Young Blood Magazine by Nicole Vernon

YOUNG BLOOD THE CULTURE CURE

ISSUE No. ONE

AUTUMN 2011

THE CULTURE CURE

ISSUE ONE

CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR: THE CULTURE CURE BLOOD TYPE: IDENTITY SPILL BLOOD: INTERVIEWS BLOODY HELL! GPOY BLOODY NORA! SAY MY NAME FEATURE: BLOOD CELLS BLOOD TEST: TUMBLWEED BLOOD TYPE: HIPSTER DINGBATS BLOOD CULTURE: NEW SLANG BLOODBATH: CLICHE PHOTOSHOOTS BAD BLOOD: FACESTALKING CREEP BLOOD OATH: BLOGGER COMMANDMENTS BLOOD SAMPLE: BAD SMELLING BOY HOLLIE FERNANDO BLOOD COUNT: MEMEBERSHIP BLUE BLOOD: AWARDS

FROM THE EDITOR

ISSUE ONE

THE

CULTURE CURE

You’re holding the very first issue of Young Blood Magazine in your hands. It’s hot off the press and we’re excited to introduce it to you. While strolling around a graduate exhibition in London in the summer of 2010, it struck us for the first time: There is no resource available that explores and celebrates the creativity and challenges of the young entrepreneurial blogger generation. In response to this community, and importantly, as part of it, over the past year we’ve developed Young Blood in an attempt to fill this gap. As a new wave of young creative talent, we are increasingly relying on selfinitiative, ingenuity, and the internet to launch our careers. Social media is a place to promote ourselves and connect with the creative industry, but it’s also a complicated and weird rite of passage that challenges our notions of identity, culture, anonymity, and fantasy. We are the first generation that is growing up on the internet. Young Blood is a community that merges these concepts by rewarding its members for their creativity and entrepreneurial ideas as well as providing them with a positive online space to explore and experiment with creativity. Our aim is to celebrate, promote and inspire a creative generation that is coming of age online. Blurring the boundaries between the transience of pixels and the permanence of paper, Young Blood exists as both a blog and a magazine. We support creative talent and commercial ideas by providing crucial exposure; we also provide articles, interviews and artwork that we really like and believe in. Our first issue, The Culture Cure, values personal perspectives and experience from creative bloggers, featuring interviews from talented members of Young Blood as well as selected work chosen by our distinguished executive creative team. We’ve also included our own art and observations on internet culture and what it means to develop your self image online. There has never been a better time to celebrate the individuality, personality, creativity and energy of young blood. Our veins are pumping with enthusiasm and drive to make the most of our bloody exciting youth. We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Editor NICOLE VERNON First Issue The Culture Cure, Autumn 2011

BLOOD TYPE

ISSUE ONE

CHOOSE YOUR OWN

IDENTITY Words by NICOLE VERNON

Growing up has always been all about learning the Rules of Life, or the norms of behaviour that will get you ahead in your culture. Any teenager can attest to the indescribable angst that comes with finding your way in the world. The ‘rules’ often seem illogical, complex, and contradictory. We all feel a bit like we’ve not been provided with a manual - we’ve opened the box and the rulebook for life has been left out. Choosing an identity is like trying on new clothes at the mall - we try on several different looks, just see which fits. Some will turn out to be a step too far, but hey, at least we have the photos to laugh at later. Clothing, rainbow-dyed hair, piercings and makeup are all external expressions of a process that is going on internally. We’re trying on identities for size. Of course, you hope that your local high street or boutique is stocked with plenty of trendy ideas and the latest memes. And like those who grow up far from the bright lights of the big city, you just pray all the cool stuff isn’t happening elsewhere. Otherwise, it’s mail-order johnny come lately culture for you. Inevitably, each generation of youth culture mutates and evolves to fit its own image. The global nature of the internet paradoxically means that there is now even more ‘elsewhere’; even more grass that is greener...but even as it becomes closer to hand and easier to access. So how do you start? What do you need to know? We’re all born with a set of genetic and compulsory affiliations; our race, our parents, our sex, our height, our eyecolour. But our cultural identity is not based on these conditions. There is a new space where your gender, class, position, or race need not define you: the internet.

WHAT IS YOUR BLOOD TYPE? Please tick all that apply:

Goth Bulimic Chav Christian Straight Indie Fashionista Atheist Vegetarian Gay Glamorous Witch Dumb Republican Skinny Drifter Electro kid Existentialist Ghetto Mormon Carnivore Preppy Emo Baptist Brat Emotional Posh Thug Mainstream Grunge Bored Funny Shy Crafty

Artsy Catholic Anxious Drag queen Agnostic Brainy Liberal Anorexic Straight edge Hipster Depressed Rocker Popular Trekkie Punk Lazy Druggie Vintage Communist Bitch Pescatarian Sexy Drunk Geeky Annoying Show-off Happy Bisexual Metal Fattie Dreamer Rapper Genius Other

Online personas are self-designed and may differ in many ways from the real person they represent. The beauty of the internet is its possibilites for self-creating ourselves. Like a wardobe of identities, each is built for a different occasion. You can be someone else tomorrow. You can even be serveral people in the same night. The questions is, which one is the realer you? The answer is, of course: whichever identity you choose.

SPILL BLOOD

: SPILL

INTERVIEWS

BLOOD As an inspirational antidote for the cultural uncertainty and angst that can come with internet identity crises, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve relaxed and shot the breeze with some of the coolest people on and off the internet. With creative personalities like Molly Soda, Luis Juaregui, and Grace Miceli to name a few, Spill Blood features interviews with a variety of talent and creatvity. Watch and learn.

INTERVIEW

JOEL MCLOUGHLIN

No.

48 JOEL MCLOUGHLIN THE HALLOWED GROUND Joel McLoughlin describes himself as a teenage stylist, performance artist and wizard. Working under the moniker The Hallowed Ground, this Manchester goth boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s style reminds us of a cross between Gwen Stefani and the Nightmare Before Christmas. Joel updates his blog, tumblr, and lookbook almost daily with GPOYs, eccentric animated .gifs, and a healthy dollop of mod style noir. At only 19, Joel is definitely one to watch.

Interview and photography by NICOLE VERNON

INTERVIEW

Moody and showing off the freshly bleached trews

JOEL MCLOUGHLIN

Personal effects

INTERVIEW

JOEL MCLOUGHLIN

Nicole Vernon: Good to see you today Joel! Can you tell us a bit about your life so far? Where have you been and what have you seen seen? Joel McLoughlin: I’ve been quite fortunate in my life so far. I’ve been going abroad since I was little - I’ve been to many parts of Australia, America, Spain, Cyprus, Portugal, France and I’ve seen quite alot of Britain. I’ve lived in Manchester for 18 years and this year made a big leap down south to Chichester for University. It’s let me explore the south of England more and let me go to London quite a lot also. Nicole: What inspired you to start a blog? Joel: Out of a strong passion and love for fashion and others’ blogs! They inspired me to start my own blog! Nicole: ‘The Hallowed Ground’ is an interesting name for your blog. What does it mean? Joel: ‘The Hallowed Ground’ was taken from the Florence & the Machine song ‘Howl’. Hallowed means to honor as holy, and to me I treat personal style as a very important factor in personality. So ‘ The Hallowed Ground’ for me is a place to post all the things that I love. Nicole: What inspires you? Joel: Everything! Inspiration strikes at the most random times and I find little moments or fragments can spark a whole world of inspiration. Nicole: What are some of your earliest memories of using the internet? Joel: Playing Neopets and ordering Pokemon Games online! Nicole: What sparked your interest in blogging and internet culture? Joel: Growing up using the internet and websites such as Myspace led me to where I am today I think, I’ve just always had an online profile and blogging just appealed to me. Nicole: How would you describe your online persona? How are you different offline? Joel: I think I’m more ‘put together’ online, as I have time to think and formulate what I want to say and I choose which pictures of myself I upload, so obviously it’s a more refined version of myself Nicole: How has blogging changed or developed your style? Joel: Blogging has made me think about each item of clothing before purchasing it and led me to a more minimal style. Cluttered outfits hurt my eyes, haha. Basic shapes and textures are much more appealing than a mish mash of clothes. Nicole: Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog? Joel: I’ve met designers, stylists, publishers, models, writers, photographers, shop owners, other bloggers and I’ve made lots of good friends! Even from other countries! Nicole: How does blogging and the internet affect your self esteem? Joel: It makes me happy to know that someone has read or commented on something I’ve written, like when people from the other side of the world comment! It’s madness. It gives me a warm feeling inside :) Nicole: What’s the hardest part about blogging? Joel: One of the hardest things about blogging is finding the time. Being a full time student with a part time job I have to be on the ball to be able to keep to date. Another hard part is when people make fun of you for having a blog or they dislike it...you just have to know that these people don’t really understand the blogosphere! Nicole: How do you measure your success? Are followers and page views important? Joel: I don’t tend to measure my success. I check my follower count and page views a lot to see how things are going but I never think of it as important to gain new followers and get comments, I just carry on doing what I’m doing and if people appreciate it then that’s just a bonus! I’ve been approached for advertising but from brands that don’t appeal to me or have nothing to do with my blog, so I’ve refused them Nicole: Who are some of your favourite bloggers? Joel: I follow quite a lot of bloggers but amongst my favourites are Anonymous Alex, Panache, The Milk Club and Dripping Lazers. I find the best blogs are ones that you want to read through loads of pages, like you can’t get enough! Nicole: What are your family and friends’ reactions to your work? Joel: My family don’t read my blog or at least I dont think they do! My friends don’t really react, they just make a little joke or two - but I know they read it! And it’s nice when friends reveal to you that they read your blog :’) Ahah! Nicole: What keeps you going when you work late in the evening? Joel: I find the evening the easiest time to work as it’s when I have the most time to really think about a post and sort out my life. Nicole: Some people believe that bloggers are simply narcissists. What is your response to this? Joel: I can agree, it’s a very self-involved activity because you talk about yourself and post pictures of yourself - but you’re putting yourself out there for others to view and criticise, so you’ve got to be thick skinned to be a blogger! Nicole: Who do you think follows your blog? Joel: Other bloggers! Nicole: How long do you think the life of your blog will be? Joel: Until I get bored and stop doing it, but I love it and I’ve been doing it for over a year so we’ll have to wait and see :) [ thehallowedground.blogspot.com

