network television, print, theatre and weddings and was recently awarded “East Tennessee’s Best Makeup Artist 2010” by weddingdailytimes.com. Claire was the makeup artist on the Emmy nominated 2010 Summer Fashionfest campaign for Jewelry Television, a campaign which, combined with the 2010 JTV Diamond Campaign were awarded five Telly Awards. Claire is a member of The Powder Group, and a contributing beauty editor for both Modern Ink Magazine and BeautyBrief.com. She can be contacted at claire@clairebalest.com.
Karl Champley
Austin L. Church
Karl Champley is an award-winning master builder, home inspector, and environmental building consultant in both the United States and Australia. He is the host of the awardwinning shows DIY to the Rescue and Wasted Spaces, and satellite radio’s Home Live. Champley genuinely loves to teach homeowners new to do-it yourself skills and how to use tools correctly. Originally from Sydney, Australia, he now lives in Los Angeles, California. Check out www.karlchampley.com for more project ideas.
Austin is a vocational storyteller with a passion for
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personal transformation. He pays the bills by helping businesses and organizations with marketing, branding, copywriting, and social media and currently lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with his wife Megan, a beautiful and very patient woman. You can read more of his writing on his blog, gu.e: what’s left out: http://www.whatsleftout.com
HOMEBASE
Contributors CJ Isaac
CJ moved to New York from the southeast in 2010, shortly after attending Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Since graduating, CJ has worked for a number of commercial and editorial clients including EM2 Design, Robinson College of Business, Williams-Sonoma, Highland Bakery, New York Magazine, NY Times Best Selling Author Adriana Trigiani, Witness, and NBC Niteside. CJ is based out of NYC and is available for commercial work anywhere. To contact CJ or to view her work, visit her site: www.cjisaac.com.
Tara Kneiser
Ilene Liff-Mier
Originally from a small farming community in Nebraska, Tara Kneiser moved to Denver to study photography at the the Art Institute of Colorado. After graduating and working as a magazine photo editor, she moved to Tennessee, where she owns and operates Dixie Pixel, her photography business. She enjoys a quiet life, living in Oak Ridge with her husband and two children.
lene Liff-Mier grew up in Puerto Rico, went to school at the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and has had the opportunity to travel half the world with her mother. She has continued living out her passion for travel, residing now in Atlanta, Georgia with her two daughters, Veronica Nicole and Rebecca Alicia, and the best father and husband in the world, Alberto.
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Contributors Miller Main Miller Main is a freelance writer with a serious addiction to travel...though her roots are northern, her dream is to live on the road, husband and kids in tow, documenting her journeys through words and pictures--in that order. She is secretive and shy, and prefers letters, landscape, and literature to pretty much anything else: the obvious exception being the smiles and affection of her family.
Sarah Martin
Gibson Penn
Sarah Martin is an interdisciplinary artist, professor and the Director of Communications for the L.A.F. Project. She has been teaching photography and filmmaking since 2003 and is currently teaching photography and social practice at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Sarah received her MFA in Photography from Yale University in 2002 and her BA in Media Arts from the University of Tennessee in 2000.
Gibson is a self-proclaimed loaner who enjoys nothing more than reviewing, critiquing, and producing music. Other interests include (in no particular order: Star Trek and alien costumes, Lord of the Rings battle reenactments, Dungeon and Dragons miniature detailing and collecting, and Brazilian jiujutsu). He also enjoys irony, sarcasm, wit, and people who smile genuinely and speak their minds. Feel free to contact Gibson at gibsonpenn@gmail.
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Contributors
HOMEBASE
Lindsay Saint Clair Lindsay Saint Clair has spent her life in the throes of a wild, raving love affair with the written word. The only things she likes quite as much as curling up with a good book and a glass of wine are her two beautiful boys and her wonderful husband. After nearly a decade in San Francisco and a short stint in Atlanta, Lindsay now resides in Chicago. She is currently working as a freelance writer and editor.
Michelle Simpson
Alyssa Sprouse
Michelle Simpson is a New Jersey native that currently resides in Knoxville, Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and baby boy. She has worked in the fashion industry for the past ten years, as a wardrobe and personal stylist, designer, and now as the owner of clothing boutique, Black Market Square.
Alyssa ‘grew up’ in New York City – arriving postcollege graduation to chase dreams straight out of “The Devil Wears Prada.” Following a steady march up the masthead in the beauty industry, Alyssa recently traded in her subway pass and stilettos to move back down south where she is reveling in a marvelously more sane and happy existence with her incredible husband and delightful baby boy. She currently works as an editorial consultant.
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Contributors Graham Yelton Graham Yelton has what can only be described as Obsessive Creative Disorder. With a passion for beauty and smart design, she specializes in graphic design, photography, and interiors. She loves all things clever, surprising, simple, and a little crafty. Her work can be found at www.grahamyelton.com.
THINK YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING CONTRIBUTION FOR MODERN INK MAG? GIVE US A HOLLER! creative@moderninkmag.com
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H O M E B A S E Hot List
A Octagonal Mod Marbled Rhinestone Studded Eye Glasses 1970 Frames by Bibbys Rocket $74 www.etsy.com
House of Harlow Art Deco Ring with Moonstone in Gold/Black/Coral $70 www.revolveclothing.com
Tom’s Academy Plaid Women’s Classics $54 www.toms.com
Zentique Donald Cabinet $5,739.99 www.couturedreams.com
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A Good Man-Darin is Hard to Find $8.50 www.opi.com
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton $15 www.barnesandnoble.com
Hot List H O M E B A S E
Allison
Jenn’s Pirate Booty Beaded Earrings $17 www.revolveclothing.com
Ottoman Poppies Blouse $198 www.anthropologie.com
Keep a Green Tree Slatted Frame $280 www.couturedreams.com Snail Mail by Kate Spade $25 (includes 10 cards & 10 envelopes) www.katespade.com
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H O M E B A S E Hot List
Rach Fontana Covered Box $68 www.jonathanadler.com Cashmere zip-front hoodie $218 www.jcrew.com
Lunar Cycles Top $88 www.anthropologie.com AG Distressed Tomboy $555 www.anthropologie.com
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Hot List H O M E B A S E
hel Grained Calfskin Handbag pricing varies www.chanel.com
Jeffrey Campbell Cutout Grayson Boot $199 www.urbanoutfitters.com
Horus Necklace by Sheila B. Jewelry $215 www.shopplanetblue.com
Moroccan Pouf $199 www.neimanmarcus.com
Soia & Kyo “Coralie� Jacket $283.99 www.bluefly.com To India, With Love: From New York to Mumbai pricing varies www.amazon.com
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H O M E B A S E Hot List
A
Ocean Sea Glass Half Gallon Mason Jar Hanging Pendant Light (set of 2) by BootsNGus $145 www.etsy.com
Grey-tful To Be Your Dress $54.99 www.modcloth.com
Doce Vita Jett $218.50 www.zappos.com
Maltese Cross Lace Cuff $288 www.freepeople.com
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Merit Badge Necklace $88 www.anthropologie.com
Hot List H O M E B A S E
& n o s i l l A Rachel
Sienna Boot $598 www.freepeople.com Schoolboy Blazer in Velvet $168 www.jcrew.com
Vintage Trolley Sign $699 www.roomandboard.com
Bone & Blue Gemma pricing varies www.madelineweinrib.com
Vintage 60’s Rand McNally’s Globe by Maries Vintage $42 www.etsy.com
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N O T I O N S Seasonal Staples
T R I G G E R M E D I U M S AT C H E L $595 www.botkier.com
JEFFREY CAMPBELL ZIP 2 $174.95 www.solestruck.com
SABRINA EARRING $73 www.dianawarnernewyork.com
R A C H E L PA L LY L O N G W R A P D R E S S $229 www.piperlime.com Modern Ink Magazine | 22
F LO R E N C E C R O P D R A P E F U R R Y S W E AT E R $330 www.aliceandolivia.com
Seasonal Staples N O T I O N S
BEER MAKING KITS $15-$40 www.uncommongoods.com
Q U A L I T Y C U T S P L A C E M AT S ( S E T O F F O U R ) S E T I N C L U D E S : P O U LT R Y, LAMB, BEEF & PORK $44 www.burkedecor.com
JEAN SET OF 4 COASTERS B Y S T E L L A H AT S $9.95 www.etsy.com
PA I R O F S I O U X C I T Y R O O T B E E R G L A S S E S M A D E F R O M R E C YC L E D ROOT BEER BOTTLES BY PIC 76 $12 www.etsy.com
M U S TA C H E S H A P E D B E E R M A R K E R S – F I V E PA C K B Y M Y S A U C Y M U S TA C H E $6.50 www.etsy.com
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N O T I O N S Seasonal Staples
I N D U S – B LO O D O R A N G E $36 www.skeemshop.com
FIRLE FIELDS LAMP $328 www.anthropologie.com
L E N I LO U N G E C H A I R $179 www.urbanoutfitters.com
CUSTOM FRAME WITH 5X7 OPENING pricing varies www.elledeestudio.com
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K A N T H A Q U I LT E D T H R O W $99 www.westelm.com
Seasonal Staples N O T I O N S
COTTEVILLE 40 $3950 www.louisvuitton.com
H AY D E N C A S H M E R E CARDIGAN $189 www.bluefly.com
PENGUIN CLASSICS ON THE ROAD PA S S P O R T C O V E R $19.95 www.heliotropehome.com
O N -T H E -V I N E S - F L AT S $188 www.anthropologie.com
ROUND TRAVEL A L A R M C LO C K $34 www.flight001.com
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N O T I O N S Dear Sir
BRADFORD FOR YOUR
Teak Puzzle Serving Tray $79 www.gaiam.com
Burberry Brit
$72 www.burberry.com
Penny Black 40 Buffalo Nickel Cuff Links $125 www.nordstrom.com
The Modern Gentleman: A Guide to Essential Manners, Savvy and Vice Vintage Pool Ball Knobstopper $32 www.knobstopper.com
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$15.99 www.barnesandnoble.com
QUINTIN
Dear Sir N O T I O N S
FOR YOUR
Wooden Sound System
Gucci pour homme
$139 www.urbanoutfitters.com
$73 www.gucci.com
Phrenology Head Poster
Old Camera Image on iPhone Case
$24 www.urbanoutfitters.com
$25 www.cafepress.com
Stomp Box
$99 www.griffintechnology.com
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N O T I O N S Dear Sir
OTIS
FOR YOUR
BookBook for Air
$79.99 www.twelvesouth.com
Autum Epitaph Bike $2950 www.autumshere.com
Sedona Sunrise Rustic Leather Travel Case by Bohemia Leather
Draper Media Console
$249 www.urbanoutfitters.com
$28 www.etsy.com
Diesel Fuel for Life Homme $55 www.sephora.com
Miansai Fish Hook Bracelet $55 www.stagaustin.com
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DORIAN
Dear Sir N O T I O N S
FOR YOUR
Citizen Buckle Bag
$140 www.chromebagsstore.com
Chanel Bleu de Chanel eau de Toilette Spray $59 www.nordstrom.com
Wenger 73015 Traveler Black Dial Pocket Watch $153.47 www.amazon.com
Instagram Blurb Book
Arcade Light Switch by Aleph Design
$10.95+ www.blurb.com
$35 www.etsy.com
Sueded Fleece Shawl-Collar Pullover $59.50 www.jcrew.com
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N O T I O N S Groomed
T k r a M
When faced with the task of deciding who would be our first featured “groomed� guy, we immediately thought of our stylish, handsome, and yes, well-groomed friend, Mark Taylor...
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photo: Jennifer Crook
r o l y a T Give us five words that describe your look: desperately.trying.to.be.cool. What has been your favorite trend over the years? I have an affinity for old things and appreciate the emphasis lately on buying classic items-things that will stand the test of time and can be passed on to my boys. I love the notion of buying timeless jeans, boots, watches, leather good or shirts I could have forever...I’m willing to pay more for stuff like that knowing they’ll get a ton of use. What has been your least favorite trend for guys? It’s a tie between guys wearing women’s jeans and the double popped collar polo deal. My wife and I went to a party a few weeks back, and as a joke, I wore two Lacoste shirts with the collars popped--pretty much felt like a prick the whole time. It still looks cute on boys under ten though--and I just really think men should wear men’s jeans. What about for women? There are just all kinds of problems with gaucho pants. Who are your style icons? If I was cooler, I’d probably say people like Steve McQueen and James Dean.
Groomed N O T I O N S
Tell us your five fashion staples: 1. jeans: Levis shrink-to-fit, J Crew, Diesel 2. dress shirts/oxfords: Billy Reid, J Crew 3. leather boots: favorites are Bed Stu and Redwing 4. v-neck and henley shirts by Alternative Earth 5. sneakers: Converse and Vans What five must-have items are in your medicine cabinet? I’m a pretty simple guy in the grooming department. I don’t really have time to do more than just the basics in the morning. I hate shaving, so my beard trimmer is a definite must, and so is using Kiehl’s aftershave products for my neck when I do shave. I also keep some type of cologne-- like Paul Smith and Banana Republic Classic. Besides those, I just make sure to brush my teeth daily and put on deodorant! What’s the best grooming advice anyone has given you? I had several friends tell me a few years into marriage that keeping myself up is “keeping my end of the bargain” with my wife...this includes grooming, attempting to look presentable, and keeping myself in shape. I wish I had heeded this advice earlier! Whats one item every man should never be without? Fifty buck in cash and an AMEX. You just never know when you might end up in the middle of nowhere.
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N O T I O N S The Cut
MADE FO
BY CLAIRE
JACK BLACK BEARD LUBE CONDITIONING SHAVE $16 www.getjackblack.com An absolute classic. This award winning product is a long time industry favorite...but a WARNING: once you use it, you’ll never be satisfied with your old can of shaving cream again. Part pre-shave oil, part shave cream, part facial skin treatment, using it will make your skin softer, your shave smoother, and your life easier...ok, well, two out of three isn’t bad. But you just might enjoy your morning shave again.
CLARISONIC® GRAPHITE GRAY CLASSIC SKIN CLEANSING SYSTEM $195 www.clarisonic.com This life changing gadget is a MUST splurge for men (who, let’s be honest, aren’t generally credited with taking care of their skin). It uses sonic technology to remove greater than six times more environmental toxins, dirt, and bacteria than just washing your face. Not only is it waterproof (you can use it in the shower!), you can use it with shaving products to prevent shaving irritation, AND it reduces the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes, and immediately leaves the skin looking and feeling smoother...and the graphite gray is SO much cooler for you men than the pink one my husband sneaks from my sink every morning (yes, honey...I noticed).
BILLY JEALOUSY RUCKUS HAIR FORMING CREAM $16 www.billyjealousy.com Nevermind that the cool packaging is enough to make you want to buy everything on their website (just check it out), but this product will finally empower you to style your hair with the perfect balance of hold and pliability. A tiny amount of the beeswaxbased cream allows for texture and shine without a sticky residue. Perfection.
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The Cut N O T I O N S
OR BLADE
E BALEST
GOODFELLA SATIN BLACK SAFETY RAZOR $95 also available in chrome at www.goodfella.com Goodfella’s 100% New Zealand-made old-school razor is about to change your mind about your morning shave. A throwback to the original single blade razor (believed to have been invented in the late 18th century), the double edged blade allows for a smooth, close shave. And the fact that it’s finished with the same black chrome found on mag wheels will make you want to take it for a permanent spin.
ANTHONY LOGISTICS FOR MEN FACIAL MOISTURIZER SPF15 $32 www.anthony.com Summer is over and your skin is showing the effects of a long season in the sun...check this out: Anthony’s fragrance free Facial Moisturizer uses bilberry, sugarcane and sugarmaple extracts to re-texturize skin and smooth fine lines. It’s also packed with vitamins A, C and E which work to even skin tone and reduce signs of aging, while absorbing to leave residue-free, hydrated skin...take that, summer.
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Better o
N O T I O N S Beauty Mark
Eyes
BY CLAIR
M AC E Y E S H A D OW S shown in Plumage, Shadowy Lady, Sketch, Goldenrod, and Red Brick (not pictured) $14.50 each www.maccosmetics.com Allow the rich shades of fall to inspire your shadows. Whether you’re wanting the coveted smoky eye, just a pop of color, or you want to rock the winged shadow look, mix up your basic browns with the colors of the season. I’m in love with these five from Mac. They absolutely scream “fall” to me!
B O B B I B R OW N E Y E B R OW B R U S H ( $ 2 5 ) & B O B B I B R OW N E Y E S H A D OW S ( $ 2 0 ) shown in Grey and Birch www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com One of the Fall 2011 runway makeup trends focuses on a feature many women tend to overlook: brows! A strong brow is the perfect frame for your face and really makes the eyes standout. (Think about a favorite photograph, and how the perfect picture frame complements it...it’s the same idea with eyes and brows.) Bobbi Brown’s eyebrow brush is the perfect tool for achieving a natural-looking, strong brow. Apply a light shadow along your natural brow line to add soft definition, or go all out runway and shape a defined, full brow by simply adding more powder or using a darker shade.
: S T IP uld sho
T’ ART IS
brow r Your al in colo t u q p e st ar be darke e h t to ir. ur ha of yo
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Skin ÉMINENCE BLUEBERRY S OY N I G H T R E C OV E RY CREAM $64 www.ariva.com I was recently turned onto this line of skincare by a celebrity client of mine who had the most extraordinary skin. The entire collection is organic and handmade in Hungary. This age-defying and revitalizing night cream is fortified with blueberry juice, vitamin C, grape seed oil, soy...the ingredients read like a health food recipe. It smells delicious, leaves tired, dehydrated skin plump and rejuvenated, and is clinically proven to decrease wrinkle depth by more than 40%. Love.
off Red
RE BALEST
Beauty Mark N O T I O N S
Nails
E S S I E FA L L 2 0 1 1 B R A N D NEW BAG COLLECTION $8 www.amazon.com Essie’s Fall 2011 “Brand New Bag” collection, based on the belief that our accessories reveal much about who we are, is inspired by the ladylike glamour and classic sophistication of the 40’s and 50’s...and the names will make you as happy as if you had splurged on a new handbag : Carry On, Power Clutch, Glamour Purse...without all the guilt.
ART IST
Lips
’S
T IP : Try it t his sea so lipglos s. If yo n without u pencil, need a lip li one the ghtly define w ith same c olor as lipstick yo ,b cardina ut enjoy fall ur ’s l look s ans shi ne.
REVLON FIRE AND ICE $7.99 www.cvs.com
NARS VIRIDIANA $24 www.narscosmetics.com It’s time to pull out my favorite accessory of the fall season: a striking, red lip. Nothing is more classic, more powerful, or more sexy than a crimson-hued pout, in part because of the time honored sex symbol image it conjures, but also because it lends an instantaneous boost of confidence with two swipes from the tube. Opt for bright and fiery tones, or embrace the deeper wines and burgundies...but whatever you do, prepare to get noticed.
TOM FORD CHERRY LUSH $45 www.nordstrom.com
MAKE UP FOR EVER ROUGE ARTIST INTENSE NO. 48 $19 www.sephora.com
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N O T I O N S Polished
G a r d i S
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photo: Elena Gorelik
s s o r G
Polished N O T I O N S
Sidra Gross is a graduate student at The Pratt Institute for Interior Design, who lives in NYC’s West Village with her husband, best friend, and their two chihuahua mixes. She told Modern Ink that her history with the beauty industry has had two very specific themes: the first being the eternal attempt to clear up her skin (as acne flair ups have gotten worse with age), and the second being self-expression and play. We enjoyed how candidly she discussed skin issues with us as well as tips for layering make-up, as learned through her background in art!
Tell us about the first make up product you remember purchasing? It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but the first product I remember buying was Urban Decay’s black lipstick. This wasn’t a shade I could steal from my mom’s makeup bag, if you know what I mean. I think I was about twelve, and yes, at the time I was going Goth. What has been your favorite beauty trend? I’m pretty excited about this whole 80’s revival that’s been going on. While some of it is quite awful and should have remained deeply buried in the grave of fashion faux pas, a few strands of the 80’s are brilliantly back...specifically the radical use of color. Makeup at the end of the day is just face paint, and it’s great to have a palette back that includes viridian green and lilac as options. I’m tired of just neutrals and shades of grey. I like that people are taking risks in selfexpression and giving themselves wider options with which to do so.
