Finding yourself as an artist...

It has been a month exactly since my last post and for the most part things have been somewhat normal, which means, nothing really exciting to write about....until this past week and a half. Business with The River is going really well and I'm excited for the process and what will become of the end result of this play. I have a really good feeling about it. It's a great script and a great cast that I think was brought together for a reason and purpose. What that reason and purpose is?  We will soon find out.

As well as my play, I'm in the middle of trying my best to finish my thesis for my MFA. Amongst this creative, organized chaos I've also been going through a lot of personal growth that is extremely positive and astounding in both the artistic form and as a person.  The results of this growth and its benefits are taking me by surprise and knocking me off my feet, but in a very awesome way!

One particular incident that happened was when I was researching for my thesis. I am doing a paper project of designing "The Birds" by Aristophanes, which is an ancient Greek comedy. My concept is to have it set in a contemporary world instead of Ancient Greece.

Now mind you, I started this project in Spring 2010 and I've been freshening up some of the work I did almost 3 years ago. (Yikes! It's been that long?!) One of my design concepts for some of the characters revolve around high fashion or the fashion world and I have a few designers whose collections have served as my research, which is very fun!  One designer in particular that I have been inspired by is English designer, Gareth Pugh. Mr. Pugh has become one of my favorite designers that I admire along with Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Recently, I was looking to see what he had been doing recently to see if it could help inspire me and pertain to my research for my thesis and what I found just knocked me down. So, I can safely say that his Spring/Summer 2013 collection will be part of my research.

Between the mixture of the collection of the clothes, how it was styled and of course the music of Rebekah del Rio singing "Llorando", the whole experience of seeing this fashion show just blew me away on so many levels. I loved everything about seeing this whole show.
Who says fashion can't have an influence as a piece of art?

After watching a video of fashion reviewers and their reviews and descriptions of Gareth's show, I had one of Oprah's "A-ha" moments for myself where everything clicked for me. In seeing both videos I discovered and realized who I was as an artist, what kind of work am I drawn to and my own aesthetic, which is something I had been searching for, profusely for years. Its been a long journey, I can tell you that for sure.

I discovered and realized, I like balance and maybe that's the Libra in me, if you believe in horoscopes, but I truly believe that is something I am attracted to in life in general and is a part of me and how I see the world.

I'm attracted to art and theatre that portrays balance in masculinity vs. femininity, light vs. dark, good vs. evil, strength vs. weakness and etc...

It's pretty evident, now that I think about it, that the pieces of theatre that I have participated in that meant a lot to me and have stayed with me, identified with one of these struggles in balance.

It is an amazing thing that I feel I finally "figured myself out" as an artist and as a person.  I feel very focused now...more so than ever. This is good...this is very good.

On that note, I will keep on working and keep creating...

Enjoy...

Gareth Pugh Spring/Summer 2013 Ready to Wear Collection.

Things That Make Me Happy...Part 2.

Right now, this week to be specific, I am in design mode for The River. A majority of my characters are all sketched out, they are just awaiting their color to be applied and to give them life. Color renderings are always a fun part of the design process.

However, I am still stumped with one character and I am becoming a mad woman to try and figure out what this character would look like. I have ideas, research and starting points, but its like when you have something to say and its on the tip of your tongue and you can't remember it. I will know it when I see it though!

In order to help give the muses a kick-start I've been pouring fashion magazines. No luck...so far.  I've also discovered that You Tube is a vault of fashion shows, so I've been obsessively watching everyone's Spring/Summer 2013 collections for inspiration triggers as well. I forgot how much I love watching fashions show, because at one time, I did want to be come a fashion designer...but life had other plans for me, costume design for theatre.

It just so happens that everything that makes me happy right now revolves around the fashion world, which takes me back to my roots of why I became interested in designing clothing and then costumes in present day. In a search of inspiration to help motivate me I stepped into a fashion vortex this week, which is quite alright with me.

So, here are some things that make me extremely happy right now...go check them out!


*Chanel's Spring-Summer 2013 Haute Couture Show. I'm a fan of Chanel as well as Karl Lagerfeld (current designer for Chanel) after watching the documentary "Lagerfeld Confidential" a few years back. Amazing and intriguing if you like fashion. So I know anything he designs is fabulous.

I don't know why, but I love this fashion show. I love how Lagerfeld likes to show his collections in the Grand Palais in Paris most of the time, a beautiful building. I'm feeling the lace legging boots A LOT, I'm feeling the little feathery things in the models hair, I just love all the clothes and the whole ambience. I know, its a little out there for most people, but I enjoy it.

* Gucci Spring/Summer 2013 Pret-A-Porter (Ready To Wear) Woman.  I am ALL ABOUT COLOR in my wardrobe right now and this show sealed the deal. I think I love almost every piece in this show, especially the clothing in Blue, Turquoise and Green.