INTERVIEW

MOLLY SODIA

No.

MOLLY SODA I WANT TO TOUCH YOUR FACE

You know her from her insanely weird but extremely popular blog and her unmistakable rainbow-dyed hair. Like us, you’ve likely spent way too many hours watching videos of her with her housemates and her pet rat getting stoned on YouTube. You might not even get it, but you just can’t stop looking at her. Tumblr zeitgeist and video artist Molly Soda has a ridiculous following online, but many of the teenagers that worship the ground she blogs on are completely unaware that she is a performance artist. Based in both Chicago and New York, Molly Soda is pretty hard to get a hold of. When we spoke to her, she had just moved and - shock horror - was without internet except for her on her cell phone. We were lucky enough to snag an interview with the elusive Soda minx via text message. Here’s what she had to say in SMS responses of 140 characters or less.

Interview by NICOLE VERNON Photographs by MOLLY SODA

INTERVIEW

Nicole Vernon: Age, sex, location? Occupation? Molly Soda: Molly Soda, female, 22, Chicago/NYC. I’m a performance artist/unemployed in the “real world.” Nicole: Tell me a bit about where you’re from and what you’ve seen. Molly: You can read about that in my upcoming autobiography “riding in subway cars with boys” (that’s a working title). Nicole: What inspired you to start a blog? Molly: I’ve been blogging since middle school. First it started with xanga, then I moved to livejournal... now I’m on tumblr. It was a natural progression. Nicole: What does your blog name mean? Molly: My tumblr name (mollysoda) is my internet alter ego’s name and my art persona. It’s a nickname based on my real name. Nicole: How would you describe the style of your blog? Molly: The contents of my brain spilled onto a neat little website that organizes them for me. Nicole: What inspires you? Molly: Asking what inspires me is like asking me what makes me happy. I can’t possibly list everything. This sounds silly and romantic but the littlest thing could spark something: a .gif I see on the internet, an overheard phone conversation on the bus... Nicole: What are some of your earliest memories of using the internet? Molly: Getting caught looking at naked pix of sailor moon by my dad. Nicole: How would you describe your online persona? How are you different offline? Molly: Online I’m revealing everything and nothing at the same time. Nicole: Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog? Molly: Ever since I started blogging I’ve met so many amazing people from the internet and become good friends with many of them. I’ve also been able to see a lot of amazing work from artists my age and been able to collaborate with quite a few of them. Nicole: How does blogging and the internet affect your self esteem? Molly: Blogging is a way for people to feel validated... me included. Nicole: What do you feel are the challenges that females in particular face growing up in the digital age? Molly: Sexting, nudes leaking. Nicole: How do you measure your success? Is it important for you to receive comments and gain new followers etc.? Molly: Maybe now because I am used to it but I never got a tumblr with the intention of being “famous.” Nicole: What are your family and friends’ reactions to your work? Molly: I’m not sure. No one is ever that negative but I also don’t go around asking people what they think. Nicole: What keeps you going when you work late in the evening? Molly: Positive vibes and sometimes drugs if I can afford them. Nicole: If a film was made about your blog, what celebrity would play you? Molly: Selena gomez... only because I want to see her with my hair in one of my outfits. Nicole: Who do you think follows your blog? Molly: Mostly teenage girls, but I think a wide range of people look at it. Nicole: How long do you think the life of your blog will be? Molly: I don’t know... as long as it’s still relevant and I still feel like posting it’ll be around. [ mollysoda.tumblr.com

MOLLY SODIA

Online I’m revealing everything and nothing at the same time.

INTERVIEW

GRACE MICELI

No.

52 GRACE MICELI PARTY WITCH Citing baby art, party witches, dolphins, hot babes, new age, the nineties, and office supplies as inspiration, twenty-two year old Grace Miceli is an artist taking over the internet. We simply canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get enough of anything that combines feminism and the complexities of internet culture with marker portraits and glittery collages of Lisa Simpson.

Interview by NICOLE VERNON Artwork by GRACE MICELI

INTERVIEW

GRACE MICELI

100 23

INTERVIEW

GRACE MICELI

unimportant facets of female identity, especially those based in teendom while still being funny & lighthearted. I try not and take anything too seriously, which can be hard as an artist, there’s such a pressure and focus on making “ART” which I often find so silly. Nicole: What inspires you? Grace: So many things! I spent a lot of time on contemporary art blogs online, and sites like Rhizome. I also look a lot towards fashion blogs (a relatively new interest of mine). I’m really inspired by strong female characters in film, TV, books etc. like Buffy or Jane Eyre. & like a lot of other people I’m really enjoying this ‘90s revival, because I was too young to really experience it, like I want to wear crop tops to work. I’m also really inspired by my peers & that positive energy that comes from collaborating, I have a few projects in the works with other artists that I’m so excited about. Nicole: You have both a blog and a zine. Why is it important for you to have both? Grace: It started as an experiment to see how traditionally online images and themes translated onto paper. I also think that there is something special and focused about being able to look away from the screen and take time w/ similar material. A zine asserts itself and makes you pay more attention to it than a blog, where there is endless scrolling and distractions. Nicole: How would you describe your online persona? How are you different offline? Grace: Hmm, well I would like to say that they aren’t too different. Offline I’m kind of bratty, always talking about pop culture, trying to be funny and wearing loud clothing. Nicole: What sparked your interest in blogging and internet culture? Grace: Well it’s obviously always been a part of my life, growing up in the generation of the internet, talking to friends on AIM, spending a lot of time on livejournal. But I began taking photographs as an artist and while I enjoyed it wasn’t until I started refereeing films or in the internet or trends etc. in my work that I felt really powerful

Nicole Vernon: You are one of my idols! Can you tell me a bit about your life so far? Where have you been? What have you seen? Grace Miceli: Haha, awwwh, thank you. I’m so excited about this. My life? Well, I graduated from Smith College a few months ago, where I studied art & art history, among other things. I spent a year at Goldsmiths in London for the art school experience and did a lot of travelling around Europe. While abroad I got a chance to really focus on what I was interested in making as an artist & the social sphere of art school was really influential and different from Smith, a small women’s liberal arts school. I grew up outside of Chicago & then in the suburbs of Boston and now I live in the woods in Vermont. Since middle school I’ve been very active online, it’s definitely been a constant aspect of my life for as long as I can remember, for the past 10 years or so. Nicole: What inspired you to start writing a blog? Grace: I began using tumblr as a way to save images and other information that I found on the web that was important or inspiring to me, this was about three years ago. This past year I started posting more of my own work, so that is its main focus now. Nicole: What does your blog name, Party Witch, mean? Grace: In the summer of 2009 I was living in Brooklyn with a bunch of friends and we were watching the movie Thrashin’ a lot, putting purple streaks in our hair, giving each other homemade tattoos, eating McDonalds for breakfast, just having lots of fun and being really irresponsible. My friend Lauren dubbed us “the party witches” one night, it captured our bratty & up to no good sensibility of that summer. Nicole: How would you describe your work? Grace: Right now my work is really interested in celebrating and understanding the persona of teen girls online. I focus a lot on the cult of pop culture & work across a variety of mediums. My goal at the moment is to give presence to seemingly