Tell us what’s been your least favorite beauty trend? Nude lipstick on a heavily powdered, blush free face. The whole face just disappears and even any natural accentuation of the face is obliterated. There’s no enhancement or focus on the facial features. What has been your biggest beauty mishap? Oooh... let’s see. A new hairstylist of mine was coloring my hair and supposedly putting in red and blonde highlights. Well, she applied the color and my entire scalp started burning as if it was on fire. At that point I was crying from the pain, and she still insisted everything was normal. Believe me, by the time she rinsed the fire-engine red, roots that remained were not normal. Who do you consider to be your beauty icon? My grandma is one of the most beautiful women in the world to me. When she was in her 20’s and 30’s she was a total knockout. Blonde hair, blue
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N O T I O N S Polished
SIDRA’S
eyes, 26-inch waist with a serious bust line. She’s still gorgeous, and now in her 80’s. After she and my grandpa divorced, she became a part-owner in a worldwide trekking company and traveled every corner of the globe. She taught me that outer beauty is ultimately a reflection of inner beauty and how you treat people. While her looks might have opened doors, the real reason that so many have remained open to her through the years is the gracious experience that everyone remembers her by. What is the best beauty advice anyone has ever given you, and who gave it to you? Ironically the best beauty advice I’ve ever received was from one of my rendering instructors back in college. The class taught us how to render any variety of materials with pens, markers, pastels, pencils etc. He said never let a single medium just sit there; it always has to be layered with others to look like it belongs in the composition and isn’t just sitting on the paper. Well makeup is the same way. Don’t just put black eyeliner on your lids. It’s going to look like a black pen was drawn around your eyes. Put a base on, then an eyeshadow, then your liner, then mascara. Build your makeup up, layer it with other mediums and the result is a harmonious composition.
5 BEAUTY
MUST-HAVES 1. My T3 Hairdryer. This thing has changed my beauty routine for forever. It dries my hair in half the amount of time compared with other dryers, and it leaves my hair silky smooth, sleek and healthy.
2. Baby Quasar helps my skin lose any
hyper-pigmentation that breakouts have left me with, and the craziest thing is this little guy will speed up the healing process of any cuts and scrapes you’ve gotten. I’m not kidding!
3. Dr. Perricone’s skin clear hydrator is the best face lotion I’ve found for my acne prone skin.
3. Sircuit Skin’s Savior face wash with 2% 4. salicylic acid is so gentle and the best for breakouts!
• Bare Essentials foundation Medium Tan • Bare Essentials Buxom mascara • Mac Dazzelray eyeshadow • Urban Decay EyePotion in Sin • Stila liquid black eyeliner • Nars blush “Desire” • Mac Kabukki Brush
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4. 5. And finally, by taking Chaste tree
5.
supplements everyday, I’m able to fairly effectively avoid any hormonally related mid-cycle acne.
photo: Elena Gorelik
WHAT’S IN YOUR MAKEUP BAG?
K
o d i e e l p a sco
Kaleidoscope N O T I O N S
KALEIDOSCOPE Photography: Dixie Pixel Hair and Makeup: Claire Balest Model: Colleen Moore
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N O T I O N S Kaleidoscope
e h T e a M THE MAE
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Kaleidoscope N O T I O N S
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N O T I O N S Kaleidoscope
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Kaleidoscope N O T I O N S
THE SCARLETT
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N O T I O N S Kaleidoscope
e h T a t e r G T H E G R E TA
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Kaleidoscope N O T I O N S
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N O T I O N S Kaleidoscope
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Kaleidoscope N O T I O N S
e h T e c a r G
THE GRACE
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FALL
N O T I O N S Fashion Forward
DAYTIME
ARROWHEAD & QUARTZ EARRINGS BY PAPAVIER $22 www.edgeofurge.com
BY MICHELL
BALI CLUTCH BY DIALOG & WORLD BATIK $96 www.edgeofurge.com
THUNDERBIRD CUFF BY LOW LUV X ERIN WASSON $56 www.edgeofurge.com
FUNCTIONALLY FABULOUS SKIRT $37.99 www.modcloth.com
URBAN RENEWAL NARROW LEATHER BELT $19 www.urbanoutfitters.com
FEATHER YOUR BEST TOP $37.99 www.modcloth.com
ISLE OF THE SKY PONCHO $128 www.freepeople.com
LINDA FARROW/MATTHEW WILLIAMSON SUNGLASSES IN TURQUOISE £136.50 www.dollboutique.co.uk
AUSTORIAN BOOT $475 www.freepeople.com
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LEN
LE SIMPSON BRIGHT RED SCALLOP FRAME PURSE $15 www.topshop.com
Fashion Forward N O T I O N S
NIGHTTIME HOUSE OF HARLOW STAR EARRING WITH BLACK CABOCHAN IN GOLD $45 www.revolveclothing.com
GOLD CHAIN BRACELET $20 www.dollhouseboutique.co.uk
SYBIL SLEEVELESS PEPLUM TOP $275 www.aliceandolivia.com
PORTABLE ART PLATFORMS $488 www.anthropologie.com FATIGUE FINERY CAPE $298 www.anthropologie.com
HOUSE OF HARLOW MIXED MEDIA RING $110 www.revolveclothing.com
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N O T I O N S Clothes Talker
WIDE
OP E N SPACES
By Alyssa Sprouse When my editor shared the underlying theme of this issue, ‘Open Spaces,’ the line of an old Dixie Chicks lyric immediately rolled through my head. I could picture myself lounging on the floor of my dorm room, listening to their twangy voices croon, “Wide open spaces – room to make a big mistake.” That same mental image captured me wearing a rather unfortunate take on the traditional collegiate prep look, perhaps not the ‘big mistake’ the girls referred to in the song, but a definite fashion mistake, nonetheless. My fashion mistakes began especially early. By the time I was tottering around on my own two legs, I insisted on selecting outfits, proudly pairing prints with plaids and rhinestones with ribbons. By elementary school those choices evolved into glitter jelly sandals and plastic charm bracelets, and by middle school I had moved onto far more cringe-worthy choices, such as blue and white sailor-striped pantaloons...a truly unnatural hybrid between a jumpsuit and a puffy victorian dress. Look-by-look I gradually came into my own, largely because I was given the space needed to figure fashion out for myself. By high school, that “fashion” meant a wide spectrum of looks, from a Jackie O. inspired cream linen shift to a crop-top and my cherished Calvin Klein jeans. I felt confident in my style choices, carefully selecting pieces that flattered my lanky frame, and I thought I had myself figured out, at least from a fashion perspective...I was wrong. I’ll never forget driving onto my North Carolina college campus in 60’s style cut-offs, a yellow tank top, and yellow patent leather flip-flops, sporting the deep tan of a Florida girl who’d spent the summer lifeguarding. In my mind, I’d struck the perfect balance between casual and cool. How could I have known that every other girl would arrive looking as if she stepped out of a Talbots catalog? Within a few weeks, I found myself combing the sale rack at our local Banana Republic, in search of button-down shirts and chinos so ubiquitous on my campus. I stared at myself in the mirror. The pants were too short, the starchy blouses too boxy. My body appeared distorted – as though I’d stolen the clothes of a petite librarian, so I gave up and headed back to my own closet, adapting long-neglected pieces to look their most preppy.
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Clothes Talker N O T I O N S
As my first semester continued, I couldn’t help but wonder what I was doing. Why in this new space, where I had the chance to be anyone I wanted, did I choose to look like everyone else? It hit me...I didn’t want to mirror all those Talbots mannequins… I needed to dust off my old confidence and ditch the oxfords. By Christmas break, the khakis were long gone and I was back in my favorite vintage dresses, glad to once again look in the mirror and recognize my own reflection. As the years tripped along, full of memorable and not-so-memorable fashion moments, I finally found my wide open space in what is quite possibly the most congested, space-deprived city in the country. Crammed together on busy New York City streets, furtively trying to avoid eye contact and yet absorbing every fashion statement, I somehow had the space to finally be me. I’d like to think that today, my fashion mistakes are few and far between, but only time--and photographs--will tell. I now know better than to attempt towering sixinch platforms that make me appear as a 6’5” giant, and I realize that I’m never going to have the assets to rock a triangle bikini...I’m okay with that. In fact, as I sit here humming that old country song, I realize that the concept of ‘open space’ simply means giving myself permission to make choices that please me, and in doing so, project the confidence earned along the way-–one outfit at a time.
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N O T I O N S Blackboard Anthropologie bloomsbury pillow, reclining woman
Modern Ink Mag’s creative director, tells us what’s on her blackboard for
www.anthropologie.com
Anthropologie orimono pillow, flower
www.anthropologie.com
Anthropologie cummerbund pillow
www.anthropologie.com
Pottery Barn ribbed galvanized metal bucket with rope handles www.potterybarn.com
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Allison Sprouse, Fall.
Blackboard N O T I O N S
Urban Outfitters marrakech hammock
www.urbanoutfitters.com
Restoration Hardware vintage light string
www.restorationhardware.com
Blue Ocean Traders sofa on wheels
www.blueoceantraders.com
Restoration Hardware indoor/outdoor flameless candle www.restorationhardware.com
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S P O T L I G H T Abode
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Abode S P O T L I G H T
AT H O M E W I T H T H E
T e yE l toN s When we caught wind of Graham Yelton’s home in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of West Homewood, we knew we’d hit gold, or white, rather. Graham, a freelance graphic designer and photographer along her husband, Jay, assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at Samford University, has created a seamless canvas of white in their renovated homestead and the perfect backdrop for their eclectic collections and personal affects. What initially drew you to West Homewood, and your home specifically? West Homewood is a pocket of homes built in the 1950’s. They’re mostly little shoebox houses in need of “TLC.” Honestly, we chose this area because the houses were dirt cheap and it’s right next to (regular) Homewood, which is full of pricey historic homes, picket fences and great southern dining and shopping. It was really the only affordable place in this area to build our custom home and to ensure a return on the investment. We had no idea how much we would grow to love our neighborhood. What is it about the area that keeps you all living there? West Homewood may be a little rough around the edges, literally, but what it lacks in charm, it makes up for in the authenticity of our neighbors. The area has a lot of flavor...young, old, black, white, hispanic, families, young professionals, urban hippies. There is an elementary school in the middle of the neighborhood, a huge park at the end of the street, the nicest Senior Center I’ve ever seen and a Publix two minutes away. It’s near Jay’s work and a just few minutes from downtown. We’ve now become great friends with neighbors, so once or twice a week we’re walking to someone’s house for dinner or drinks. I’m looking forward to this summer when the neighbor’s chickens start laying eggs. We’ve worked out a trade--their eggs for some of our okra, cucs and squash.
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The Yeltons’ top 5 things to do in Birmingham: • Shop at Atmosphere Home (downtown) and At Home (in Homewood). • Go to the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market on Saturday. • Eat at Trattoria Central, specifically Sunday Brunch. • SAW’s BBQ or O’Carrs for (affordable) southern food • Go to a Samford Women’s Soccer game and say hello!
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Abode S P O T L I G H T Tell us the story behind your renovations...how did you organize and prioritize for such an undertaking? As soon as we bought the house, Jay began adding on the master suite to the back of the house. I had drawn the addition on graph paper, and Jay, with the help of a few friends, built the entire thing. A hallway connects the old house to the new renovation. The goal was to add on a large, spacious bedroom, move in there and then tear down the front and rebuild. Knowing this process could take years, I began some small renovations to the front house just to make it livable. It was pretty disgusting. We tore up carpet, painted hardwood floors grey, painted every wall, trim, and window pure white, covered the offwhite cabinets in a grey to match the floors, etc. We also used some wood that we already owned and replaced the kitchen counters. The linoleum in the kitchen was truly disgusting, so we laid cheap, industrial black & white tile. These were really inexpensive renovations, but they made a huge impact. What are your favorite parts of your home? I think the addition and the porch is a unanimous favorite. When the Alabama heat is tolerable, we really enjoy grilling out with neighbors.
“Old fans, ball jars and antique coolers remind Jay of home.�
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S P O T L I G H T Abode
“We’re one of the firsts to renovate in this area, so we’re hoping to set the tone for the rest of West Homewood.”
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Abode S P O T L I G H T On the inside, I think the master bath and closet are my favorite. Jay’s would have to be the shower and wood on the ceilings. How would you describe your decorating style and Jay’s decorating styles independently of one another? I like to think of myself as a city girl. I grew up in Nashville and always wanted to live in a loft in the city. I appreciate an open, modern aesthetic and I love clean lines. I am also completely infatuated with Mid-Century antiques...the original “modern.” Jay is, without a doubt, the definition of a country man. His ideal is open spaces, being outdoors, barns, vintage objects and textures. The house needed to be a blend of both our styles. Not just modern and country, but also feminine and masculine. I think the result is a modern loft meets country farmhouse. Old meets new. Clean meets rustic. How do you compromise when styling your home, or picking furniture and colors? I’m not sure if this means “compromise” between Jay and me, or “compromise” when I can’t afford something. Two answers: Honestly, I don’t think Jay and I have ever had an argument over a single light fixture or piece of furniture. The overall vision included both of our styles, and I think that’s why we don’t have a lot of problems. I remember telling Jay that I wanted to buy a white sofa and his response was, and always has been, “I trust you!” We aren’t sitting on gold blocks, here. Most of the things we own were found on the side of the road, discounted, family heirlooms, junk store finds, purchased at Ikea, or lucky finds at a good price. We only splurged on a few select things… bedding, white sofa, bathroom fixtures, floor paint. The goal has always been to create a custom and personal home that doesn’t cost a fortune. We
really had to problem-solve and decide where we wanted to splurge and where we would need to compromise and get creative. Talk to us about your white palette and accent color choices. Even as a kid, I was always really obsessed with decorating in all white. My room at my parents house is nothing but white. I think it just feels really serene and peaceful. I went through a phase with bold colors, but I would tire of them quickly. I realized that as a designer, I am constantly working with color. One week I’m obsessed with kelly green. The next week, I only want to use burnt orange. I am, officially, color ADD. White is a great backdrop to add pops of color that I can change easily. I don’t think I will ever get tired of white and grey...and they fit the modern loft meets country farmhouse aesthetic really well. We especially love how you wove black in with the white throughout your home. Again, I think this might be the graphic designer in me. Bold pattern is playful and unexpected. Not to mention it add’s some masculinity to the overall feeling. Which pieces of furniture are your favorites? My Bertoia chairs. Hands down. I found them at Scott’s Antique Market in Atlanta for dirt cheap. There is nothing like finding something you’ve always wanted and for a fraction of the price. A close second would have to be the light fixture in the bedroom. I found it in Nashville. I’ve never seen anything like it, anywhere. Sometimes 70’s light fixtures are really awful, so I felt like I was taking a huge risk by buying it...but I’m glad I went with my gut. I think it’s really rad. Tell us about the unfinished chair in the corner. (We love it, by the way!) Ha. One of my graphic designer friends picked it up off the side of the road and then decided he didn’t want it. I kindly took it off his hands!
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“The house needed to be a blend of both our styles. Not just modern and country, but also feminine and masculine.�
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Abode S P O T L I G H T
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S P O T L I G H T Abode “...the longer it sits there uncovered, the more I appreciate the chair’s bones in and of themselves. It’s become less of a chair and more of a piece of art...like a sculpture in the corner.”
We’re in no hurry around here, so it’s uncovered partly because it’s way low on the priority list. But the longer it sits there uncovered, the more I appreciate the chair’s bones in and of themselves. It’s become less of a chair and more of a piece of art...like a sculpture in the corner. What other interesting stories do you have behind your fixtures and furniture? The beams came from an old train station in Jay’s hometown of Bristol, TN. Jay was told it was Hemlock, and he bought it sight unseen. When he went to pick it up, the man there starting hackling him. Jay was thinking, “Oh no, what have I bought?” The guy cut one of the beams, and Jay quickly realized that he’d bought Heart Pine for the cost of Hemlock. Needless to say, we got an unbelievable deal. Imagine all the trips to Lowes and the large materials that one has to buy to build a house. It’s been a running joke that Jay managed to build this house while driving my Honda CRV. On a few occasions, he would hook up a trailer and go buy lumber. One afternoon, he was going up a hill
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and all the lumber slid off the trailer. He would get it back on, and then it would all slide off. A nice older couple that lived nearby was watching Jay and eventually the older gentleman went out to speak to him. They got to talking, and the man had worked in construction for years. He told Jay about a place that had top-of-the-line windows and doors for dirt cheap. They had been misordered or returned for some reason. We ended up buying all of our doors and windows from this place. We got all of it for what it would have cost us to buy one set of double doors retail. This addition never would have been possible, had we not found out about this doors and windows place. I know Jay was hating life when all that lumber was sliding off, but we’re so grateful it happened!
Abode S P O T L I G H T
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S P O T L I G H T Abode
Graham’s white palette musings: • Off-white and white are two totally different things. • It’s all or nothing. Going white is a commitment. There is no half-way. • White furniture is a must. Buy slip-covered. Bleach and Oxy Clean will get anything out. • When in doubt, buy it in white. You can’t have too much. And white matches white. • If it doesn’t come in white, can it be spray painted white?
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“I will always have a love affair with Typography. Displaying them like this, is an easy way to make them art.�
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Abode S P O T L I G H T arrangement in the front hallway... As a Graphic Designer, I will always have a love affair with Typography. Displaying them like this is an easy way to make them art. From a decorating standpoint, I knew I wanted the hallway to feel like a gallery space, but it’s very narrow. I needed to feature something that wasn’t too large or bulky. I still needed the hallway to seem spacious. I have been collecting letters along the way and decided that they would be perfect there, if I painted them white. I headed to Ebay to finish off my collection. What inspired the decor in the master bedroom? I actually appreciate a lot of decor styles. Up until this renovation, our style was really all over the place. It wasn’t cohesive...I knew I wanted to get it right with this, so I came up with some guiding words to help me make decisions. I had four words: Vintage, Modern, Rustic, Glam. Paint, fixtures, tile, accessories, furniture… it all
How did you and Jay acquire the vintage pieces on your front porch? They are classic and fit wonderfully with your design aesthetics. We both appreciate the slower pace of life and simple ways of the past. I think that’s why we both love to “Junk.” Having a few choice antiques is, in some way, a connection to those that came before us. Jay went out of his way to bring back his grandfather’s metal glider. As a boy, he spent time sitting with his granddad and just passing time. Whenever we travel, we try to hit the local antique stores. Most of our ‘old’ things either came from family or a roadside antique mall. It also happens to be a nice way to remember our travels. Talk to us a bit about your collections...what inspires them? I think we are really inspired by meaning and sentiment. We both really value where we grew up. I collect Hatch Show Prints because it’s a connection to Nashville. Old fans, ball jars and antique coolers remind Jay of home. We are quite smitten with the letter
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S P O T L I G H T Abode
“I had four words: Vintage, Modern, Rustic, Glam�
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Abode S P O T L I G H T had to fit into one or more of these descriptions. For example: The light fixture in the bedroom (and similar one in the closet) is vintage and glam. This was tough to stick to, but it kept me from buying things that would have taken the decor down the wrong path. Let’s talk about your closet...how did you create the design for it? I knew the closet needed to be organized, thoughtful and really functional. On top of that, I really wanted it to feel like a boutique fitting room with great light fixtures and big mirrors. We didn’t have the money to call in a custom closet company, so we knew we’d have to get creative. We started by looking at Ikea and found that they had great accessories for organizing, but the closet structures themselves seemed really prefab. I hated the idea of sticking some fake wood in there, just so that we could use the Ikea shelves and baskets. So, we measured their products and built our own closet to fit their drawers and accessories. I drew every aspect of that closet on graph paper, complete with measurements and accessories. Jay built the shell, we painted it to match the
floors, and then screwed into place all the Ikea drawers and accessories. Your bathtub must have a story behind it... One day it will actually work… We both wanted one in our home, and were always looking, everywhere we went. You might find one with all it’s feet but it was too rusted, or too small, or great shape, but no feet. Jay’s cousin saw a listing in the Birmingham paper for a claw-foot tub just a few miles from us. We called the guy asap. It was perfect...I’ve thought about painting it, but I’ve grown to love the rust exterior. How your lifestyle is reflected in your home? The bedroom is a closer reflection of us than the rest of the house. The next phase of renovations will show a closer reflection of our lifestyle. We both love to cook and be outside. The bedroom and porch are true reflections of that. We also both love to garden and believe in being as self-sustainable as possible. We are constantly adding more growing space to the backyard. Grass feels like wasted space. Jay just put in a cistern that collects about 1000 gallons of rain water. It also helps drain water from around the house.
Graham’s tips for displaying collections: • Don’t be afraid to make a statement. • Odd numbers are your friend. • Thick and thins give depth, so buy artifacts in varying weights or sizes. Or if you want a cleaner, more modern look, buy them all in the same size and display in a row or pattern. • The more you collect the bolder the statement. So, GET A LOT. • Go big.
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S P O T L I G H T Abode
Graham’s decorating pointe
• At the end of the day, if you LOVE it, buy it. Don • Make a binder with all your favorite images from iPhone with inspiration. Pinterest is also a great things you like. That’s how you’ll find your style. • There are no rules. If you love Modern clean line from Lord of the Rings, combine the two. It will b •TAKE RISKS. If you’re a little afraid to buy it, that • If you’re on a budget, don’t compromise by buy just take your time....and if you’re not on a budg overnight. • You should always splurge on the sofa. The shea means that it will carry a lot of the design weigh
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Abode S P O T L I G H T
ers:
n’t over think it. m magazines or a folder on your computer/ way to do this. Observe a pattern in the . es, but you also wish you lived in The Shire be epic. t’s a good thing. ying cheap things. Only buy things you love, get, resist the temptation to fill your house
ar size of it in comparison to everything else ht of your living room. Be bold.