* "Bill Cunningham New York" I saw this documentary over the weekend and it is a beautiful movie that captures love for fashion and clothing in a very pure way.  The documentary is about 83-year-old fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham, who takes fashion photos on the streets of New York of every day people and on the fashion runways for the New York Times Style Section.

How Bill is so passionate about his photography and clothing was a reminder of how I use to feel when I first started designing, the film is a welcome and amazing kick-my-pants reminder of why I love designing. 

Watch it. It will make you feel good and shed a few tears...I know I did.

* "A Man's Story", which is another fashion documentary, this time on English Men's designer, Oswald Boateng. I had never even heard of this designer until I saw this film, who knew? But he is making a name for English men's tailoring on Savile Row and I would love to see his shop the next time I make it to London. 

The documentary covers the span of 12 years and shows the highs and lows of personal and professional markers in his life. You can even see how Boateng's style changes and gets cleaner and more precise with time. I just enjoy seeing his energy, passion for menswear, his love for color and detail. This film makes me enjoy menswear even more! Loved this!

Distractions Turning Into Inspiration.

When working on projects I get distracted at times, I think its because its loss of inspirational steam. It happens, but I usually get back on track or not, depends on the day. I usually listen to music to keep my steam going and tonight wasn't any different.

I was working on drawings for a project tonight and I got distracted into drawing something for myself for fun. Then I had a distraction from my distraction.

This video.





It is fortunate that my distraction from my distraction, inspired me on another aspect of the project I was previously working on tonight that I was distracted from. Interesting. Full Circle.

I think my current obsession with Oh Land, paid off tonight in more ways than good music.

Things That Make Me Happy...

Here are just a few things in my life that are making me quite happy lately.

*Mad Men Season Six starting April 7! Oh yeah!!!  I'm hoping this new season has more Betty Draper.

Last season they stopped in 1967 and the costumes were very interesting. I can't wait to see what Costume Designer, Janie Bryant has in store.

* Essie Nail Color in "Play Date". I'm trying it out. I'm longing for Spring weather and this color makes me think of Spring.

* Zero Dark Thirty...the movie, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. This film is currently nominated for Best Picture for the Academy Awards. No, it literally doesn't make me happy, because it isn't a happy movie per se. However, I was just in awe of the body of work this film is and what Kathryn Bigelow did with the piece. I can't explain it in words what it is that moved me so much, but it was just a feeling or a stirring inside me that said, I wish more people would see this, it's important.

I think its an amazing and thought provoking film.

Work and Inspiration.

It's been about a week since I last posted. I've been meaning to make my mark here on my page, but work slows me down.
Just so you get the sense of what I do, I'm currently doing a lot at the moment.

1) I just closed a show I designed costumes for on Sunday night. The show was HABIBI by Sharif Abu-Hamdeh, a new work that premiered at Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco.

2) I'm designing costumes for a production that opens in January. The show is, OUROBOROS, by Tom Jacobson and its with Renegade Theatre Experiment in San Jose.

3) During this whole year of 2010, I have been slowly but surely completing my thesis for my Masters of Fine Arts in Technical Theatre, with an emphasis in Costume Design. It's taking me longer than anticipated, but its coming along.

4) I am in the process of starting to sew Liturgical dance costumes for a church in Oakland.

5) Last but not least, my day job of working at a costume shop for a local Bay Area University. At the current moment, I am constructing a 60's Elvis jumpsuit, which will be the ghost of the past in a children's production of A Christmas Carol, named, SCROOGIE.

All in all, I'm very busy. That's all a part of being a freelance designer. Learning time management and learning your limitations.


A new lesson I am learning, is how to be inspired amidst all this busy work. At times, I lose momentum or inspiration. I look for ways to spark up the lost momentum and get back on the train.
So far I have a few things that help me, that I will share:

1) An online journaling website.
I have used a journal off and on through the years and I started back up. The basis of the site is off the idea of Julia Cameron's, The Artist's Way, which is a great book if you are suffering an artistic block. She advises some tips to help break the block, which all work. One main exercise, is journaling 3 pages a day or 750 words.
Trust me it works. I start having vivid dreams and it gives me ideas.

2) Reading. It gets my mind off of what I'm doing for a bit and into something new. Its proven that if you take breaks when you are problem solving or figuring what your next move is, stepping away from the task and doing another task not related to the original helps. The action of "getting your mind off of the idea" and onto something else, has your brain functioning in other ways behind the scenes, to help you figure out a problem later on.
Right now I'm reading, The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley.
A wonderful book that everyone must read and I have a hard time putting down.

Those are a couple of my ideas for sparking inspiration. What are your exercises for sparking inspiration? Care to share?