Nicole: Who do you think follows your blog? Grace: Well, I know that a lot of my followers are teen girls, which is definitely an audience I am interested in keeping. I think that teen girls need art just as much as rich NYC art world collectors - so I definitely consider them, while embracing that aspect of my personality. Also some IRL friends and other young artists/creative people from around the world. To be honest, I spend a lot of time lurking my blog followers. Nicole: How long do you think the life of your blog will be? Grace: I’ve never thought of this before!! It’s been alive almost 3 years now, and has changed many times. I’d like to think it will stay around longer, but hopefully keep evolving. At this point in my life I can’t see myself without some sort of internet presence, I’d definitely delete my Facebook or Twitter before my blog. I feel really invested in it. [

and comfortable and like I finally had a purpose with it all. I make work about what I find most compelling and important to the world, & me and right now that happens to be internet culture. Nicole: How do you measure your success? Is it important for you to receive comments and gain new followers etc.? Grace: I think I’ve grown to come too dependent on comments or reblogs or likes. Not being in school anymore and having a studio space and critiques where my work is talked about, I have come to turn towards the internet more, and maybe value work that gets 500+ notes more. But at the end of the day I know that it’s silly to pay too much attention to that stuff, its more just interesting for me to see what my followers like. I think that success for me is when people want to share and feature my work in their zines or on websites; it’s just really fun for me to know that people enjoy looking at what I make. Nicole: What are your family and friends’ reactions to your work? Grace: My parents are really supportive, but when it comes down to discussing my actual work my mom’s word of choice is “interesting.” Most of my friends are so supportive, some of them even buy my work & it’s so encouraging. Nicole: What keeps you going when you work late in the evening? Grace: The internet just sucks me in! But really, I’m usually not up that late, since I have work most mornings & all day. Nicole: How does blogging and the internet affect your self esteem? Grace: For the most part it’s positive in the sense that I’ve been in contact with people who are interested in and support my work. Sometimes I see comments people leave about my work that are really negative and it can hurt, but I’m pretty good at not letting the internet mess with me.

partywitch.tumblr.com

INTERVIEW

LUIS JUARGUI

No.

LUIS JUARGUI ATRUMLUDUS

Luis Jauregui is a 23 year-old style blogger and freelance illustrator from a tiny town in California. Finding inspiration in everything from rejected thrift store frocks to Grace Jones, Luis spends his days playing dress up and threading pearls into his palms. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been faithfully following his bizarrely beautiful blog ATRUMLUDUS since its conception in late 2010, so we were very excited to sit down and have a chat with Luis about inspiration, facial hair, and the challenges of wearing nothing but black. Interview by NICOLE VERNON Opposite artwork by NICOLE VERNON Photography by LUIS JUARGUI

INTERVIEW

create a new blog to document this new transition in my life. And that is how ATRUMLUDUS began. Nicole: What does your blog name mean? Luis: ATRUMLUDUS means Dark Play. It is derived from the Latin words Atrum (meaning black or dark) and Ludus (meaning game, play, or fun). Nicole: How would you describe your work? Luis: As I mentioned before, I began ATRUMLUDUS to document the new darker aesthetic in my style. It was intended for me to post pictures of myself wearing nothing but black, my art, and any inspirational images, videos, and music, but that quickly transitioned into something else. I dismissed my “I will wear nothing but black” rule and ATRUMLUDUS turned into a blog mostly about me transforming myself into different characters. Nicole: What else do you do? What inspires you? Luis: I am currently unemployed, I live in the middle of nowhere, and don’t have much of a social life, so to keep myself entertained I do a lot of thrift store shopping. I would say that over 98% of the clothes I own and wear are second hand. I love to play dress up and have photo shoots. Although it’s a bit annoying at times because I have to be my own model, stylist, and photographer at the same time, which means a lot of running around back and forth. I do that at least twice a week. I also illustrate, paint, make hats/head pieces, and read. I am very inspired by music, style icons like Bjork, Grace Jones and Isabella Blow, nature, clothes, and most of all by my dreams and imagination. Nicole: What are some of your earliest memories of using the internet? Luis: The first time I was introduced to the internet was when I was 11 and my dad bought my older sister a new computer for her fifteenth birthday. My sister and I would spend hours browsing through pictures on google and playing online games. I don’t think blogs existed back then. Haha. Nicole: How would you describe your online persona? How are you different offline?

Nicole Vernon: Can you tell us a bit about your life so far? Where have you been and what have you seen? Luis Jauregui: I am originally from a very small town in Jalisco, Mexico and at the age of seven I moved to California, where I have been ever since. I haven’t had the opportunity to do much traveling so I haven’t been to any exciting places or seen anything exciting yet. At least none that I can think of right now. I have moved around a lot throughout Southern California, and I was always very into going to clubs, parties, events, etc., but about two years ago I was forced to move back in with my parents and things just haven’t been the same since. I’ve become a very private person so I don’t like going out much. I spend most of my days in my room illustrating, painting, or playing dress-up and having photo shoots. I love playing dress-up because it keeps me busy/entertained for hours. Nicole: What inspired you to start a blog? Luis: I started my first blog La Vilaine Lulu in the beginning of 2010, but it was a very dull and uninspiring blog so I didn’t post much. I lost interest in blogging and decided to instead open a tumblr account and just post pictures/videos/quotes that inspired me. I enjoyed tumblr very much and quickly became addicted. Then around July of the same year I went through a period of about four months in which I completely removed myself from the internet. Which meant that I deleted all my social networking profiles, email accounts, my blog, and tumblr. It was a very depressing period in my life. During this time I didn’t do anything but sleep, listen to music, or watch tv. I lost interest in everything I once enjoyed to do. And then one day, sometime in late November, I woke-up feeling like a new person. Once again I wanted to play-dress up and work on art projects, but this time I had a different aesthetic than before. Now I wanted to wear nothing black (although that was short lived and I let color back into my life) and I wanted my style to reflect my new darker aesthetic, so I had a complete makeover. I felt inspired to

LUIS JUARGUI

new followers etc.? What about paid advertising and sponsers? Luis: I measure my blogs success if I keep it maintained with new up to date posts. I am not interested in making ATRUMLUDUS into a big well known blog so I don’t advertise it or go out of my way to gain new followers. If people like my blog and they want to follow me, that’s fine, and if they don’t like it, then that’s fine too. And although I am not trying to collect comments whenever post something new, I do appreciate it when someone leaves positive feedback. Nicole: Who are some of your favourite bloggers? Luis: I don’t really follow or read any blogs, but I do like Stop It Right Now and Lynn & Horst. Nicole: What do you fight against constantly in your work? Luis: I guess I am constantly fighting with myself whether or not I should shave when I play dress up. I hate shaving and I prefer to have facial hair but there are times when certain characters require me to shave my face. I wish I had a really pretty twin sister so she could be my model/muse/ dress-up “guinea pig” and then I would never have to shave. Nicole: What are your family and friends’ reactions to your work? Luis: None of my direct family member have seen my blog. I am very private about that. It’s not that I am ashamed I just prefer to keep it hidden from them for now. As for my friends, they all know about and they all love it. They have been very supportive about it and are constantly telling me that I need to expand my horizons and make an effort to turning into something bigger. Nicole: What keeps you going when you work late in the evening? Luis: There have been many times in which I have stayed up very late working on a character/photo shoot. It’s a lot of work sometimes because I have to do my own make up, cut and style wigs, and go through many clothes before I get the right look together. Then after I’m all ready and dressed up I then have a photo shoot that consists of many poses,