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S P O T L I G H T Alberto Mier
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Alberto Mier S P O T L I G H T
The Evolution of
ALBERTO MIER Describe your evolution as an artist: It started when I was very little. I really don’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing. From there, it was children’s books (specifically Where the Wild Things Are), cartoons, comics, and animated movies, not necessarily in that order. I was also affected by Puerto Rican artists. I saw art everywhere [growing up there] from museums, galleries, to amazing murals on apartment buildings, tunnels, and underpasses. I’m not even talking about graffiti; these were locally famous and established artists who had been commissioned to create them. What really set me in this path was Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” As I watched the video at home for the first time, something just clicked and I decided that’s what I wanted to do I went to art school with the dream of becoming an animator for Disney, and I majored in Illustration because that’s what the big animation companies were looking for. While I was there, between the classes, fellow artists, an insatiable curiosity art, and passionate professors, I began to learn about what was out there, and the dream itself started to evolve.
Aside from class, I would go out with friends around town armed with a sketchbook, drawing at coffee houses, the beach, zoos, bookstores, you name it! Wherever I went, I had my sketchbook. Toward the end of school, I decided to pursue the visual commentary aspect of illustration. I got a job at a major news network (where I have been ever since), and figured that it would pay for my personal work. I was faced with the dilemma of not knowing what to make my art about. While studying illustration, we were given assignments and problems to solve, such as illustrating book covers or articles, with a huge emphasis on technique, style, and conceptualizing within the given assignment...but not really selfgenerating content, so when the time came where I was on my own, I didn’t have a clue what I wanted my work to be about. In the meantime, I worked, continued my sketchbook explorations, and started digging to see what I could find. It took me quite a bit, but then I started thinking about what was going through my life at the moment, the things that interested me, types of art, nature, books, how I felt about things, and then figuring out how I could apply all of it to my art. I guess it was just a matter of getting the ball rolling, because it hasn’t stopped since. Now it’s more about being open and receptive to things. I continue to evolve as an artist, finding new
opposite: Present
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S P O T L I G H T Alberto Mier ideas to explore, physically and conceptually. It’s very exciting; I never know where it’s going to take me.
How would you describe your art to people who have yet to see your work? I struggle trying to all the time. My work is a narrative about ourselves and our personal journeys--the things that we go through as individuals that truly connect us as a whole, and using the human figure as my main vehicle of expression.
Tell us about what influences your work: Just about everything: what’s going on in my life, family, events, nature (usually the tropics), music, books, movies, my heritage, other artists, masks, found objects..the list goes on and on and changes constantly. I try to keep the channels open, so to speak. Influence and inspiration can come from anyone, anywhere and anything. It’s all a matter of being receptive and recognizing it when it’s there.
Sopia
Is there a piece that is your favorite, and what makes you feel more of a connection to it than others? There really isn’t just one piece because it’s constantly changing. It’s a funny thing--I can immediately connect with a piece at the moment of completion, but sometimes that connection comes later, even years later. Like anything that you get too close to, stand back, take a break and you might see something that you didn’t see before. There are also pieces that are more special than others because of what happened in that moment of time. These are sometimes called “breakthrough pieces.” The latest for me was a piece called “Still Waters.”
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Save Me
Alberto Mier S P O T L I G H T
Orquidea
Communion
Hopeful Heart
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S P O T L I G H T Alberto Mier
Still Waters
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Alberto Mier S P O T L I G H T
To Be What I Want to Be
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S P O T L I G H T Alberto Mier
The Call
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Alberto Mier S P O T L I G H T What inspires you?
Any advice for fledgling artists?
My wife, daughters, music, yoga and people that do what they love and are passionate about it. I’m also learning how to play the ukulele, so you can throw that into the mix!
The process of making art is meant to be a freeing experience. Very few times a piece will come out exactly the way you planned, and that tends to lead to frustration. Just let it happen; it might be better than you expected. Also, keep a sketchbook. It’s the best place to find your voice as well as for trial and error without worry.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Turn of the century (1800s - early 1900s) Europe.
Who or what defines style to you? I don’t know how to really answer this, so I’ll break it down into subjects: art: The German Expressionists, particularly Egon Schiele place: Barcelona what: the beach day to day: my wife; she is quite fashionable.
Visit Alberto Mier at
www.albertomier.blogspot.com. www.miershow.blogspot.com.
Converse with Alberto Mier at:
albertomier@aol.com.
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S P O T L I G H T Sedgwick
Carly
photo: Sean Donnola
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Ashley
Sedgwick S P O T L I G H T
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W H AT I S T H E S T O RY O F S E D G W I C K ? For more years than we are probably willing to admit, we spent most Saturdays (and occasionally Sundays) exploring New York through a shopping lens. We’ve always loved clothing and accessories, and after years of working in the industry (on different sides of the business), we became really intrigued by product development. We’d toyed around with the idea of opening a boutique named Sedgwick, in which we’d sell a lot of different brands. But after a spontaneous conversation in the spring of 2010, we decided to try our hand at leather goods—mostly because we had always been looking for well-made, nontricky bags that were not suitcase-sized, and we’d never been able to find them. Modern Ink Magazine | 89
S P O T L I G H T Sedgwick How did the two of you meet? We both grew up in Wichita and our families have known each other for twenty-ish years. Carly’s sister, Sara, was Ashley’s best friend in high school. We both moved to New York roughly around the same time and began working in fashion almost immediately.
make sure everything is running smoothly. We’re always out and about in the Garment District, sourcing leather, finishing samples, and developing the custom hardware we use on our bags. On the weekends, we’ll occasionally have “meetings” at Café Gitane, which has been feeding us for almost 10 years. (Has it been 10 years?)
How did growing up in the Midwest influence your designs? Sedgwick has a definite aesthetic allegiance to the colors, textures, and attitude of the Midwestern landscape, although we’re interested in Americana in all its incarnations. We’re also very dedicated to producing our collection in the U.S.A, rather than overseas.
Who are your dream clients? Honestly, we already have them—our friends and family have been so supportive of Sedgwick, and they are proud to carry our bags every day.
Tell us what else influences your designs. Every season, we look to a different corner of the country for inspiration. Our first collection nodded to the landscapes of New Mexico, our second revolves around the colors of coastal Maine in the winter. For Spring 2012, we’ve developed some original canvas prints, inspired by the traditional motifs of the Great Plains, that were hand-painted for Sedgwick by an artist friend.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Right now, we’re dreaming of a week of yoga and vegan food at a wellness resort in Mexico— although the only trip scheduled so far is a trunk show at one of our boutiques in Los Angeles! What inspires you? The easy answer is art and ideas—the takeaway from all the books we read, music we experience, movies we watch, and people we encounter. Who or what embodies “style” to you? Ease, tailoring, individuality, and confidence.
Take us through a typical day in your studio. We don’t have a studio—we both work out of our apartments. We generally check email in the morning, and then talk on the phone as we are heading to our respective jobs. (We still both work full-time!) If we’re in production, we take turns going to our factory in midtown Manhattan to
C A N YO U G I V E A N Y A DV I C E TO FLEDGLING ENTREPRENEURS?
Cultivate fearlessness. No business is a guaranteed success, but if you lack a strong, clear vision, the challenges that accompany every start-up will really get you down. Keep forging ahead! V I S I T A S H L E Y A N D C A R LY AT : W W W . S E D G W I C K S T U D I O . C O M .
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Sedgwick S P O T L I G H T
s: Er
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JENN PAGE S P O T L I G H T Jenn Page
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Jenn Page S P O T L I G H T
F O R
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FILM Tell us how you became interested in filmmaking. I started out as an actor. After I graduated with my theatre performance degree at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville I moved to New York City (I loved the city, not the stage). I booked every single independent film I auditioned for there, but when I moved to Los Angeles, I couldn’t even get an audition, so I formed my own production company with some actor friends (FilmJack Productions) in order to star in our own projects. Our big order of business was to create a film festival. We shot five short films over five weekends (I starred in two, wrote one), and put it up for a panel of industry judges and a standing-room-only audience. The film I wrote and starred in won best short, best director, best cinematographer, and best actress--that film festival was the best boot camp film school, and I didn’t even have to pay a dime. Producing and acting were great, but somewhere along the line I decided to pick up a camera and shoot a little homemade music video. I can’t really tell you why I got the bug, maybe it was the control freak in me, but I had to do it. I took my little home video camera and shot various scenes to make a story to Chris Daughtery’s “I’m Going Home.” I remember doing camera moves on top of the cliff, and riding in the back of a pick up truck doing a hand held shot as we followed a motorcycle, and feeling like a total bad-ass...I loved every minute of it. I then taught myself to edit on Final Cut Pro and finished the video. I found that I loved editing to music (which helped!). When it was completed I put it on YouTube, and it got such great responses I made another video. In the next video, I decided to play with lighting, so I picked a more dramatic song, “The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars. I just turned the camera on myself and hit record under different lighting scenarios
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S P O T L I G H T Jenn Page
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Jenn Page S P O T L I G H T
and different emotional performances. When edited together, it was actually evoking emotional responses from female audiences. I had found my niche but didn’t realize it at the time, so when I decided to shoot my first short film as a director, I picked a slightly off kilter story, “Pubert.” It was a comedy written by my writing partner (and love of my life--Jason Dubin) and me, loosely based on his life and various events that had happened to him. We stuck all the events into one day on a walk home from school. The film starred all kids and centered around the title character, just trying to make his way home from school but had all kinds of distractions along the way. Pubert was played by David Gore, who is a genuinely funny kid, and I enjoyed working with David and the kids so much that Jason and I created a web series based on the Pubert character. In the web series, he was trying to get his movie made with the help of his very unhelpful friends. What the Pubert web series made me realize was that I really loved the story between Pubert and his dream girl. I knew then that I wanted to make Romantic Comedies. Thus, LUVumentary was born. The romantic dramedy web series allowed me to focus on writing for romantic comedy situations as well as get the chance to act again. I starred in, directed, and filmed most of it. We had zero dollars, so the production value wasn’t even near great, but the characters and story were exactly what I wanted, and my true calling was solidified--directing was most definitely my passion. Talk to us about the things that influence your work. My work is definitely influenced by the notion of ‘ideal love.’ The idea that people go to great lengths to feel love is just astonishing. Whenever I take a moment to think about the woman who changes who she is to be with a certain man, or the daughter who doesn’t live her dream so she
can please her father’s wishes, or the nurse who takes gruff from the doctor just to stay by her patient’s side, I’m blown away. Why do human beings behave this way? We all have changed who we are or failed to stand-up for something we believe in at one point or another in order to feel love. But isn’t real love fighting for what you believe in? I want my stories to help women see that they should be who they are, stand up for themselves, and follow their dreams, because in the end the love they feel for themselves is what will matter most. What has been your favorite project? My favorite project to date is the one I’m currently working on, Love or War. In the movie, Katie wants to keep her career on track, but when she meets Brent, her world is flipped upside down and love finds it’s way, despite her best efforts to keep it out. We watch them over a period of their life, from meeting in college to after he dies in the war--we get to see them in love and in war. It’s the perfect marriage of romantic elements, not to mention, I’m at a better point in my directing career to pull off the type of movie I want to despite (still) not having money to make the movie. It’s my first feature film that I’m directing as well as the first time my writing partner (Jason) and I have really been able to dig our teeth into a gritty subject that still has lots of heart. My director of photography, Shian Storm, is top notch. He’s making the most beautiful pictures and is pretty much working for free. He never complains... just listens to what I want and makes it happen. My cast is unbelievably awesome. I could not be happier with their talent and dedication. My lead, Sheila Daley, goes above and beyond everyday to help in any way she can and she still brings the most beautiful performances. Her co-star, Jade Carter, is a joy to be around: no ego, no attitude, just hard work and a bright personality. I could go on about each cast member and how lucky I am to have them. I’ve always created relaxed sets where everyone feels good working together, but this movie is a dream.
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S P O T L I G H T Jenn Page
What filmmakers do you look to for inspiration and influence? I don’t think that I look to specific filmmakers for inspiration. I find that great movies are absolutely the biggest inspiration for my work. Anytime I see a movie that makes me cry, laugh, think, or cheer, I run out of the theatre ready to make my next film. I have a strong desire to make films that emotionally impact audiences. I want them to laugh, but when they are laughing I want to hit them with that jab to the heart that makes them cry. Films like P.S. I Love You, 500 Days of Summer, and my favorite movie of all time Love Actually did just that with such style, I will always be seeking the next script that can impact audiences in the same way. I want to make films that are not speaking down to female audiences, but instead are speaking to them. I find that actors really inspire and influence me the most. I’ve written two features now both with Kathy Bates and Sandra Bullock in mind for the leads. Kate Winslet, Johnny Depp, Robin Williams, Colin Firth, and Kiera Knightley are a few others, who when I watch them, I get excited to make films. Really great actors take our imaginations further than we knew they could go. They take a character an ordinary actor would do in an ordinary way, and they make that character pop, sparkle, and wow us. That is completely inspirational. However, there are many filmmakers that I admire. I couldn’t possibly list them all here, but a few that come to mind are Baz Luhrman (he’s just a cinematic genius), Gore Verbinski (anyone that can scare the pants off me with The Ring then make one of the most fun movies ever Pirates
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of the Caribbean is alright with me), and Chris Nolan (just wow!). I also find that my fellow indie filmmakers and self-producing actors are most inspiring. They hit one road block after another and they still keep going. We come together as a community to cheer each other on and watch each other grow. Inspiring. What else inspires you ? Love. Feeling loved, loving others, seeing the love people are capable of even in the darkest of times. I’m a mom, a grandma, and a spouse. Seeing my loved ones excel and succeed at their dreams is such a turn-on. Seeing them happy in the simplest way makes me happy to no end. Everything I do is in order to make their worlds a better place in every way. When it’s all said and done, when you are taking your last breath on your deathbed, are you regretting that you didn’t work enough, or that you didn’t buy that limited edition pair of shoes? No. You are thinking about the people you love, the people you lost, maybe even how your little dog Spot will be alone without you, but never anything other than love. I’m inspired by people who go above and beyond to make a difference both in small and big ways. Whether it’s the kid who stands up for a friend being bullied or the soldier who fights for our freedom, my heart melts over those stories. I think people like Jamie Oliver (with his Food Revolution), Oprah, and even the Extreme Home Makeover team are just fascinating. They take their worldwide platform, their fame, their money, and they make a difference however they can. They pour their hearts and souls into their work and don’t hide who they are or what they are trying to do. That is so inspiring. It makes me want to be a better person...which all goes back to love.
Jenn Page S P O T L I G H T
You’ve lived a full life at thirty-four and been involved in a variety of the arts...what accomplishments are you most proud of ? Forming my own production company was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done for my career. Luminave Films has allowed me to not only create work for myself, but I’ve been able to begin branching off and helping other women realize their dreams as well. We’ve also branched out into a division called Reel Star Makers, where we help actors create quality material for their reels. By writing tailor made roles for them and shooting them low budget/high quality, we are helping actors take careers into their own hands. I’m so proud of where we have come from and where we are heading. The Science of Disney Imagineering that I produced for The Walt Disney Company, was definitely one of my most memorable projects. It was a half million dollar stage show we were given half the needed budget to complete. Working from L.A. to get a show produced in New York City was challenging, but when it was all said and done, I loved the experience, and the show was received well by audiences and critics. Love or War is by far my biggest endeavor as an indie producer and director, and I’m so very proud that despite the odds against us we are getting the film done, and it looks beautiful. I’m proud of my anti-prop 8 short film Love Unconditional, as it’s making it’s way around the web via YouTube. I’ve received so much feedback from people worldwide about how they loved it, or how it somehow helped them...as a filmmaker, you can’t ask for more than that.
I know that thus far, my career accomplishments are small compared with what’s to come. I plan to make an impact on audiences on a bigger scale, and from there, use any power I might have to help better the world in any way I can. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? I have a disturbing fascination with London. I’m sure it stems from my favorite movie of all time having an entirely British cast set in Europe, and one of my favorite TV shows “Absolutely Fabulous” being a British show. People often tell me that London is cold and stuffy, but if all those hilarious actors come from there it can’t be too bad! I’m also in love with Italy. I’ve only visited there in my mind and through movies, but I just want to spend a month on the Italian countryside eating pasta until I can’t fit into my pants anymore. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I might actually die if I don’t get to go there this year. If only I could simply apparate. Who or What embodies “style” to you? Style is a Baz Luhrman film, slick, sexy, and full of heart. Style is lifting up a friend when they are down. Style is sporting a “Gleek” cap on a Sunday afternoon, laughing with your close girl friends over the booger flavored Bertie Botts, lounging on the porch swing with your spouse, or dressin’ like a rock star to see your eight-year-old play guitar in Battle of the Bands. Style is a good attitude, positivity, doing (not talking), caring, giving, living your life to the fullest, no regrets. Style is being true to yourself despite what others think, and building up those around you so they can fulfill their true potential. All the Gucci sunglasses and Prada bags in the world mean nothing if you don’t live your life with love, kindness, and confidence. Having those elements embodies style…and style is sexy.
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S P O T L I G H T Jenn Page
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Jenn Page S P O T L I G H T
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S P O T L I G H T Jenn Page
What advice to you have for fledgling filmmakers? Specificity, passion, persistence, and community. Those four words will be your key to success. Specificity. Be specific about what it is you WANT and WHERE it is you are going. Once you get specific on your goals, then do only very specific actions that take you there. Don’t dabble in everything, and don’t try to take on too much because you think something will stick...do specific tasks to take you to your specific goal. Passion. Only do what you are passionate about. If you don’t absolutely love what you are doing, then do something else. If you are going to work on a web series or feature film, you have to realize you are locking yourself into a year long journey, so you’d better be passionate about the material. There are days I forget that I get paid for my work because I’m doing what I love. Whatever drives you, whatever fires you up, make it present in your work or your work will bore audiences. Persistence. It sucks to keep hearing that you just have to be persistent, but it’s true. Becoming a successful filmmaker is not a sprint. It’s a long distance run. You can’t be bothered by the word “no” and you can’t let anyone tell you that you won’t make it. As a matter of fact, anyone around you needs to be supportive of your career, or you need to remove them from your life. Which brings us to… Community. Surround yourself with the most talented, hard-working, dedicated filmmakers you can. Don’t allow anyone in your circle that is just a talker. My producer friend, Jenna Edwards, once said “It’s not 1980 anymore. Gone are the days when you can sit around talking about making movies because as you’re talking about doing it, some kid with a flipcam is recording you talking about it and releasing it on Youtube.” You need people who are positive. You should be each other’s cheerleaders. If the people around you aren’t building you up, then they are breaking you down, and that is the worst situation to be in while trying to make your dreams come true. Use Twitter and Facebook to find filmmakers outside of your normal circle. Everyone I work with now I met through social media platforms. I’ve gotten rid of anyone who was negative for me. Be the person who always posts congrats on your wall about them, and who helps promote their film. Be the person who is an asset to have around. Get out there and make it happen! Visit Jenn at www.JennPage.com, www.LuminaveFilms.com, www.Facebook.com/JennPageFilmmaker, and www.LoveOrWarMovie.com. * Brownie Points is Jenn’s short film currently on the festival circuit. It was directed by Jenn and stars Ben Mathes & Sheila Daley. It’s been received well but... they don’t have future dates yet, and Love or War will be released on DVD (and hopefully Netflix) in early 2012. Jenn is currently looking for professional, polished scripts in the Rom Com/Dramedy or Family Dramedy genre. Submissions should be sent to Scripts@LuminaveFilms.com.
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S P O T L I G H T Jess Camilla O’Neal
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Jess Camilla O’Neal S P O T L I G H T
JESS CAMILLA
O ’ N Seasoned E Ain L the
Midwest
Tell us how Jess Camilla came to be, from avid boot collector, to singer/songwriter, and now clothing designer. I was raised on a ranch in Buffalo Valley, Wyoming. I was never the little girl to play dolls and dress-up. Every chance I got, I was riding horses; when I wasn’t riding I was practicing the piano. I deeply loved music and horses...not much has changed over the past twenty years, but now the love is on a much grander scale! I began writing songs when I was seventeen. I had been in a bad accident that shattered both my legs and my face, and I was confined to a hospital bed for nine months, and then a wheel chair for the next couple of years. I had always been a very active person, so just laying around in a bed made me twitchy. I decided to learn how to play the guitar and started writing songs to help process some of the emotions I was going through--things took off from there. Once I was back-up and walking again, I began performing all over...always wearing a pair of my grandmother’s cowboy boots she had given me. She had them custom-made out of crocodile, and they had turquoise tops--pretty flashy for 1946, but Grandma Billie had style. People were always asking me where I got my boots. I started really studying vintage cowboy boots...the styles and the quality intrigued me in comparison to the boots of today. I fell naturally into designing clothing because it has an incredible creative process, as does music, and even riding horses. I love anything that takes true creative process: songwriting, singing, designing clothes, fashion, breaking a colt--all these things require attention, being present in the moment, and allowing yourself to be open to the process and the amazing flow that is life.
