How To Stay Inspired

Hey guys! Sorry about the break in post during the holidays. I am back with new posts about fashion styling, art history, and creative advice for 2020!

Sometimes life can get you down and everyday chores and responsibilities can get in the way of your creative juices. Right now, I am struggling with just that. A lot is going on with my life at the moment and big life events are moving very rapidly. I do not have the energy to be innovative, creative, or charismatic about projects. I am trudging through finishing up my clothing collection, and the cold weather has me feeling like a hermit. But in order to move forward in life, one must push through any obstacle, and I am trying my best to still create during these winter months.

One thing I want to touch on in this blog post is my theory on productivity. I tend to go through two different phases of productivity and alternate back and forth. The two phases of productivity I experience are assertive and passive.

During the assertive productivity phase, I want to constantly create. I am always inspired and want to do ALL of the things. I tend to agree to too many things and overextend myself, but I feel so good about it. While feeling assertive, I am drawing, writing lyrics, making more blog posts, just DOING things.

During the passive productivity phase, I want to kind of draw inward and evaluate my life. I lean towards activities like yoga, reading, and shopping. In this phase I am still remaining productive but I am taking information in instead of exerting information. While I feel guilty in the passive phase that I should be doing more things, it is also important to take that time to reflect and slow down.

Both of these productive phases influence how I stay creative. If you, the reader, also resonate with these, let me offer some advice to keep alternating between phases and not being stagnant with your growth as a creator and human being.

• Always try new things. 

• Go out with friends, but alternate your friend groups and what you do with them to keep a healthy balance and to always be learning from them and making new memories.

• Make some time for yourself to learn something new! 

• Even in the passive phase, try a new restaurant or place to shop at.

• Listen to new music.

• In your assertive phase, try making something everyday, whether it be a sketch, a poem, meal prepping

• Never be afraid to take risks and say YES - just make sure you have the energy for it.

These things I do to keep myself moving forward. It is healthy to alternate between being assertive and passive with your habits and hobbies to keep your creative juices on their toes and flowing! Inspiration can come from anywhere - and it’s okay if you hit any roadblocks, writer’s blocks, or just need some downtime to reassess your needs. Do not force creativity and productivity.

I hope this blog was helpful to read! It is definitely something different than what I typically write up but sometimes we all just need a boost, especially since we creatives are always so hard on ourselves and our productivity. 

Thanks for reading!

The Design Process - Raine 2.0 Update

Hi all! Today I will be briefly discussing the design process when it comes to culminating a clothing collection, and using my own clothing lines as examples. I would like to educate people on the time and hard work it takes to get clothing out on the retail sales floor or online site; producing clothing is not as easy as it seems.

For my undergraduate capstone, I emulated the entire design process and created my original menswear collection through that experience, and thus marketed the collection online and in an in-person exhibit/mock store-front at ASU. While my new womenswear collection - Raine 2.0 - will not be presented in a physical form as I am not fortunate enough to have an exhibit to present the pieces in, I will be releasing that collection online. I want to be as transparent as I can about the design process to further educate my peers on the fashion industry, and show how passionate I am about what I create.

Firstly, a clothing collection starts with an idea. Like any major project, a theme and purpose must be decided upon. Raine is about streetwear clothing curated from breathable and athletic textiles so musicians can wear the pieces on and offstage. My clothing is geared towards performers and an edgier audience.

After deciding on a “why” and a target audience, the design process then leads me to creating a mood board, or a big photoshop document with clip art and inspiring images that give off the idea or “mood” of the collection. A mood board gives the designer a steady direction for where the designs will go.

I then move on to my original rough sketches, where I sketch out silhouette and design ideas for my pieces. Most of the time these concepts come to me at the most random of times and I store the ideas in notes on my phone and then sloppily transcribe them into my sketchpad to keep the idea. From here I create a color board, which is a digital picture showcasing the color scheme and tones I want to use for my collection. I will look back at this color board throughout the rest of my design process.

From here, I create stylized fashion illustrations with water colors as well as graphic Adobe Illustrator renderings of my designs, called “technical flats”. Fashion illustrations are great for showing the attitude of the garment as well as showcasing the movement and everyday function of the outfits created. Technical flats are precise graphic images of clothing made typically through Adobe Illustrator or CAD to show where seams will go, specific technical details, and how the garment will ultimately be designed and built.

So far with my Raine 2.0 collection, I have come this far. I have also rendered some graphics for printed tees that will accompany my handmade pieces for my sophomore collection.