Luis: I don’t think my online persona is much different from my real life persona. I love expressing myself through what I wear, and everything I have worn in my blog I would wear in real life at the appropriate place. I am naturally a shy person online and offline, but when I’m all dressed up I feel confident and very outgoing. Nicole: Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog. Luis: A few months ago I was asked to be part of a fashion story for Spin Magazine’s Style Issue, and as a result I was able to meet a great creative team. Besides that I don’t go out much so I haven’t really encountered any other bloggers or any of my readers in real life, but I have been contacted by many people telling me that they love what I’m doing and that I have inspired them. It’s kind of weird to me that people are inspired by what I do, because I don’t take my blog seriously. I just blog because it keeps me busy and for me it’s sort of just like a hobby. But I do appreciate all the positive feed back I’ve been getting and I am glad that I have been able to inspire others. Nicole: Do you use other social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook? Luis: I do have a Facebook account which I use to keep in touch with friends. Nicole: How does blogging and the internet affect your self esteem? Luis: To be honest neither affect my self esteem I don’t have the highest self esteem, and I do have a lot of insecurities, but people’s comments don’t affect how I feel about myself. Someone can write the nicest most positive thing to me, or the meanest most hurtful comment, and neither will affect me. I don’t take the internet seriously. Nicole: What’s the hardest part about blogging? Luis: I live in a rural area in a small town and the only internet we are to get at out house is satellite internet so I would say the hardest part about blogging for me is having to to deal with very low internet speeds which means it takes forever just to load one picture.lol. Nicole: How do you measure your success? Is it important for you to receive comments and

INTERVIEW

LUIS JUARGUI

lighting adjustments, and running back and forth to set the self timer. And then if that wasn’t enough, I have to upload all the pictures and select and edit the ones I love the most. It becomes exhausting, but I love taking part in this process so I am very enthusiastic about it and will go to far lengths to get the right shot/s even if means me staying up ‘til 4 am. Nicole: What is the best blog you’ve ever seen? The worst? Luis: I don’t have answer for this. I haven’t found a blog that I have fallen “in love” with and I haven’t seen a blog that deserves to be called the worst. Nicole: Some people believe that bloggers are simply narcissists. photographing and writing about themselves. What would be your response to this? Luis: Sure I think there are some bloggers out there who I would say are narcissists and who’s only purpose in blogging is to seek attention, and there are also bloggers who’s purpose in blogging is to document their art and not really caring how many followers they can accumulate or to try and attain comments to boost their ego. Nicole: Who do you think follows your blog? Luis: I think the people who follow my blog are ones who understand, and respect the meaning of self expression. Also people who are not afraid to embrace and appreciate others that challenge gender roles and stereotypes. Nicole: If a film was made about your blog, what celebrity would play you? Luis: This is a very interesting question, I don’t know what actor I would like to play me. I never thought about that. Maybe Joseph Gordon-Levitt. lol Nicole: How long do you think the life of your blog will be? Luis: I’m not sure how long my blog will last. I might wake up tomorrow with a new aesthetic, or I might just not want to blog anymore, who knows. [ atrumludus.blogspot.com

INTERVIEW

TSHEPO MOKOENA

No.

26 TSHEPO MOKOENA NEW THINGS TO LIKE Twenty-two year old Tshepo Mokoena is the creative tsunami behind music and style blog New Things To Like. She’s also a fresh DJ, photographer, marketer, editor, and singer for new band The Devil May Cares. We were keen to pick her brain to find out how she’s used the blogosphere as a starting point for launching her career in the creative industry.

Interview and artwork by NICOLE VERNON Opposite photograph by TSHEPO MOKOENA

INTERVIEW

TSHEPO MOKOENA

INTERVIEW

TSHEPO MOKOENA

Nicole Vernon: Can you tell us a little about yourself ? Where are you from? Tshepo Mokoena: I’m a bit of an international kid, though I was born in Botswana. My mum works for the UN so I’ve also lived in the capital cities of Kenya, Zambia, Switzerland, Zimbabwe and Malawi. I guess international school raised me, haha. Nicole: What inspired you to start writing a blog? Tshepo: My desire to explore other aspects of the music industry, initially. I was on a creatively unfulfilling modern music course in Brighton and started up the blog as a way to share the music and artsy things I was into. When I first decided I wanted to get into journalism I figured my own blog would be the best way to start finding my editorial voice. Nicole: What else do you do? What inspires you? Tshepo: At the moment I’m the assistant editor of Don’t Panic magazine online, live features editor at Addict Music in London and I’m blogging for Deer Brains while DJing a bit in the city. I’m also doing a spot of freelance marketing stuff, but my real passion is for the music. And the partying that comes with it, haha. I’m the lead singer in The Devil May Cares. I’m inspired by colour, beautiful smells, unexpected and sharp photography and all the different aspects of the city. London massively inspires me. Nicole: Why do you think blogging is important for young creative entrepreneurs? Tshepo: I think it can be for those who want to monetise their blogs and gain a higher profile in their chosen industry. I mean, now that you’ve got people like the Blond Salad’s Chiara modelling for Hogan (just with the tag ‘blogger’ for her occupation) and the huge respect for fashion bloggers in the industry, you can see it really opens up doors. I think it’s good for writers to have their online portfolios, and for budding photographers to share their work. Nicole: How would you describe the style of your online persona? Tshepo: Just me. It’s honest. I don’t think too much about how I present myself, but my friends who read my blog just say it sounds like how I speak. And that’s all I can offer, really. It’s often humourous, always opinionated and generally excited: kinda like me, haha. Nicole: What sparked your interest in blogging/social media/internet culture? Tshepo: I think I first discovered blogs through Lookbook.nu. When I saw the personal sites maintained so dilligently by some of the girls posting their looks, it opened up the floodgates into the music, photography and art blogs I browse now. Nicole: How do you measure your success? Is it important for you to receive comments and gain new followers? What about paid advertising and sponsers? Tshepo: Ha, I was just talking to a fellow blogger about this at the Vice party last week. I used to be so caught up in checking stats every few days and whatnot, but now I’m just happy to see people interacting with the blog, usually on the Facebook page. I’m not interesting in monetising New Things just yet, but suppose I’d measure my success by how much real-life feedback I’m getting. Blogging is all about the dialogue for me. Nicole: What are your family and friends’ reactions to your work? Tshepo: My dad pretty much said ‘I love it, but have no bloody idea what you’re talking about half the time’ and the rest of my family agree, bless. My friends use it as a way to discover new artists and they seem to like it. Which is always nice haha. As far as my other editorial work, they’re all generally supportive. Nicole: What keeps you going when you work late in the evening? Tshepo: Peppermint tea with honey and new music blaring loud through my speakers. And just the urge to share. Nicole: How does blogging/ social media affect your self-esteem? Tshepo: In terms of its ability to land me other freelance work it affects my self-esteem, I suppose. But that’s more because it shows others what I can do. Personally, it only superficially boosts my ego because I know the online stuff isn’t the be all and end all. It still isn’t as strong as print, and it’s also part of this weird avatar life that we have to remember isn’t real life. Nicole: What do you feel are the challenges that females in particular face growing up in the digital age? Tshepo: Often we’re not pushed towards the nuts’ n’ bolts side of things, so fall behind in terms of coding, programming and the like. That takes away an element of control when having to call on boys we know to put together websites etc. And I say this having given up on IT classes in school at the youngest age possible (about 16, I think). It’s more of a challenge for women to be taken seriously as editorial voices online in sectors outside the fashion and beauty industries quite often too. Nicole: What is the best blog youíve ever seen? The worst? Tshepo: Haha, I can’t answer that! Honestly because I read so many great blogs. To choose a visual one I’d say Them Thangs blew me away when I first stumbled across it a few years ago. As for the worst, I’ve just tried to erase them all from my memory. Nicole: If a film was made about your blog, what celebrity would play you? Tshepo: I’d ask casting to secure Kelly Rowland. According to a friend of mine who watches X Factor, we have similar mannerisms haha. Nicole: Who do you think follows your blog? Tshepo: My friends, family, and random readers from different parts of America and the UK mostly. Also, apparently someone in Indonesia. Just people who want to hear about new music in short, easily-digestable bursts of information. Nicole: How long do you think the life of your blog will be? Tshepo: I have no idea, but probably a few years. It’s already been going for a year and a half so it all depends on when I start to get too busy to update it frequently enough. [

I know the online stuff isn’t the be all and end all. It still isn’t as strong as print, and it’s also part of this weird avatar life that we have to remember isn’t real life.

newthingstolike.blogspot.com

INTERVIEW

SASCHA QUIAMBO

No.

23 SASCHA QUIAMBO SMUT Sascha Quiambo is the dirty little secret behind SMUT Clothing. He’s not just the owner - he’s the designer, marketer, photographer, blogger, and art director for his company. Sascha chats to us about learning to do your own photography and the benefits of working in a softcore freak show.