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S P O T L I G H T Jess Camilla O’Neal
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Jess Camilla O’Neal S P O T L I G H T
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S P O T L I G H T Jess Camilla O’Neal Describe your music to people who haven’t heard it. It’s fresh mountain music with a western flare, inspired by the amazing nature, views and life of the Wyoming I love so dearly! Is there a song you are most proud of, and what makes the connection to it greater than your connection to others? I am most proud of the first song I ever wrote. I was seventeen, faced with the incredibly grim possibility of never walking again. Listening to the lyrics of that song now, many years later, I realize my life was simpler in ways and more reflective, honest!
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Tell us about what influences your singing and songwriting...are the influences different from those of your designing? Life influences me, the literal seasons changing, and the seasons of our own lives--the colors of each of those are much like the colors of our moods. Incredible people inspire me to be greater, to dig deeper, and to stretch further. I’m as easily inspired to write a song as I am to design an outfit--trying to be open emotionally and viewing everything as an opportunity to be inspired. Nature is my biggest inspiration: sunrise colors, trees, earth... all these are the greatest fuel for any type of creativity.
Jess Camilla O’Neal S P O T L I G H T Talk to us about how you became interested in collecting cowboy boots? Is there boot designing in your future? I suppose it began with that pair of my grandmother’s boots...then I started buying so many vintage boots for myself that my husband told me I needed to start selling some if we wanted to live in the same house, so I began to sell them. I will design boots before my life is over; I just don’t know when! What inspires you? Other people being amazing at their craft, whatever it may be, inspire me the most, along with nature. I’m awed by the will of life...how it keeps going, and it can either be colorful or dull. We choose our palette. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? I have traveled quite a bit of the world, but right now I’m feeling Mediterranean, and need to be inspired by Europe. Who or what embodies “style” to you? Confidence, flare, individuality, taking chances, but still knowing what is you. If you could perform for anyone, who would it be? Wow. Who would I perform for? That is tough...I guess anyone who’s willing to listen! I love performing--it’s my gift to share with others. Sometimes my song is all I have to give in certain situations, but sometimes all a person needs is a song to inspire them, cheer them up, or heal their heart. This may be cliche, but we want to know! What will your life look like ten years from now? In ten years I see myself performing, writing, riding, singing, incredibly happy, maybe with a few kids hanging off my hips, a nice herd of horses in the corral at my ranch in Wyoming, and my handsome cowboy husband holdin’ my hand and gettin’ ready to step into the next great adventure. Oh, and of course, I’ll be wearing a great, colorful pair of vintage cowgirl boots!
Visit Jess Camilla online at www.camillaoneal.com, and snag her album “Eyes to the Skyline” on itunes or CDBaby under Camilla O’Neal.
photo credit: Arnica Spring Photography
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S P O T L I G H T Luggage Tag U.S.A.
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aska
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Photography & Styling: Dixie Pixel Words: Modern Ink Model: Jill Woolsey
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S P O T L I G H T Luggage Tag U.S.A.
And she landed. Airily dazed on the clo
too distant. Too intrusive with it’s pomp
Here, she could wander without wor
billowy arms...veiled just enough to gli
ensconced she could remain lost...her
familiar, roundness within roundness.
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oud, thank God, because the blue was
pous crispness...calculated and biting.
rry, without judgement, hidden within
ide about unnoticed, but not so deeply
re she would shift concentrically in the
...lucid and untainted in it’s simplicity.
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S P O T L I G H T Luggage Tag U.S.A.
Hingham, Massachusetts Don’t be fooled by it’s small-town name--Hingham, Massachusetts is by no means a town to be skipped over on your way to the big city. This colonial town, just under fifteen miles south of Boston, is situated with over twenty miles of shoreline along the cool waters of the northern Atlantic. Hingham Beach (as well as it’s surrounding beaches) is perfect for solitary introspection or romantic walks after you’ve spent the day strolling down and admiring the antique homes dotting historic Main Street, picnicking at World’s End Park with it’s breath-taking views of Boston, it’s splendid walking trails and vantage points (especially during peak season, when the leaves put on one of the most exquisite shows in the northeast), shopping in Hingham Square, or grabbing an authentic New England clam chowder from one of it’s quaint downtown restaurants. Nature buffs should plan to take in Wompatuck State Park, the place to be for day hikes and bike riding, as well as indulging in Mt. Blue Spring, a source within in the park for fresh drinking water (and, it’s free...you can’t beat that). The park also has campsites available for those who wish to extend their park visit. Should you decide to pry yourself away from Hingham for the day to head into Boston, be sure to take the commuter boat that departs from the Hingham Shipyard--it’s a bit longer than driving into the city, but the views entering Boston Harbor’s Rowes Wharf are definitely worth the extra few minutes.
To plan your Hingham vacation please visit: www.hingham-ma.com.
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S P O T L I G H T Wanderlust
Amsterdam, The Netherlands BY MILLER MAIN
Wether you are visiting for the unparalleled fairytale-esque bike views, the sheer hum of curiosities dripping from each street corner or to experience the cultural delights through museums and churches, Amsterdam will find you, without a doubt, in awe of her classically whimsical Dutch architecture consistently reflected in canal paths and quaint houseboats strewn throughout her water streets. Long thought of as the bad-boy (or girl) of Europe, a trip through the Jordaan or down the Prinsengracht proves that Amsterdam is clearly enigmatic at the most, or at the least, misunderstood. Less “rebellious” and more “tolerant,” it is certainly a haven for those exploring other formats of mind, but far less than one would imagine. The city is bright, quirky, and colorful, deeply steeped in their history but very much embracing their present and future.
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Wanderlust S P O T L I G H T
SEE The Van Gogh Museum: This is the largest holding of Van Gogh art in the world...overwhelmingly so. Take the self-guided tour to get into the mind of the mysterious artist. The majority of art is his, but there is also a floor housing the work other artists such as Picasso and Monet. www.vangoghmuseum.nl The Anne Frank House: If you are hoping for more intensity, there are no words to describe the emotional journey one takes when walking through the home and hiding place of Anne Frank. The culmination of the tour is made more powerful by gazing at her actual journal under glass and hearing the testimony of her father on video, as the sole surviving member of her family. Get there early during the work week to avoid exasperatingly long lines. www.annefrank.org Vondelpark: Vondelpark is an outdoor enthusiasts’ dream. It is over 100 acres of green space peppered by ponds, lush and overgrown trees, and trails within the city. It’s the perfect place for a quick getaway after spending time at one of the many museums located just footsteps away. www.amsterdam.info/parks/vondelpark Bloemenmarkt: Should you visit Amsterdam’s Bloemenmarkt because it is the last remaining floating flower market in the city or because of the scent that surrounds you when you enter the vendor’s stalls located on houseboats along the Singel canal. That’s up to you, but it’s a definite must-see, not to mention, the easiest way to perk up your hotel room is with an arrangement of freshly cut local flowers.
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S P O T L I G H T Wanderlust
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S P O T L I G H T Wanderlust
DO Take a canal cruise: Ok. This admittedly sounds revoltingly “touristy.” But you are a tourist, and this is one of the easiest and quickest way to see and discover Amsterdam... by water. These tours have easy to follow jumpon-jump-off stops, so you can actually use it almost as you would a bus. It’s not necessary, but it’s classy to tip your tour guide. www.amsterdamcitytours.com/boat-tours.html Rent a bike: If taking a canal cruise made you feel a bit too touristy, rent a bike and buzz around town with the locals...it is one of the most bike-friendly cities. Cruise the Amstel River, or if you are feeling really adventurous, bike to Harleem. If you do bike to Harleem, you might want to plan on taking the train back into Amsterdam. (Be sure that the train you take is bike-friendly.) Sample the chocolate: Perhaps this goes without saying, but for the love of everything that is pure...try the chocolate! You can’t really go wrong with chocolate to begin with, but some great choices are: Van Soest, a family run chocolatier. www.vansoest-amsterdam.nl, or Puccini Bonboni, a beautiful setting and superb delicacies. www.puccinibomboni.com Catch a show at the Paridiso: It doesn’t really matter what your musical genre preferences are, the Paridiso has something that matches your taste, whether you are into Franz Ferdinand, the Black Crowes or David Bowie. The bonus is that the venue, formerly a church, is located in Leidesplein, one of Amsterdam’s primary nightlife squares, so enjoying a pre or post show cocktail takes nothing more than stepping out of the Paridiso and into the square. www.paradiso.nl/web/show
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Wanderlust S P O T L I G H T
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S P O T L I G H T Wanderlust
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Wanderlust S P O T L I G H T
EAT There are far too many delicious food options in Amsterdam to just write about a few, so instead, here’s the shortlist of places to try: Bordewijk: If you like trendy fusion spots with a great wine list and fab cheeses, look no further. www.bordewijk.nl De Kas: This restaurant is located in a former greenhouse...need I say more? www.restaurantdekas.nl Van Puffelen: Red meats...gin varieties...sold! www.restaurantvanpuffelen.com Supper Club: If you are hipper than hip, here’s your sweet spot...ultra modern, ultra cool, music, food, entertainment, everything. The fearful need not apply. No really...don’t say you weren’t warned! www.supperclub.com/html/amsterdam Bond: Classic and Classy. You’d expect nothing less with such an aptly named restaurant. www.restaurantbond.nl Cafe Luxembourg: Come here to people watch, eat good food, and drink strong coffee. www.luxembourg.nl Pancake Bakery: Classic Dutch pancakes live here...come feast upon them. (Just remember they aren’t anything like the thick Ihop pancakes back home.) www.pancake.nl
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S P O T L I G H T Wanderlust
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Wanderlust S P O T L I G H T
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S P O T L I G H T Wanderlust
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Wanderlust S P O T L I G H T
SHOP Kitsch Kitchen If you’ve ever wondered what “kitsch” means, you will find the definition here. This giant shop is filled with brightly colored tchotchkes, oilcloths, Day of the Dead memorabilia, and funky stationery. It’s definitely worth having a look around. www.kitschkitchen.nl/home/home_uk.php Albert Cuypmarket: This is one of the largest classically Dutch open air markets around. Vendors sell everything from plants to clothes from all over the world...bring a wallet with more than just plastic...no credit cards accepted. www.albertcuypmarkt.com De Kaaskamer: If you love cheese, not only are you in the right city, but you’ve found the perfect shop. Their assortment is mildly overwhelming, but fortunately, they vacuum pack cheeses if you are traveling, meaning you can actually buy more and worry less about freshness. www.kaaskamer.nl Spiegelkwartier: Antiques and art are in abundance in these traditional Dutch styled homes close to the Rijksmuseum. This neighborhood contains over seventy shops selling delftware, jewelry, and other enviable goods. And not to worry, there are plenty of food stops and restaurants in the neighborhood, as well. www.e-xperience.nl/spiegelkwartier
A FEW NOTES: 1. The “coffee shops” do sell coffee, but they also sell, um... other goods. If you are only looking for coffee, try the cafés. 2. Fall weather can be chilly and rainy, so remember to pack an umbrella and a jacket. 3. Bring comfortable walking shoes...you can walk everywhere from Leidesplein to Centrum, and it’s a great way to see the city and canals. 4. The locals are more than happy to speak to you in English, but for the sake of politeness and appearing cultured, learn a few phrases in Dutch and give them a try!
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S P O T L I G H T Ingrained
GET THE LOOK
AMSTE
WITH THESE SMART
Bean French Coffee Maker $24.95 www.bodum.com
Druzy Button Cuff $198 www.anthropologie.com
Windmill Pillow $175 www.jonathanadler.com Van Gogh’s Skull with Burning Cigarette $199 www.art.com Modern Ink Magazine | 134
Mackage $416 www.blufly.com
Ingrained S P O T L I G H T
K AND FEEL OF
ERDAM
T AND CHIC PIECES.
Laguiole Natura 3 Piece Cheese Tool Set $29.95 www.crateandbarrell.com
Marc by Marc Jacobs Duffle $298 www.revolveclothing.com
DVF Oversized Square Sunglasses $125 www.piperlime.com
Veronica Slouch by Frye $288 www.zappos.com
Studine Classic Pricing varies www.velorbis.com Modern Ink Magazine |135
S H E L F L I F E Book Banter
book banter REMEMBER BEN CLAYTON By Stephen Harrigan Set in the wake of the First World War, Remember Ben Clayton wonderfully captures the heart of a lost generation. Yet it is not the artists gallivanting around Paris that he centers his story on, but those lost and wounded, both emotionally and physically, who people the everydayness of our country and our world: those who face mortality, deformity, dishonesty, and ambition, and are unable to completely reconcile themselves to the lives they are leading or heal the relationships that they have damaged. This beautifully rendered novel by Stephen Harrigan captures the reader immediately in a web of familial conflicts and overbearing grief. The story follows the commission of a sculpture to honor a young man, Ben Clayton, who was killed in France during WWI. His father is a Texas cattle rancher and wishes to capture the spirit of his boy in the depiction of him and his favorite horse, which he will place on a lonesome rise in the middle of his vast lands, overlooking a spread of beautiful, if desolate, Texas range. The sculptor he hires is Gil Gilheaney, an aging man who has spent his life on the verge of greatness, but for whom art is something which must not be compromised. He approaches his craft with purism and a dedication to the realism of the subject, needing to fully understand the motivations of his figure. As he learns more about his subject and the complicated relationship between him and his father, an intriguing mystery unveils itself, which Gil must unravel in order to do justice to the statue of the lonely cowboy. Letters from
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by Lindsay Saint Clair
Ben’s friend on the front raise questions about his death and further complicate the sculptor’s understanding of Ben’s character, as well as how he can best ensure the truth of the final sculpture’s rendering. While this is the main plot that drives Harrigan’s latest Texas novel, the lives of the fully developed characters provide the real meat of the narrative. Gil is an old man who has secrets and failures he would like to remain buried but that surface within the construct of the novel. Lamar Clayton, Ben’s father who has commissioned the sculpture, is also a man of mysteries and deeply hidden wounds that have affected his family and his relationships. Gil’s daughter, Maureen, and Ben’s comrade in arms, Arthur, are characters who feel their lives have slipped away beyond their ability to reach them and struggle with how to continue in a world that is not what they had imagined it would be. The depth of the characters, Harrigan’s ability to sculpt their inner desires and pains, is a triumph in its own right. However, while the book is also a beautiful treatise on the power of art and truth to address wounds, Harrigan reminds the reader at constant that loss and brokenness cannot be fixed by artifice, or perhaps at all. Remember Ben Clayton is a delight to read. The complexity of the relationships and the depth with which Harrigan has enlivened the characters are only outdone by his ability to capture the Texas landscape and the war torn Devastated Zone in France. Battle scenes are written with powerful violence and drama, yet he manages to infuse the quiet of the landscape with the same measured potential for danger and longing. This is a beautifully written novel that is both moving and thought provoking, although elegiac at its heart.
“It was a deluded, heartbroken dream of a commission, not so much a statue as an apparition. But here was a real chance to create a monument that was not carefully ushered into being by committees of city fathers or boards of directors or clubwomen, but by one man’s private grief.”
Book Banter S H E L F L I F E THE WEIRD SISTERS By Eleanor Brown Eleanor Brown’s The Weird Sisters is a lively debut, which leads the reader deep into the lives of a bibliophile family who are more connected to their books than they are to one another. Their father, a Shakespeare scholar who has named each daughter after a character from the immortal bard, speaks to them, almost entirely, in Shakespearean quotes, and they have been raised so that they answer him and each other also in the same manner. Although they have all gone their separate ways, the sisters are drawn back to their familial home when their mother becomes sick, yet they have mainly returned to lick their wounds from their failed lives, each within their own berth of solitude within the house. This is a book of relationships and redemption, in which the characters are reeling from the expectations they had for their own lives, along with the distance between these expectations and where they currently find themselves. But within the small college town where they were raised, they find upon returning the strength and connection to move forward, and the tenuous beginnings of bonds with each other as well. BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP By S. J. Watson Before I Go to Sleep is S. J. Watson’s first novel, and it sits uneasily between the genres of fiction and a thriller. The novel is wonderfully rich and rendered with intricate understanding of the characters and their emotions, yet the end of the novel tends towards the cheaper dime-novel plot that the rest of the novel has not prepared us to encounter.
Within the book, the main character is a woman who has a rare form of amnesia, in which she wakes each day with no idea who she is or where she is, or even that she is middleaged. She can remember nothing since her adolescence, and her husband must painstakingly reintroduce her to herself and her life. At some point just before the opening of the novel, she has begun to see a doctor and keep a journal, which allows her to record what she has learned, and to begin each day with an understanding of a continuous life. What she discovers as she keeps the journal is that her husband is telling half-truths and outright lies, and she begins to suspect an intrigue of sorts. Part thriller, part intellectual mystery, and part wonderful novel, this is a great showing by Watson and will keep the reader turning page after page, fascinated. DIVERGENT By Veronica Roth Veronica Roth, at twenty-two years of age, has cornered the market on Young Adult/ Crossover fiction with the release of her debut novel, Divergent. The first in what will be a trilogy, the novel brings the reader into a fully conceived and imaginative dystopian, futuristic Chicago in which society is separated into different factions based on which virtue they value most highly. At sixteen, everyone must choose which faction they will spend their entire lives in, and whichever faction they have grown up in, if it’s not the same, will be forever lost to them. Protagonist Beatrice must make the decision, and the story follows her difficult introduction and initiation into her chosen faction. This novel carries a powerful kick for lovers of dystopian fiction in its structure and layout, along with the romance typical of the young adult genre. This is the summer blockbuster of novels. Look forward to the next two books, which promise to be equally hard to put down.
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S H E L F L I F E Listed
Modern Ink Mag’s editorial director, Rachel Wood Turner QUIRKY
The Happiness Project: or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning by Gretchen Rubin
COFFEE TABLE
The History of American Graffiti by Roger Gastman & Caleb Neelon
PAGE TURNER
The Passage by Justin Cronin
HISTORICAL FICTION
ANTHOLOGY
MEMOIR
Stones Fall by Iain Pears
Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer edited by Robert Swartwood
Honeymoon with my Brother by Franz Wisner
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DEBUT
Beneath the L by Maaza M
BIOGRA
Slas by Slash and An
Listed S H E L F L I F E
r, tells what’s on her list of autumn reads and re-reads: NOVEL
Lion’s Gaze Mengiste
APHICAL
sh nthony Bozza
ECO-THEMED
Same Place More Space by Karl Champley
INTERNATIONAL
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
BOOK TO FILM
POETRY
Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath & Ted Hughes (editor)
GRAPHIC NOVEL
PHOTOGRAPHY
The Walking Dead: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman
For Now author: William Eggleston editor: Michael Almereyda
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S H E L F L I F E Listed
MAGICAL REALISM
COOKBOOK
FASHION
Emilio Pucci by Vanessa Friedman
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez
Campfire Cookery: Adventuresome Recipes and Other Curiosities for the Great Outdoors by Sarah Huck & Jaimee Young
HOME DECOR
TRAVEL
CLASSIC
Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer by Chuck Thompson
Henry and June: From “A Journal of Love The Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin by Anais Nin
Modern Vintage Style by Emily Chalmers
All titles “listed” are available on www.amazon.com.
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WHAT’S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER?
ReadZEBRA.com Find books you’ll love… ‘cause they’re not just black and white when they’re read.
Book reviews, recommendations and a dynamic way to search for the next book you’ll love to read 2011 readzebra.com all rights reserved
S E N S E D Eavesdropping
Tell us your
equation for the perfect partner: “Simple: Kim Kardashian for her smokin’ hot body, Madonna for her confidence, and Paris Hilton for her money!”
“A guy who is as popular as Reagan was, is as brainy as Steve Jobs is, but who eternally looks like Colin Firth, would definitely get my vote.”
“I’ve already got the perfect guy, but if I could mix it up a bit, he would have listening skills like Mr. Rogers, have the compassion of Gandhi, and be dark and brooding with top-notch parental instincts, like Darth Vader (ok, I’m being sarcastic on that last bit).”
“Prince William, Mark Zuckerberg, and Andy Samberg, swirled together into the perfectly pedigreed, hilarious, wealthy guy.”
“My perfect man would be a combination of James Dean’s looks and rebellion, Donald Trump’s wallet, and Hugh Hefner’s sex drive.”
Write us at hello@moderninkmag.com, and tell us how you keep your temperature raised when the thermostat starts to drop!
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Eavesdropping S E N S E D
“Sid Vicious without the drug problems...but then again, I guess he wouldn’t be Sid without them!”
“The ideal woman would have the style of Jackie Kennedy, the grace of Coco Chanel, and be mixed together with some serious, SERIOUS aspects of Heidi Klum.”