After the pre-design work is finished, I then will source patterns and fabrics that will best suit my designs, and then I will go to work at building them. Building garments is a long process but is quite rewarding. From cutting patterns, cutting fabric from the patterns, pinning, sewing, pressing, and serging, building a garment is no easy feat.

After my garments are built, I typically like to market them. Typically, in the big leagues, prototype garments created and designed by the designers will be sent off to mills to mass-produce (once they are approved by a board of designers for whatever company it would be for). For me, I have no formal retailer to mass-produce for and most of the time, my garments are one-of-a-kind pieces. With the help of my supportive friends, my garments market themselves across the local scene I create and network in, and I am incredibly thankful to get such opportunities.

Maybe one day my designs will hit the “big leagues”, but until then I will remain creating and writing about it in this blog. Thanks for reading! I hope you learned a bit about the fashion design process because of my words.

Flex... Within Your Style

Hi all! Today is a short but sweet blog post regarding how to flex expensive and designer goods within the means of your own style. Designer goods have become a status symbol as of recent years and I just want to educate y’all on how to actually shop these items while maintaining your style so you can be happy with your purchases because they actually fit who you are, and you don’t just buy these things for the clout.

I have touched on shopping designer and luxury clothing before, but I want to dive a bit deeper. Names like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Balenciaga may sound familiar to you, and you may even own items from these famed design houses… but are you happy with how much you spent on those pieces? Do the designer/luxury goods you own make you happy and fit in with the rest of your wardrobe and who you are as a person?

The whole idea of wearing designer and luxury clothing as a form of status or clout has been on the rise the last few years. These goods are now social assets; getting one’s hands on anything that says “GUCCI” in giant letters across it is an important means of social status in 2019. Unfortunately, designer and luxury items are quite expensive. And just to get that label and logo to appear in your outfit comes with a hefty price. Many people will buy the simplest, oddest items from these designer brands just to say they own something from that house, even if it is not necessary, practical, or does not even fit their style. 

And that is just plain stupid.

I see so many people sporting Gucci slides when I am out and about, but to be honest with y’all, those things are ugly, and I am pretty sure if those slides were any other brand people would not be wearing them. Also, Gucci slides are one of the least expensive items within Gucci’s product arsenal, which makes them easier to acquire for the everyday person.

Look, I understand wearing a designer name is important nowadays, but the point I am trying to get across is to flex, but within the means of your own style. Even if it means purchasing something a little bit more expensive, if that item will satisfy you more in the long run it will be the better purchase than some stupid pair of $210 Gucci slides.

I do not like to skimp out on my clothing and always stay true to my style, and I want others to start being more weary of what they wear as well. When I buy designer, I consider the color palette that looks best on me, as well as my personal wardrobe colorings. I consider my style (dark and clean and a little bit slutty). I consider how many wears this particular item will give me (price per wear = how many times I will use the item divided by the price. So, a Gucci belt is $450, and if I wear that 50 times within the next year, it will be $9 per wear).

If you are going to shop designer, at least buy something you like, something you will actually wear, and something that will go with numerous pieces in your wardrobe so it will get fair usage. Do not buy into stupid clout trends like Gucci slides, and possibly splurge for some velvet Gucci loafers instead that will go wonderfully with at least 5 outfits you own.

Be smart, and be happy with what you buy so you will have less buyer’s remorse in the long run. Flex responsibly. 

Art History Is Actually Pretty Cool

Throughout my education I have had the privilege and opportunity to take numerous art history courses, and for this week’s blog post I want to share with others my favorite and most memorable pieces I have learned about and have come across. 

When people think of art history they think of stuffy Baroque paintings or Greco-Roman sculpture or possibly the over-hyped Surrealist works of Dali. *Yawn*. Indeed, much of historical art consists of pieces under those categories, but I want to introduce and discuss a few of my favorite paintings that are quite different from the norm and have inspired me and my own works.

The first painting I want to discuss was created by Francisco Goya and finished in 1823; “Saturn Devouring His Son” is an oil mural transferred to canvas and is one of fourteen paintings from Goya’s Black Paintings. This collection of paintings was created during a dark time for Goya, as he was of old age and recently overcame two life-threatening illnesses. The Black Paintings were all originally painted upon Goya’s own home, and “Saturn Devouring His Son” was one of six of the collection that was in his dining room. The painting at hand is extremely gruesome. The subject matter is hard to swallow (ha ha) and the technique and mark making is rough and suggestive, giving the painting an entire moody and scary theme. The lore behind this painting is the titan Saturn chomping away at one of his sons out of remorseless fear of being overthrown by his own offspring. This painting is one of my favorites because it is just so different from other paintings created around the same time, and it proves that older pieces of art do not have to be stuffy or conservative but can be dark and terrifying and gross. I even recreated this painting in my undergraduate oil painting class last year out of pure fascination of the piece. 

Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya

Oil on Canvas

Another favorite painting of mine is “Dante and Virgil” created by William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1850. The medium is oil on canvas. The subject matter is inspired by Dante’s The Divine Comedy, and the particular setting is in Inferno. Definitely one of my favorite pieces of classical literature, the subject matter of this painting has always been intriguing to me because of that fact. In The Divine Comedy, Dante (the writer of this piece) is taken through a journey through Inferno and Paradiso with his guide Virgil, the ancient Roman poet. The particular subject matter of this painting is when Dante and Virgil journey through Hell (Inferno) and view different circles and facets of human sin and divine rejection, and the scene depicted is in the eighth circle of Hell, of falsifiers and counterfeiters, where they are viewing two prisoners of the realm fighting and biting at each other. I am particularly fond of this work because of its striking and contrasting use of color, and its depiction and display of intense emotion with all of the subjects represented. Art can be dark and grotesque, which is really cool.

Dante and Virgil by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Oil on Canvas

The last piece I want to discuss is a little different from the previous two; “Las Meninas” by Diego Velazquez is an oil on canvas painting created in 1656 and depicts the Infanta Margaret Theresa surrounded by her Spanish court and help in an activity room during the Spanish Golden Age. This scene is extremely meta, and there is a large canvas in the frame, as if the characters onlooking the scene are currently being painted. There is a lot going on with this painting and it is quite fun to view and revel in the story being told. The coolest detail about this work is the mirror on the back wall, which is rumored to reflect the Infanta’s royal parents looking on towards the scene at hand, or perhaps the onlookers being the subjects of the painting in the scene. 

Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez

Oil on Canvas

Thanks for reading, and I hoped you learned a bit about art and how cool and fun it can actually be! I always am open to educate others on my passions and inspirations, so I hope this tidbit of my favorite classic works sparked something within you.

Survival Tips for a Creative Millennial

Hello, all!

I thought I’d start a blog tab to add to my portfolio website so anyone who stumbles upon my work can also get to know me as a person, and I will also be blogging about art, fashion, and anything creative.

I might as well write for my first entry about how to survive as a young creative in a world of Capitalism and nine-to-fives.

As many creative artists of any medium know, creative work very rarely is your main income in the beginning. I’ve learned over the years that in order to feel fulfilled and a well-rounded Renaissance person, one must have a day job, and then wear a million other fantastical hats for other creative side projects. My first survival tip to any “creative millennial” reading this is hustle, hustle, hustle. Do not quit your day job too soon, but also do not give up your passions and dreams. Let both of those aspects of your career growth fill up your time.

Another tip of mine that I strongly adhere to and tell my friends to stick with is to remain positive. Life will throw many, many punches but the most important thing to do is to remain positive and keep trekking forward. Especially as a creative who wants to get one’s voice out there, the most important thing to do is to keep going and keep creating, against the odds one is facing. I have encountered many speed bumps on my journey and career growth but as long as I keep telling myself better is out there and I have a good future ahead of me, then I will continue to work towards that and become a better artist every day.

Lastly, a tip that I do not listen to that much myself, is to have fun. Have fun during the process of growing as a person, as a professional, and as an artist. I struggle with this because I am always focused on finishing things in a timely manner and try to reach my goals prematurely without stopping to smell the roses. The beauty of being a creative in this fast-paced millennia is that we have the opportunity to create things to make the world a better place - we have the opportunity to work towards our goals while having fun with it. The general millennial generation is described as enjoying the ride while building a career, and that’s what us creative millennials must do as well. Do not let society pressure you to get things done at a certain time, or achieve certain goals at a certain age. One of my favorite quotes is by the toy restorer in Toy Story 2 who worked on repairing Woody: “You can’t rush art.”

For a recap on being a successful “creative millennial”: Be well-rounded with your hustle, remain positive, and have fun with your journey.

Hopefully this blog post is not that all over the place, I haven’t taken a formal English class in four years and sorely miss college.

Lorraine