Interview and SMUT camera by NICOLE VERNON Polaroids by SASCHA QUIAMBO

INTERVIEW

SASCHA QUIAMBO

Nicole Vernon: Can you tell us a bit about what you do? Sascha Quiambo: I’m the creative director at SMUT Clothing, UK. I’ve been running SMUT since 2006. I foresee the whole operation from design and make to distribution. I’m also a photographer. Nicole: What inspired you to start SMUT? Sascha: After leaving university with a BA (hons) in product design, I worked for various product and lighting design companies. Some of it was pretty boring and was just about sticking to the design house rules that don’t allow you to be creative. It was draining me of what I could do and I didn’t want to wait or work my way up. But I definitely wanted to start my own product or brand -- designing t-shirts at the time was an easy way to get my ideas across; before my product design degree I had studied graphic design for two years. Since there was nothing out there that interested me, I just wanted to design something that would catch people’s attention. Nicole: What else do you do? What inspires you? Sascha: Apart from designing t-shirts, I’ve developed an interest in photography. Working with different photographers I’ve learned a few tips - one day at a photoshoot I said to myself that I could do this myself. So I purchased a Polaroid300 camera to start off with, but I was put off by the price of the film and the quality was hit and miss as often the film would be over five years old. So I purchased a Fuji Instax Polaroid camera and I LOVE it! Many people would say my style of photography is similar to American Apparel’s ads or Terry Richardson’s work. I’d never heard of Terry until I started SMUT. A friend of mine said, “You should look at his work. I think it would work well with your t-shirts.” And I just love the finish and quality of a Polaroid. I do plan on getting an SLR which would be the natural development I guess. But my early pictures for SMUT were terrible. I can’t even describe them! Nicole: Why do you think the internet is important for young creative entrepreneurs? Sascha: I think everyone wants their own identity and to stand out from the crowd. This could be in many creative forms: a photographer, a DJ, a designer, etc. The internet is a platform to show whatever you can do and reach out to those millions around the world. Social networking sites have allowed me to do this and interact with other like- minded people and customers -- and some can lead to unexpected opportunities. Nicole: Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working on SMUT. Sascha: It’s been a freak show so far but I love it! It’s allowed to meet beautiful models and great photographers along the way. Having Sasha Grey model my tees has been one of my highlights; not many brands can say that. Nicole: Are you a full time blogger? How did you get involved in blogging and why? Sascha: SMUT has allowed me to blog my ideas, photoshoots, and images of inspiration. Getting feedback from my readers and followers is also important. The process is: design a t-shirt, blog it, and see what they think. If they like it, just print it! Nicole: How would you describe the style of your online persona? Sascha: At times not safe for work! I’d say it’s like soft-porn meets fashion. Nicole: What’s been the most challenging moment in setting up your own business? Sascha: Running everything myself from designing to marketing. Nicole: What are your family and friends’ reactions to your work? Sascha: Dad loves it! Mum just turns a blind eye, haha! My close friends have been very supportive in what I do and so have the people I’ve worked with in the past. I still work with some of the past photographers and models to help develop the brand. Nicole: What keeps you going when you work late in the evening? Sascha: Coffee, Redbull! No, I mean designing that next t-shirt or coming up with ideas for photoshoots. Making notes, little sketches. Going to bed thinking “yeah, I’ve nailed my next design tee/polaroid”. And then waking up the next morning looking at my ideas from the night before and thinking “WTF!” You have to start all over again until you’re happy inside. Nicole: Would you considered yourself a feminist? Sascha: I’m not sure but it’s gearing towards that way. 80% of my customers are women and I’m designing more for them. They tend to go for the classic SMUT prints, the tassel heart tee, and the cross nipple tee. The designs are clever and simple. It’s a symbol of liberal celebration! I’ve had a small minority not agreeing on what I do - but that’s just their boyfriends or husbands. Nicole: What has been your strategy for creating visibility for SMUT? Sascha: Again it comes to social network platforms which can help any brand. Also, people who might associate themselves with the brand could be wearing a SMUT tee and DJing at a massive summer festival - this could be like product placement. These are just a couple of avenues I have taken. I think the next big thing to do would be a tradeshow. Nicole: What do you fight against constantly in your work? Sascha: No one’s perfect, so you do have that creative block at times. But then you might be out, someone might just do something, or you might go to an exhibition - ideas will start flowing again. Everyone has that creative block now again. Nicole: If someone was interested in starting a clothing company, what would you would suggest? Sascha: If you have an idea go with it and don’t let anyone tell you different. And have a little army of friends to help you out and to help you get your ideas out there. [ smutclothing.co.uk

INTERVIEW

LESLIE BLOOMFILED

No.

39 LESLIE BLOOMFIELD JELLYBONES Twenty year-old Leslie is a lurpy, smart-assed design student. In her spare time, she runs a cryptically witty blog called Jellybones. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also like an internet artist. Or whatever.

Interview and opposite art by NICOLE VERNON Photographs by LESLIE BLOOMFIELD

INTERVIEW

LESLIE BLOOMFILED

Nicole Vernon: What inspired you to start a blog? Leslie Bloomfield: It was created in 2008 as a platform for a curated visual stream of consciousness, specifically in terms of design/fashion. As for documentation of personal style, I like to use it as a different canvas for viewing what I wear on a day to day basis - photos on blogs (especially in the landscape of the web versus the context of my every day life) offers me a completely different perspective on how i wear clothes. Nicole: What does your blog name mean? Leslie: I had previously registered the domain jellybones.net in 2007 as a space to host random web design (I’m self taught in coding). ‘Jellybones’ is named after the title of a Unicorns song, but I’m the first Google result. So I win. Nicole: How would you describe your work? Leslie: Recently I’ve been more interested in the fashion industry’s integration of blogging/ bloggers and the ways in which I can respond to it. What I post/write on my fashion blog is almost always directly related to what I’m thinking about in art and new media/internet design. Nicole: What else do you do? Leslie: I’m not sure how to answer this question...while I’m not at all interested in working in the industry, fashion (design/photography/print/etc.) is so integrated into my interests and schooling in design that I don’t really “do” anything else. Nicole: What inspires you? Leslie: The continued expiration of internet space versus museum space, light, Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau, Los Angeles, Manet’s “Olympia”. Nicole: What are some of your earliest memories of using the internet? Leslie: I started using the internet in 2002...interactivity and community-feedback were barely effective. I played a lot of Neopets (on Netscape 6!), which was completely htmlbased at the time, haha. Nicole: How would you describe your online persona? Leslie: Annoying, quiet, bad at responding to emails Nicole: How are you different offline? Leslie: I don’t think my personality changes dramatically,. I’ve spent enough time on the computer (recreationally and for school) to have reached a point where I think my ‘real life’ self translates accurately enough. Nicole: Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog? Leslie: I’ve never met anyone! I don’t think I have a big enough audience. Nicole: What sparked your interest in blogging/social media/internet culture? Leslie: My dad worked in computer programming until I was twelve - I had access to computers from a very young age. I think being proficient in computer operations at a time when casual internet users were growing exponentially lent itself to the inevitability of my using the internet. Nicole: How does blogging and the internet affect your self esteem? Leslie: It offers me a new and totally superficial perspective of myself - and I’m my harshest critic. Nicole: What do you feel are the challenges that females in particular face growing up in the digital age? Leslie: In an age where the circulation of nude photographs through texting, Twitter, Facebook, tumblr, etc. is still socially scandalous, I think the biggest challenge for females in our society is shame. For the first time kids are growing up on the web, and for the first time they have personal internet history. I can Google myself and find blog entries from when I was 13 and semi-nude photographs - and both are equally embarrassing. But why? I think we should just say f*** privacy and allow those things to be an enduring timeline of our personal histories. We don’t need an internet black box - we need to stop deluding ourselves with what is “socially acceptable”. Nicole: How do you measure your success? Is it important for you to receive comments and gain new followers? Lelie: I’m more passive than I should be in promoting my blog. I like receiving comments but it’s not the most important thing. Traffic is life for small blogs - if I had to I would say I measure success through individual page views per month. Otherwise, I blog because I want and like to, and the fact that I still do after 3+ years is enough a measure of success for me. Nicole: What are some of your favourite blogs? Leslie: http://dandygum.blogspot.com/, http://lifeonmars-fashion.blogspot.com/, http:// rosemarygeorge.blogspot.com/, http://fashion.alisoncoates.com. Nicole: What are your family and friends’ reactions to your work? Leslie: I think they all think it’s kinda weird. Nicole: What keeps you going when you work late in the evening? Leslie: Coffee. Nicole: If a film was made about your blog, what celebrity would play you? Leslie: Charlotte Gainsbourg. Nicole: Who do you think follows your blog? Leslie: Other weirdos. Nicole: How long do you think the life of your blog will be? Leslie: At least another couple of years. Even if I stop posting, it’ll be archived for the rest of my life. I guess that’s the beauty of the internet. [ jellybones.net