“MILLA JOVOVICH.” “My sweetie is Clint Eastwood and Jason Segel mixed with a bit of Richard Gere from An Officer and A Gentleman.”
“The looks of my boyfriend + the sense of humor of my boyfriend my boyfriend’s family = my perfect boyfriend remixed.”
“Any woman who looks like Halle Berry, but is as mysterious as Michelle Williams, and who sounds like Emily Blunt while delivering humor like Tina Fey would be ideal--and probably unavailable.”
“50 percent Lenny Kravitz and 50 percent Jared Leto...am I too picky?!”
“Mila Kunis in Black Swan, with splashes of Rachel Bilson and Catherine Zeta Jones. Yes. I have a type.”
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S E N S E D Listen Up
Gibson Penn gives us his view on new albums. THE BIG ROAR
The Joy Formidable www.thejoyformidable.com There is something magical about combining soft, feminine vocals with a loud, pounding, overdriven rock outfit, and The Joy Formidable has it. Hailing from Wales, Ritzy Bryan (vocals/guitar) and Rhydian Dafydd (vocals/bass) have been friends ever since school, writing together for sometime. Emerging from several previous bands, Bryan and Dafydd added double-bass pedal-inclined drummer, Matt Thomas, and The Joy Formidable was born. To say their music is epic is an understatement. By the forty second mark of “Buoy” (the first song of theirs I heard), I was thinking: “This is BIG.” Melody driven with the innocent, and almost child-like at times voice of Bryan, there is no lack of distorted guitar, fuzz pedaled bass, and thick reverb, making background music seem more like a texture or a mood than a live performance. Make no mistake, The Joy Formidable may be sonically experimental, but they are here to ROCK. The Big Roar is to be played loudly, whether it’s while you’re alone listening on headphones, or on your stereo at a late night party, with the crew’s heads banging and fists in the air. High Points: The almost dizzying and deep straight-forward rock of “Whirring” and the contrasting echoey, soft to loud verse and chorus of “Buoy.”
TA K I N G B A C K S U N D AY Taking Back Sunday www.takingbacksunday.com
It’s been far too long since the original members of the Long Island based five-member band, Taking Back Sunday, have released an album. Though they separated before the band made it onto a major label, the rock gods have smiled upon us, and the guys have put aside their differences to deliver their latest self-titled album. Taking Back Sunday found itself back in the studio with Eric Valentine, the producer behind the evolution of the band’s sound when recording Louder Now, the band’s critically acclaimed major label debut. The product of merging the original line-up with Valentine is a solid album that transcends Louder Now in terms of sophistication, but echoes the old sound and energy the guys have kept as the foundation of all of their work since Tell All Your Friends....this is the perfect example of melding the old with the new.
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Listen Up S E N S E D Taking Back Sunday has always been about the “rock,” and their latest offering certainly doesn’t disappoint. Typical are the solid bass lines and interesting lead guitar work, as the melodies are echoed between lead singer, Adam Lazzara, and John Nolan, guitarist and singer. The tracks have consistent emotional raw lyrics and dynamics that Taking Back Sunday is known for. Whether you are an old fan (as I am), or someone who’s looking for a rock band unafraid to bare their soul, pick up the new Taking Back Sunday and turn up the volume. Taking Back Sunday is perfect background music anytime you need to get pumped up, be it before a big test, a job interview, or a long run. High points: The fast-paced and oddly titled “Best Places To Be A Mom,” along with the ballad we can all relate to describing the night following a big argument, “Call Me In The Morning.”
DAMNESIA
Alkaline Trio www.alkalinetrio.com I’m not sure exactly why it works, but there is something perfect about punk rock when performed acoustically. Damnesia is Alkaline Trio’s shot at that perfection. The three piece Illinois band is back with their eighth studio album, consisting of some of their greatest hits, old favorites, two new tracks, and of course, a Violent Femmes cover song...all performed in semi-acoustic fashion. Alkaline Trio is known for their lighthearted approach to dark subjects (death, dying, cemeteries, Charlie Manson, vampires, etc) by making songs catchy and upbeat. If you haven’t heard of these guys before, Damnesia is your easily accessible survey of the band’s prior work. I dare you to resist tapping your foot after pushing play and listening to them sing about a “killer on the corner...looking for love” on the first track, “Calling All Skeletons.” You might think it difficult to rock without being plugged in...Alkaline Trio will change your mind. Damnesia is the ideal aural atmosphere to a relaxing fall evening with friends, having drinks after the stars have come out till just before the clock strikes midnight. High Points: The sweet melodies that make you dismiss the dark nature of “Mercy Me” and the epic, horror-flick soundtrack-esque “The American Scream.”
Modern Ink’s Fall Playlist Bonfires and Plastic Cups “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall”
Coldplay
“You Got Me” Taking Back Sunday “Helena Beat” Foster The People “Keep On Bringing Me Down”
Forever The Sickest Kids
“Go Outside” Cults “Block After Block” Matt & Kim “Party Rock Anthem” LMFAO “Amor Fati” Washed Out “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”
Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Whirring” The Joy Formidable “Wishing Well” The Airborne Toxic Event “All Of This” The Naked And Famous
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S E N S E D Life Cycle
LIFE CYCLE by Gibson Penn
Ah, motorcycles. They’re an American heritage, love them or hate them (or fear them), but almost all of us instantly feel what they represent: a type of freedom you just don’t find experiencing the road from behind tempered glass. But why am I, a Modern Ink Mag music contributor, writing about them? Motorcycles have been deeply integrated into almost all music scenes since before the first power chord was struck. Think about it: Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin all rode motorcycles. Heck, even Elvis had a lifelong obsession with them. In addition to their sheer “cool” factor, people are turning to motorcycles for a more utilitarian reason: as a primary source of commuting. Why? 1. Motorcycles are economical: Entry level bikes typically run just under $10,000 new, with a monthly payment in the $100 range. Compare that to your last car payment. There are fewer “things” to fix when compared to cars (read: no GPS system with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound stereo) making maintenance is less of an issue. 2. Motorcycles are greener: Yeah, they still use gas and oil...but a lot less of it. One gallon of gas is typically going to take you sixty to seventy miles, depending on the type of bike you’re riding. Consider that an economic advantage, as filling up your four to five gallon gas tank is under $20.
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3. Motorcycles are safe: Nothing is risk-free. Everyone takes risks on a daily basis, often in an unconscious manner. For example, that “really important” text you need to send...while driving? Studies have shown that texting motorists decrease their reaction time by 35%, steering ability 91%, thus making them twenty-three times more likely to have a wreck. But it is a really important text, right? Statistics support that avoiding certain risk factors greatly increases motorcycle safety. They tell us that around half of all motorcycle accidents involve alcohol, and are more likely to involve men under the age of thirty who are speeding...which underscores the age old truth: “Drunk young men on motorcycles act crazy.” 4. Motorcycles can create time itself: Okay, that is a bit of a stretch, but consider this. What if your ride into work was...fun? How much more would you enjoy your commute time with the wind at your back and the sun on your face than compared with your normal commute in that Suburban Assault Vehicle parked outside? So which motorcycle is right for you? Hopefully this guide will give you a starting point as you begin shopping bikes for your urban commute or your next cross country trek.
Life Cycle S E N S E D
www.vespa.com
The Romantic Vespa GTV300 This is the bike for you if: a. you have ever sent a bouquet of flowers “just because” b. you cried during Titanic c. you have ever given a massage without hoping to receive one in return (this excludes professionally licensed massage therapists) The Vespa scooter was developed in 1942 but became an icon of freedom and romance when Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn rode one through the Italian countryside in Roman Holiday. Though technically not a motorcycle, due to the flat floorboard allowing your feet to rest protected inside the bike, the Vespa GTV300 offers nearly 300cc’s at just over 300 pounds of dry weight. (Translation: It can go fast.) It’s beautiful as well; the Vespa has been honored by the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) for its form and design. The GTV300 will appeal to your romantic side as its vintage colors and lines are reminiscent of the original scooters, and it’s full grain leather seat easily accommodates that special someone for a night out on the town.
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S E N S E D Life Cycle
www.rideatriumph.com
The Hipster Triumph Bonneville SE This is the bike for you if: a. you or anyone you know has grown a beard for the sake of irony b. you drink PBR (by choice, NOT convention) c. you suddenly dislike bands that people have heard of Dust off your Chuck Taylor All-Stars, skinny jeans, and ironic 80’s T-shirt. It’s time to go for a ride. In the 80’s, this lightweight 60’s styled bike might have been laughed at for not having enough horsepower, but these cafe’-racer style bikes have recently gained cult-like status in cities across the country. Easily maneuverable and dripping with retro-styling and modern updates, the reincarnation of the Bonneville was the power bike of the 50’s and 60’s. Named for the Bonneville Salt Flats where the bike broke numerous land speed records, this is the bike James Dean rode in Rebel Without A Cause and Steve McQueen made famous in The Great Escape. If you’re looking for a retro bike that’s easy to handle while transcending you to instant rockstar status...look no further.
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Life Cycle S E N S E D
www.ducatiusa.com
The Over-Scheduled Ducati Monster 1100 EVO This is the bike for you if: a. you think 5-hour energy just isn’t long enough b. you wake up before 6 am by choice c. your idea of “personal down time” is working on stuff you don’t have to do at work You’re busy. Drinking a cup of coffee takes too long. Even now, you’re drumming your fingers. You just need things done....faster. That’s where the Ducati Monster 1100 EVO comes in. With no time for adding silly details like...details, the bike’s 1078cc displacement, 100 horsepower motor is left exposed without any campy plastic covering the structural beauty and power of the bike. This naked design gives you the sense that the bike just came off Dr. Frankenstein’s operating table and is out on the streets looking for revenge. Minimalist looks aside, this motorcycle will provide you with all the high torque and light weight maneuverability to quickly transport you between your work and your “other” work without scaring the neighborhood kids....well, without scaring them too much anyway.
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S E N S E D Life Cycle
Be honest with yourself, at some point in your life you have pictured yourself behind the handlebars of a motorcycle, the open road in front of you, and a clear blue sky over your head. My advice is: GO WITH IT. Rockstar or romantic, built for speed or crafted from history, there is a bike for you....and turn your everyday commute into an adventure.
www.harley-davidson.com
The Rocker Harley-Davidson Iron 883 This is the bike for you if: a. you currently own or have ever owned a pair of leather pants b. you have any amplification system that goes to eleven c. you have ever been secretly worried that a rock star “sobering up” will affect the music Ever since you heard that bike rev it’s engine at the beginning of Motley Crue’s “Girls, Girls, Girls,” you knew guitars and leather would be a part of your life forever...if only you could find a motorcycle to match your heavy metal attitude. The Iron 883, a branch of Harley-Davidson’s Dark Custom line, is a bike fit for your rock-and-roll lifestyle. Equipped with plenty of power and pliability for a ride home after the gig, the Iron 883 also sports “blacked-out” (less flashy/less chrome) engine parts but with the same classic Harley form and attitude you would expect from the American motorcycle manufacturer that survived the Great Depression and two world wars. And if that rock-and-roll thing doesn’t work out, you’ll be set for your second career in motorcycle stunt driving, since Harley Davidson was Evil Knievel’s bike of choice for all his school bus jumping needs.
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Impression Impression SSO EU NN SE DD S
FOLSOM PRIS ON BLUES ly r i c s by j o h n n y c a s h p h o t o s by g r a h a m y e lt o n models: courtney & brian authement Modern Ink Magazine | 151
S O U N D S Impression I hear the train a comin’ It’s rollin’ ‘round the bend, And i ain’t seen the sunshine, Since, i don’t know when, I’m stuck in Folsom Prison, And time keeps draggin’ on, But that train keeps a-rollin’ On down to San Antone.
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Impression S O U N D S
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S O U N D S Impression
When I was just a baby, My Mama told me, “Son, Always be a good boy, Don’t ever play with guns,” But I shot a man in Reno, Just to watch him die, When I hear that whistle blowin’ I hang my head and cry. Modern Ink Magazine | 154
Impression S O U N D S
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S O U N D S Impression
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Impression S O U N D S
I bet there’s rich folks eatin’ In a fancy dining car, They’re probably drinkin’ coffee, And smokin’ big cigars, But I know I had it comin’ I know I can’t be free, But those people keep a-movin’ And that’s what tortures me.
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S O U N D S Impression
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Impression S O U N D S
Well, if they freed me from this prison, If that railroad train was mine, I bet I’d move out over a little, Farther down the line, Far from Folsom Prison, That’s where I want to stay, And I’d let that lonesome whistle, Blow my Blues away.
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SOUND OFF:
Sound Off S E N S E D
1 CONCERT 2 OPINIONS
BONNAROO MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011
photo by Adam Macchia
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S E N S E D Sound Off BY B R IAN SOH N What were the three best bands you saw & why? Florence + the Machine was great because she is such a rock star. The only more powerful female performer I have seen live is Lauryn Hill, but Florence also has a sweet side. She sounds like she could have an opera career, too. The audience reaction was the most intense I have seen for a day-time show at Bonnaroo. Arcade Fire was very emotional. They have the coolest video work I’ve ever seen: it’s creative and edgy without going to far into arty-ness. It added to the intensity, particularly for their performance of “Power Out,” which was my favorite song performed for the whole weekend. They brought it so hard it brought tears to my eyes. They encourage charity without being preachy. My Morning Jacket was also great. They had the good sense or experience to know they needed to fill out their sound with horns, so they had a horn troupe and a brass band, and Ben Sollee come out and added to the fun. Their physical presence is huge with their hair flying around. Five words to describe Bonnaroo: hot, dusty, fun, wild, international Your best experience was: The sound--you can count on perfect sound from hip hop to blues to country to rock. Your worst experience was: A guy passed out in line for the Porto. I was walking to another show and there he was, face down in the dust. After seeing no one there knew any first aid, I put him in recovery position. Then somebody freaked out wanting to know if he was breathing, and violently flipped him on his back. Then, luckily, somebody had the idea to pour water on his face and that revived him. It was only the first day! Tips for making the trek to Bonnaroo a success: Bring along a boy scout: you need fans, water, first aid, sunscreen, aloe, Gatorade, etc. You are going to forget something, so make sure someone you
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go with is the type that remembers everything. Pace yourself! You cannot see everything: you are bound to miss a good show or three. Make a list of priorities and don’t overextend yourself. Craziest thing you saw while there: A guy tripping, running around naked playing with his junk. He was escorted out. Favorite Bonnaroo story: Omar Souleyman. Or should I say lack of story? Who is this guy and how did he end up at Bonnaroo? His onstage persona seems more like a politician than an artist. As he sings he holds up a finger like he’s explaining how he’ll solve the debt crisis. At the end of songs he extends his arms and waves like he just finished an acceptance speech. Here is a guy whose home country, Syria, is in revolt--is he singing about it? Or is he singing about the high life of an international performer? We don’t know, and that’s part of the intrigue. Top three reasons to go back are: There are often curated tents: tents where they ask an artist to pick the bands for a day. In 2009 David Byrne brought The Dirty Projectors, et al. This year Eugene Kutz of Gogol Bordello brought us Hanngai and Omar Souleyman. It’s usually cutting edge stuff that you would only rarely see elsewhere. The sound quality is always exceptional, and bands rock for Bonnaroo. They bring it. What you’d do differently for next year: Get an RV: for most people being woken at 7 am by the blazing sun is just part of Bonnaroo, but it’s a part that I would like to avoid from now on. What’s one band/performer from the past you wish you could see there? KRS1.
Sound Off S E N S E D
photo by Adam Macchia
photo by Adam Macchia
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S E N S E D Sound Off
BY MICHELE PURCELL What were the three best bands you saw & why? I know they were a co-headliner, but My Morning Jacket was flawless. I haven’t seen them in a few years; they are a Bonnaroo legend- I’ve heard stories about a three hour marathon show one year and another year when they literally summoned rain from the skies. It was great to see lead singer, Jim James, don his furry white boots and bring their epic rock show to the main stage. Robert Plant and the Band of Joy- I didn’t expect to get so pulled into this show but with band mates like Patty Griffin, Darryl Scott and Buddy Miller- this was an amazing show. I also enjoyed Ben Sollee- I’ve been hearing great things about him for a few years now; he didn’t disappoint. Five words to describe Bonnaroo: happy, diverse, artistic, relaxing, peaceful Your best experience was: I’m a big fan of the Sonic Stage, it’s a smaller stage tucked off to the side in Centeroo, and they always have a great lineup of bands playing shorter sets. And you can really get up close and personal. We saw !!! and Bruce Hornsby on that stage this year. Your worst experience was: Hmm… I’d say the ice cold shower on Saturday morning was the worst thing to happen- so really I can’t complain. Tips for making the trek to Bonnaroo a success: Stay hydrated and don’t stay out in the direct sunlight all day. There are so many opportunities to duck in under a covered stage or even places like the Cinema, Comedy and Sports Tents, where you can enjoy air conditioning and be entertained at the same time. Those little breaks help get you through the day until the sun goes down. At night you don’t have to battle the heat. You just have to watch where you walk because there always seem to be people who just decide to take a disco nap anywhere they please. Keep a bandana with you at all times- it can be used to shield yourself from the dust, you can fill it up with ice and drape it around your neck for an instant cool-off or
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just use it as a fashion accessory around your wrist. Also, don’t over plan- at the most pick one band a day you definitely want to see- then let the rest just happen. Craziest thing you saw while there: During the String Cheese Incident show, we stumbled across a person in an interesting costume hooked up to a whole bunch of very large, like four feet in diameter, helium balloons. There were at least four people holding the person and this whole contraption in place, and it looked like it was very difficult. We stood there for a while to check this whole thing out; then, they let the person and all the balloons loose and they shot up in the air and floated over the crowd until all the helium was let out of all the balloons in a very loud “whoosh,” and the person, balloons and contraption glided to the ground. While this was happening a giant t-rex was floating through the air and hundreds of extra large white balloons were let loose. I later found out the contraption was a “moth” hooked up to a jet pack. Favorite Bonnaroo story: I’m not normally star struck, but while I was watching Black Dub with my friends Mariane and Sally, who were standing in front of me, Robert Plant and Buddy Miller came up and stood right beside them, and right in front of me. The crowd was playing it very cool, but at the same time we were all trying to snap pictures of the rock god. He was right next to Mariane, who happens to be a HUGE Robert Plant fan- she dressed up like him for Halloween one year. At one point she just turned around and gave me the craziest look likeDUDE, it’s Robert Plant- right there!
Sound Off S E N S E D
Top three reasons to go back are: In short, the music, the people and the atmosphere- Bonnaroo offers unparalleled exposure to a diverse group of bands that you can see in one easy stop. In addition, the festival goes beyond all the music, offering an incredible array of comedy performances, movie premieres, panel discussions, yoga and gardening workshops. And if you want to just go back to your campsite and chill, that’s an option too, because the campsites are like little communities. Walking through you might stumble across an impromptu jam session, some fantastic foods being creatively prepared and even eye-catching campsite set-ups. What you’d do differently for next year: I think I would try to make a few more late night shows. I missed some Friday night shows because I overdid it during Arcade Fire and My Morning Jacket. It’s hard to pace yourself when you are having a blast. That’s a great problem to have. What’s one band/performer from the past you wish you could see there? I wish I could narrow down to one- there’s was an overload of amazing musicians conflicting with each other this year- Wavves, Wanda Jackson, Loretta Lynn, Bootsy Collins, Portugal, Beirut, and The Strokes. Also, normally we take some time to just wander around and let what we hear pull us in. I think the heat and dust squashed our desire to that this year.
photo by Adam Macchia Bonnaroo Music Festival is co-produced by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. For more information please visit: www.bonnaroo.com
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S E N S E D Back to Basics
B A C K TO B A S I C S W O R D S B Y : B Y L I N D S AY S A I N T C L A I R P H O T O S B Y : C J I S A A C • S T Y L I N G B Y : A M Y T AY L O R
TAKE A WALK Fall is a time for reflection and introspection, and there is nothing that enlivens the mind quite so much as a lazy, quiet walk. Ask yourself, “when was the last time I set off on a walk that wasn’t intended to take me anywhere at all?” This is the kind of walk—the French call it a flânerie—that this season demands and that is almost never enjoyed in these busy, fast-paced lives we lead. So slow down and take an hour to let your mind wonder as your feet wander...see where it takes you.
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Back to Basics S E N S E D
BOOKENDS A book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen inside our soul. ~Franz Kafka Well said, Herr Kafka. However, books can be much, much more. In a slightly more shallow sense, they can make wonderful visual vignettes scattered throughout the house—small tableaus of intellectualism or artistry. Turn any surface of your abode into an instant mini-library with bookends. Actual bookends can still be found new or vintage, created expressly for that purpose, or you can simply employ interesting objects to hold up the books. My favorite? An old cigar box weighted with all the miscellaneous coins that lie scattered about in various dishes and key drawers. Use it to collect loose pocket change until you have enough to‌ buy more books, what else?