BLOODY HELL

GPOY

GRATUITOUS PICTURES OF

YOURSELF

Gratuitous pictures of yourself, or GPOY, is a new internet phenomenon that involves self obsession to the degree of posting a shameless, nonstop stream of photos of yourself online. Instead of falling in love with his own image in a pond, today’s narcissist gazes adoringly at his own Facebook profile or blog page. What was once a cringe-worthy process exclusive to neurotic shut-ins with self-timers has evolved into a growing global pathology manifest in our unrelenting and addicting desire toward self infatuation and self love. We all crave the adoration and love that often comes with fame and popularity, and for many of us, the internet has become the channel to project these fantasies. Most of us are guilty of incessantly uploading and tagging photos of ourselves online without a second thought, and a growing number of us are increasingly concerned with manipulating, curating, and obsessing over our self image online. We post and upload seeking the addictive instant fix that comes with feedback: new comments, more followers, or an increased number of “likes”. Consumed with insatiable vanity, it’s unsurprising that a growing number of “internet celebrities” are beginning to emerge. Their blogs are mostly just pictures of themselves, taken on a computer screen or with a mobile phone. Whether you worship them or love to hate them, it’s hard to ignore these individuals and their dedication to their sea of minions, whether real or imagined. Warhol’s prediction of every person’s fifteen minutes of fame couldn’t be any more accurate or profound.

Words and art direction by NICOLE VERNON Photos collected from the blogs of LYZI UNWIN, MOLLY SODA, OLIVER READ, KIM PARSLOW, JOEL MCLOUGHLIN and HANNAH MARKWICK

BLOODY HELL

GPOY

Molly Soda

BLOODY HELL

GPOY

Lyzi Unwin

BLOODY HELL

GPOY

Oliver Read

BLOODY HELL

GPOY

Kim Parslow

BLOODY HELL

GPOY

Joel McLoughlin 59

BLOODY HELL

GPOY

Hannah Markwick

BLOODY NORA!

SAY MY

NAME Words and blog name generator by NICOLE VERNON

The first and arguably the most difficult part of starting a blog is choosing the right name. You want to be creative and memorable. Buzzworthy but still kewl. Descriptive but mysterious. And it’s kind of got to say something about you, right? It’s crowded out there and it’s a challenge to choose a brand name that resonates both in your soul and in your Google Reader Feed. What’s a blogger to do? To help out, we’ve created a blog name generator using our extensive database of hand-selected words. Our tool is useful for coming up with alt blog names for vintage lovers, teenage acid rats, art haus bloggeurs, dubstreamers, electro geeks, chill gazers, digital valley girls, glamour divas, lolita witches, and queer boys. Choose your own nickname. Simply select a random word from the left column and match it up with a random word on the right column. If you’re feeling brave, combine with a third word of your own. Tweet us your best ideas for a chance to be featured in our next issue.

BLOG NAME GENERATOR

vain cosmic soda filthy new york oracle bleached sparkly black lithium linen luxe sugar static drunk hallowed famous ripped loud total crystal luna cozy satanic pretty sick high forrest vogue placebo kill velvet rogue hair beneath coco hippy gin ivory stolen tiny drunk atomic dead kid tainted denim kidnapped flux deep blinded painted skinny guilty starry cream slow mickey swag glitter mythic mint honey goblin rusted jilted fur eyeliner wooden pale noir furious atheist neon

pony beetle machines ashes minx fists earth drops milk lipstick pixie motion tiger vaults guns mollusks vodka scars fawn venom slag helmut shutter despair influence sex blood bytes wolf manner fox grenades lung lights space weekend jacket baby cults cherry choke mad roses pandora witch french pommes truths fools lips unicorns lily horrors copy graces trash polly patches sovereign grunge eyelid roller teacups chains ruby flames skeleton frock chains lace panic bones noise waltz 64

BLOODY NORA!

SAY MY NAME

ORACLE FOX

chewed silly putty

bleach black

teaspoon full of acid

11:11

SMUT

GEOMETRIC SLEEP

AWKWARD TEENAGE BEHAVIOR

rookie

PULL TEETH swallow the sea FRASSY

ignite your bones

I JUST MIGHT EXPLODE

heat storm MOTH GLASSES

MERMAID MILK

party witch turn the static up

ATRUMLUDUS

winky christ

BLOOD IS THE NEW BLACK

the hallowed ground

JELLYBONES

TIPSY GYPSIES

COSMIC VOICES

MOLLY SODA

raw moans

i fall in love with liars milk teef

FEATURE

YOUNG BLOOD

No.

BLOOD

CELLS One of the most significant developments in blogger technology lately has been the increased ease in customisation options. You no longer need to be a geeky HTML shut-in to get your blog looking exactly the way you want it, and the members of Young Blood take full advantage of souping up their pages with carefully chosen layouts, colours, column measures, and typefaces. Since the days of MySpace, customising URSPACE has come to be an integral part of defining your personality on the web, and now it’s easier than ever to do it. After spending probably way too much time trolling blogs and stalking people for design inspiration, we suddenly had a thought. We wondered how similar the design of these online environments were in relationship to the design of the real life enviroments from which they were created. If the visual personality of your blog is carefully constructed and beautifully presented, is your deskspace the same? Or do you use your blog to artifically create a cooler, cleaner and more interesting space where you can exist and express yourself ? We asked some of the members of Young Blood to take a quick snapshot of where they blog from: their deskspace, their bed, their office. We then married each blogger’s photo of their workspace with a screen shot of their blog. The result is an interesting insight into the design truth behind the environments of online personalities. It’s also just a good snoop around other people’s cool desks. .

Words by NICOLE VERNON Photograph by graphic designer MATT WITHERS mattwithers.co.uk

BLOOD CELLS

No.

BLOOD CELLS

No.

Bike builder and photographer CARSON CRAM

Style blogger and illustrator LUIS JUARGUI

burlysomething.tumblr.com

atrumludus.blogspot.com

BLOOD CELLS

No.

BLOOD CELLS

No.

Blogger and modeling agent TAYLOR HOYT

Style blogger AUDREY ROGERS

thoyt.tumblr.com

befrassy.com

BLOOD CELLS

No.

BLOOD CELLS

No.

Graphic designer and illustrator CAT COLLINS

Photographer DEAN TOAD

catticusrat.blogspot.com

hotsugar.tumblr.com

BLOOD CELLS

No.

BLOOD CELLS

No.

Graphic designer and writer CHRIS BENFIELD

Photographer HANNAH MARKWICK

thedailystreet.co.uk

closetoghost.tumblr.com

BLOOD CELLS

No.

BLOOD CELLS

No.

Artist and blogger MOLLY SODA

Illustrator and blogger LYZI UNWIN

mollysoda.tumblr.com

littlebeinglittle.blogspot.com

BLOOD CELLS

No.

BLOOD CELLS

No.

Photographer LAURA LEE SUDWEEKS

Writer OLIVIA FIALKOW

mollysoda.tumblr.com

naturegraffiti.com

BLOOD TEST

TUMBLWEED

TUMBLWEED Words and art direction by NICOLE VERNON

Like many other twentysomethings, I’ve wasted too much time on tumblr. I find something weirdly compelling about the projected lives of young people around the world through ceaseless, carefully collated streams of images. And it’s not just me; some of these blogs have thousands of followers. If you’ve ever searched for an image on Google, you’ll understand the overwhelming assault of the tiled expanse of thumbnail images that appear after a search. The page scrolls endlessly, reinforcing a surreal idea of an infinite expanse of imagery. Similarly, tumblr’s dashboard is another limitless flood of images -- but fashionably framed by a blue background pathway that gushes with irresistable content to get sucked into. It’s often all too easy to keep looking and keep scrolling; there’s no need to focus on one specific thing. In both cases it is the user who chooses what to see, either by searching for something on Google or scanning over their carefully curated tumblr feed. But tumblr glorifies this consumption of images by converting it into a development of both indivudality and community. Users fleetingly connect by reblogging, commenting, or following, and each collection of images mirrors the psychology of the individual who uploaded it. But there is no visible beginning or end to the tangled web of linked images floating around on the site, and the most interesting part is that most of these images are uploaded, shared, reblogged, and exchanged without credentials to identify who made the original image and why. As these orphaned images are increasingly being used anonymously to define invisible personalities online, it is fascinating to consider the role of imagery when it is completely separated from its original creator’s identity or intention. Since I discovered tumblr, I’ve kept a folder of my personal selection of orphaned images from the internet with the hope of someday printing them. Tumblr’s ceaseless stream of images can be like a chinese takeaway: a delicious feast that fills you without satisfaction and leaves you wanting more. But by pulling these orphaned ephemeral images out of the context of the internet and into the permanence of print, we can rexamine each image individually as well as explore the implications of the personality and aesthetic of the individual who collected them. Tumblweed is an ongoing experimental analysis of the role of authorship and intention versus the role of personality and aesthetic in collating and repurposing imagery online.

TUMBLWEED

The average tumblr user has 280 friends who have shared 340 photos each. This means 97,000 images are in your tumblr network at any given moment.

TUMBLWEED

By the time you have looked at this entire magazine, you will have viewed over 850 images.

TUMBLWEED

BLOODMARKS

DINGBATS

HIPSTER

DINGBATS Hey. Do you dingbat here often? It’s cheaper than Urban Outfitters and less work than maintaining a tasteful Last FM top artists list, so maybe that’s the reason why wannabe internet hipsters and tumblr rats everywhere are currently fetishizing the humble dingbat as a status symbol. Shaped like ornaments and glyphs, dingbats are fonts that have symbols and shapes in the keyboard positions designated for alphabetic and numeric characters. I first encountered these typographic gems during my middle school years. When I was placed in a boring compulsory computer class, dingbats were my refuge and solace from dull typing exercises. My friends and I would exchange funky notes printed with dingbat smileys, crosses, yin yangs, and skulls (sandwiched between emoticons, rainbow dropshadows, and Word Art of our own names), and Wingdings were an integral part of playground coolness currency and resepct. But I had forgotten all about these bad boys until lately, when I started noticing blog usernames congesting my tumblr feed with triangles, swords, bombs, hearts, and swirls. I guess the trend started when French electro-house duo Justice released their album † in 2007. Although spoken and known as Cross, the symbol † started popping up on everyone’s iTunes and all over the blogosphere. By using the cross as an icon for their live show and inspiring obsessed fans to tattoo themselves with the Justice version of the cross, Justice hijacked the world’s most effective brand identity for their own means. To their credit, † was certified Silver in the UK by 2009. Mirroring similar success a few years later, minimalist indie group The xx released their buzzworthy debut album xx with a dramatic record cover, shrouded in a strong, dingbat inspired black and white X. The relationship between the album’s irresistable graphic image and its critical acclaim is undeniable. . It was only a matter of time before precocious 17 year-olds repurposed these strong graphic symbols for their own personal branding. The internet is currently heaving with dingbat triangles and crosses and moving into Kawaii-inspired hearts, bubbles, and teen dream symbolism. Some might say it’s reached an ironic saturation point, but we’re enjoying the throwback to our Windows 95 days.

Words and images by NICOLE VERNON

BLOODMARKS

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DINGBATS

DΩΠ’T ШΔΠΠΔ βRΣΔK ΨΩUR HΣΔRT ШΔΠΠΔ GIVΣ ΨΩUR HΣΔRT Δ βRΣΔK

101

BLOOD CULTURE

NEW SLANG Words and images by NICOLE VERNON

The Shins had their timing just about right when they released their song titled ‘New Slang’ in 2001. At the beginning of the noughties, cyberspeak was in the baby stages of its new slang development. Ten years later and that new slang has evolved: text messaging, online chatting, MSN messenger, and Facebook have all played a major role in shaping the more grown up version of digital slang that we know today. What started as a geek movement has slowly trickled into the mainstream by the convenience of shortening popular phrases. LOL, BRB, OMG, and WTF were the forerunners for more current expressions used by bloggers like FML, CBA, BBN, and GPOY. But our digital shorthand is more than just a timesaver and a convenient tool it’s a cultural language that has lended itself to more than a handful of internet zeitgeists. I CAN HAZ CHEEZBURGER, LOLCATS, F MY LIFE, and DAMN YOU AUTO CORRECT are all entire commercial enterprises based on internet expressions. Playing off common misspellings, common internet interests, and the mishaps that occur when your phone’s autocorrect feature fails you, these sites are endlessly good for the lolz. They’re also interesting insights into the significance of colloquial language in subcultures. Every social group in history has used altered slang to define their culture and exclusivity. And every new gang has a new slang. The slang of new bloggers is changing and developing faster than the rate at which The Shins sold out as pop indie rockers. So to help you translate the digital landscape, here are a few of our favourite phrases.

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nim nim nim : blah blah blah

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peng : extremely fit or sexy

wup = what’s up bait = obvious fb = facebook tldr = too long, didn’t read buff = sexy, fit butters = ugly chung = extremely sexy cotch down = to relax plx = please thanks secks = sex nang = brilliant soz = sorry brat = spoiled luff = luv peng = fit swagger = demeanor gpoy = gratuitous pictures of yourself rude = banging 13itch = bitch blood = friend *4u = kiss for you azn = asian *$ = starbucks

lol : laugh out loud, also known as lal, lolz, luls, lawls, lollerz

bewbz = boobs irl = in real life cba = can’t be asked

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o rly? : oh, really? (sarcasm for something extremely obvious)

noodz! : nude pictures

ctrl +z =mistake bo-bb = blackberry messenger kawaii = cute kewl = cool gtfo = get the f*ck out fml = f*ck my life interwebz = internet ootd = outfit of the day sexting = text message sex bbn = be back never lals = lolz srsly = seriously blaitz = blatantly meme = newsworthy my piece = my phone keut = cute ky = kill yourself bum = to enjoy 404 = clueless nekkid = naked ffs = for f*ckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake ^5 = high five kmt = kiss my teeth kthxbye = goodbye loser

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CLICHES

é CLICHES BLOGGER PHOTOSHOOT

Fresh and fierce in front of the hallway radiator. Built-in heating system ensures your look is hawt.

Photo blogging may have started with basic webcams, cellphones, and digital cameras, but the acceleration and prevalence of technology has redefined the individual online imagery experience. Consider fashion bloggers: with increasing access to expensive clothes, expensive cameras and expensive editing tools, these sartorial kids are looking more and more like the professionals in the fashion industry. As the industry begins to notice and give attention and celeb status to these bloggers, it’s key that they define themselves with fresh ideas and inspiring images. Portraying yourself as a fiercely unique creative in a sea of amatuer photographers that have access to the same professional tools that you do is increasingly difficult but increasingly essential if you want to launch a career from your blog. When everyone has Photoshop, Instagram, and a high-res digital camera, how do you stand out? It’s actually much simpler than you’d expect. You’d think with all of the freaks and geeks out there in cyberspace we would see less of boring, clueless, uninspiring photoshoot ideas, but you’d be wrong. The fatal trap of Cringey Blogger Photoshoot Cliches is all around us. Just have a look a these bad boys and be careful not to emulate.

Words by NICOLE VERNON Photos collected from the blogs of LYZI UNWIN, MOLLY SODA, OLIVER READ, KIM PARSLOW, JOEL MCLOUGHLIN and HANNAH MARKWICK

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Channel your artsy side in a local field. Clothes optional.

CLICHES

Show off your kewl bedroom in your parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; house! Blu-tack a Kings of Leon poster or some torn out pages from Vogue to your walls for that extra little bit of OOMPH.

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Brick walls are a really good backdrop for a gritty, moody, rawk chick (or rawk bro) look.

Sometimes you have on something really awesome but there just isn’t time for a photoshoot.

The best part? There’s probably one right outside your front door! Instant vibes.

No worries, just take a casual shot in the mirror with your iPhone. Always cool. BONUS: You can simultaneously share to Facebook on your mobile app. HEY EVERYONE! COME AND SEE HOW GOOD I LOOK! LOL

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Commune with nature in a nearby forest reserve. This totally reminds me of a Chanel ad.

CLICHES

The best shots are the ones where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re relaxed. What could be more relaxed than chillinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in your back garden taking photos of yourself with a self-timer?

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Wanting URBAN VIBEZ?! Take the bus downtown with your camera and your Jeffrey

If you’re really lucky, you might be able to find graffiti near train tracks. OMG so cool!

Campbell Litas and find some graffiti to pose in front of. You know who Banksy is, right?

Just don’t be on the tracks when the train comes! LOL

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CLICHES

Don’t let an abandoned building/shanty/rusty shed get torn down before you do some

Need something summery? Have a photoshoot rolling in the grassy knolls of your local park.

pictures in front of it!

Strangers might wonder what you’re doing, but don’t worry about it. They just don’t GET fashion.

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FACESTALKING CREEP

FACESTALKING

CREEP Mavi Staiano has recently taken our favourite past time of Facebook stalking to the next level. Spending countless hours gazing at hot strangers, lurking on your crush’s profile, and collecting the defaults of strangers for the wank bank are all relatable activities that we’ve done for the lolz. But over the past three months, Mavi has collected over 5,000 images and screen grabs from the Facebook profiles of people from all over the world - most of whom she doesn’t know. She spent literally hundreds of hours trolling profiles and collecting images of their lives. Her obsession is kind of like that of a fan for a famous popstar: relentless, devoted, beatuiful, and slightly creepy. She then took these collected images and immortalised them by printing them on popstar-esque t-shirts. We love the idea of reappropriated photography and think this curated selection of life snapshots is a fresh, youthful, bizarre way of blundering privacy - just like the internet itself.

Words and image by NICOLE VERNON

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BLOOD OATH

BLOGGER COMMANDMENTS

BLOGGER

COMMANDMENTS Words and artwork by NICOLE VERNON

Thou shalt not lurk. Thou shalt follow back unless you have more than 9,432 followers or you’re Justin Bieber. Thou shalt not tweet while incredibly drunk. Thou shalt not creepily have a profile picture of a baby or a cat. Thou shalt not add me on Facebook if we’ve only met once and we’ll never see e ach other again. Thou shalt not call others on video chat unexpectedly. Thou shalt not say lolz unless you’re taking the piss. Thou shalt comment back within 24 hours. Thou shalt refrain from being a relentless, shameless self-promoter. Thou shalt not post inspirational quotes or photos of beaches or cupcakes. Thou shalt not upload 439 photos of your trip to Thailand. Thou shalt not dedicate entire albums of photos to drunken nights out. Thou shalt refrain from using faux vintage lomo photo apps. Thou shalt resist the temptation to post GPOYs. Thou shalt remember that there is life outside of the internet. Thou shalt not tweet every pedestrian detail of your life. No one cares that you had oatmeal for breakfast. Thou shalt not troll.

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BAD SMELLING BOY

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88 4L3X4ND3R G1350N BAD SMELLING BOY

So much of tumblr is occupied by individuals posting thousands of random, orphaned images every day. Every fifteen year-old with a pulse and a computer seems to have made it their personal responsibility to regurgitate their own infinte amount of visual filth and meaningless imagery online. Often it feels like our society has reached a point of total image saturation; everyone is pretty much Photoshop numb and aesthetically comatosed to the endless wallpaper of images we encoutner every day. And yet, somehow a creative little vulture always seems to come along and see an opportunity to reinterpret the landscape and turn it on its head. Alexander Gibson - also known as Bad Smelling Boy or Al3x4nd3r G1B50n - has taken our disenchantment with tumblr vomit and done just that. Using mostly t-shirts and sweatshirts as a canvas, he provides a refreshing interpretation for tumblr photographs and illustrations that are repurposed from a ceaseless image stream. From a selection of random, unknown pictures, Alexander began creating his weird and freshly striking tees earlier this year and posting them online. Through the enthusiasm and interest of his followers and with the support of Young Blood and our partners at Urban Outfitters, Alexanderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first line of Bad Smelling Boy clothing is launching next month. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re excited to give you an early peep at his collection: the very first clothing line conceived by, in, through, and of the internet.

Words by NICOLE VERNON Clothing by BAD SMELLING BOY + URBAN OUTFITTERS

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HOLLIE FERNANDO

No.

65 HOLLIE FERNANDO PHOTOGRAPHER It only seems right that we feature the excellent work of Hollie Fernando as a Blood Sample in our first issue. Hollie’s photographs are all about the kind of stuff we’re into: youth, atmosphere, teenage years, freshness, nostalgia, and messing about in the woods with a bunch of mates and your dusty old Pentax. Her work beautifully captures the carefree mood of youth. Hollie originally hails from Sheffield and graduated from the University of Salford last year. She’s currently working freelance with clients like Article Vintage, The Northern Boys Club and Spankt Vintage. She joined Young Blood earlier this summer and we couldn’t wait to run her bloody lovely photographs in a spread. This girl’s work carries a real charm to it and she’s definitely one to watch.

Words by NICOLE VERNON Photography by HOLLIE FERNANDO

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HOLLIE FERNANDO

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BLOOD COUNT

YOUNG BLOOD MEMBERS

YOUNG BLOOD

MEMBERS AUTUMN 2011

Young Blood showcases and promotes the freshest creative talent throughout the UK. We are young, full of creative energy, and highlighting the best emerging talent in our generation’s creative scene. Blurring the boundaries between the transience of pixels and the permanence of paper, Young Blood exists as both a blog and a magazine. We support creative talent and commercial ideas by providing crucial exposure; we also provide articles, interviews and artwork that we really like and believe in. We are looking for the most groundbreaking artists, designers, dancers, photographers, fashion designers, stylists, illustrators, bloggers, typographers, musicians, advertisers, jewellery makers and filmmakers to join us as members of this distinguished, tightly-knit creative community. By joining Young Blood, you will have full access to our online community, industry resources, collaboration opportunities, tips, daily features, exhibitions and events. But most importantly, your work will be showcased and exposed to our executive creative team, which includes some of the most powerful and exciting players in the creative industries today. You’ll also be eligible to have your work featured online and in our magazine. We like to see a range of work: experimental, thought-provoking, grotesque, beautiful, handmade -- anything brutally original. If you’re interested in joining Young Blood or if you’d like to submit your creative work to be featured or considered for an award, please visit us online and download a submission form. We look forward to hearing from you.

Editor NICOLE VERNON First Issue The Culture Cure, Autumn 2011

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YOUNG BLOOD MEMBERS

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YOUNG BLOOD MEMBERS

1 Nicole Vernon

Sammy Boras

Justin Smith

2 Ben Wrigglesworth

Carson Cram

Make It Easy

3 Matt Withers

Mister Photos

Tavi Gevinson

4 Kirsty Pook

Fashion Pirate

Candy Castle

5 Monikapolitan

Slutever

Jonathan Zawada

6 Marcin Szachniewicz

Shelley Jones

Bad Smelling Boy

7 Alpha Smoot

Joel McLoughlin

Aaron Duffy

8 Daniel Fraser

Castro Smith

Dana Cassaro

9 Dean Lord

Pull Teeth

Jean Saunders

10 Audrey Rogers

Jellybones

Lana Del Rey

11 No Guts, No Glory

Grace Miceli

Oliver Wenman

12 Will Vincent

Taylor Hoyt

Jesse Juriga

13 Blackmilk

Oliver Read

Tamar Levine

14 Things Organized Neatly

Samantha Bourne

Felix Simms

15 James Welsh

La Dama

Hanna Mayo

16 Jon Contino

All Things Go

17 Redthreat

Elliott Langford

18 Total Jerk

The Young Electric

19 Lyzi Unwin

Natty Coleman

20 Redthreat

Riley Hamnett

21 Cat Collins

Daniel Eatock

22 Hannah Markwick

Kyle Bean

23 Sascha Quiambo

Hanna Irvine

24 Lianna Sheppard

Hollie Fernando

25 Luis Juargui

Rachel Nicholls

26 Tshepo Mokoena

Hat Trick

27 Travis Monson

Gold Panda

28 Molly Soda

Tumblwoof

29 Olivia Fialkow

Washed Out

30 Dean Toad

Thomas Ford

31 Laura Lee Sudweeks

Willow Williams

32 Sam Wood

Rude*

33 Hollie Fernando

Frassy

34 Lydia Kasumi Shirreff

Milk Teef

35 Carl Partridge

Justin Blyth

36 Chris Benfield

Supermarket Sarah

37 Bethnal Green Road

Owen Mogford

38 Found

Tom Vek

39 Leslie Bloomfield

Jamie xx

40 Jonathan Barnbrook

5Preview

41 Jodie Blackburn

Laura Darby

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AWARDS