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S E N S E D Back to Basics
TAKE SOME PICTURES We are a generation of ATMs and Drive-Thru windows, microwaves and smart-phones. We never wait for anything, and while this is convenient, there is something lost in the immediacy of modern life. Remember when you used to take a couple last pictures to finish off the roll and then drive over to the one-hour photo to get them developed? Sitting in the car without having started it yet just to pull out the envelope and begin flipping through? Laughing and being mortified, and equally thrilled if there were just a couple great pictures? Take some time this season to slow down and enjoy the anticipation of waiting—unpack your old non-digital camera (or grab a disposable from the drugstore) and get clicking! Focus, let the lens change your perspective, and try to really see things.
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Back to Basics S E N S E D
FUN & GAMES Before the advent of radio and television, most people used to entertain each other by talking and hanging out and playing games. No, really, they did. So, in the name of all things vintage, take a night off from your favorite shows, have a few friends over and play some games. It can be any game you like as long as it encourages talking and fun—you’ll remember why you actually love those people you love so much and why “fun ‘n games” has the word “games” in it...they’re fun!
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S E N S E D La Cocina
La Cocina Modern Ink spent a day in the kitchen with Ilene Mier. We picked up tips and quotes as well as the decadent recipes she shared with us for Fall.
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La Cocina S E N S E D
Baked Brie with Cranberries and Orange Marmalade: ingredients: 2 cups of Craisins (dried cranberries) 1 cup orange marmalade 1 stick melted unsalted butter 8 sheets fillo dough 1 round brie
“Learn a few good curse words in another language, so your guests think you sound exotic when you’re actually stressed!”
preparation: 1. Soak dried cranberries in 1/4 cup of water overnight. 2. Drain them and add orange marmalade. Refrigerate. 3. Put brie in freezer for 15 minutes before preparation. 4. Layer each sheet of fillo dough down individually and brush with melted butter before layering next one on top. (it dries easily so you must work quickly.) 5. Create a star shape with the sheets. 6. Place Brie in center of sheets. 7. Add cranberry mixture on top. 8. Fold the fillo dough around the brie to create a star shape. 9. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. 10. Bake on a cookie sheet in a pre-heated 400 degree oven, or until outside becomes golden brown. 11. Be careful not to leave it in the oven too long or brie will become liquid and bitter. 12. Serve immediately with crackers.
“Things don’t need to look perfect, they just need to taste good.”
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S E N S E D La Cocina
“You must cook with love.”
Roast Pork Sandwiches ingredients: - 1 whole bone-in ham - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt for every pound of ham - 1/2 clove of garlic for every pound of ham - 10 peppercorns (to taste) - 1/2 cup white vinegar - 1/2 cup olive oil - french baguettes or another crusty hearty bread preparation: 1. The night before you are going to cook the ham, score the skin into squares. 2. In a mortar, food processor, or blender: mix all the seasonings until you create a paste. 3. Rub the paste ALL OVER the ham. Put it in a baking pan, cover in foil, and refrigerate overnight. 4. Put the ham in an un-preheated oven and turn on to 325. Cook for 30 minutes and lower temperature to 300. Cook another 25 minutes per pound of ham. 5. Remove foil and turn oven to broil. Keep it in the oven until skin is crispy. 6. Let sit until cool. DO NOT CUT, POKE, PROD OR DO ANYTHING ELSE TO PORK WHILE IT’S RESTING. The natural juices need to re-distribute and it takes a lot longer than steak. If you alter it in any way, it will dry out. 7. Cut the bread into small sandwich sizes. 8. When meat cools down, (HA) shred by hand or with two forks. Don’t be afraid to get some bits of fat in the shredded meat; it will keep the platter moist. 9. Serve with mustard on the side.
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“The pieces from the bottom of the roast pork have all of the salt and juice, so place the pieces on top of the platter so the salt and juices drip down into the rest of the meat.”
La Cocina S E N S E D
French Onion Soup ingredients - 8 large onions (I like 4 sweet and 4 yellow Spanish, but anything works.) - 1 stick of unsalted butter - 1 bay leaf ALWAYS use unsalted - 4 springs fresh thyme butter in recipes. You - 6 cups beef broth want to be able to control - 2 cups dry white wine the salt content.� - salt and pepper to taste - grated gruyere cheese preparation: 1. Cut all onions in half and then thinly slice. 2. Put them in a large pot with thyme, bay leaf and butter. 3. Cook covered for 20 minutes on medium heat, stirring once. 4. Uncover and cook 1 hour on med-low heat, or until onions caramelize completely, stirring often while scraping the bottom of the pot. 5. Add beef broth, bring to a boil, and then lower temp to a simmer. 6. Add white wine, cover pot and turn off heat. 7. Top with cheese and serve warm in small cups or shot glasses. No need for spoons!
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S E N S E D La Cocina
“If you have left over champagne, stick a silver fork in the bottle-opening, and it will keep it nice and bubbly.”
Champagne Cocktails ingredients: - 1 bottle of champagne, Prosecco or Cava - raspberry liqueur such as Chambord - frozen raspberries
preparation: 1. In a champagne flute, drop one still-frozen raspberry. 2. Pour in 2 large tablespoons of liqueur. 3. Top off with very chilled champagne.
“Frozen raspberries keep the champagne cold without diluting the drink.
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La Cocina S E N S E D
“When picking a recipe, if you like the ingredients, chances are you will like the finished product.�
Sweet Cream Cheese and Guava Pastries ingredients: - 1 package cream cheese (get the full fat kind people!) - 1 egg - 1/2 cup white sugar - 1 jar good quality Guava Marmalade (NOT jelly) - 3 boxes fillo dough prepared shells preparation: 1. Pre-heat oven to 325. 2. Have shells ready on a large un-greased cookie sheet. 3. In a mixer, soften cream cheese. 4. Add egg and sugar. Incorporate well. 5. Spoon into bottom of pastry shells. 6. Spoon guava marmalade on top of cheese mixture. 7. Bake for 12-14 minutes. 8. Cool completely before serving. These can be kept in airtight container for up to 2 days.
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Seasoned
Brian Balest • Northshore Brasserie www.northshorebrasserie.com
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Seasoned P E R S P E C T I V E S
Should you find yourself in Knoxville, Tennessee, do yourself a favor and pay a visit to Brian Balest at the Northshore Brasserie...the innovative and delicious restaurant he co-owns and runs with siblings Stephanie Balest and Russell Balest. When did you become interested in cooking? Growing up in an Italian family, there was always a strong emphasis on good food. There wasn’t one defining moment; it’s been a passion for as long as I can remember. When I was four years old my mom found me in the kitchen making pancakes in my underwear. What is your culinary dream city? Any small town in northern Italy would be a dream location for me to hang out for a while. What are five unusual items we would find in your home refrigerator or pantry? You’d definitely find lots of shallots, white balsamic vinegar, veal and chicken stock ice cubes, homemade pasta dough (it’s great to have and it stores well in the freezer), and a good parmesan reggiano. You are home alone...what’s on the menu? Last time my wife went out of town - rack of Colorado lamb with plenty of Kosher salt and a bottle of red wine. How did you come up with the name of your venue? The restaurant is modeled after any number of French or Belgian brasseries you’d find in Europe, and it’s located on Northshore Drive ~ voila ~ Northshore Brasserie. What’s your specialty? Classic brasserie fare - steak frites, onion soup, escargot, mussels. And your favorite item is? Steak frites (NY Strip with homemade Belgian fries). It’s simple, and I’m kind of a purist. If you could cook for someone famous, who would it be? Any Pittsburgh Steeler.
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Frame of Reference
“Look, Pa! I’m a real girl!”
I received my education in open places. More a creek than a river, the Little Harpeth River ran through our backyard, and I spent more time outside than in, especially during the warmer months.
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Frame of Reference P E R S P E C T I V E S
I learned that getting a finger pinched by a crayfish—or “crawdad” as we called them—didn’t hurt. The sting of a paper cut was much worse. The bluegill, sunfish, and bass certainly weren’t afraid of crawdads. They would eat them and just about anything else I put on a hook, including bacon and white bread.
All those prepositional phrases help communicate the tedium of waiting while three females shop for clothes. My mom and two sisters always baited me. “Hey Austin, we’re going to lunch? Do you want to come?” “Where are you going?”
It’s worth mentioning that I had two sisters and no brothers. Elizabeth and Laura wouldn’t hit me back, and the creek didn’t hold the same allure for them. On the rare occasion that I persuaded one of them to go fishing with me, I would in effect cut my actual fishing time in half. I had to bribe my fishing buddy by tying on hooks, situating bobbers, and keeping hooks baited. My sisters had no financial stake in our escapades, so I was also the one who had to wade out up to my chest in the deeper pools to rescue a Rooster Tail or crankbait from the low-hanging tree branches. $1.89 for the #2 Rooster Tail in Grasshopper was a substantial investment for a ten-year-old. Hear me: I’m not saying that this is the way women are. I’m just saying that my sisters would say, “You go get it. It’s your lure, and I didn’t want to come fishing in the first place.” I had persuaded them to accompany me into open places. They responded in kind by tricking me into closed places, such as malls, clothing stores, and dressing rooms. Growing up with sisters meant that I spent part of my childhood sitting not on a sun-drenched walk with my feet trailing in the current but on a chaise near the dressing rooms in a clothing shop in the bowels of a mall.
“We don’t know yet. Maybe pizza or Chick-fil-A.” “Okay.” I’d realize my mistake once we got on the road. Where were we going? Taking a left onto Old Hickory Boulevard, taking a left onto Highway 100, taking a right into— Wait a second. We were going to Bellevue Mall! “Are we going to the mall?” I’d ask, hoping I was wrong. “Your sisters just want to look at a few—” “I don’t want to go to the mall. I hate the mall. Take me home.” “Austin, we’re almost there now. It’s too late to turn around. We’re going to eat lunch, then check a few stores.” I knew this was a lie. “Check a few stores” meant that my sisters would look at every item on every rack. During a second circuit, they would pick six to ten items to try on. The three females in my life would consult with one another, tilting heads, scrutinizing cuts, seams, and sizes, pinching fabric here, checking the length there.
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Frame of Reference
Maybe one shirt in a dozen was added to the “Maybe Pile.” Jeans were even worse. My sisters first had to identify the right waist size and inseam length and then try on every pair. Why? Because tiny, but important, differences occur in the fit from one pair to the next, and they had to calculate the clinging capacity of each millimeter of denim to maximize the curve of each buttock. After eating two slices of Sbarro’s New York-style pizza—which proved that I was being bought off—I’d spend the afternoon following my “I Just Got Conned Into A Shopping Trip” Protocol: 1) Avoid stumbling into the bra and panties section. Thinking about what belonged in those lacy, frilly, brightly colored wonders was one thing but getting caught ogling them was something else entirely. 2) Hunt for chairs in the Gap or Express, or whatever perfume-scented, mannequin-populated prison I inhabited at the moment. 3) Ask myself why I got a couple of rotten sisters rather than a brother. Is it too much to ask for a sibling to hit me back every once in a while rather than go crying to Mom and Dad about how Austin did blah-blah-blah? Raw. Deal. 4) Complain to my mom: “Can we go yet? We’ve been here forever. Why didn’t you just leave me at home? I could have gone fishing. I’d rather not eat than be stuck in the Gap for two hours.” At least they could have had the decency to warn me. I would have brought a book.
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I wasn’t safe at home either. I was the little boy whose sisters dressed him up in our mom’s chiffon prom dresses from the mid-seventies. They always begged to put make-up on me: “It will be so funny!” Our family photo albums include a few pictures of me with blue eye shadow and red blush. My short hair they would turn into two comically short pigtails. This happened once or twice before I realized that I hated it. To this day, I don’t know how women use eyelash curlers. I allowed my older sister Elizabeth to attempt that on me exactly one time. She was still young herself and had no idea what she was doing. I felt as though my eyelashes were being wrenched out one micrometer at a time. What did I learn? Beauty is painful—a truth that was reinforced during my early dating relationships. Mascara is a torture device. Using black goop to make one’s eyelashes thick and sticky? If the vile substance meets with water, it makes black streaks down a woman’s face. The man in the movie then has to tell her that he’s sorry and that she still looks pretty when she cries. He has to ignore the disgusting gray mascara boogers in the corners of her eyes. It gets on her clothes. Perhaps the irrational, the superfluous, the cosmetic is what makes us human: chewing gum, weight lifting, weed-free lawns. Eyeliner is almost as bad. Though the skin of the lid separated the point from my eyeball, it still felt as though my eye might pop like a grape at any moment.
Frame of Reference P E R S P E C T I V E S
Lipstick tastes a bit like Country Crock, which is the brand of margarine that my grandmother prefers. If I could get past the bright pinks and reds on my toast, I could eat it, no problem. I dislike the smell of powder make-ups. Talcum doesn’t bother me; it smells like a haircut. The smell of powder make-up, however, makes me feel like the walls are closing in, probably because of the innumerable hugs that I got from decrepit church ladies. Now that cheek-pinching is so Victorian England, a little boy in the South has to pay his dues in hugs. The old ladies used foundation to fill wrinkles the way a contractor repairs cracks in a sidewalk, and I’d watch as this giant face descended like a tetherball with whiskers. Those crones iced their faces like cakes, and they’d leave orangish splotches on my white button-up shirts. I wouldn’t even get a stick of Juicy Fruit out of the deal. I’d get zapped with the static electricity generated by their polyester skirts, blazers with shoulder pads, and thick hose. In their wake the old ladies left almost-visible trails of perfume that smelled like lilies and roses. Like true Southerners, we had a large family on both sides, and by the time I was ten, I had attended plenty of funerals. Funeral homes smell like lilies and roses. Old ladies smell likes roses. Thus, simple syllogistic logic—and the olfactory cells in my nose—led me to the conclusion that old ladies smell like funeral homes. They catch you up in a grandmotherly embrace and suffocate you with thoughts of your own mortality.
I must have been irresistible in my elaborately embroidered smocks and sailor suits. My mom was a talented seamstress and enjoyed making our clothes. My two sisters and I in matching costumes must have been simply adorable. I felt like a bear wearing a tutu. Why don’t you fetch a tricycle and we’ll make this circus complete? “Look, Pa! I’m a real girl!” My mom’s sewing prowess gained me an appearance in a niche magazine called Creative Needle. Parents should start counseling funds the same time they start college funds. We all know we’re going to screw up our own kids, so perhaps we can at least help to bankroll the healing process. I had to pose next to this gargantuan girl with a stupid-looking red bow. I don’t remember her name. If I got paid for the gig, the money never showed up in my counseling fund. You can now understand why I was happy to disappear into the river for hours without even coming home for lunch. To their credit, my sisters were patient with their brother, and, as a general rule, women are more thoughtful creatures. They never forgot birthdays, and they always bought presents. I still prefer open spaces to closed ones, but I don’t regret sporting a stuffed bra and singing Sheryl Crow in falsetto to make my sisters laugh. They taught me that true masculinity leaves plenty of room for kindness, tenderness, and humility. A real man doesn’t let other men, especially the burping, beer-swilling, ball-scratching variety, force a certain kind of masculinity on him.
A real man learns from both men and women, and the mark of his manhood is empathy. For the record though, I haven’t worn a bra or lipstick in fifteen years.
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Amy Devers
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Amy Devers P E R S P E C T I V E S
THE CONSTRUCTION OF
AMY DEVERS Meet television’s DIY darling... step 1. Start with a happy childhood in Detroit-area Michigan, the offspring of an English professor and an accountant. Throw in a golden retriever, a green station-wagon and a healthy dose of rebellious teenage years, for good measure. step 2. Add in a ton of college, work and life experience, including an AAS from F.I.T. in New York City, a month long road trip with two hilarious friends, a poverty-stricken stint in Orange County with four people living in a one bedroom apartment, an MA in Furniture Design from San Diego State University, attendance at more small venue indie-rock shows than can be counted or remembered, a job as a machine shop foreman, and an MFA in Furniture Design from Rhode Island School of Design. step 3. After grad school in Providence, move to Los Angeles, work as a finish carpenter and an art handler, then open a design/build studio. Do some big jobs and some unpleasant ones. Engage in the never-ending hustle for work of a freelancer. s tep 4. When the handsome and talented musician you’ve been dating asks, say “yes.” s tep 5. On a lark, answer a casting-call for a home-improvement show. Go to the audition with rhinestone safety glasses of your own creation. s tep 6. Get the job and start hosting DIY to the Rescue, DIY Network’s flagship show that ends up filming over 100 episodes and is still airing today. s tep 7. Figure out that while television is really hard work, it is also really fun and challenging. Consider that maybe you’d like to keep doing this. Acknowledge that it doesn’t hurt at all that the cast and crew is the motleyest bunch of golden-hearted, hardworking, professionals you could ever hope to party (work) with. step 8. Flip-out with excitement when the network picks up your own furniture design show, Freeform Furniture, because now you’re going to be doing YOUR thing on tv (while still traveling to do DIY to the Rescue).
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Amy Devers s te p 9. Get crushed from the experience. Due to your own ignorance about tv production, the production company’s ignorance about the process of original furniture design/ construction, a lack of resources, a boatload of miscommunication, and a slew of unforeseen outside circumstances like record rainfall and a sieve-like studio, 112 degree temperatures inside the studio, toxic mold, etc. and despite top-notch backstage furniture help, behind-the-scenes the show is an utterly traumatic epic disaster. Console yourself with the pride of having created twentysix good, hard-won episodes, and wine. ste p 10. Be both terribly saddened and tremendously relieved when Freeform is cancelled (network says it’s “too niche”). Spend first few months catching up on lost sleep (you only slept about seventeen hours that year) and the next several years trying to regain love of furnituremaking and salvaging health and marriage.
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st e p 11. Keep hosting DIY to the Rescue, delighted that the series is now doing special episodes that include things like the rebuild of a home destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and the renovation of outdated dressing rooms at the historic Grand Ole Opry. st e p 12. Host the first season of Blog Cabin, DIY Network’s interactive series about building a log cabin according to viewers’ choices and have the time of your life! Partly because it’s in the Smoky Mountains (best office ever,) partly because the crew and cast is awesome, and mostly because, for the first time, you’re allowed to just be yourself while the camera is rolling. st e p 13. Realize that health is salvageable (no gluten! sleep!), but unfortunately marriage is not. Begin the most amicable divorce in history. Cry a lot, but to keep mascara camera-ready, stifle it until you are not shooting.
Amy Devers P E R S P E C T I V E S
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Amy Devers
Watch Amy Devers on A&E’s Fix This Yard Modern Ink Magazine | 186
Amy Devers P E R S P E C T I V E S
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Amy Devers
ste p 14. When Trading Spaces comes knocking, answer the door. Commence one year cycle of building-your-ass-off-with-a-gun-toyour-head-while-a-time-bomb-is-ticking. Sigh, because after grad school and Freeform Furniture, that sh*t is a piece of cake. What else you got? ste p 15. In an effort to incorporate more design-related material into your tv work, court arts network Ovation, and end up with a hosting gig for two international design shows: Designer People (profiling the world’s leading designers in fashion, interiors, graphics, architecture and industrial design) and Designer Travel (profiling the world’s most creative cities through the eyes of it’s top creatives.)
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st e p 16. As the host of these programs, travel the world at warp-speed (thirteen cities on three different continents in thirty days) interviewing your idols (rockstars) of design, while wearing dresses and high heels. No tool belts! Engage in mass amounts of schlepping, hoisting, hauling, driving and changing clothes in the back of rental cars, and very minimal amounts of sleeping. It’s soooo worth it in order to tour the job site of the Metropol Parasol project with Juergen Mayer H! Or have a casual conversation with Marc Newson on his couch at his home in Paris! Or spend a couple of days with the absolutely legendary Zandra Rhodes! Michael Young, Marcel Wanders, Bjarke Ingels... love every single nano-second of it.
Amy Devers P E R S P E C T I V E S ste p 17. While waiting to find out if Designer People will get picked up for a future season, get tapped by A&E to be a host and designer on a new series, Fix This Yard. Begin two (+?) season cycle of working (hard) outside in the sunshine (and rain) with flowers (and bugs) and occasionally alligators. Laugh to yourself about how unpredictable the journey has been -- how you were always taught to have a plan, but that you couldn’t have planned ANY of this, then pick up the shovel and get back to digging holes. s te p 18. Meanwhile strike up a conversation with ReadyMade, that handsome magazine you’ve been eyeing for some time. Enjoy the instant chemistry and take them up on their offer to write an advice column in every issue. Get a kick out of solving readers’ dilemmas in written form, and indulge in thoughts of a long, fruitful relationship together.
st e p 19. Next, host a web-series launched in July called Urban-Eco, and teach people how to make homemade cheese, grow herbs and repurpose their wine corks, among other totally useful and interesting bits of information. st e p 20. The next steps are TBD as this project is still unfinished. However, they will probably include: designing, making, hosting, hustling, writing, trying to be a better cook, staying connected with friends and family, a few dating misadventures, hopefully a hypo-allergenic puppy, and a plan, even though it is understood that things will most likely not go according to that plan. Because plans, like pants, can always be changed, but you really shouldn’t leave the house without them.
Visit Amy Devers online at www.amydevers.com.
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Amy Devers dossier:
Am y De ve rs your go-to drink is:
Spring: Campari & Soda, Summer: Tequila & Soda, Fall: Red Wine, Winter: Manhattan
you collect: Nothing anymore, I used to collect matchbooks from music venues, ticket stubs from rock shows, records, cds, and promo items from record releases. Now, after a lifetime of moving cross-country, and hauling tools, lumber and furniture for work I have developed an aversion to “stuff.”
your favorite travel relic is: My snapshots from the Designer People tv series.
your perfume: I don’t always wear perfume, but when I do, I prefer Chinatown by Bond No. 9.
your favorite book: P lease Kill Me (The Uncensored Oral History of Punk) by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
favorite band: Unfair question! A random selection from my top 50 would include: The Replacements, Prince, Tom Waits, Marvin Gaye, Inch, El Ten Eleven, Japandroids, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Leonard Cohen, PJ Harvey, Nina Simone, Big Star,... ok, I’ll stop now.
the person who would play you in a movie: I do not know, but I’d be happy to train her in the woodshop, because I can’t have her looking like a hack.
in another life you’d be a: Past life: Tammi Terrell, Next Life: a healer of some sort.
you could live off: family, friends, pho
best three words to describe yourself: I’m every woman.
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| photographer
w w w. c j i s a a c . c o m c j @c jisa ac .com new york cit y
P E R S P E C T I V E S Cindy Wallach
LIVING LARGE BY CINDY WALLACH
My dad said I could pick out any flowers I wanted. We walked the earthy smelling rows of the giant garden center on the north side of Chicago, and the bulbs and seed packs seemed to swirl around me in a cloud of sameness. I didn’t know a pansy from a petunia, and although being eight years old I tried to be a happy camper for my dad, though deep inside I really didn’t care about gardening. Then something caught my eye. A mast. I broke free and scurried to the middle of the warehouse where a small cabin cruiser sailboat was on display. Letting myself onboard was like entering a whole new universe. Here was this mini version of home. There was a bed, a sink, a stove, a toilet, and a small desk on the inside. What else does a person need?
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Cindy Wallach P E R S P E C T I V E S
I find myself repeating this mantra over and over again as people ask how we manage to raise a family of four aboard a sailboat. My son has known no other home in his seven years on this planet and my eight-month old daughter will grow up thinking that a refrigerator the size of a stack of shoe boxes and toilets that suck sea water are perfectly normal. There are challenges, of course. Lugging loads of dirty clothes (how do new babies make so much laundry?) to and from the laundry room at the marina with a baby strapped to your front and a little boy nipping at your heels makes me long for a washer-dryer. My son and husband playing cars literally at my heels while I am trying to tap out a deadline on my laptop while nursing my daughter creates a yearning for a little office of my own with a door that I can close. But truly I wouldn’t have it any other way, even after thirteen years aboard. My little ones and their open minds and open hearts are such an inspiration to me. Stuck in traffic after a long day, he chirps from the car seat, “Mama, I don’t need anything but my hands and my imagination to have all kinds of fun.” He happily makes-do time and time again. I watch my son and daughter and I’m reminded that children don’t need more than two loving parents and a safe place to call home. At the same time I do want so much more for my kids. Good enough or fine is never ok by me. I want extraordinary and fabulous for my children. We school the kids ourselves and live life without a television or video games not as a statement or protest, but as a way to savor these delicious little people who teach us every day. We want to make the most of our precious time together spinning on this planet around the sun. I watch my son clamber around the boat with circus-like confidence and sometimes my hair goes grey as I bite my tongue wanting to holler out the generic maternal battle cry, “be careful!” But I need to trust him. I need to let him find his
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Cindy Wallach
feet and develop his own way on the water. How can we raise little adventurers if we don’t let them have their little adventures? My job is not to shelter him and tell him what to do, I need to let him find his way and be there when he needs me. It takes every bit of strength I have to stand back and let him go forth and be free. But I know how vital it is, because it’s the life we lead. The parental units gently asked us why we won’t consider buying a house “just for a few years, until the kids are older.” They visit and perceive this life as too difficult. They struggle getting on board, gripe at having to conserve water, and fuss at the limited space. For us it’s not difficult, it’s challenging and invigorating. And with every challenge a boat brings, it also brings us one step closer to a tangible dream of going off cruising once again. It brings us closer to heading off to far away ports, meeting new people, exploring the ocean and getting to know our world and ourselves a little better. I have yet to find a house that can offer that as a reward for our hard work. We also have boat friends who think we’re nuts for “ruining a good thing” by having kids. We had a tricked out cruising boat, cash in the bank, and our health. Why not head out again and go where the wind takes us without the added hassle and expense and worry of kids? We did that once, and it was fabulous. But we realized it was too fabulous not to be shared. We want our son and daughter to see the world, learn about nature, meet new people of all walks of life, and expand their horizons beyond the stale shopping mall, trendy TV shows, and doing the same thing everyone else does just because.
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Cindy Wallach P E R S P E C T I V E S
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Cindy Wallach
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Cindy Wallach P E R S P E C T I V E S The reason we had children is because we live aboard and cruise and wanted to share it. And the reason we moved aboard is because we knew that we would one day want to have kids and raise them with all of the wonders that draw people to the cruising life in the first place. Home isn’t possessions from a store where everyone else in your town shops for the same “stuff,” it isn’t wood and shingles and a lawn that will suit some stranger just as well as you. It’s not a city that will forget you when you move. As far as the concepts of home and security go, for me, wherever my husband and children are, that IS home... no matter what shape, form, or location. That’s the beauty of a life afloat, you can be somewhere totally foreign and out of your comfort zone and you still have the safe womb of your boat and family easing you into a new place. It’s a wonderful way to see the world. I still hate gardening. And I still look around in awe each day at my little kitchen and bed and bathroom and my beautiful family and think, what else does a person need? Our wee space within reminds us that life is meant to be lived out there, in the world.
VISIT CINDY AT
ZACHABOARD.BLOGSPOT.COM.
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Cindy Wallach dossier:
Ci nd y W al la ch your go-to drink is: Kombucha you collect: Living on a sailboat we don’t have space to collect anything, which is ok because I have never been much of a collector. I would say I probably collect photographs more than anything, since I love to snap pictures 24/7. your favorite travel relic is: Probably a photo from a seaside market in Baracoa, Cuba and my cookbook from Bali. your perfume: I don’t wear any, never have :) your favorite book: Of the moment, Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Other favorites I love to read again and again are Road Fever by Tim Cahill and West With The Night by Beryl Markham favorite band: Coeur de Pirate at the moment. Like most people it changes constantly depending on mood. the person who would play you in a movie: Wow, I never thought of that. Not one bit. I am too shy to ever imagine myself in a movie. My doppelganger is Ricki Lake. in another life you’d be a: wildlife photographer/ guitar player you could live off: saag paneer best three words to describe yourself: independent, direct, intuitive
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Jani Moon Irion P E R S P E C T I V E S
Jani Moon Irion
WITHIN THE JOURNEY
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Jani Moon Irion
Peace Corps
Surviving the death of my sister and a painful divorce gave me the strength and courage to make major changes in my life, and in 2008, I left for the Peace Corps. Joining the Peace Corps meant leaving the comforts of American life, a new man I thought I was in love with, my friends, and my family for the adventure of a lifetime. I sold and gave away everything I owned, believing in my heart I would never live in the United States again. I was stationed in Vanuatu in the South Pacific, a country that I had not previously known existed, until I found out I would be living there for two years. Its only claim to fame was that a Survivor television show had filmed there. This tropical paradise, this modern day pirate bunker is filled with yachties, criminals, French and English families who survived the Independence, a new breed of wealthy Australian and New Zealand expats, and the native local people called Ni-Vans. The country is caught in a time warp, trying to decide whether to live in its colonial past or swing over into the throws of modernization. In Vanuatu, it is common to see thirty people squashed into a box-shaped tin house watching a cheap, boot-leg Chinese copy of Rambo with Russian subtitles. The tropics, with its pristine beauty and wild aliveness, inspire a childlike innocence and simplicity. The local people live off the land gardening, hunting and fishing while the children help with chores, play with rocks and sticks, and run into the bush swinging giant bush knives. The two sides of Vanuatu are like that of any coin, inextricably linked and yet polar opposite: black and white, privileged and poor, peace and chaos. The humid, oppressive heat was a petrie dish of micro-organisms. Stomach viruses, inexplicable skin rashes, chronic fatigue, the potential of contracting worms and tropical mosquito born diseases, combined with culture shock and emotional breakdowns consumed my first four months in Vanuatu.
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I knew I had to make it through those two years, but I didn’t know if I could. Fear overwhelmed me, while my physical and emotional health were deteriorating. Yet regardless of my own downward spiral, the limitations of my physical and emotional state sparked a growing anger of defiance and a desire to persevere. I refused to be like some of the other Peace Corps volunteers counting down the days, practically the minutes, until they could go back home...I wanted to passionately love each minute on those islands, but I wasn’t having an optimistic start. Stretched thinly, I broke. I found out that my ex-husband was having a baby with his new girlfriend, and the man I fell in love with months before I left to go to Vanuatu re-kindled life with his ex-girlfriend, and again I felt deserted, alone, and with nothing to go back to. I remember being in my house in the village, with its tin roof and a bed sheet separating me from the six other family members with whom I was sharing the house. Desperate and broken, I stayed up one night sobbing from my very gut, praying over and over again “God, please let me love it here so much that I don’t ever want to leave,” and after that, things changed. I was one of the few volunteers who was placed in the city with a flush-toilet and running water. Hallelujah-- I was in heaven! The first week at my new site, I met two new best friends who became like sisters to me. And eventually, I fell in love with the most beautiful young Aussie surfer with the heart and soul of an angel...my prayer had been answered. As the next two years flew by, the island became my experimental playground to organize and facilitate teaching workshops, direct plays at the community theater, teach yoga classes, start a fire dancing troupe with local children, practice Reiki, create sacred women’s circles, make jewelry, paint,
Jani Moon Irion P E R S P E C T I V E S
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Jani Moon Irion
and much more. My experiences in Vanuatu gave me a deeper understanding of myself, what I want, what I can create in my life, and how I am capable of being in service to others. But unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. After two years, the spell was broken, and I forced myself to stay once my service was up, even though the deeper voice within was telling me something else. I had fallen in love with a man and I loved the island and the people who lived there. I had made it my home. I was a big fish in a small pond--deeply loved, felt important and inspired a community. Realizing that the lies I tell myself can only last for so long, I began getting panic attacks, feeling like the island was closing in on me, squeezing out the oxygen in my lungs and the life in my body. The love I had for my boyfriend, the people, and
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my friends weren’t enough anymore. My body was sending off sirens and alarms, screaming that my time here was over and that I needed to go; leaving was unbearable but certain.
New York
I left the first man that I’ve ever loved since my ex-husband, and the seemingly plausible future of a husband and family was washed away with the incoming tides of change. In August 2010, I moved to New York City, a city where I had never even stepped foot except within the confines of my imagination. I remember being six-years-old, dreaming of NYC, singing off-key to “I’m singing on Broadway,” stomping away, pretending I was a famous tap dancer and singer. Here I was finally living a childhood dream...minus the desperate need to prove myself, the unrealistic expectations and, of course, the poverty. My story is the main
Jani Moon Irion P E R S P E C T I V E S story-line threaded throughout every other New Yorker’s drama: dancing in the alleyways and through the streets to our own Broadway shows, singing of heartache, disappointment, and the hope of being discovered. I thought nothing could be as challenging as joining the Peace Corps and moving to a developing country, but I was wrong--my move to NYC was much worse. Vanuatu was teaming with the hum of wildlife and the constant rhythmic sounds of the ocean, tones relaxing enough to put a baby to sleep. New York has two beats: the pulse of a jackhammer drilling away at your fragile ego, and the pulse of heartbeat pumping creative passion into your veins. The Jackhammer hit me first. I came to NYC with many expectations for myself... feeling called to this city and expecting the moon. I didn’t realize that I would struggle, doubt and began to regret my decision. I got lost in the matrix, a place of insurmountable intensity, seventy hour work weeks, crowds of people and buildings, a depressed economy, highly qualified and skilled people fighting over each and every job. Most damaging to me, however, was my tortured and overly-crowded mind. It would race with worry and fear, drowning out the vision that had guided me to New York to begin with. I felt lost...depressed...lonely. I wanted to go back from whence I came, but there was no going back; there never is, and I was stuck in my own self-created hell. I wanted to get unstuck, but didn’t know how. It was so easy to find peace and clarity on the island, where time is your best friend. In New York, I felt all my tools and teachings gained in Vanuatu were being put to the hardest test yet. How could I be happy, clear, and at peace in the most insane city in the world? I expected my prayers to be answered as quickly as they were answered in the village--that expectation was a mistake. It was a long cold winter. Consumed by depression, everyday was a struggle to feel thankful. I was in limbo, a dark constricted place, grieving my old life and yet not fully in my new one. I never wanted to go out; I complained constantly and
had negative thoughts spinning circles in my head; I was praying for spring, the budding hopes of a brighter future, a garden of expansion...it eventually came. It came when I decided that I wouldn’t work seventy hours a week. It came when I honored my body and needs. It came when I loved myself enough to ask for what I wanted. It came when I was in my power not to be okay with the status quo. It came when I decided that I am the creator of my reality, my life. I’m not victim to my circumstances but the heroine of my Broadway show. Most importantly, it came when I let go and trusted the organic timing of life. After night falls, the sun always reappears and rises; all darkness eventually turns to light... in its own time. I’m now a media coach. It’s drama-teacher-meetslife-coach-meets-your-favorite-therapist. I get to help unravel people from all the crap they have made their truths and reality. These lies aren’t who they are--my clients just need to remember who they are so they can talk, entertain and just BE from a real, authentic place. From there, we laugh, cry, and fall in love with them. I love my work; I shed people of their false exteriors, so that their vulnerable, powerful, and creative superstar-selves shine through...they mirror back to me all that I need to learn and re-learn myself. I still struggle, and my life is far from perfect, but there is perfection in the imperfection. Knowing that at least gives me the courage to spread my wings and try to fly.
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P E R S P E C T I V E S Jani Moon Irion dossier:
Ja ni M oo n Ir ion your go-to drink is: A cosmo. I know that’s so Sex in the City. I’m going to start drinking dirty martinis to mix it up--Carrie Bradshaw meets James Bond. you collect: faux fur and boots your favorite travel relic is: Me. I’ve traveled a lot and am getting older and more priceless with age. your cologne: Ed Hardy something...I don’t remember names well. Men love it, but one woman said I smelled like a slut. your favorite book: anything by Paulo Coelho favorite band: anyone who can make me dance the person who would play you in a movie: Not Lucy Liu--just because I’m half Asian! I would want Helena Bonham Carter. She is a bad-ass. in another life you’d be a: the sun instead of moon you could live off: LOVE and fire best three words to describe yourself: Grrrrrrrr, Meow, Szzzzzz
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P E R S P E C T I V E S The Critic
SOUL KIDS by Sarah Martin Graduating from college must feel daunting in the current economy, especially if one graduates with a bachelor or master’s degree in the arts. Trying to find one’s own space in the world is overwhelming for any young adult. Financial aid payments start rolling in just months after receiving a diploma, then the realization that there are thousands of other students competing for the same minimum wage job at the local bookstore. Each spring, when I sit on stage at my university’s graduation ceremony, I think back to my mid-twenties, when I sometimes worked three jobs and could barely make rent. I watch my students breeze across the stage with caps and gowns and feel a pang of guilt, knowing for many, the most difficult few years of their lives lie ahead. Fortunately, there are always those few students who figure out how to create their own career path and inspire those around them. I have met two recent graduates who not only have creative talent and intelligence to realize their dreams, but possess that third necessary ingredient that many young artists lack...I’m speaking of tenacity. William Conklin graduated with a degree in Design from East Carolina University, but unknowingly began his small business while still a
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student. William is the owner and maker of a custom design shoe business called Soles for the Soul. “I started making shoes for myself four years ago. When I was in college, I became aware of how reliant I was on exterior influences. All of my clothes, food, water, and shelter were dependant. Making shoes for myself was a way to become more independent.” William continued to explain he had never intended to start a shoe making business but was not going to turn down the opportunity to make a friend a pair of shoes while being paid to do so. This is when the business started and how Soles for the Soul came into existence. In the last six months, Conklin has established his business and has sold over 100 pairs of shoes and counting. When asked about the most important aspect of his business, he says that it is strictly the idea that he is keeping the business as local as possible so the funds will go back into his local economy. In fact, almost all of his materials come from North Carolina. Each pair of Conklin’s shoes is eco-friendly and hand stitched. William currently offers four different styles of shoes called the Ares, the Deluxe, Foxy Flats and the Wonderboy. (I have purchased three pairs of these shoes and can attest that they are both amazingly comfortable and personally unique to my taste; I was able to pick out each material used, color and style.)
The Critic P E R S P E C T I V E S
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P E R S P E C T I V E S The Critic Two blocks away from William’s home business is Kenneth Price, a recent master’s graduate in Media Studies from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While a student, Kenneth had the idea of making a full length documentary following North Carolina’s own Patrick Douthit (aka 9th Wonder) for a full year. For those readers who don’t know, 9th is a hip hop producer, DJ, rapper and lecturer at Duke University. After several months of phone tag and frustration, Kenneth busied himself with other projects, thinking 9th was too busy and the documentary might never be made...then one day, Patrick called out of the blue to see if Kenneth could film some of his friends who happened to be in town for a reunion that very evening. Kenneth loaded up his van with equipment and drove to Durham immediately to begin the filming of his new feature length documentary, The Wonder Year. The narrative comes from the words and lyrics of 9th Wonder, who offers audiences a window into the world of hip hop record production, and how obscure vinyl records from the 1970s can be transformed into beats, which can then be developed into arrangements and ultimately, Grammy award-winning songs. This past summer, Patrick and Kenneth toured all over the U.S. and Canada promoting and screening The Wonder Year, which has already received much attention and favorable reviews. If this isn’t impressive enough for someone who just graduated, a visit to Kenneth’s Vimeo page (Price Films) will show that he recently shot and edited six music videos for artists like Mac Miller, Skyzoo and Rapsody.
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To learn more and to get inspired, check out William’s website, www.solesforthesoul.com and Kenneth’s work at www.pricefilms.com.
The Critic P E R S P E C T I V E S
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T H E L O U N G E Artist Awe
Hans Kline Working as an Art Director for the last decade, Hans Kline is constantly aware of the construct of image and the importance of building a brand. Having studied Architecture at the University of Virginia leading to a previous career as an Architect, this platform gave him the discipline needed to design well; never forgetting the parameters of reality and project requirements. This balance of form and function, led to his trademarked motto that directs his graphic design practice today: Make it Beautiful. Make it Work.TM Born in Harrisonburg, Virginia, he was introduced to painting by his grandmother who painted landscapes and stills extensively. Being fortunate to have traveled the world at a young age, Hans has always had a world view of what is considered art and the many forms of communication it can articulate. He celebrates the highest and lowest forms of art; taking joy and inspiration in everything from the labels of a vintage syrup bottle, a passing train transporting hazardous materials, the precision of a hand drawn blueprint, to works by the bold Renaissance master Hieronymus Bosch, and the pioneers of graphic design shown brilliantly in the 1920s posters of the Russian avant-garde film industry. The style conscious, sometimes tongue in cheek artwork seen in his current show, bad art : { iconografitti }, reflects the need to have a lighthearted approach to the seriousness of our daily lives and what we place so much importance on, while never forgetting certain stylistic goals. What defines an icon? Do we make them untouchable? Should we let them define us? Being able to laugh at yourself, and especially at others, makes for a much more balanced world. Take yourself seriously but then push yourself into the pool.
For more information about Hans Kline and his work please visit: www.hanskline.com or contact him directly: work@hanskline.com.
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Striped Chanel Bottle acrylic paint on canvas
Artist Awe T H E L O U N G E
Chanel Bottle Study graphite drawing & acrylic on canvas board
Icon Study photographic transfer on clayboard
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T H E L O U N G E Artist Awe
Elena Gorelik The very notion of a credentialing biography to complement a curated selection of images seems at odds, at least in my naïve view, with the role photography has played in my life. A friend from a different, much more analytically-oriented walk of life once remarked that the merits of a photograph are the unique perspectives of the artist. Following that discussion, I thought perhaps I should quit this fool’s errand of making pictures. Who are you calling an artist, anyway? Not this creature, I hope. What perspective do I argue? What thesis do I offer? I endeavor to make pictures…of people I love or admire, mostly…in a space and from a place of playfulness. My shooting process is less “artistic construction” and more “party” - with props, music, costume changes, pranks, a posse of friends and some shots of whiskey as the focus of the undertaking - not the camera, nor the subject’s appearance exactly…. but always with an obsession for light, flare and that authentic emotive thing that happens after the posturing ends . I often hear, “I don’t know if we got anything good today, but that sure was fun!” And it is fun…and humbling…for me, I dare say, more so than anyone. I have struggled to orient myself in some useful commercial category, but the exact taxonomy eludes me. My aesthetic tastes are much too “lifestyle commercial” for the likes of fine art and subjects far too irreverent of archetypes to hold much muster in the world of fashion. So that leaves me in some inbetween place, shooting off-beat commercial work and portraiture….but always shooting people…resplendent in their uniqueness, their dazzle, their mojo. Oh yes, the bio…I live in New York City, having called a half dozen or so U.S. and European cities home for some time; I have a couple of degrees from the University of Chicago, a very right-brained sort of finance job and far too many interests.
For more information about Elena Gorelik and her work please visit: www.elenagorelik.com or contact her directly: elena.v.gorelik@gmail.com.
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Artist Awe T H E L O U N G E
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T H E L O U N G E Artist Awe
David Bechtel David Bechtel graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio in June of 2007 with a BFA in photography. He made his move to New York City, where he currently resides and runs David Bechtel Photography Inc. He offers photography, retouching and graphic design services for designers, actors and models throughout the New York area.
For more information about David Bechtel and his work please visit: www.david-bechtel.com or contact him directly: david@davidbechtel.com.
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Artist Awe T H E L O U N G E
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T H E L O U N G E Artist Awe
Stacey Carlson Stacey Carlson is an aerialist, dancer, and choreographer originally from St. Louis, MO, where she graduated from Webster University with a BFA in dance. She has competed nationally in rhythmic gymnastics and received second place in the National Society of Arts and Letters Modern Dance division. She has performed on many small and large stages across the globe with various types of performances from modern dance to circuses: Cavalia (aerialist/dancer), Cirque Eloize’s ID (aerialist), Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium (aerialist/dancer), Notre Dame de Paris in Las Vegas (dancer), Mark Drahozal’s War All the Time, Gail Gilbert Dance Ensemble and Anti Gravity’s Crash Test Dummies, to name just a few. Stacey has choreographed for Proto-type Theater, LIU, Jillana School and her own solos. The different aerial apparatuses Stacey performs on are: a solo hammock, the cube, tissue and bungee. Aside from performing Stacey has taught inner city kids in NYC gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. She also taught modern dance for the Jillana School for many years. Outside of performing, she is currently rekindling her interest in photography!
For more information about Stacey Carlson and her work please visit: www.staceycarlson.com or contact her directly: staceycarlson@hotmail.com.
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Artist Awe T H E L O U N G E
photo credit: Rudy Le Coadic Photography
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T H E L O U N G E Artist Awe
Htet T San Htet T San is a freelance photographer currently based in New York City: “I studied photography at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. What I [admire] most about photography is, I think it is the simplest way to tell stories, the stories that are displayed in the photographs, or the stories that left traces in the photographs. Whether it’s street, or people or even buildings, whenever I look at the pictures, I tend to seek narration in them. And that is what I would like to do as well, telling stories via my photographs. The fuels of my inspiration [are] mostly based on my imagination through the life I struggled, the memories I left, the moments I met, the pain I shed, the joy I felt, the silence I heard and the thoughts provoked. My photographs can be regarded as the results of my wandering thoughts...Persona is my experimental photography series. I bought this 3X3 little box for ninety-nine cents at a thrift store...painted it all black and used it as my pinhole camera. I was an international student who came to study photography in United States by dropping out of medical school back in my home country. This series is about documenting my state of mind in my life-changing period through the memories of being stuck, and the moments of change. I used lithographic film for the project and printed out in 5x7 resin-coated papers.
For more information about Htet T San and her work please visit: www.htetthawtarsan.com or contact her directly: lineainni@gmail.com.
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Artist Awe T H E L O U N G E
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T H E L O U N G E Artist Awe
Melissa McClain Melissa McClain grew up outside of Dallas, TX and as a child loved arts and crafts. Over the years as art programs in schools began to diminish, she strayed from her love of creativity and color. After graduating from college she began working in Crisis Management, eventually receiving a Master’s Degree in the field. As a Crisis Management professional for over 15 years, Melissa worked with organizations around the world to design programs to support employees, survivors and family members following a crisis. She has responded to mass casualty events around the world, including aviation accidents, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. While traveling for business, her passion for art, creativity, and color resurfaced through the lens of a camera. In 2007, while traveling in Iceland, she unexpectedly began a series of abstract images after taking a photo of the bottom of an old wooden boat. After experimenting with fiberglass boats, the melissaAnne Colors Water Colors Collection of abstract photography created from close ups of boat bottoms was launched. Melissa’s work has been shown in galleries and venues around New York City, and her first exhibit piece won best of show for a group event. Melissa is currently pursuing her creative dreams and passion for photography and design. She enjoys making a difference in the world through colorful opportunities to inspire others to be creative, think differently, and follow their own dreams. Her ultimate goal is to take her photography “off the walls” and expand the Colors Collection of images to textile designs. She hopes to launch melissaAnne Home Collection with a collection of colorful and elegant pillows made with custom textiles from the melissaAnne Colors Collection. Melissa currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and takes any opportunity to travel with her camera, especially if boats and water are nearby. Her favorite place to visit is Martha’s Vineyard where she finds her strongest connection to creativity.
For more information about Melissa McClain and her work please visit: www.melissaAnneGallery.com or contact her directly: melissa@melissaAnneColors.com.
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Artist Awe T H E L O U N G E
Wa t e r C o l o r s A l l y
Wa t e r C o l o r s B l u e S t e e l
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T H E L O U N G E Artist Awe
Zachary Goff Zachary Goff: “I’m a young, self taught artist born in California, but I grew up mostly in Texas and New Jersey. I have been taking pictures all my life, but after picking up my first SLR camera in 2008, I realized that photography was no longer a hobby. It is a passion that I found to be my greatest form of expression. I am currently in New York City working as a freelance photographer and looking forward to developing my professional portfolio.”
For more information about Zachary Goff and his work please visit: www.wix.com/zacharyalangoff/photography or contact him directly: zacharyalangoff@gmail.com.
Cigarettes
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Artist Awe T H E L O U N G E
Into the Sun
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I N S P I R AT I O N Uncovered
ASHLEY GLORIOSO
www.pursenboots.blogspot.com
We were thrilled to catch up with the lovely and talented Ashley Glorioso, creator and stylist of www.pursenboots.blogspot.com and hear about her (incredible) style, her (fabulous) blog, and her (enviable) top ten picks for this fall. “I am from Los Angeles, California, born and raised! I have worked in the fashion industry since high school and have been able to experience so many different facets of the business, so it’s been an amazing ride so far. I love everything from rock wives and girlfriends of the 60’s and 70’s to 90’s grunge. Penelope Tree, Francoise Hardy, Marianne Faithfull, Kate Lanphear, Lou Doillon...my blog is a compilation of things I’ve styled, mixed with my personal outfits--all shot by amazing bff and photographer Zoey Grossman. She shoots the outfits like I imagine I want them to be seen--and always catches every detail in such a cool way. She inspires me!” - Ashley
photo by Zoey Grossman
Rouse Darklands Rosary Necklace: “I am obsessed with everything from Rouse. Her stuff has a little of the craft witchy feel, which I totally love.” www.shopplanetblue.com $215
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Persol sunglasses: “I love this og Steve McQueen sunglasses. Total classics. I want to wear these all year long.” www.eyegoodies.com $389
Uncovered I N S P I R AT I O N Benefit High Beam: “This is my favorite beauty product year round. I put this highlighter in the corners and edges of my eyes and all over my cheekbones. Dewy delight.” www.benefitcosmetics.com $24
Aquage Sea Salt Texturizing Spray: “When I jump out of the shower I spray this allllll over my head and scrunch away, and it creates the perfect waves.” www.aquage.com / pricing varies
Asos Wide Brim Fedora Hat: “The perfect hat. Own this baby in a few colors--fits my big head and it’s totally affordable!” www.us.asos.com $43.10
Unif robe: “I love easy light things you can throw over anything--it never gets too cold in L.A., so I love this crazy granny print bed jacket over a dress or jeans and a tee! Add some ankle boots and I’m set.” www.shopplanetblue.com $79
Wendy Nichol Bullet Bag: “This is on my wish wish wish list. Need to hit it big in Vegas for this one. Currently still wishing.” www.lagarconne.com $621
Isabel Marant Dicker boot: “Perfection. Wear with any and evvvvrything!” www.barneys.com $560
Lorac Blush (desire): “This is the most perfect pink ever made, and it’s amazingly irridescent and highlights the cheekbones. Favorite blush ever.” www.sephora.com $20
My dog Coco: “I mean she’s not something you can buy, but she’s always a pick for me!”
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I N S P I R AT I O N The Local
photo by: Jason Norfleet
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The Local I N S P I R AT I O N
Somerset, Kentucky by Ben Hubbard Listening to: The Futurebirds Drinking: Woodford Reserve, Batch 80, Bottle 02073 In 2003, fresh on the heels of my father’s death, I left an excellent job in Lexington, Kentucky and moved my small family--wife, three year old daughter, me--to the small Southern Kentucky town of Somerset, an hour south of the city and three hours west of the small Appalachian town I’d not yet grown to appreciate. I had no idea why. It was just a place on the map and I needed to get away, though I’m not sure what I was running from. We settled in a little sub-division that was plopped awkwardly into pastureland only a few years before and tried to adjust to the sudden changes that’d been thrust upon us. Somerset isn’t a town with a huge art and music scene, though a small group of local creatives are trying to change that. It’s not a town where you can go out and have an evening at the pub with friends; it’s dry and the old guard seems to frown on such ballyhooing. And Somerset certainly isn’t a town where you can expect a fast-paced lifestyle, or fast-paced anything for that matter. But it is a place of peace and solitude, where you can enjoy the outdoors in as public or private an arena as you like, from the typical boat run on Lake Cumberland with the crowds of tourists to personal explorations of local creeks, trails, caves and rock faces. A place where you have a hard time walking down the street thanks to the neighbors striking up conversations on a lazy summer day. A place that makes you feel at home but lets you retain your identity. I came to Somerset hurting and purposefully trying to be alone and I was allowed to do so. But, when I was ready to come around and give myself back to folks who’d waited patiently for me to heal, I was embraced in the way that only a small yet diverse city could. That’s what I love about my town. It’s not the places, or the activities, or the opportunities...it’s the community. The collective attitude of my neighbors, friends and enemies. We all come together to make this one hell of a place to live.
YOU MUST... See Lake Cumberland. All the tourists do. There’s boating, fishing, boat races and other such lake shenanigans. Bring your own booze since it’s a dry town. Visit the Big South Fork. It’s about 30 minutes south of town and is one of Southern Kentucky’s truly marvelous places. Hiking, kayaking, camping, horseback riding and other adventurous activities. Visit the Somernites Cruise. One of the south’s largest cruise-ins, it takes place the fourth Saturday of each month, April through October. Over 1,000 classic cars from around the country fill up downtown then cruise up and down “the strip” until the wee hours. Have a coffee at Baxter’s. Starbucks once came to town, then promptly shut down. Baxter’s, meanwhile, opened another location. Visit the original location to have a look at their roasting operation. Eat at Fat Man’s Barbecue in Burnside. It’s good BBQ. Should I say anything more? Avoid the half dozen cookie cutter Mexican restaurants in town and hit up El Ranchito. It’s a Mexican grocery and restaurant that’s as authentic as it gets. I’ve literally seen the waiters from the other local Mexican restaurants eating lunch here. Yep. Have a look at Short Creek. It’s a creek that comes out of a cave then runs right back into another. A great place for a picnic with the family. Strike up random conversations with locals. You’ll be glad that you did.
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I N S P I R AT I O N The Local
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The Local I N S P I R AT I O N
photo by: Jason Norfleet
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I N S P I R AT I O N The Local
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The Local I N S P I R AT I O N
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I N S P I R AT I O N The Local
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The Local I N S P I R AT I O N
photo by: Jason Norfleet
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I N S P I R AT I O N The Giving Well
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The Giving Well I N S P I R AT I O N
fashionABLE Over 85 million people live in Ethiopia, with half living in extreme poverty. In fact, Ethiopia is ranked as the 12th poorest country in the world. In the capital city of Addis Ababa, over 150,000 women are involved in prostitution as a means to support their lives and their children. While Barrett Ward - the founder of Mocha Club - was living in Ethiopia in 2008, he began working with a group called Women At Risk, whose main focus was pulling women out of this lifestyle. Mocha Club is a non-profit organization that funds relief and development work across Africa by encouraging a new generation of activists to give up the cost of two mochas a month – or seven dollars – and donate that money towards one it’s five strategic project areas. By partnering with musicians, Mocha Club is able to share the story and purpose to a wide audience. One of the Mocha Club project areas is Women At Risk and while living in Ethiopia and working first-hand there, Ward learned that the biggest issue facing Ethiopian women was a lack of job opportunity. For many, prostitution is the only way to support their lives and provide basic needs for their children. These women are often desperate to leave the sex industry but remain trapped by a lack of opportunity and rehabilitative support.
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I N S P I R AT I O N The Giving Well
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The Giving Well I N S P I R AT I O N Ward wanted to figure out a way to give women another choice. Led by the vision that handmade cotton scarves, part of Ethiopia’s traditional wear, would sell well in the western world, he created fashionABLE. The ultimate goal of fashionABLE is to provide sustainable living through the creation of business and job opportunities for women of Ethiopia. 100 percent of fashionABLE’s net profits go back to Africa to rehabilitate more women, giving them a new direction in life while being a vital part of a developing economy. Prostitution leaves emotional damage that also has to be dealt with, so while creating jobs for these women, fashionABLE also helps deal with the emotional damage to their hearts. So in July 2010, Ward and his team in Nashville, Tennessee got production started in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and the headquarters for fashionABLE. The first three women employed by fashionABLE are the main inspiration for the company’s original line of scarves – Mulu, Meselu, Bezuayhu. Each scarf also comes adorned with a tag signed by the maker, and a short note telling consumers what they are “ABLE” to do because of their purchase of the scarf. For example, Meselu lets the purchaser know that she is now ABLE to “send my son Eyob to school.” FashionABLE scarves are made from 100 percent Ethiopian cotton on traditional looms, and the styles are inspired by the local ware of African women. Scarves are made by the women in the program, as well as other Ethiopian sources to help meet demand. While being supported by those sources, fashionABLE is continually funding the training of more women in order to employ as many women as demand will allow. There are currently four styles in eighteen solid colors each, and three other uniquely designed scarves. They will also be launching new styles and new colors for the fall, available this month. Each style is named for a woman who makes them: Etanesh crinkled, lightweight scarf in twenty-two solid colors
Meselu sheer, extra long, lightweight intwenty-twosolid colors Meselu Summer sheer, small, lightweight in twenty-two solid colors Mulu medium weight in twenty-two solid colors Meselu Infinity sheer, looped circle in twenty-two solid colors Mulu Infinity medium weight, looped circle in twenty-two solid colors Bezuayhu medium weight, with two different color iterations Dember medium weight, plum / blue / teal iteration In just one year, fashionABLE scarves have been picked up by retailers across the country and can be found in over 115 boutiques in fourteen states, including Los Angeles, New York City, and fashionABLE’s home base of Nashville, Tennessee. Most notably, Fred Segal (Santa Monica, CA) and Diana Warner (New York, NY) have begun carrying the scarves, proving that well-made products with purpose are customer-friendly and in high demand. To date, fashionABLE has sold over 8000 scarves. Daily meeting their mission to empower women through economic opportunity in Africa, each purchase of a fashionABLE scarf in the U.S. creates sustainable business for women in Africa. FashionABLE’s extended mission is also to fight poverty by keeping the manufacturing in Africa. As opposed to simply giving a percent of sales to charity, manufacturing in Ethiopia empowers every level... from the farmer, the thread spinner, and the scarf maker to the business manager. Trade with Africa is key to ending poverty and dependence on foreign aid. To learn more about fashionABLE, head to their website (www.livefashionABLE.com), follow them on twitter @livefashionABLE, and like them on facebook (www.facebook.com/livefashionABLE).
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I N S P I R AT I O N The Giving Well
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Footprint I N S P I R AT I O N
OPEN GREEN S P A C E S
S P A C E S by k a r l c h a m p l e y
People talk a lot these days about energy efficient appliances, but what is really important is the way we live in our homes. Efficiency, utilization of space, functionalities, and open spaces brings us to the topic of “green” and ways to ensure that the spaces we create stay “green.” Green is not rocket science! It’s plain-old common sense, but many corporations have made it very confusing to the public. Why? Money...! It is now a billion dollar industry who knows selling products will make the purchaser feel they are doing the right thing and will allow them to reap benefits in the form of big bucks. When sorting through the topic of “green,” remember a more organized open space results in a more efficient lifestyle - something we all need in today’s fast paced society.
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I N S P I R AT I O N Footprint
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Footprint I N S P I R AT I O N
B E S U R E T O U T I L I Z E T H E F O L L OW I N G G U I D E L I N E S W H E N
I N Q U I R I N G A B O U T A P R O D U C T T H AT I S S U P P O S E D LY G R E E N : Recycled content of the product: Is there a wastage factor? Does it contribute to land fill and simply waste valuable resources? Where was it made? Is it available locally or within your country? This equates to a relatively low carbon footprint. The less transport/emissions to get material to your home, the better. How was it made? Is the manufacturing process hypocritical to what the final product claims it is? Take the company Benjamin Moore, in New Jersey. They are a chemical company, but the entire plant operation is solar powered. Their manufacturing process is clean, tight, and many of their products are zero VOCs. I have become a spokesperson for this company recently, as I am a big fan to how they operate. Toxibility: Does the product omit any dangerous toxins into your home? Durability: This is an important one. Let’s use oil-based primer (paint) for use on exterior lumber as an example. Is it environmentally friendly? No. But it will last five times longer than a water-based primer. So what is more green? The water-based paint creates a larger long term carbon footprint, since the project needs to be redone more frequently...which results in more road travel. This leads me back to using your own noggin--when we do a project, we should want it to last...unless you like re-doing projects? Didn’t think so!
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I N S P I R AT I O N Footprint
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KARL’S TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR OPEN SPACE “GREEN” AND EFFICIENT:
1
An open space is great but not if its costing you a fortune to keep the temperature maintained. Insulate the walls and ceiling, including the internal walls. This will enable you to warm or cool this space quickly and more cost effectively. The use of recycled denim is great for temperature control as well as sound control. Fiberglass also works well for temperature and is more economical. Try to use the encapsulated batts. They are wrapped with plastic to avoid loose fibers floating around while you work. Also, try to use formaldehyde-free batts if you can!
2
Provide a good weather seal to all windows and doors.
3
Consider cross-flow ventilation. The air inside your home is four times more polluted that the outdoors.
4
Skylights: ventilation and natural light. Hot air rises, so a vented skylight, positioned at the highest point of your ceiling, is smart and will save you money.
5
Extend your living space to the outdoors by means of installing french or bi-fold doors. This is a particularly great solution for small spaces.
6
Invest in heated floors.
7
Energy efficient lighting: Fluorescent, LED or simple dimmers that you can retro-fit can save money, as well as create a pleasant environment.
8
Energy efficient appliances: Do your own calculation of your appliances. What sort of amperage are they pulling? The new refrigerators I recently installed use only one amp to run. My old fridge used eight amps! My new washing machine costs as little as $45 a year to run. My ten-year-old washer used ten amps and cost me approximately $350 a year to run.
9
Don’t forget to take advantage of the federal energy incentives. Combined with your local gas and power suppliers, it can save you some big bucks!
BE SURE TO PURCHASE KARL CHAMPLEY’S BOOK: SAME PLACE MORE SPACE.
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I N S P I R AT I O N Freshly Picked
Bareminerals 100% Natural Lip Color in Spiced Rum $15 www.sephora.com
Beachcomber Extra Large Tote $199 www.potterybarn.com
Reusable Produce Bags $11 for 5 www.flipandtumble.com
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Be Curly Style Prep $24 www.aveda.com
Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder $28 www.tartecosmetics.com
Quercetin & Oak Antiaging & Antiwrinkle Cream $52 www.korresusa.com
Freshly Picked I N S P I R AT I O N
Recycle(d) and (able) Cardboard Cooler Boxes $14.99 www.boutique.cascades.com
Sprout Watch pricing varies www.sproutwatches.com
Timberland Earthkeepers $170 www.zappos.com
Organic Chevron Bedding $79+ www.westelm.com
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Susan McCanless | Design Enthusiast 901.336.7560 • INFO@JPRESSDESIGNS.COM 475 NORTH HIGHLAND • MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE