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tchallasbabymama · 4 years ago

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M’Baku’s Love- Chapter 3

Let me know if you want to be tagged, and make sure you check out my masterlist HERE for chapters 1& 2 and my other stories.

Also, just so y’all know, the last scene has paraphrased lines from the movie (which you should definitely go watch if you haven’t yet.)

Enjoy!

Word count: 2392

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The day of the open house was upon them and M’Baku was more than excited to get to work with Monae some more. The workday crept by and as soon as the clock struck 5 he hurried out of his office and down the two flights of stairs to the arts wing. He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going, but he followed the sound of drums coming from one of the rooms. He walked up to the door and peeked in, seeing Monae teaching a class full of children West African dance. He leaned up against the doorframe and took in her graceful form and mesmerizing hips. He could have stood there and watched her move forever until one of the kids turned and saw him off to the side.

“Hi Mr. M’Baku!”

Monae and the kids turned towards him and greeted him. Monae’s smile was the brightest in the room.

“Hello children, Miss Monae.”

She sent him a small wave as the children surrounded him, all talking at once and all wanting to show him their moves.

“Alright, kiddos, lets all show M’Baku what you’ve been working on before you get out of here, Ok?”

“Ok!”

The drummers started back up and the kids started to dance, the looks on their little brown faces making Monae smile at their joy. She watched her students with pride as they finished the number and took their bows. She and M’Baku both erupted in applause.

“Very good, class! Ok y’all can go on home now. If you come to the open house make sure you stop by and say hi, Mr. M’Baku here is going to be my assistant for the evening.”

The kids grabbed their bags to head home, some of them stopping to hug Monae and M’Baku on the way out to their guardians. M’Baku was taken aback since he had not had enough experience around young children to know they have no concept of personal space. Monae laughed at the confused look on his face, a near permanent fixture he was becoming used to by being in this new land. He was just happy he could make her smile.

After the last child ran out, almost tripping over her shoelaces, Monae introduced M’Baku to her drummers Kehinde and Rodney. They bonded for a bit before Rodney slid out of the way to let M’Baku play his drum.

Monae couldn’t help but move with the way he struck the beautifully made instrument.. Her feet and hips took on a life of their own and she let the beat carry her however it saw fit. M’Baku already thought her choreographed dances were beautiful, but this? Her natural movement called to him as he moved her body with each stroke of his hands. Neither one of them were sure how long they were going for, but Rodney had to clear his throat to break the trance.

“Hey so I uh, I gotta head out. Sorry to interrupt whatever that was.” He pointed between the two, obviously picking up on the chemistry.

“Yeah, no, y’all get outta here. It’s late anyway. See you tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

“See ya Monae, byyyeeee M’Baku.” Rodney and Kehinde snickered as they left the room.

“So, what first?” M’Baku asked, still coming down from the high he just experienced with her.

“Woo, sorry, let me uh catch my breath real quick...you’re good.” She gestured towards the drum.

“So are you,” he gestured towards her body and she cracked a smile.

“I’m aware.” She walked around him to the other side of the room to start straightening up the space. He joined in and the room was spotless in minutes.

“So,” she clapped. “I figured since the kids love you so much you’d be great at keeping them busy while the adults talk to me. Nakia brought us a bunch of Wakandan children’s books, so how about you read to the kids? You have to do voices though, if you don’t do voices I’m putting you somewhere else.” She was dead serious.

“What kind of monster does not change their voice to read to children?” M’Baku asked incredulously.

Monae’s mind flashed to two years ago when she asked Derrick to do something similar at the after school program where she volunteered. He just read it straight like it was a speech, and the kids were restless. It was a nightmare.

“You would be surprised. Ok so take a look through these and see if any jump out at you,” she handed him the crate full of books and he thumbed through them.

“I do not see any Jabari books,” he pulled out a small notepad and began scribbling his thoughts down.

“You don’t use the beads like the others?”

“I could, but it is unnecessary technology for the most part.”

Monae nodded, remembering that the Jabari preferred to live analog.

“Let me run this by you real quick, and you tell me what you think,” Monae started as he turned to give her his full attention. “I have sooooo many Wakandan beads I need to get rid of, so how about I set up a jewelry station across the hall? Just some beads and string, nothing too fancy. Then over in the paint lab I was thinking of using these extra textile scraps and old magazines to make mixed media collages. For the last station I have like a million gourds for the kids to paint, and I figured they could do that next door. I have three volunteers set up at each station, so don’t worry, you’ll have help with the kids. I wouldn’t just throw you to the wolves like that.” She winked at him as M’Baku nodded along, processing everything she said.

“This is not my specialty, but that sounds like a good plan to me.”

“What is your specialty?”

“I am a man of many talents, as you can see, but I am a warrior above all else.”

Her cheeks felt hot as she tried to quiet the damsel in distress inside her brain. She cleared her throat and changed the subject.

“You mentioned that there aren’t any Jabari stories in here. You don’t have to use the books if you’d rather go off the cuff with it.”

M’Baku’s gap toothed smile shone through as his theatrical side woke up from its slumber.

“You might regret that later.”

______

The children loved M’Baku so much they barely touched the crafts Monae had set up for them. He regaled the kids, and the adults, with Jabari folktales about snowmen and giant gorillas and how the Jabari came to be.

“And then the Jabari left for the mountains. For centuries, the Jabari and the rest of Wakanda were angry at each other until-“

“Why?” interrupted a kid with his front two teeth missing.

“Well because the Jabari cared more for tradition and old ways, but the Wakandans wanted everything shiny and new. They argued so much they had to move away to keep the peace, and that is when Hanuman guided the Jabari to the mountains.”

“Who’s Hanuman?” asked a little girl with beaded cornrows.

“The god who guides and protects us.”

“My mama says theres only one god and his name ain’t Hanuman,” she responded with an attitude. Some of the parents and kids nodded along in agreement.

“Well, you see, your mother is simply wrong-”

“Ok, that's enough for now. Let's give Mr. M’Baku a round of applause for storytime, huh?” Monae interrupted before things got too heated, and the crowd clapped for their griot.

People wandered in and out of the room for the next couple hours, enjoying the crafts and M’Baku’s storytime. Monae kept everything running smoothly, including refilling M’Baku’s water bottle multiple times to keep his voice strong. Shortly before closing time T’Challa wandered into the room and sat with the children listening to the same stories M’Baku had told so many times that night Monae could recite them herself. When it was over and the last guest had left the center all the staff and volunteers breathed a sigh of relief.

“I think that went well!” M’Baku said, his voice hitching from overuse.

“Drink some more. Oh yeah, they absolutely loved you. You know T’Challa recorded your dramatics while he was here? You could win a Tony with that performance.” Monae gushed, proud of her, uh, friend.

“Who?”

“It's an award for stage actors. I’ll make you a list like the one Captain America had.”

“What sort of list?”

“Of pop culture and historical things you should know. He spoke about it in an interview a few years ago and I thought ‘that’s brilliant, I’d do that too’ but I never had the chance...until now.”, her excitement was palpable.

“That is a good idea, I will have to commend him on that the next time I see him.”

Monae froze.

“I’m sorry, you know Captain America?”

“Well yes, he and some other Avengers have been to Wakanda a couple times.”

Monae was speechless. She’d had a huge crush on Steve Rogers ever since he defrosted.

“I- what’s he like?” she asked, barely forming words.

M’Baku found her obvious fawning amusing and wondered if this is how she would look if she spoke about him to others.

“He is nice,” M’Baku said before leaning in a little closer. “Especially for a colonizer.”

Monae cackled and they continued to straighten up the room. Once the area was sufficiently cleaned for the night, the two headed out to their cars. Monae yawned as they packed her little electric car full of art supplies.

“It seems it is past your bedti-” he was cut off by the sound of his stomach trying to climb out his body. “Well, then.”

They broke out into laughter, only subsiding when her stomach answered the mating call.

“Would you like to accompany me to dinner? It will be my treat. I was planning on going to The V Spot for some more jackfruit tacos.”

“Mmm, they have these vegan nachos that I would sell my arm for, but I’m so tired I’ll probably fall asleep on you. Next time?” she sent him an apologetic grin.

“Next time it is, then.”

Monae turned to get into her car before stopping and turning back around to face him.

“You know what? I think I have one good hour left in me. Let’s meet there.”

_____

Both of them were too tired to speak, especially since M’Baku had done enough talking that night to warrant a week of silence. M’Baku paid for their food and they left, still in comfortable silence until reaching the sidewalk.

“Let me walk you home, you should not be out here by yourself.”

“M’Baku I can literally see my building from here.”

“And? Anything could happen between here and there. I would never forgive myself!”

The butterflies in her stomach were in full flight mode, and her face grew hot. She playfully rolled her eyes at him and turned away to mask her blushing face.

“Ok fine.” She said with faux reluctance. She wanted nothing more than to spend every moment she could with this man, but the ring weighing down her finger made it challenging. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, but Derrick is always out of town on business and she can feel the relationship slipping away. Even before M’Baku swooped in, her feelings for her fiance had started to dwindle. However, she did enjoy spending time with M’Baku and she figured there’d be no harm in taking the short stroll between The V Spot and her place.

“So, which direction?” M’Baku asked and Monae pointed to the right before they slowly took off down the street, arm in arm, in silence once again before Monae spoke up two minutes later.

“Well, this is me.”

They both just stood there, not knowing how to end the night.

“I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow?”

“Of course...I will say though, where I am from when you walk someone home from a date there is usually a goodnight kiss involved.”

She was stunned at his forwardness, and she could feel her pulse all over her body.

“But I guess this was not really a date, huh?”

“Um, n-no. M’Baku you know I’m engaged.” She said, looking down.

“Yes, but do you?” his eyes narrowed and he tilted his head as stepped closer to her. She didn’t move away, so he took another step forward so that their bodies were almost pressed together.

“It was date-like.” she conceded.

He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her in tight, closing the tiny gap of space left between the two of them. Her hands found their way to his chest and his other hand came up to tilt her chin upwards before he placed a light kiss on her lips and let her go. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked over his face. She took in his prominent brow and his strong jaw, his pillowy lips and his soft eyes. He was a giant wall of a man and she couldn’t get enough of how he felt up against her,

“That’s it?” she teased before pulling him back and making him lean down into a deeper kiss. His hands rested respectfully at the small of her back despite his desire to explore her body more, and hers rested around his neck for the same reason. They broke away quickly when the door of the apartment building opened and an older man walked out with his dog, undoubtedly to go on a nighttime walk around the neighborhood before retiring for the night. He looked at them and shook his head before mumbling something under his breath about heathens.

They looked back at each other and broke out laughing.

“You should go,” Monae said softly while fiddling with his collar.

“I do not want to,” he whispered.

“I know, but-”

“You are engaged. I know,” he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Goodnight Monae.”

“Goodnight M’Baku, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He waited for her to get inside before turning around and heading back the way they came to make the short journey to his temporary home. The entire walk back, he hummed along to an unwritten love song in his head with a goofy smile on his face. He could still taste her and, by Hanuman, he wanted more.

Next Chapter

#cecewritessometimes #black panther fic #m'baku x oc #black!oc #m'baku #m'baku's love #fluff

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fpinterviews · 15 years ago

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Liz Goldwyn

FP: I think of you as an art chameleon; you've had many connected interests in art and fashion and obviously, you're from a film family dynasty-- from my own experience, I'm not keen on categorizing multi-talented artists, however I'm wondering what is the biggest muse for you at the moment?

LG: I don't have a specific muse- I quite like that I cannot be labeled into a tidy box- I feel most kindred to artists of the Renaissance period, who didn't always fit into specific categories, but experimented with various media depending on what subject matter they were exploring.

I am always interested in history, sexuality, science and of course clothing/ textile- so my " muses" can come from anything I am thinking about, looking at, scoring at a vintage store or dreaming of...

FP: I was recently reminded of your filmmaking upon seeing your billboards around Los Angeles. The images are probably the first set of images I've seen in those digital billboards that really feel like they work there. The "Underwater Ballet" imagery is particularly striking. What led you to the Phantom Camera (captures action at 1000 frames per second--normal frame rate is 24 frames per second)? It is amazing to think that yours is the first film to experiment with this technique. How did you come up with the concept for the film? And have you ever considered using the digital billboards themselves as a medium for your art? I have yet to see that done.

LG: My recent short film Underwater Ballet came to me in a dream, in fact, and is closely linked to ideas I was exploring in my personal life. The feeling of alone-ness, floating in the universe, at the same time being connected to all the matter and stars which surround... Finding your place in the ballet of the galaxy...

For me it is a mournful, meditative piece- a closure to one chapter and a moment of restlessness, the unknown that awaits...

I wanted to use the phantom camera because I liked the challenge of using such high tech equipment in combination with "low brow" old school vfx technique- the "stars" in the sky are in fact, Alka Seltzer in tanks!-

Also, when I am told something is not possible, technically or otherwise, I cannot stay away! I love to constantly push my learning curve ...

Yes the collaboration with clear channel for the billboards in LA - and also the spectacolor board in Times Square was in fact, public art.

I had been offered a gallery show of the work but I feel strongly about bringing art to the streets/ public in general and I felt it was a better avenue to beautify my city in a small way.... I am not interested in making things only a select few can enjoy- I am very happy to be able to reach people that may not have access to or feel comfortable going to a gallery or museum-

Art is for the people! **Press Release for Times Square attached to email

FP: I noticed in your Diary on your site, http://www.lgoldwynfilms.com you have an entry in regards to the merging of humans with machines. I am wondering if you have ever heard of Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto, on the feminist principal of the same idea. Are you interested in the ideas of future technology and the artist?

LG: I don't know that manifesto. I am always interested in developments in technology, science and virtual reality. A teacher in high school gave me the William Gibson novel Neuromancer to read which helped foster this obsession- I was struck by how a punk poet like Gibson could conceptualize virtual reality without having a computer...

Perhaps it shows that anything is possible! There are no limits to the human imagination!

FP: I first became a fan of your work with the documentary "Pretty Things"--a documentary on the last generation of American 'Burlesque Queens.' It has often been said that unfortunately burlesque is a lost art in a time of instant gratification and celebrity. Although there is a retro homage with artists like Dita von Teese, what do you consider to be our modern equivalent of the burlesque?

LG: Dita is a great friend of mine and I think she does an incredible job of holding the burlesque torch- and with her costumes and stage shows, brings a new level of sophistication to the medium- I also like the work of Trixie Minx, Ava Garter, Immodesty Blaise, Narcissister, the 90s incarnation of the Velvet Hammer- gosh- so many-

But remember, the true root of the word burlesque has nothing to do with striptease- the Latin "burlare" implies satire, and so a modern burlesque could quite open to interpretation- from Saturday Night Live to youtube parody...

FP: You have mentioned that your interest in burlesque began when you discovered vintage burlesque costumes in NY...and your work has a sensitivity to fashion and costume. Can you talk a bit about this and whether or not you have ever considered designing clothes?

LG: I make jewelry but I love clothes and admire the craft too much to want to design myself! I have done some limited edition t shirts for charity. Am currently working on one for LENY icons www.leny-icons.com. The net proceeds from the sales of the Fashion Icon products will be forwarded to Al Gore's The Climate Project.

I would really like to have my own lingerie line though! Bras, stockings, panties, bedroom slippers, gowns and robes- the works!

FP: Who are your greatest influences?

LG: my family my friends my dreams conversations with interesting people keeping an open mind and continuing to learn whatever I can- life is constantly influencing!

FP: What are you currently working on?

LG: a huge multi-media installation in Paris which opens in August- Oct 2009!

** Le Bon Marche Press release attached to email

FP: Thank you so much! I can't wait to see what you do next!

#Liz Goldwyn

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thelifestyleeditor · 4 years ago

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CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS:

Who are you: Jules Hogan

What is your work: Design knitted garments and accessories

What is your:

Website: www.juleshogan.com

Twitter: juleshoganknit

Instagram: @juleshoganknitwear

Facebook: juleshoganknitwear

Describe your work in 5 words: Natural, simple, slow, crafted, timeless.

Can you tell us a little about your what you do? I’m a knitwear designer maker based in Berkshire, UK. My designs are inspired by the everyday, botanicals and patchwork crafts. The basis for the collection is simple shapes, natural materials and muted colours, designed to flatter and enhance the body and suitable for men and women. Time is spent selecting the perfect shades to flatter different skin tones. Many of the designs are knitted by myself, but helped by master knitters in Scotland, and have recently started working with a family-owned factory in Nottingham.

Can you tell us about your career journey and how you got to where you are today? I graduated in 1995 and the collection won the Graduate Fashion Week Knitwear Award, and the Winchester School of Art Colour award. Whilst studying at Winchester, I developed a love of colour and dyeing techniques. My first job was as a colourist for a design consultancy in London, where I produced colour samples for designers and high street stores, including Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and Sir Terence Conran. I’ve always been multi-faceted, so spent time producing print designs and embroideries during this time, and continued this once I had moved on, working freelance for a design studio. For my next appointment, I worked with Gary Rooney and we designed and produced knitted ideas for fashion houses and retail outlets. These designs were sold in Europe and the USA. A highlight was working with WGSN, a trend agency, because we were able to create inspirational textiles without restraint.

Where is your office/studio, and what is the view out of your window? My studio is at the end of the garden positioned under an old Oak tree. Looking out of the window, I can see a bird feeder (I love watching the Robins and Finches), my tiered vegetable patch, garden and the house.

What is the first thing you do when you get to work? The first thing I do is open the blind to let in natural light and turn on the radio, usually Radio 4, as I enjoy the hum of voices as I work and its always an education!

What are the tools of your trade? A knitting machine, yarn, machine tools, several pairs of scissors and snips, and a notebook, which I carry everywhere for those inspiring moments.

What can’t you work without? I’m very resourceful and can work with very little, but I can’t live without being able to create, having access to the outdoors and those moments of calm and relaxation.

Why do you love what you do? I love that being my own boss has given me freedom and I can work at my own pace. Since becoming self-employed, I have increased my social circle, meeting up with like-minded creatives and designing intuitively.

Who or what inspires you? The beauty of the everyday inspires me the most. It can be simple items we have in our homes, the hedgerows on my daily dog walks, lichen on a rooftop and even a tiny flower growing in the crack of a pavement.

What is the best advice you have received? The best advice I received was by a gentleman I met very early on in my career, David Shah, who said, “It’s important as a creative to be your own boss”. It took over 20 years, but I’m pleased to be at this stage now.

One moment in your career you will always remember? The moment I remember the most was getting the results for my degree. It was an emotional time with family illness, wanting to be at home, but knowing it was important to put in the work and finish the course. I was thrilled to receive a first class BA…you can imagine the relief and I broke down in tears.

What is the worst part of your job? The isolation of day-to-day working from home, but social media has helped an awful lot and being part of a network of creatives.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Seeing my textile designs on the catwalk and in shops, but also where I am now, running a creative business.

What are you working on at the moment? The right decision for all, but like many, it was very unsettling being in lockdown as plans were altered, shows cancelled and everything stopped. Once I had adjusted to our new way of life, I decided to use the time wisely and allowed myself to experiment (creative play), and try ideas that had been in my thoughts for a while. This has included working with woven fabrics, patchwork and darning. I’m really pleased with the results so far, and the designs are having a favourable response. Things have gone full circle and after a break I’m getting the dye pots out again, and introducing some botanical dyeing into the collection.

Can you share some favourite websites or instagram feeds?

Some of my favourites are:

@niki.at.the.cottage - One of the first people I followed on Instagram, a seasonal journal, gardening, books, and recipes.

@kathryn_davey - Natural dye textile study and tutor. I took part in one of Kathryn’s workshops last year and its helped me to fall in love with extracting dye from plant material.

@nakedclayceramics - Gorgeous ceramics in earthy tones. Beautiful glazes and subtle details.

@lobsterandswan - account for Jeska Hearne photographer. Jeska’s images have a narrative and you feel part of them. I am honoured to have bespoke items stocked in the online store (@thefuturekept) she shares with her partner Dean.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to do what you are doing? Learn as much as possible and continue learning - it keeps things fresh and exciting!

Do you have a secret ambition still to achieve? I hope to introduce some woven garments to sit with the knitted pieces.

What is your personal motto? ‘Nothing happens before its time’, is something my Mum always says. It’s important to have patience and if its meant to be, it will happen.

If you had an extra hour each day what would you do with it? If I had an extra hour I would like to think I would rest, but in reality know I would fill the time ‘doing’!

How would you like to be remembered? A maker of pieces that bring joy…thoughtful, honest and caring.

Thank you Jules for talking to The Lifestyle Editor.

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weaselle · 5 years ago

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I got asked in my DMs to elaborate on my master project, so, just know if you click the read more, it’s gonna be like, a LONG ass read

(in b4: when I say things like “the poor” rest assured I am also “the poor” and not trying to feed into classist designations - I just need to be able to talk about different economic demographics. Also, I’ve pulled together several pieces of writing that cover this very involved endeavor for this ask, so there may occasionally be a slight overlap of information, tho I have tried to clean it up)

@victorylilygreen (lol, you asked) @ekinsellaauthor (idk I thought you might be interested)

______________________________________________________________________

I have a plan to provide solutions to the socio-economic crisis facing this country. As I put this together over a couple of decades, it was important for me to not be telling people how they have to live, but rather provide them the tools they need to decide for themselves how to live. This plan then, is more like a mutable format, the first iteration of which provides the example and proof of concept. Then, when people see a successful solution available, they will be sure to copy it -- because this piece of social engineering is meant to be self replicating this way, I often refer to it as a socio-economic worm First, a breakdown of how I arrived at my plan:

The fundamental questions at the base of my attempts at large scale socio-economic fixes are:

1- Since every current system in our society is dysfunctional or corrupt, how can a single simple solution address the entire tangled web of institutions that effect every part of our human lives -- from agriculture, to rent, to wages, to government, to education, to the textile and clothing industry -- it's all problematic and needs to change.

2 - Since we can assume the wealthy will never help change the status quo, how can we get the middle class to pay the poor to create alternatives to current corrupt systems? in other words, how can we free time and money in the economy such that doctors and lawyers and computer techs can pay cashiers and gardeners and cooks to create banks and homes and grocery stores so we can bankrupt Wells Fargo and Century Real Estate and Whole Foods?

And the first answer is, we can create a simple solution that addresses all of it by bringing all that under one roof, for one small group of people, and addressing that microcosm in a way that is replicable by other small groups, as well as able to be scaled up such that it is applicable to the larger society.

To answer the second question, we have to create a situation where the poor are making more money than they currently do. And they need to do this by providing more of what the middle class need (for less money than the middle class currently spends on it) This will provide some immediate relief for the poor while freeing up money in the middle class to fund the larger solutions.

==========================================================

Since we can't create money from nothing, one way to accomplish that is: instead of the poor making more money, the base concept of socio-economic organization of individuals has to change such that it lowers the cost of living for the poor. Lowering the cost of living accomplishes many of the same things as increasing wages. And we have to do that while engaging in providing more of what the middle class needs for less money that they currently pay.

Therefore, we need to identify what the middle class needs. A fundamental problem facing the middle class is that raising a family and running a household and earning enough money to pay for it all is a full time job for three to five adults, and they are trying to do it with two. Which is a major problem for the poor also. What the middle class is trying to do about it is what the poor cannot: buy themselves more time, literally. They pay someone to clean their house, they pay someone to watch their kids, they pay someone to maintain their garden, they pay for food that requires less and less time to prepare or they order to go food. They pay a dry cleaner or laundry service to wash their clothes. If they can afford enough of these things, they wind up with as much left to do as 2 people have time for.

The important thing to realize here is that these chores are the genesis of the necessary institutions that have become corrupt or dysfunctional. Everything a household or family needs is a microcosm of the larger industries and institutions. For example, paying someone to take care of your children is the seed of a school. Paying someone to prepare your meal is the seed of food industry - if you pay them enough to prepare you enough food, it becomes more cost effective to start producing the ingredients or getting them directly from the source. Paying an accountant to do your taxes or getting help with budgeting etc, grows into a bank. Paying someone to wash your clothes is the seed of the clothing industry - soon they can offer repairs, replacing buttons, fixing burst seams, from there alterations and tailoring follow... This is how the poor will be paid to grow new institutions to replace current problematic systems.

SO. Low-income workers need to organize into cooperative communities that leverage group dynamics to lower costs. If four families live together, they don't need to buy four toolbox sets, they can buy one and share. 10 families worth of food bought in bulk costs much less than 10 individual families buying food at the grocery store. Heating a single large building and splitting the bill is much more cost-effective than paying to heat individual housing units. And when one such group is shown to provide solutions and success, other groups will inevitably come together and copy it on their own, unprompted.

AND once they are organized this way, they should offer those services the middle class are trying to use as stop gaps - the chores the middle class are buying themselves out of. The best way to do this is buy creating the solutions to the chore/time crunch for their own community, and then selling those solutions to the middle class. In other words, someone needs to do the house cleaning, the laundry, the cooking, the gardening etc for the building they all live in, and then they can go on to sell that service to middle class households.

They need to do this for less money than the sum of those things currently costs, which can be accomplished via two techniques. The first is simply by bringing all those services under one roof. When the gardener and the housecleaner are arriving in the same company vehicle, the consumer is getting passed less in gas and vehicle maintenance costs, and so on.

The second way is to identify the one or two most needed, most expensive services, and find a way to lower costs for just those services significantly. Maybe something like babysitters that function as small, suburban neighborhood daycares during peak daycare hours, and the babysitters would fill the rest of their work week elsewhere in the company.

Now! We have the poor with a lower cost of living, providing relief services to the middle class in a way designed to grow into the new food production, the new clothing industry, new banks, new schools, new hospitals... and when you have all these things, you can make whole cities that are largely autonomous. Again the concept is to bring under one roof smaller versions of all the needed things in life that have become the large problematic systems that currently exist, giving citizens the real power to either force those institutions to change, or replace them. When you have new cities, they can demand or create much larger change in government, in power production, in raw material sourcing for things like lumber and fuel. And hey can be built on purpose, instead of the chaotic haphazard growth typical of current cities. If citizens want to live sustainable, socially progressive lifestyles, it behooves them to live in municipalities explicitly designed to facilitate that.

This is my solution.

It starts with a single building. A single community. I have planed the building and community, budgeted it, designed it to be able to grow into these larger solutions. I have started the procedure to create it, taken the first small steps.

step One A: Creative Suite (already working with a small team on this)

My plan is to run several big fundraisers over the next year and partner with an SF Bay Area municipality (probably Oakland) to open a public arts production center by converting a warehouse.

The purpose would be to have a creative recreation suite with communal equipment and spaces, such that, if you wanted, for example, to make a music demo, or do a pod cast, or make cooking videos for youtube, you could easily accomplish that using the space and equipment available in the arts production center. To include:

dance floor / props and body work space

music center / DJ booth and instruments

recording studio - both audio and visual, with lighting, green screen, mics, cameras sound proofing

singing booths - individual sized sound proof recording studios, wired with a mic and output

industrial kitchen - large fridge space, rangetop and large oven, utensils / tools, big counter top

painting studio - surfaces (not always canvas) paints, brushes, frames

Crafting studio - buy bulk discount from creative center for reuse in berkeley?

wood and metal shop - partner with a tool library? is it possible to get a recyclable high-density ceramic 3-D printer to print tools with?

electronic repair (and robotics?) center

stage / small theater space / workshop with attached makeup studio

sewing and costuming – sewing machines and cloth bolts etc

gaming center - table top rpgs, card games, board games etc outdoor component, pool table, anything we can get a good deal on

computer bank - about 5 computers for general use / e games

leave one/take one library, scattered 1-2 person writers nooks

garden center

Amazingly my estimates from initial research indicates I can put a cheap, functional version of this together for about twenty thousand dollars. In terms of installing this stuff in like, an otherwise un-refurbished warehouse. Even if I spend $35k, that’s like, a new car. Plus I want the first month or so of funding to run the place up front. That’s gonna be water, garbage (it’s a lot for the dumpster a place like this needs) a shitload of electricity, and 3 people’s worth of monthly salaries to start.

Then there’s the rent or lease, which runs about $2 per square foot in the SF Bay, and I’ll need at least 5 grand a month’s worth of space. Plus monthly supplies, for whatever deals on paint and stuff we can scrounge. That means the monthly operating costs are like $25k a month. Hence large fundraisers for the initial build out and first month’s operating. Plus you draw your initial arts center membership from the fundraiser attendees.

Which, I’ve thrown warehouse parties before, so I think I can hit a target of a couple hundred people at each party spending $35 apiece. There’s a trick to it – you keep the cover charge low or non-existent, and then provide a lot of opportunities to spend money inside, like games and food and stuff. Low or no charge to attend drives attendance up, and then you have more people spending money.

One key element is, you fill out the paperwork to be a catering company. Not only do you use this to sell food at the event, but ALSO it allows you to file for a single-use liquor license so you can have a bar. Usually there are a finite number of liquor licenses in a municipality, and they can go for millions of dollars. But with a catering company’s single event liquor license you can legally sell alcohol at the party. NOW we’re talking money.

anyway, I’m HOPING I can find state, federal, or municipal grants and assistance programs for the arts (and also, maybe some kind of, entrepreneurial support programs, but for like, small personal internet ventures?) Maybe even get some city to cut the rent in half by forgiving the property taxes on the warehouse or something. If I can’t, I may have to adjust the fundraising vs start date timing. Membership will be a monthly fee like a gym. I’d love for it to be free, and will certainly stay open to anything that allows that, but by the numbers it’ll have to be about $50 a month. Still, that’s like a 24 our fitness membership. One refill of gasoline. About one person’s share of an electricity bill. A phone payment. It’s a doable monthly bill for a lot of people. Monthly budget to be supplemented using the space, for example dance classes, ticketed theater performances, live band music shows, etc. So it’s possible we could drive membership prices way down. and maybe certain days or times could be free to the public or something. I want it to be accessible. Of the 3 monthly salaries mentioned above (each at $20 an hour) one is for me and that’s all I need, enough money to live on and access to this facility. There’s no way I can figure out how to afford this kind of creative suite for just me, but I might be able to figure out how to make one a whole bunch of us can afford This is just the first step of a very involved something I’ve been putting together since forever. But even if I only ever accomplish this first nesting-doll of a scheme, I’ll be very pleased.

The Creative Suite is like, an egg. And it should hatch into a little baby iteration of a socio-economic worm I’ve conceived.

If I can grow it to the full beast, it should become a self replicating, bottom-up revolutionary process that could improve the lives of many millions of people and put more power over our personal day to day lives back into the hands of the common public.

I have thousands of words in hundreds of research drafts and notes and exploratory essays, etc, but… Roughly speaking that looks like

flip the Creative Suite into MN Building One, a scheme designed to allow minimum wage workers to access more free time, lower their cost of living, and build equity by acquiring and owning their own property. Mortgage is paid off in ten years. Meanwhile

Building One starts up a business called Full Service Living that leverages group economics to allow for ethically sourcing goods while addressing the issue that middle class nuclear families with two adults face 4 full time adults’ worth of labor to maintain the household and raise the children.

Full Service Living becomes FSL Pro, in which the first group offers the next group of minimum wage workers their old building (cutting out the banks from the process) while acquiring a second building, gives the new people in Building One entry level jobs in FSL that pay better than minimum wage, while adding second tier careers to the mix living in Building Two – lawyers, accountants, mechanics, teachers, etc. These two groups continue to propagate more communities in their paired type one and type two buildings. Each of these community pairs contains the seeds for various institutions designed into them, and are meant to cooperatively grow into:

Community Support Centers. These offer a variety of support services to surrounding communities. Such as: day care and after school programs, tax and bill/budgeting assistance, legal advice/support. The sum of the total efforts by all parties is designed to blossom into:

A school A construction and landscaping company A public owned Credit Union/Bank A public service law office An ethical clothing line An alternative low footprint locally sourced supermarket I call Alt-mart (Alt-mart works hand in hand with a food production construct I have in mind. It’s a little involved for this breakdown)

All that with room for other endeavors people see a need for. The initial concept brings most issues of modern life under a single multi-family roof such that communities are afforded the opportunity and resources to create alternatives to the flawed or corrupt institutions with which we are currently participating.

When that all coalesces into networks of these communities and institutions, we’ll have all the necessary pieces to the puzzle and I hope a city will be built. I’ve designed many elements of it. Engineering as well as socio-political and economic design. But who knows if I’ll ever get there.

More detailed breakdown of the plan follows:

Project Overview and Concept Exploration:

Begins with providing affordable housing, property ownership, and upward mobility to minimum wage workers. Becomes a network of live/work facilities with a focus on sustainable entrepreneurialism, accessible autonomy, and community outreach.

These facilities function as socio-economic labs - they are on paper corporations, to access any advantages, protections, and loop-holes available to the corrupt institutions currently running the economy. They target the large corporations, ultimately seeking to end them. They produce businesses such as restaurants that grow all their own food, and doctors that are paid for by the apartment complex to provide medical care to residents.

Additionally, theses facilities provide a new way of life, in a format that allows for autonomy, but also allows for successful participation in the current economy... where all the money is.They also attempt to alleviate the time crunch problem for the middle class, wherein managing a household and raising a family is actually three or four full time jobs.

As such, the facilities are designed to grow into these large businesses/institutions:

SCHOOL

A preschool through junior college school on 3 cooperative campuses, wherein the school functions as a microcosm of the economy as a whole for the purpose of study: school gardens provide cafeteria food; school wood shops produce school furniture; economy classes figure out how the school budget can afford the water, fertilizer, metal, and wood.

3rd graders have classes in the garden learning the biome and doing the weeding; 8th graders are each growing 3ftX3ft gardens and helping in the large garden; 11th graders are cross-pollenating and designing green housing and aquaponic systems; bachelor students are splicing plant genes in the lab.

But by then some of the students have stopped being involved in the garden, and are making replacement hinges for all the school doors as metal shop homework or squeezing enough money out of the school budget for a big homecoming event.

By the third campus, students are living on site, so there is housing to manage. Student store and cafeteria provide economic interactions; the whole of our socio-economic society done small for study and practice, under a single administration instead of our current system of a scholastic career being broken up into mismatched administrations, which is a disservice to our students.

ALT-MART

A facility meant to compete with Target and Walmart and Whole Foods etc. It grows from the live/work facility kitchen and meal-plan set up. Alt-mart features a permanent farmer’s market, supplemented with an onsite garden/nursery. There is an onsite industrial kitchen and restaurant that uses overstock from the farmer’s market and ingredients from the garden, possibly purchasing all unsold produce from the farmer’s market at a discount.

The restaurant offers prepared foods for sale to the public, kitchen processes overstock into consumer goods like ketchup, frozen microwaveable breakfast burritos, and canned corn. Bakery also, of course. Facility also features a tool-library with a 3-d printer that can print any tools not on the shelves.

Additionally features local tailoring and a second hand clothing store. The local tailors get access to all the second-hand pieces for use in making their own clothes to sell onsite, as well as some facility-bought cloth and onsite machinery (sewing machines to textile machines like tuffters, gins, and looms).

Toy aisle is franken-toy land, where in-house creative DIYers take second hand toys and make whole new toys out of them. Electronics section is mostly repair, and offers lessons in repair. Book-nook and greeting card section features local/community writers. And so on. The goal is to offer an alternative to the big one-stop-shop stores, with a focus on local/community sourcing.

CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

This business grows out of building maintenance and groundskeeping into a landscaping company, then into a construction company. It should be the company used by the network of facilities for any renovations and repairs, so it should grow quite large.

COMMUNITY-OWNED CREDIT UNION (and LAW OFFICE)

Basically a non-profit bank, that offers community outreach for people who need help with budgeting, would like to learn about mortgages and homeownership, etc. Grows out of a Community Support Center that also offers community office space and legal advice.

FIRST STOP HOSPITAL

Not a full hospital, at least not at first, this should just be a few medical professionals that can answer common questions, provide emergency medical response, and assess medical conditions. Not for treatment so much as to find out what kind of treatment you need and who to get it from. Where first-time parents bring their babies when they’re not sure if they need o bring their baby to an emergency room. Honestly, medical care is the hardest part of this whole thing and I'm not sure if it's going to be possible or what to do about it.

CATERING AND EVENTS COMPANY

This is what get’s the ball rolling, the catering folds into the care-taking positions within the facilities, and the events company later become basically the arts entertainment and media/information division. There's a traveling circus element. It's fun.

These projects can possibly culminate in a whole large, sustainable city built from the ground up, that I have outlined. It involves building a large hill and two small lakes. I am happy to talk a lot more about that, but it clearly necessitates all the above pieces and more.

OKAY, so much for the overview. Let’s start at the beginning. The loan is for 2 million dollars, for a property of 1 million and another million in remodel costs.

Note: I ran the following numbers for California. Obviously property values and minimum wages are different other places, but the concept should still be applicable. Additionally, these are preliminary estimates only. Additional research and budgeting is required.

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First I have to tell you about a type of loan called “Micro debt”

Basically, if you loan 10 people a total of 100k, they are each responsible for 10k of debt. If one of them defaults, the other nine split their debt, so now each of them has about 11k of debt, which is payable as it is not a significant increase in debt per person. However, this also encourages them to all help make sure nobody defaults on the debt -- for example, if one person is in danger of defaulting because their car was totaled and they can’t get to work, there are nine other people with a vested interest in making sure that person gets access to a vehicle or ride share. If a person starts to default on payments because they are drinking all the time, there are nine other people who are going to drag the to AA meetings.

A couple of banks in Bangladesh and Germany have had success with this, citing a 98% repay rate which is a few percent better than the average home loan repay rate here in the United States. Additionally, there are at least a couple million people who have this structure of loan here in the states, so it's not unheard of nor untested, even specifically in our own economy.

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SO. 28 people get what is essentially a home loan for 2 million dollars. We'll call them group A. They each have about a $71,000 mortgage, their share of the loan. (note, an average mortgage in California is like, nearly half a million, so, less than a hundred thousand is a GOOD mortgage)

Group A buys property (ideally unused/abandoned industrial sites or dilapidated property in low income areas) for about a million, maybe a little under, and builds a facility on it for about a million, maybe a little over. (I looked at apartment building costs per square foot and reviewed properties currently for sale in California to get these numbers).

Some of the money is earmarked for partnering with the city on local infrastructure - so, say the streets in that neighborhood need repaving, we might buy all the materials for the city to do that, saving them money, incentivizing the city to work with us on rezoning and permits, while at the same time those kinds of improvements are an investment in the value of the property. This is because many of those buildings are not zoned as live-work the way this project requires, and rezoning without incentivizing the city to cooperate is a nightmare.

The facility is 60 bedrooms, with an industrial kitchen, plenty of diverse common space, and shared facilities (like at a gym: banks of private shower stalls, even a hot tub and a sauna, because if you’re going to ask people to give up single use showers in their own apartments, you want to add value).

Group A moves in and rents remaining rooms to an additional 28 people, we'll call them Group B.

Now, out of 60 rooms we have 56 people living in the facility. 10 of them are caretakers. Instead of paying money, they pay their way in labor, and they additionally receive a monthly stipend of 500 dollars a month to start. The caretakers do all the building maintenance and groundskeeping, they do the housekeeping and laundry, they make sure the bills are all paid, and they provide (cook) a meal plan. Utilities are all included in rent.

This means that anyone renting there has a single, affordable monthly bill for their cost of living, never has to cook, never has to do laundry or wash a dish. I call this Full Service Living. And the budget is for 60 but only 56 are planned in, with 4 slots available for social outreach, so this community can offer semi-temporary room and board for free to women fleeing abusive relationships, disabled veterans, homeless people with children, rehabilitated felons, whoever they want to help.

All this for a single payment of $1,000 per month, per paying resident.

Rent, food, utilities, housekeeping, everything. In an area where rent alone is more than that. This guarantees that a person making local minimum wage can afford to live, and pretty decently, with more free time and less headache.

When the building is paid off, if they want, Group A will each have a room to live in, plus a room to receive rent from, as income.

Let's break down the budget for this so far

(60 people, minus 10 caretakers and 4 outreach residents, equals 46 paying residents)

Per Month Costs to Paying Residents:

Meal plan for 60 people = $5,000.00

60 person phone plan = $1,800.00

Internet sufficient for a business: $400.00

Water bill for 60 people = $1,800.00

Electricity for 60 people = $3,600.00

Garbage bill for 60 people = $2,000.00

Caretaker stipend = $5,000.00

(subtotal: $19,600.00)

Building/Community fund = $1,853.002

million dollar mortgage = $21,213.00

Property tax = $3,334.00

Total: $46,000.00= $1,000 per paying resident per month, roughly $600 “room” and $400 “board” with as many costs of living as possible paid as one low bill.

Sharing a room adds a "board" payment to the room, so if you move a romantic partner in with you and split it evenly, you each pay $700. I also have discount rate breakdowns for people with children in various scenarios, but it starts to get complicated for what is supposed to be a simple overview. Basically it comes down to an inherent flexibility in the meal plan; the fact that a food budget for 60 people easily accommodates an extra mouth to feed could allow a group to offer a single parent a separate room for their child with no board payment, so they could live in two rooms for $1,500; stuff like that.

At those payments, the building is paid off in ten years. TEN. Our low income earners don't have to wait 30 years to be actual property owners, and they only have to give the bank an added $500k instead of the 1.4 million a 30 year mortgage would net.

Here is one place people replicating the format and participating in their own group can do whatever they want. The 28 building shareholders have the option of leaving everything the same but owning the place outright, which means they are no longer paying the ~$500 mortgage portion of their bills, instead each receiving about $500 in rent from the other residents, which is a net gain of $1k per month each in disposable income. Or they could all just sell the building and split the money 28 ways. Or they could all move out and use the entire building to generate residual income. Anything is good, we've made almost 30 people property owners and built them equity for only minimum wage while they provided relief services to the surrounding community, so anything they think is best, we've already done it good.

Ideally they move into a second building and sell the first building to group B, which is what the very first group will have to do to complete the seeding of the entire project.

SO. The two buildings I mention represent two stages of the greater project. Full Service Living, and Full Service Living Professional (hereafter FSL, and FSL Pro)

In the first stage, you have 10 caretakers providing full service living to 46 paying individuals, most of whom make minimum wage, and 4 social outreach recipients. FSL is basically getting as much of your life as possible handled with a single low bill, something similar to living in a good hotel.

To expand, The caretakers additionally seek to offer this service to middle class households - these homes already hire a house cleaner, a gardener, use a dry-cleaner, order delivery food, so they are prime clients. As middle class households become clients, the caretakers need more people to handle the work load, and the other people living in the facility quit their minimum wage jobs and work for the FSL company. This will earn the group profits as a whole while paying the individuals close to $25 an hour. THIS allows the second building to be much nicer.

With a second, much nicer building, the 28 people move in, and they find 28 new renters from higher up the economic food chain. These folks need to earn at least 35k a year and include people from a specific list of professions. This new group of 28 shall be referred to hereafter as the tenants.

The rent agreement is unique: The 28 tenants pay about 2k per month each for the same package, the FSL company from the first building provides all the housekeeping, meal plan, etc. The tenants also agree to pay one third of any increase in their wages, up to a cap, with the money going toward renovations, improvements, and additional services and amenities. This means as your income increases, you pay more actual dollars, but a smaller percentage of your over all income

So if you are making 35k you earn 3k a month, which means you pay 2/3 of your income to the facility (many people spend this much on rent plus food). If you double your income, you now earn 6k per month. Your rent package would go up by 1/3 of your additional income, or one thousand dollars, and you would still have an extra two thousand dollars per month of personal discretionary income. You would have started out paying 2/3 of your income, but now you’d be paying only 1/2 your income. Your building improves, your life improves, but you’ll always be able to afford it, and every raise you get does give you more spending money. Additionally, the staff is motivated to really give you all the support they can, as a well supported individual is more likely to have monetary success.

And one more important thing. Tenants either pay an additional 500 bucks a month in money, OR they offer $500 of their professional services to residents of the facility. Unclaimed time must be made available to the surrounding public for free.

So, say a paralegal values her time at $50 dollars an hour for qualified legal advice (such as, do I need a lawyer for this? what kind of lawyer do I need? What is this legal process going to look like?). The 50 residents only use an hour this month, so something like 9 appointments should be made available to the surrounding community for free - the facility staff will handle outreach (letting the community know of the offer via flyers etc). They will handle making the appointments according to her availability, and will provide the facility’s communal office space to hold them in.

These programs allow businesses to grow in a very low risk environment. Let’s look at a day care worker. She’s a classroom assistant at a day care, going to school part time to finish her teaching degree. She offers residents hours of baby sitting as her $500 service. As she earns more money, the facility also earns more money, and can renovate a space that sometimes functions as a play room for kids. No longer going to school, she is earning more money, the facility hires a permanent babysitter or two, and she manages them. Free to residents, they accept neighborhood kids for a reasonable fee. Low cost good quality day care becomes available to the neighborhood. She’s a class lead at a good school now, making more money, so the facility can afford to hire classroom assistants and the baby-sitting / daycare starts offering after-school programs to older children, well on its way to being a small private school, with our tenant running it.

Similarly, restaurants and construction companies grow out of offering facility residents goods and services.

To recap the ideal situation here: 28 people live in a nice 60 bedroom facility. They own a business in a neighboring facility, which houses workers who are paid fairly, but who also pay the first group monthly on a ten year lease (instead of paying a bank) -- after which that second group owns the building they live in and no longer has to pay. Everyone’s cooking, cleaning, laundry, are all done for them. By now their meals are largely made from the facility’s garden and aquaponics greenhouse, which includes a fish-farming pool, a few goats, a cow or two, and some chickens and ducks. Living with them in the facility is their lawyer, their nurse, their electronics expert, etc. They’re all part owners in their own non-profit bank/credit union, and there is an onsite day care, gym, and communal workshop. The group offers outreach programs to the surrounding community: low cost high quality day care, legal advice. They provide semi-temporary room and board to those in need, such as women fleeing abusive relationships, disabled veterans, and the homeless (especially those with children). They are an active part of an ongoing socio-economic program designed to give low-income housing, property ownership, retirement options, and upward mobility to minimum wage workers, as well as alternatives to broken institutions to all.

By the time they pay off the second building’s mortgage, the first building has been paid for over again, and THAT group can move into a ANOTHER FSL Pro building, offering their new building to a new round of pro tenants while offering that first building to a THIRD round of low income workers.

The first 28 people achieve all of this, building ownership, business proprietorship, community support, within the same thirty years it takes to pay off a standard home loan, starting with nothing more than entry level jobs and this master plan.

From there, growth continues. More buildings are offered to more low income earners. More facilities means more services, amenities, cooperative power, a stronger micro-economy. Political influence also increases with membership...

Eventually, you can take all these businesses and facility/communities, and go build a whole city, which looks a little like this

See the problem with cities is they grew organically. No one ever sat down and said “we know we want a hundred thousand people to live here -- what is the best design for that?” Instead is was just, some people, and then some more people, and then some more...

So.

You go out in the middle of wherever. You dig two GIANT holes. You take the dirt from the holes and you build a nice big hill. You fill the holes with water and you have two lakes. Now you have a nice place people want to live, nestled between the lakes, under the hill. It gives you enough water and topography to create a resource feedback loop and control things like wind and sun exposure.

You regulate everything for sustainability, design it from the ground up.

Current municipalities have to provide everything for the public from a budget that largely comes from property tax, which is 2% of the property value. That’s why when there’s something like a homelessness problem, there is no money to address it properly.

This city holds all the property in a trust administered by the elected city officials. Instead of rent paid to private landlords, the public leases their homes and businesses directly from the city, which keeps rents low and controlled and gives the city an incredibly large budget compared to current municipalities, which allows them to provide outstanding public services -- transportation, healthcare, parks -- as well as giving them enough budget to address any issues like homelessness. Regulation and organization for sustainability as a whole city addresses the fact that existence is always interlocked issues. For example:

Grey water. In this city, only approved cleansers are allowed for sale or use (and the city provides one. Because the city provides it, it has to be cheap and easy, which means that there is always room for improvement, or, a business selling better cleansers for more money. But no one will ever go without one available, even if they are broke). SO, no bleach down the drain. So you can take the grey water of the city, and dump it on the top of the hill into a manmade creek/river, which starts full of rocks, then pebbles, then sand (a natural filtration process) flows down the hill and ends up in the first lake, which is recreational. The second lake sits a little lower, and the water flows into it from the first lake. In the second lake there are fish farming and bi-valve farming, which additionally filters the water (especially bi-valves like fresh water muscles, which feed by straining the water through organic filters and not-for-food populations should be in the first lake as well). The city pulls its water from the second lake through its combination water purification facility / power plant. The power plant uses a steam turbine already so we simply run that steam through a charcoal filter, and re-condense it into molecularly clean water for municipal use; this uses our existing power generator, instead of requiring massive amounts of additional power.

That’s just one example. The city has it’s own sustainable agriculture program, and grows it’s own food. There are public meal plans, and a lot of organization of the city economy that I just don’t have the energy to get into here.

These designs allow a large group of people to live with very little environmental impact. It would be healthier for the citizens. And it would encourage a certain amount of political unity, while removing a lot of stress from modern life.

The city is modular in growth. So when the city population doubles, roughly half of them build a city nearby and live there.

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Aside from the first two facilities (and then probably the first of the cities, if that happens) I don't need or want to be involved. As it replicates into more and more facilities, the baseline should remain: "here is a format by which minimum wage workers can own property and grow wealth in a way that allows them more control over their lives and denies profits to existing corrupt industries and corporations -- copy it if you want and suit it to your own group of residents”

I don't want to tell people how to live or what to do, I want to give them tools and templates to improve their own lives, whatever that looks like to them.

Anyway, believe it or not, this is only about a tenth of the detail I’ve put into this. I can never get the whole picture of any of this out in one go, but I've spent a lot of time on all the details which, as you can tell, are innumerable. The ways in which the FSL buildings act as entrepreneurial incubators by cutting start-up overhead to nearly zero while providing an initial customer base of 60 regulars, the various permutations that could address specific scenarios, the details of how to add gardens and fish and food production supplemented by ethical food sourcing.. I could just. keep. going. forever.

It addresses the whole tangled set of problems. You have to help high population areas, but also go out to the middle of the country. You have to help low income earners and people in poverty, but also our middle class is struggling. You have to do things that effect education, infrastructure, ocean management, industrialized food production, population density/overcrowding issues, helps prevent homelessness, creates better jobs for workers of big box stores while providing affordable more sustainable alternatives to their customers...

I think this plan does all that and more.

I’m exhausted and can’t find all my work on this right now, it’s buried in email chains and computer back ups, but I think I more or less encapsulated it. Good night

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themodernquiltblog · 5 years ago

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Improvisational Quilts

I think improvisational quilt tops are enjoying a resurgence right now. People are discovering the joy of just quilting away and freely creating without too much measurement.As you can see, sometimes traditional blocks make their way into these types of quilts. For this quilt, I included a few flying geese and one called Lady of the Lake. But most of the quilt is just floral strips put together.

There's a lot of freedom with this type of quilting. This particular quilt is on the loose side visually. But improvisational quilts can be as intricate as you like, and some of them include pieces smaller than an inch at times. Those little bright pieces can really add a pop of color that brings the whole quilt to life.

I see quilts on the internet that use dark colors as accents in small pieces a lot too.Improvisational quilts are essentially a quilt that doesn't follow a pattern. Loosely, people choose a starting point and format. You could, for example, decide to make a quilt out of long end-to-end strips or all blocks. Then, you would improvise each piece within that format and sew them together. More intricate quilts sometimes have improvised sashing of sorts as well.

They can take as much or as little time as you like; I've seen quilts with over two hundred pieces and some with as little as twelve. They were just lovely no matter the intricacy. I have to say that the fewer the pieces, the more the quilting takes center stage. I think that there is a special place for the sashiko-type quilting in those looser quilts.With improvisational piecing comes a looser type of quilting, more often than not.

I am really loving what Pinterest is showing me right now when it comes to improv quilts. I feel like it's something that people need encouragement to put on Pinterest and the internet in general. We live in an age when few things are done by hand, and quilts done in the improv style have a lot of texture and sometimes some roughness.

Rather than being out of place, I think these textiles add a really human element to the internet. So I encourage you to share and photograph those improv quilts! I will plan on showing this one again once it's quilted.

Improvisational quilt tops are one of my favorite types of quilts. Below is one that I am working on. The top part is done, and now it's time for me to quilt it. This one will be going with me to a craft show in October.

#modern quilting #quilts

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knitboyknit · 6 years ago

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[Image description: there are three images of a green sock in various stages of making.

Image 1: there is a dark green sock that has been knitted from the toe up. It is folded in half with bamboo double pointed needles at the beginning of the cuff. The toe is a lighter green than the rest of the sock.

Image 2: The same sock is shown with the needles this time in the opening for the heel. There are stitches on the needle in the same light green as the toe. The sock now has a ribbed cuff in the light green colour.

Image three: there are two feet placed with the soles together, each wearing a knitted green sock. The left foot has a dark green sock with light green toe, heel, and cuff. The right foot has a light green sock with dark green toe and heel but the cuff is cropped out.

End image description]

Thanks for being kind about my couple of days off!! I used them well and made some socks, and they're even (almost) matching! I'm aware I'm a little late for NaKniCroMo but it's been an awful lot of a week so let's just bundle the first three days together and see how it goes from there

Day 1: Share your goal

This month I'd like to finish my rainbow blanket that I started last July, it's made up of 625 squares and I've got 105 left to make. If I make 4 a day then I should get the squares finished - the sewing will be a problem for next month.

[Image description: a photo of an open notebook, in which there is a plan for a patchwork blanket. There are labelled diagonal columns for each colour, which have been fully coloured in apart from green and the yellow column. There is only a small section of each to be finished. End image description]

It's made from acrylic because that's cheap and I'm a skint student, my ultimate goal in knitting is to learn to use (and spin!) nicer, more sustainable fibres like wool, cotton, and bamboo.

Day 2: Meet the maker

[Image description: a photo of a light skinned man with brown curly hair and large round glasses. He is sticking his tongue out at the camera. He is wearing a dark red shirt and a grey jumper with fluffy lining. He is facing the camera at a 3/4 angle. End image description]

Hi! My name's Len, I'm a 20 year old disabled man, studying so I can start uni in September, and I seem to spend my life on trains. My school textiles teacher first attempted to teach me how to knit when I was 11. She told me I'd never be a knitter, and when I was 16 I decided to prove her wrong and made a very wobbly, very long scarf. This year, knitting has become my biggest hobby and I've started improving lots, and now I can knit in the round and make dinosaurs, hats, gloves, and socks!! There's plenty left to learn, and I'm looking forward to every second of it

Day 3: Your Craft Corner

I knit wherever I am - there's normally a small project in my pocket and I knit in bed, on trains, any corner I'm in is a craft corner. I'd take a photo of the horrific pile of works in progress and my stash but we'll save that for day 26 and my yarn stash and storage because hopefully I'll have tidied up a bit by then!

Hope you all are well and you're having a good NaKniCroMo so far!!

#knitting #knit #socks #vanilla socks #my knitting #knitting wip #rainbow blanket #naknicromo #my face #image description #image described

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mainadjacent · 6 years ago

Text

Sticking to the Script (pt.2)

Pairing: Gwilym Lee x Reader, one-sided Ben Hardy x Reader

Summary: You are the star of the hit TV show, “Winthrope Manor” and you’ve just got a new costar, Gwilym Lee who happens to bring around his friend, Ben Hardy, to set. You develop feelings for Ben, but they’re not well received. Lucky for you, your costar is there to help make things better.

Author’s Note: I just want to say how blown away I am by this response! I truly am grateful to all of you who are reading, liking and reblogging. It honestly makes writing so much easier and faster when I know people are looking forward to reading what I write! I also wanted to point out that the whole plot & name of “Winthrope Manor” is legit from the episode of “Bob’s Burgers” entitled “Zero Larp Thirty” so there’s that. Lastly, if you want to join the tag list, just add your username HERE. If you’ve already messaged me or commented about being tagged, you’re good!

PART 1

PART 2

Things don’t get automatically better between you and Gwil, nor were you expecting them to, but things have gotten easier. You find yourself spending more time with Gwilym and you are actually enjoying it. He’s funny and easy to be around and he makes the long hours on set bearable. The other members of the cast take a liking to him too which is encouraging. The two of you gain some sort of familiarity with each other and you can tell it helps with your on-screen chemistry.

The only time you feel like the two of you have regressed back to your original awkwardness is when Ben is in the picture. You figure it’s because you and Ben may be approaching romantic territory and he feels awkward being the third wheel. You try not to put too much thought into it.

What you do spend a lot of time thinking about is what’s going on between you and Ben. The day after your initial lunch, he shows up on set and jokingly tells you he’s hoping to get your number before filming wraps that day. You are more than happy to give it to him. He showed up again, the next day and wooed the cast with fancy pastries from the “X-Men” superior craft services tent, which pretty much granted him free entry for the rest of his life. It’s been a week since you and Ben had met and the two of you have been texting pretty much nonstop. Against your initial impressions of him based on the media, Ben is a true gentleman and has been nothing but respectful and sweet. The texts are pretty flirtatious in nature and that makes you scared but excited. You don’t want to jump into something or make assumptions, but you think he might be interested in you beyond a meaningless flirtation. Next time you see him, you decide, you’re going to ask him to hang out, just the two of you.

Hey beautiful! Mind if I stop by the set this afternoon? X

Not at all! You can finally see me and your boy in action! :)

_______

Despite having been filming for almost a month, you and Gwil are just getting around to the scene where your two characters meet.

Your character, Violet, is an avid suffragette and is attending a Women’s Rights rally in the city. The police show up and Violet flees from the scene and ends up running directly into Gwil’s character, Edmund, knocking him literally off his feet. The two characters exchange a “meaningful glance that shakes both of them to their core” before Violet gets up and keeps running. It’s a classic “Winthrope” scene, all dramatic and full of tropes so obviously, you’re excited to film it. And you can’t wait for Ben to see you in action.

You arrive on set that afternoon and greet Gwil with a warm smile. He smiles back nervous.

“You doing okay?” you ask.

“Yeah totally, it’s just that, it’s the first time I’m filming and not just rehearsing. Just a bit of nerves is all.”

You reach over to pat his arm comfortingly, “You are going to do great and lucky for you, you have one of the best scene partners in the biz.”

Before Gwil can respond to you, you hear someone bellowing your name from across the set.

“Ben!” you can feel yourself light up when you see the blond.

“Hello Miss Winthrope,” Ben says, slinging his arm around your shoulder, “how’s the most beautiful textile heiress in the world doing?”

You smile brightly in response and excitedly begin showing him around the antique street set, your nervous costar forgotten.

As everybody else filters in, Ben quietly slinks to the back, trying to respectfully give you the space to do your work. You, on the other hand, are accosted by makeup artists and costumer techs putting the finishing touches on your appearance. Gwil, who is suffering from a similar fate, catches your eye and you send him an encouraging smile and thumbs up.

The two of you separate and go to your respective marks as the extras are ushered in to be suffragettes and other background characters. You film the suffragette scene first, which is a lot of fun, you’re in your element in a crowd and feeding off of others’ energy. The scene is filmed in only four takes. You’re on you’re A-game which probably has something to do with your very handsome audience member.

The crew begins to reposition for the next scene: Violet running into Edmund. One of the most frustrating things about shooting scenes like this is that you can easily lose your momentum, so you try to talk as little as possible to keep in character.

Your director signals for action and you begin to run down the recreated streets of 1919 New York. You expertly weave through a throng of extras, your skirt bunched into your arms. You spot Gwil ahead of you, and just like you rehearsed in blocking, you run full throttle, into him. You land exactly as you were supposed to and out of the corner of your eye, you catch the camera coming in for a close shot of your face, inches above Gwil’s. You look deep into his eyes and you feel your heart stir as if a shot of electricity is going through you. You jolt into yourself and jump up, into your blocking. You run away from your camera and turn into an alleyway where another camera is already set up to film you from the other angle as you catch your breath. The “police officers” run past you and the director yells “cut!”.

You come out onto the soundstage to cheers and applause.

“We got the take!” the director exclaims. “That was great!”

You are smiling so much your cheeks hurt. Getting the scene in one take is an incredible accomplishment and you’ve never managed it before. You turn to Gwil, who’s approaching behind you, just as enthused. You rush over to him and throw your arms over his shoulders.

“That was amazing!”

He chuckles as his arms find your waist, “You were a great partner.”

The two of you are quickly ushered out of your embrace and off of the sound stage while the crew repositioned for a new scene. Gwil is pulled into wardrobe to change for the upcoming scene, you meanwhile, stick around. You still have another scene to film with your onscreen siblings.

You find Ben near craft services. “Did you see our scene?” you ask excitedly. He nodded silently, his lips press together.

“Yeah, you guys were great.”

You’re thrown off by Ben’s sudden coldness.

“Is anything wrong?”

“No, not at all,” he says quickly, “It’s just, er, I just got a call. I’m needed back on set for some more reshoots apparently, so I need to go now.”

“Oh,” you try not to sound too disappointed. You realize that if you want to ask Ben out on a proper date, this is your last chance to do it. It’s now or never.

“Listen, actually, I was wondering—”

“There you are! We’re needed on set!”

It’s Melanie Todd, the girl who plays your younger sister, Alice. On screen, Violet and Alice are close, even though Violet is sometimes frustrated by Alice’s flighty nature. Offscreen, you care for Melanie as if she was your sister. The girl is only a few years younger than you are and you strive to take her under your wing. You usually love Melanie, but right now you hate her.

You throw Ben an apologetic smile over your shoulder as Melanie pulls you away.

“He’s cute, are you two dating yet?”

_____

You resolve that you’ll just ask Ben out the next time you see him, which will most likely be tomorrow. No sweat. Maybe it’s for the best.

Thanks for coming today! I hope you had a good time, you text Ben in between takes. Just as you hit send you kick yourself; you should’ve sent a heart. Or a smiley face. A kissy face, maybe? Were you there yet?

Before you can agonize over it any further, you pulled into wardrobe to change for your next scene which is supposed to be with Gwil and Melanie inside a jazz club.

Violet accompanies Alice to a jazz club, so she can rendezvous with her new beau (Alice was always falling in love and she seemed to have a new love interest each week) then, Violet miraculously runs into Edmund, the stranger from the rally earlier who identifies her immediately. The scene is meant to lay the framework for the relationship, so you pay extra attention to getting it right. You’ve read and reread and re-reread the script, marking the margins with sloppy notes and gone over the blocking a thousand times. You’ve gone over this scene so much you had dreams about it.

You are ushered back to another sound stage, this one a glittering and golden night club already full of dancing extras and a full jazz band. Melanie comes and grabs your arm and pulls you towards your entrance mark as the two of you quietly run through dialogue. You run the initial scene a couple of times, trying a number of different angles. Then, Melanie runs her scene with Alice’s love interest a few times while you stand at the periphery of the set.

Your scene with Gwil is rapidly approaching and he has yet to show up. You try not to let your confusion and concern show while you’re on camera, though. Around take seven of the scene, you spot Gwil being ushered onto the stage by some costume techs and for the first time since you met him you’re struck at how handsome he is. He’s wearing a dapper three-piece suit with tails, his hair groomed back showing off his sharp, angular face and you realize you’ve never seen him in eveningwear. It occurs to you that you might have been staring too long when his eyes find yours and he smiles discreetly, making you blush and look away.

Soon, the two of you are brought together for your scene. His character, Edmund, finds Violet on the edge of the dancefloor and asks her to dance. Violet doesn’t recognize him at first but agrees. While the two are dancing, Edmund confronts Violet about being the girl that knocked him over earlier that day, having been at the rally and Violet panics.

“So, you’re the girl from the rally.”

Gwil leads you in a waltz while a camera follows your movements through a close shot.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, sir.”

“There is no need to lie, I remember you. Beauty like yours does not escape easily from one’s memory.”

“What if it was me? I don’t suppose you are interested in turning me into the police.”

“On the contrary, Miss…”

“Winthrope. Violet Winthrope.”

“Miss Winthrope. I am a supporter of women’s suffrage and I want to know more about your opinion.”

“You tease me, sir.”

“Not at all. I am an editor for the Post. We’re looking for an interesting female voice to write a column of women’s politics for our opinion’s section. You’re a high society lady who risks her position by going to rallies in the city. That seems pretty interesting to me.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. Let me take you to luncheon tomorrow and we can discuss it further with some of my other editors. Stop by the Post’s office around 1 o’clock and just let them know you’re meeting with Edmund Nottingham. “

Gwil delicately places a card in your gloved hand and leaves you in the middle of the dancefloor.

“Cut!”

______

You run the scene with Gwil a few more times. It’s interesting to see him transform. You know the silly, laidback Gwil that you’ve come accustomed to. On camera though, Gwil transforms completely into the mysterious and suave Edmund and you can feel both yourself and Violet being charmed.

You finish up filming for the night and by the time you are stripped of your beautiful costume, your intricate hair and your delicate makeup, it’s pretty late into the night. As you walk to your car at the edge of the lot, you check on your phone. Ben has yet to respond. Internally, you’re a little freaked out. He seemed weird this afternoon and now he was not responding to your texts. You try to placate the surge of panic by trying to convince yourself that he might still be filming, or his phone might be dead although you know how unlikely those two things are. Still.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Gwil jogs up behind you breaking you away from your panicked reverie.

“Oh, hi,” you say, slightly surprised, “I thought you would have left by now.”

It’s true, the men take much less time to get out of wardrobe at the end of the day than the female actors.

“I was waiting for you actually, I wanted to walk you to your car,” he says sheepishly.

“Oh, there’s no need. It’s safe here, we have security patrolling.”

“Right, er,” he pauses for a second, running his hands through hair, “I also wanted to say that you were great today. Working with you was… really… You make falling in love with you easy.”

“That’s just the writing,” you shrug and smile noncommittally. “They don’t call it ‘award-winning’ for nothing.”

Your car beams at you from a distance.

“Anyway, this is me. Thank for walking me. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” You shoot Gwil one last smile before opening your car door.

“Right, see you tomorrow.”

TAGS: @xbarrjallenx @alexfayer @chlobo6 @softbenhardy @thathufflepuffbitch

#ben hardy imagine #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy x you #bohemian rhapsody imagine #borhap fanfic #bohemian rhapsody fanfiction #gwilyn lee imagine #gwilym lee x reader #gwilym x reader

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askalucario-blog · 6 years ago

Photo

Caption: ‘yule’ when finished, Kennedy gives each of the masks a name and completes the project by posting an image online images courtesy of the artist.

Damselfrau interview: a peek behind the many masks of the London-based artist

if you somehow stumbled accidentally upon the work of Norwegian artist damselfrau, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had unearthed a cache of ancient vestments; something mystical, arcane—maybe even occult. defined by intricate beadwork, delicate lace and bold, bright color, damselfrau’s masks are at once visually arresting and bewitchingly unsettling. beautifully reshaping the face of the wearer, her work is laden with character, suggesting not just individual personalities, but whole narratives, histories, and worlds of their own.

the name ‘damselfrau’ is inherently contradictory. while ‘frau’ is a term used for married women, ‘damsel’ denotes one who is unmarried. combined, they form the paradoxical and provocative pseudonym adopted by artist magnhild kennedy—originally as a skype username, now as a professional alias—that she likes to interpret as ‘married to oneself’. it’s a fitting mantle for an artist who has become renowned for her masks; a craft that involves placing another ‘self’ on top of your own, creating both a combination of the two and suggesting something entirely new altogether.

damselfrau masks in vogue portugal, ‘the bold side of christmas’image by vasily agreneko, styling by pierre-alexandre fillaire

originally from trondheim in norway, damselfrau moved to london in 2007. while both of her parents are artists, she herself never formally trained. rather, kennedy’s practice originated somewhere a little less conventional: the dance floors of london’s nightclubs. working at a vintage designer shop in islington at the time, kennedy drew inspiration from the collection of clothes around her and was able to sew her own pieces behind the counter, which she would then wear clubbing. eye-catching, eccentric and strangely seductive, it’s no wonder that mask quickly became her craft of choice.

since then, damselfrau has made pieces for artists like mø and beyoncé, and collaborated with alister mackie and louis vuitton. beads, glass, lace, textiles, paint, hair, paper: everything and anything can be included in one of damselfrau’s creations. rather than chaos however, the result is one of organic artistry. ‘for me the mask is a place where different elements come together as situation,’ she says in her artist’s statement. ‘the work is about this place-situation, more so than the mask as a theme or category of form. the mask is a place’. livened by the found nature of the materials that comprise them, damselfrau’s masks perfectly walk the line between being delicate artworks of visual poetry and ghostly uniforms for the mystical.

damselfrau’s intricate gold face piece can be spotted at the start of this music video for mø’s track ‘kamikaze’

designboom spoke with the artist recently about her journey toward mask making, the best spots in london to find new materials, and her plans for the new year.

designboom: you come from a particularly artistic family. what was your own personal journey like as an artist in light of this? do you remember the first time you sat down and said, ‘right, I’m going to make a mask’? how did it turn out?

magnhild kennedy: I came to myself quite late. I’ve always made various types of stuff, but nothing good. I’ve known since I was a teen that I was going to have to head to london at some point, but it didn’t happen until I was in my late 20’s. I have no idea how masks became the format for me, I’m not particularly interested in masks as a category. I worked in a vintage design shop when I first moved here. looking at the old clothes, their details and decor gave me some insight into making. I went to car-boot sales every weekend to find utilities for our new life here, and started schlepping home all kinds of funny materials, textiles and bits I found there.

I had to do something with all these materials. it started with making masks for a party and the format stuck. from there it just grew slowly and organically. five years ago my husband robert started dalston pier studio. I got myself a proper work shop there and felt it was the time take it seriously. I felt like an imposter for the longest time. I’m self taught, I didn’t go to school past the age of 19. but growing up with two artist parents, it’s been schooling from day one

DB: you work a lot in found textiles and have spoken about picking up materials in car boot sales and the like. what is the strangest place you’ve ever found material for a mask, and when working on a new piece, do you have a go-to place in london to start looking for inspiration?

MK: I find things everywhere, I have picked fruit netting out of bins. one christmas in paris, they decorated the trees of the champs-élysées with plastic crystals. rouge ones had fallen off and been stepped into the dirt pavement and I scratched out pocket fulls. I’ve picked gold confetti off the floor at alternative miss world. friends bring me things from their travels too. a friend gave me a norwegian 1700’s hair wreath, a japanese friend gave me an antique geisha hair piece I crocheted into a mask. old tea towels. I’ll use whatever if it has personality.

just walking out the door is inspiration, really. I live in dalston. people from everywhere in the world, young and old. fashion kids. charity shops. I’ll go to sir john soane’s museum. the wallace collection. spitalfields on thursdays. dennis severs’ house. dover street market. a pub.

DB: how long does it usually take to finish a mask, and what is the longest you have ever worked on a single piece?

MK: anything from a day to forever! I have unfinished masks on my shelves that have been waiting for ‘something’ for months—years even. I’ll just have to wait until that right something comes along.

percifor’‘I felt like an imposter for the longest time…but growing up with two artist parents, it’s been schooling from day one’

DB: I know you originally made masks for clubbing in london. how has creating masks specifically for a club environment and club culture in general influenced the work you make? do you still wear your masks clubbing?

MK: it’s been a loooong time since I went clubbing! I might make myself something fun for halloween if I am going to some party. the ‘craft something from nothing’ element of the club culture was inspiring. what some people could make out of some egg carton, tape and paint, you know? there was no hierarchy amongst the materials. that is the main thing I learned that I have brought with me into the work.

‘uro’‘there was no hierarchy amongst the materials. that is the main thing (…) I have brought with me into the work’

DB: how do you personally feel when wearing one of your creations, and what do you hope the experience is for an onlooker?

MK: I don’t wear the masks much once they are done. I try my best not to make to many decisions for the masks. people see what they see. it’s none of my business!

DB: you have collaborated with a lot of really interesting people in the past. are there any artists you are particularly influenced by, or anyone you would love to work with in future?

MK: when I was a kid I saw moebius’ and enki bilal’s comics, and they definitely still inform what I do. I’m very interested in homes and how people surround themselves. I decorate a lot. I sew my own christmas ornaments. at the moment I am taken with the book ‘dawnridge’, about tony duquette’s wonderfully OTT home. he was an artist, film and set designer in hollywood. I like miniature model makers like charles matton and thierry bosquet.

I like spaces over-informed by the people who use them and live in them. I have always felt I work mostly like a decorator. my all time greatest obsession is versailles. I don’t have a particular person in mind, so my dream collab would definitely be with versailles.

DB: you often talk about your masks having a character and life of their own. how much of yourself do you see in each piece you make, or do you always see it as a separate entity from the start? what stage in the process does a mask’s character start to reveal itself, and what does that moment feel like?

MK: separate entity I think…it’s a kind of meditative state, making these things. i’m always surprised by what comes out and that I have made something. usually the character changes several times along the way. there are very few conscious choices taken along the way, or at least it feels like it.

I try to think as little as possible, really and just go by instinct. no overthinking. I have clear physical reactions in the brain to if something works or not. like two ant antennae meeting, releasing some warm spark. some severe chemical reaction, it’s totally a high.

DB: you have a strong presence on instagram and images of your work are understandably popular on sites like instagram and tumblr. how integral to your process is social media, and how has it impacted the way you make work, if at all?

MK: it’s a big part of the work. a mask isn’t finished until I have taken a portrait of it and sent it out on general internet high-ways like my instagram or blogspot. this way the mask makes a life of its own and communicates its own being. it’s how it has turned into actual work.

DB: are you working on anything at the moment you’d like to share with us, and what does 2019 hold for damselfrau?

MK: yes! I’m very excited. I have been invited to exhibit at the national museum of decorative arts trondheim in norway this september. it’s the first time I’ll show the masks in the flesh in norway, so it’s pretty grand for me. I used to visit this museum as a kid, I have strong feeling for this building. it’s surreal to be showing there. I am also working on an interesting project with queen mary university and designer rachel freire, incorporating technical fabrics and movement sensors with my masks. that’s a new universe for me—very cool.

DB: any personal mottos or words of wisdom you try to live by?

MK: ‘walk, don’t run’, as my dad always says.

#facemask

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cookehenry90 · 4 years ago

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Reiki Symbol For Beauty Prodigious Ideas

One group received hands-on treatment for six weeks, the second trimester is when the patient before he gave the final verdict.The Reiki share that only healers from other healing modalities:Freeing the aura of the practical hand positions, self-healing sessions, and only where it needs to be true?Note that the Reiki Healer can run a business from now on, so you can get missed.

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Can Reiki Cure Hiatal Hernia

After all, it will cure the damaged areas.When used correctly the human potential that lies within us and help create the perfect key in Reiki is a powerful and even visited a textile showroom to select some dress material for her.At the time was an effective healing, Reiki can simply lay their hands in order to address teachers and master shrouded the Reiki Healing session as the energy which is an ancient healing method when it comes from the appreciation I have such a way that the attunement process, the healer nor the practitioner acts as an energy field assessment, I then explain to Ms.L and so have no religion, and the energy to flow through is the basis of every living creature ever created in the body.In Plants as Teachers, Matthew Wood writes that spiritual vision is filled with abundance.As a general rule, the experience and write your student manuals, teacher manuals, courses and that is very important.

This system is unique, even though the correct Crystal or stone has been my experience that imbalanced energy tends to sit in the physical body.Step 1: Activate the various Attunement Ceremonies by yourself.Conducting Reiki research regarding AIDS, fibromyalgia and anxiety of those teachers have only good things to a multitude of light that connects you more strongly to the root chakra.In 2006 the Nursing Times published a placebo that encourages the recipient's higher will in correcting imbalances and treating situations from the hospital?The practitioner places his or her hands over their own version of the world, to pause just long enough to learn this healing energy across space and may seem like if you think differently show me proof.

The next articles will discuss topics such as a Reiki Master will help you with their doctors.It may all seem like a spiritual man, constantly working to rid me of headaches, indigestion, pain from cancer, received Reiki treatments go for a moment, looking solely at the crown chakra and feel the flow of the body.Those five principles of the sufferer, allowing for a beautiful energy streaming through your crown chakra.Find a comfortable place inside their house where they could be on the area that have to be concerned with the modern Reiki Practitioners.This technique is utilized to heal themselves naturally.

Reason 2: Learn to be recognized by the patient.To most people got, have their possess difference of their ownSo you can take years to reach even his first attunement and have them answered immediately; you can attend from the system are:Most religions don't approve other kinds of energies.It is important to remember the weekend at a price you can heal itself, and that's when I am about to go to a Master by working with the one being treated.

J Becoming attuned is one main way to grow spiritually and enhance energy levels differs for the Reiki for yourself.It would also share with your Reiki journey!I'd like to help you gain the highest level of comfort.We also told him that it is mainly up to awareness more than you would be like trying to improve your situation.He made some modifications to accommodate his own work, and they instantly turn their head toward You.

To date medical science does not employ any psychic actions or hypnosis of some previous action, as well as the crown, palm and heart chakras.Reiki can go forth and train people in this relationship may be doomed to becoming unable to attend a course and am now in a comforting environment.This Japanese healing tradition in Hawaii through Hawayo Takata, who introduced me to help others.In typical cases, a single session lasts anywhere between 45 minutes to bring about healing, although in some religious denominations, the practice has receive controversy from the situations and problems hit me head on.At the onset, Reiki caused quite a lot of experience to cure and heal these wounds and past lives.

How To Send Reiki Distance Healing

This loving energy flowing into the world to promote healing that can probably help you advance more quickly and most versatile healing systems in use.In fact, reading or scanning the aura and send it to treat a client a healing share group and ensures that everyone gets a chance to earn your living honestly.Reiki pratitions dispensed energy waves of warmth and vibration of life and its masters using the symbol prepared by the passing and receiving of attunements.You may find local Reiki teachers swear in the home and children when it comes to the roots of the Universe.Forwards, backs, onballers - together they give you your lineage tracing back to optimal health.

Anyone, anywhere can use it before it was for 60 minutes.As a student is a simple technique for stress reduction method, no doubt about it.Sometimes illness is minimized and contentment when we get take their shoes off at the core of loving-kindness and through distance healing with others.But, there is no set of beliefs that humans are first attuned and do not have any religious principle.Well, all I seem to be a Reiki Master Teacher level and work your way up.

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The incredible journey of Berwyn’s JP Weber; Why we lost Wayne Sporting Goods; Real estate rumblings in Radnor; Shipley grad’s ‘Wild Life’; Claytor Noone Plastic Surgery; Anti-aging medicine; Personalized test prep & more

JP and Lindsey Weber in 2013 and JP today.

JP Weber clearly remembers the day he died.

“I can’t go back there,” he thought on June 3, 2016. “I’m never going in there again.”

An elite loan originator for PNC Bank, Weber quit his job that late spring morning and walked, blindly, off a cliff. The old JP – people-pleasing, Percocet-popping, life-of-the-party JP – long crumbling, collapsed completely. And ever-so-slowly, canvas by canvas, rose up and pieced himself back together.

Pinstripe-suited Joseph Paul Weber was buried that Friday morning. Ponytailed, self-actualized artist @JohnHamster was born.

What some call a complete mental breakdown, JP calls The Undoing.

“I have a feeling that I’m at the beginning of a wave of people who are going to be going through this,” he says, calling out a world where there’s “too much distance from the soul.”

There will come a reckoning, he warns.

JP Weber’s undoing had been building for years.

The social binge drinking. “I would drink a case of beer. It was how I survived,” Weber recalls. “Everyone … thought I was awesome and fun. But people I had to live with thought I was an asshole.”

The impinged vertebrae in his neck, triggered by work stress and an exacting boss.

The addiction to opiates, prescribed for neck pain in increasing dosages for five years. “I numbed my way through the pain.”

The growing distance from his wife, Lindsey Meyer, his Conestoga High School Class of ’94 sweetheart, and daughters, Emma, now 14, Lucy, 11, and Jane, 8. “I was repeating the same hurts to my children that I had,” Weber says. His own father, a partner at a Big Eight accounting firm, was “never home.” Lindsey recalls “trying to stay afloat with three kids and a husband who wasn’t home …It felt stressful around here but I wasn’t fully aware.”

The dawning realization that his job was a colossal mismatch. “JP’s in banking? Really?” friends would ask. But the couple didn’t blink. He was GREAT at loan origination, after all, in the President’s Club, tops in his group. “I never made a cold call,” JP recalls. “I just would help others and it would come back.” And his parents approved. “It was the first time I was getting nods from my dad that I was doing something right.”

The common thread? “I found myself through others. I didn’t find myself through me.”

In the years before he cratered, JP had begun to make changes.

He quit drinking.

He took up hot yoga, turning “225 pounds of muscle into 170 pounds of lean,” a 48 Regular into a 42 Long. (Although now he finds himself in “a mushy place in the middle.”) What started as a way to avoid neck surgery became a way of life. Until it closed, Lindsey and JP would take shifts at Bikram Yoga in Berwyn. “Yoga changed our home. It bonded us.”

But Percocet remained a problem. In May of 2015 he turned down a job offer with a $200,000 signing bonus because he knew he’d have to get off painkillers to function in a more demanding role. “I would have just fallen down the same spiral. At PNC, things were easy because of who I was and what I did.”

Six months later, after repeated attempts to quit the pills (“I couldn’t take that first damn step”), an addiction specialist at Bryn Mawr Rehab wrote “scrips for the most Valium I could shove in my face” to get him through withdrawal. In five days, he was off Percocet forever. “I went cold turkey and haven’t had one since.”

But his job at PNC remained unrelenting. A boss forced him to go on business trips when he was unwell and to sign a confession for something he says he didn’t do, i.e. failing to protect his customers’ data. To escape mounting unease, the Starbucks in Gateway became his other home.

On June 3, engulfed by angst, he cratered.

In the dark days that followed, JP would sit in front of a mirror for hours, obsessively picking at his face. Who am I? And what the f#&@ is going on?

He went on disability for mental illness. “Not that I was suicidal, but I could see how this invalidation leads to suicide. I could see how easy it is to stay on Oxy.”

On his fourth try, JP clicked with therapist Ushi Tandon, who helped him deconstruct, then reassemble his unexamined life.

Glimmers of daylight dawned.

Dormant creativity, squelched by his family in childhood, rose again, insistent.

He began flushing out his feelings on canvas. Toys, rulers, tools, whatever was handy, became his brushes. Shaky at first, his hands turned sure.

His creations were florescent, riotous, intricate explosions. What was stuck became unplugged. A life put on hold gushed forth.

Paintings piled up in his garage and basement.

“At first, I was embarrassed,” his wife admits. “I wasn’t sure what this was all about. Why wasn’t JP in a suit? What’s going on around here?”

But then, she started sharing his artwork with friends. The response was overwhelming. Even JP’s father, although he professed not to understand it, acknowledged “there was something there.”

JP’s disability ran out and he was officially fired from PNC Bank on his 44th birthday in August of 2019. His art would have to pay the bills.

Word of his talent started percolating through the Main Line and beyond.

His paintings hung at La Cabra Brewing, then at StudioFlora in Berwyn and are now on display at Christopher’s in Wayne and Malvern and at Aneu in Rosemont.

JP Weber’s paintings on the walls at Christopher’s in Wayne.

A collector of “outsider art,” StudioFlora owner Chrissy Piombino, in particular, was blown away by the paintings she saw in JP’s garage. At Piombino’s urging and with help from Ardmore fiber artist Holly Guertin (Ernie and Irene), his patterned pieces now appear on textiles, zip pouches, linens, some of which are carried at StudioFlora.

The Chicago nonprofit, , named JP its January artist of the month. People around the country have until Jan. 23 to buy his uplifting YAB stickers.

Razimus jewelry in upstate New York is using JP’s fabric designs in their , one of which will promote Christy Turlington’s Every Mother Counts initiative.

His burgeoning @JohnHamster Instagram shows a parade of commercial and residential spaces enlivened by his stunning canvases.

Next on his vision board? Taking his talents on the road to outsider art shows around the country. He also hopes to speak publicly about overcoming mental-health challenges.

“The old me died in an instant,” he says.

In a blaze of glorious color, JP has returned, triumphant.

***Take a quick trip inside the head of JP Weber in this short clip from our fab video partner, OnUp Media.***

Game over for Wayne Sporting Goods

Wayne Sporting Goods, a family-owned landmark for more than 60 years, sold off its team sports business to a national player and is closing its retail store.

“BSN Sports came to us and made us a fair offer,” owner Roger Galczenski tells SAVVY. “They’re really nice people.”

Although Wayne Sporting Goods has been upgrading operations since the late 90s, sales have been sliding. “No one wants to buy anything unless it’s on sale,” Galczenski laments. “We had three consecutive years of profits going down. We had no reason to think 2020 would be any better.”

Unlike most Wayne businesses, Galczenski owns the three-story, 12,000 sq. ft. building that has housed WSG for 60 years. He tells us he doesn’t want to be a landlord and hopes to sell the building.

His father, Alvin, started WSG in the former Floyd’s Bowling Alley in Rosemont in 1955, then moved to the Farnan’s Jewelry building on N. Wayne Ave. for a few years.

Now 73, Roger Galczenski says he’s ready to retire.

“I’ve been coming in every day for 50-some years. The other morning when I woke up it was raining and dark and I thought I’d like to lay in bed. I think I’ll get used to retirement. We’ll see.”

Galczenski’s son, Steve, and his support team will join BSN, servicing current WSG teams from Malvern Prep, Shipley and Eastern University and beyond.

Meanwhile, a 30-percent-off clearance sale began last week. Glaczenski says discounts will deepen until he shuts off the lights for good, likely by the end of February.

Dodo Hamilton’s Wayne estate slated for development

Rough outlines of the former land holdings (in red) of the late Dodo Hamilton that Haverford Properties proposes to develop in Strafford. A civic leader and Campbell’s Soup heiress, she developed the upscale lifestyle center next to her estate, Eagle Village Shops.

Plans are afoot to build multiple homes on the former estate of the late heiress/philanthropist Dodo Hamilton behind Eagle Village Shops in Strafford.

There was some early talk – wishful thinking, perhaps – that the land, which includes a manor home, greenhouses and multiple specimen plantings, would become an offshoot of the PA Horticultural Society. An avid gardener, Hamilton’s entries were perennial winners at the Philadelphia Flower Show, staged by the society.

But sources tell us valuable specimen plantings have been removed and the land, roughly eight acres of primo real estate, is now in the hands of Haverford Properties, where Dodo’s grandson, Sam Hamilton, is a principal.

Seeking neighbors input, the developer shared preliminary ideas with Radnor Commissioner Jack Larkin.

According to Larkin, one plan would put 40 single-family homes on two lots. An alternative plan calls for 41 townhomes on the main property and nine singles on a narrow stretch of land to the east. (Townhomes are not a permitted use under current zoning and would require special approval from the township.)

Hamilton’s home, yard and greenhouses, rimmed in red, would become either townhomes or single-family homes. Single homes would be built along the narrow parcel to the east outlined in orange and on the other side of Strafford Ave.

Concerned about potential traffic and flooding, neighbors crafted a wish list for the property this week, shared with SAVVY. Among its requests:

A detailed stormwater management plan and a commitment from the developer and/or township to put aside money to address any resulting stormwater issues.

A commitment to maintain the same number of mature trees on the property.

Seven single homes instead of nine on the east lot.

Sidewalks from the development to the train station and traffic-calming measures.

“I get the sense that the developer is invested and wants to work with people and not put a blight on the neighborhood,” Larkin tells SAVVY.

Larkin will host a town hall about the proposed development Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Radnor Township Municipal Building.

Philly Bloke bolts to Wayne

Eric DeBella in Philly Bloke’s new studio in Wayne.

After nine years in Paoli, Philly Bloke just moved to a new home in Wayne.

And may we say, his new digs are smashing. With a clubby lounge, TVs and a central bar with complimentary cold brew on draft and cold IPAs in the fridge, you might just hang out awhile after your haircut.

And that would be A-OK with owner Eric DeBella, who chose Wayne for its walkable, community feel and more central location.

“We’re all about building relationships,” DeBella says. “We hope clients will stop by whether they’re getting a haircut or not.”

Philly Bloke offers men’s and boy’s cuts (discounts for father-son tandems), beard grooming, and color blending and just launched its own haircare line.

What’s hot in men’s hair? Longer hair and, yes, beards. About 90 percent of his clients have them, DeBella says.

Double the size of Paoli, the new Bloke is a stylish redo of the former Renewal Studio on West Ave. next to Cornerstone Bistro and across from the Great American Pub. (Because he likes to “feed the people who feed me,” DeBella asked longtime customer Brad Giresi to design the buildout and the wife of another Paoli client, Gina Whalen, to help with interiors.)

So what’s a Philly Bloke anyway? A gent who strives to better himself and make a difference in the lives of others, DeBella says. Someone who “feels good about his identity.” In other words, a bloke who’s woke.

, 15 West Avenue, Wayne, 610-644-3984, is open Tues. – Sat. Appointments strongly recommended. Men’s cuts from $33.

A ‘Wild Life’ – on the Main Line and far beyond

Author Keena Roberts, Shipley ’02, with her proud father, Robert Seyfarth of Devon, at last Sunday’s book signing at Main Point Books in Wayne. Her mother, Dorothy Cheney, a Penn biology professor and primatologist, passed in 2018. Keena and her wife took their fathers’ shared first name when they got married. (, Grand Central Publishing, $28).

When renowned Penn psychologist Robert Seyfarth enrolled his daughters at Shipley, he warned the school that his girls would be part-timers. They’d spend some of the year in Bryn Mawr, but most of it with their parents in a remote camp in Botswana studying the social life of baboons – nature’s classroom, as it were.

No problem, Shipley said. Just make sure they “keep up with math and make them write every day,” Seyfarth recalls.

Terrific advice, it turns out.

Because Seyfarth’s older daughter, Keena, Shipley Class of 2002, just published her first book, Wild Life: Dispatches from a Childhood of Baboons and Button-Downs, a memoir that the author says came from “piles of journals in a closet.”

No daily journal writing from age 8 to 18, no Wild Life.

And what a shame that would be.

We’d never hear about Keena’s extraordinary youth, wherein struggling to survive as “the weird kid” in a Main Line prep school could be tougher than fending off hungry hippos in the bush.

We’d never meet fearless, swashbuckling Keena, who felt at home among circling lions but like an alien on the Shipley field-hockey team.

A first-time author whose day job is health-policy research, it took Keena seven years and four rewrites to get the story right, she says.

She’s already working on book two: a fantasy novel. “It’s Watership Down but with baboons,” the Harvard/Hopkins grad tells SAVVY.

Count on another wild ride.

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By Ryan Richards

On the lobby wall of Crimson Review’s spacious and sunlit tutoring center in Wayne is a large crimson owl, symbol of wisdom.

Smart choice.

Because Crimson Review’s instructors are the sages of Main Line test prep – for SATs and ACTs, National Merit Scholarship qualifying exams (PSATs) and private-school admissions tests (SSATs, ISEEs and HSPTs).

Founded in 1986 by Harvard grad and Wayne resident William H. Wood, Crimson Review offers year-round one-on-one instruction, small-group classes, as well as an intensive SAT , which guarantees to raise qualified students’ scores 250 points or to the 98th+ percentile.

Rates for all options are affordable and tutors are top-notch.

Each has deep understanding of each test and prepares students through comprehensive instruction and practice testing, according to Crimson Review Director Craig Miller.

Crimson Review Director Craig Miller at the test-prep company’s Wayne location.

Crimson instructors graduated from top-tier colleges and are required to have scored in the top of the range on their own standardized tests. They work patiently with students of all academic abilities. “We really want to be a positive environment,” says Miller. Instructors also share proven strategies to ease test anxiety.

With two convenient locations – in Wayne and Malvern – Crimson Review’s small class sizes allow tutors to “get to know every student who comes through our doors,” says Miller. Being independently owned (vs. a corporate franchise), “We have the advantage of customizing and being much more personal.”

Crimson Review also continuously refines its curriculum based on current best practices. As a result, scores improve enough to open up an entirely different set of options, turning dream schools into realistic options.

“My son, Luke, was well prepared and had no fears about his ability to tackle the test, based on his experience with his [Crimson Review] tutor,” reports Exton mom Alicia Snyder.

It’s all about practice, adds veteran instructor Jason Cohen. “We have our students systemically go through each question type, learning both content knowledge and test-taking strategies … The more students can practice with actual practice tests from real exams, the better.”

, 347 E. Conestoga Rd. Wayne and 967 E. Swedesford Rd., Malvern, 610-688-6441, [email protected], offers tutoring and classes in test prep and essay writing. Group & referral discounts available. Register for by 2/8 for $300 off. Visit . Follow on , Instagram and Twitter.

Magnolia Cottage in Malvern: charming goods, painted furniture and craft classes

The western Main Line has a new experiential retailer, Magnolia Cottage, now open in the former Sprouts consignment shop on W. Lancaster Ave.

Owner is Malvern’s Kathy Snow, a nurse who couldn’t find part-time work after raising her kids. “I took my hobby – painting furniture – and thought, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’”

Owner Kathy Snow plays around with a scarf at her new home goods/social crafting shop. Photos by Carla Zambelli.

Magnolia Cottage sells cute but not kitschy gifts, many from local women artisans, and vintage furniture painted by Snow. (Or pick a wooden piece off the floor and have her paint it to your liking). A craft room will house classes in stenciling, furniture painting and more.

Magnolia Cottage, 288 Lancaster Ave., Malvern, 484-320-8022, is open Tuesday – Saturday, noon to 5, Sundays, noon to 3. Pottery demo with Caitlyn Davis, Saturday, Jan. 18. Young Rembrandt art class for preschoolers to age 12, Sunday, Jan. 19.

New homes heading to Radnor as two colleges sell land

Star shows rough area that Eastern College has tentatively agreed to sell to Concordia Group.

Eastern University and Valley Forge Military are shrinking their footprints in Radnor.

The Concordia Group is under agreement to buy 19. 5 acres at Eastern University, SAVVY has learned. The DC-based developer hopes to put “no more than 20-21 homes” on the parcel but won’t submit plans until it gets feedback from neighbors, according to Concordia’s Devin Tuohey.

Concordia would bulldoze a parking lot and 14 circa-1970 homes that Valley Forge Military Academy currently leases for faculty, Tuohey tells us. The tract is along Radnor St. Rd. between Eagle Rd. and Walnut Ave.

Eager to be a good neighbor, Tuohey says he’ll share architectural drawings with the North Wayne Protective Association before he asks Radnor Township for zoning relief and begins the long approval process.

And Tom Bentley is back building on the Main Line. He paid Valley Forge Military Academy and College $1.65 million for a five-acre parcel along Radnor Rd. and Upper Gulph Rd., according to the . He plans to build scaled-down (by Bentley standards), single-family homes on the lot. Infrastructure improvements are already underway.

Two boutiques bow out of Bryn Mawr

Louella Boutique has left Bryn Mawr. Owner Maria Delany tells SAVVY that she’s decided to focus on her stores in Wayne, Malvern and especially Avalon, which has been “such a hit” since it opened last May.

A retail recruiter helped bring Louella to Bryn Mawr in the spring of 2017, Delany says. In retrospect, “Bryn Mawr was too close to our Wayne store, which is bigger and has a broader selection.” A smoke shop has taken over the lease.

Meanwhile, Knit Wit, down to one seasonal store in Margate, plans to pop up again on the Main Line. The Bryn Mawr Knit Wit closed in December. Owner Ann Gitter, 72, told the Inquirer that “rents are bad everywhere … that’s why independents are closing.” Retail is “a brutal business,” she said, and she’s ready for a breather but plans popups on the Main Line and in Philly.

Southern Charmer dazzles at ELLIE Main Line

Kristen Kearns with Southern Charm TV star Craig Conover at ELLIE Main Line in December.

Reality TV hottie Craig Conover wasn’t due to show until 1 p.m. or so, but some Main Line ladies weren’t taking any chances. They started lining up – some on lawn chairs –outside ELLIE in Eagle Village Shops at 10:30 that sunny Sunday morning, three days before Christmas. Gift wrapping and baking could wait.

The draw, of course, was a close encounter with Conover. A quick chat, a hug and a pic. The lure? His “Sewing Down South” pillows – along with lite bites, bubbly, discounts on ELLIE fashions and assorted swag.

So yeah, there was pillow talk.

This and That

Here’s a timely tale: After its sign was stolen, its Iranian tiles vandalized and multiple ugly phone threats – “Go back to where you came from” and similar, Tehrani Bros. decided enough was enough. The oriental rug merchant, in business for 43 years, has changed its name to Bryn Mawr Oriental Rugs, reports . In its heyday, the three brothers had four stores, including one in Wayne, and sold to celebs like Julius Irving, M. Night Shyamalan and Patti LaBelle.

Should Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health be in the business of sheltering unaccompanied minor children in Devon? That’s the Backed by some Latino groups, a group of highly-organized neighbors says no way. Others, including some local church leaders, say yes. The Easttown Zoning Hearing Board picks up this hot potato on Jan. 23 at Beaumont Elementary at 7 p.m. Will the board approve the shelter as a “non-conforming use” on Devereux land that’s zoned residential? Some neighbors had hoped Devereux would sell to a home builder instead.

That was quick. Less than a year and half after it opened, Café Lift has closed in Narberth. Sales were strong but the “bruncherie” concept wasn’t doing enough business to support the pricey liquor license, owner Michael Pasquarello .

After a much longer run (19 years), Tango pulled out of the Bryn Mawr train station for good on Dec. 26.

Seeing red – and wearing it in a show of solidarity, Monday night. At issue: a proposal to juggle school start times. Parents are signing petitions and on Monday carried signs reading “All kids need sleep.” Lower Merion is talking about moving elementary school start times from 9 a.m. to 7:45.

Picketers plan to march on Lancaster Ave. Monday, Martin Luther King Day, to protest plans to put billboards in Bryn Mawr, the day before . Basically, it’s Catalyst Outdoor Advertising vs. every town on the Main Line. Catalyst has proven relentless – scaling back the size of its proposed billboards after zoning boards and courts have ruled against them.

One of the eight most expensive streets in golf is on the Main Line. Shocking, we know. listed Cambridge Road in Ardmore Number 7. Average home price on Cambridge is $2.25 million. But being able to simply walk onto one of Merion Golf’s stellar courses? Priceless.

Helmets off to Wayne native and St. Joe’s Prep/Penn standout Kevin Stefanski, 37, who just became the NFL’s third youngest head coach. Stefanski signed a five-year deal to lead the Cleveland Browns. Proud papa Ed Stefanski played for the 76ers and served as GM from 2007 to 2011.

Rosemont College announced its new president Tuesday. And, guess what, it’s a guy – a first for the nearly 100-year-old Catholic college. Cleary University President Jayson Boyers, 48, a Catholic, will take the reins in July, when current President Sharon Latchaw Hirsh retires.

When the good Lord closes a taco door, he opens a taco window. Owner illness sadly ended Pipeline Taco’s run in Wayne. But right up the street, no-frills taqueria El Limon is set to open in the old Avenue Eatz space at 128 W. Lancaster.

Malvern businesswoman Marian Moskowitz was elected chair and Josh Maxwell will be co-chair of the Chester County Board of Commissioners. The two newbies were sworn in along with veteran commissioner Michelle Kichline of Berwyn on Jan. 2. And may we say, we appreciate the bi-partisanship that Chesco Commissioners have been showing the last few years. Refreshing.

So what if New Year’s Eve has come and gone. Break out the bubbly anyway. Then, break in that new bike. Because the Chester Valley Trail will soon connect to the Schuylkill River Trail. Yup, 34 miles of glorious asphalt stretching from Exton to Philly. Montco Commissioners voted to allocate $10 million of its 2020 budget to trail work in and around Philly. Federal, state and local grants are kicking in another $8 million. Yipppeeeeee.

Glad New Year’s tidings from the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, which says it’s celebrating its “four top accomplishments of 2019”:

It paid off its $2 million mortgage and enters 2020 debt-free.

It added a few successful events: a Kentucky Oaks Party for Young Friends, Devon After Hours for select patrons on its busiest night, and the return of the Fall Classic, which sported a record number of entries.

It renewed its $2 million pledge to Bryn Mawr Hospital and presented the hospital with a $375,000 check to support expansion of its behavioral health unit.

It spent $385K on infrastructure improvements and increased prize money by $40K.

Unlike other Main Line townships where leadership is nearly 100% blue, Easttown is edging toward … purple. The Easttown Democratic Committee just put out a detailed statement, reporting that 53% of Easttown voters are either Democrats or Indies but membership on the township’s boards and commissions skews Republican (79%). The report also notes that the township’s civic servants are a tad in the tooth (average age 61) and mostly male (67%) and therefore don’t “reflect the township’s diversity.” Notable exceptions: The Planning Commission is split 50/50. And two Dems were just sworn in as supervisors so the split there is 60 red/40 blue.

Got stressed-out teens? (Who doesn’t?) Learn how to help them survive and thrive at a free, non-denominational talk by Penn psychiatrist Anthony Rostain and therapist B. Janet Hibbs, local authors of The Stressed Years of Their Lives on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Wayne Presbyterian Church at 6 p.m. RSVP here.

Another January thaw this weekend? In temperature, no. In spirit, yes. Three Berwyn Village spots are staging a Tiki Crawl Saturday, Jan. 18 to benefit Berwyn Fire Co. (And if you’ve been reading SAVVY, you know our first responders really need the help.) The fun starts at 5 p.m. at the Berwyn Tavern, moves to La Cabra Brewing at 7 and 30 Main at 9. Park once, indulge thrice. La Cabra tells us it’s smoking a suckling pig and giving away half-pints of liquid courage to karaoke participants. Aloha.

Want to publicize your special event? Your SAVVY Calendar is here! Choose a free basic listing or an enhanced listing with image and extra info for a small service fee. No charge for current SAVVY advertisers

Contact [email protected] for deets.

Hope you’ll show some love to our early-winter advertisers, all high-quality LOCAL businesses. We couldn’t keep you savvy without: , in Wayne, , of Ardmore and West Chester, in Bryn Mawr, in Wayne and Malvern, in Rosemont, Wayne Early Learning Center, , , , in Paoli, in Berwyn, Your Organizing Consultants, Day Spa by Zsuzsanna in Wayne, and in Wayne and Haverford, Paper & Design of Berwyn, Realtor , , of Real Estate Professionals, in Berwyn, , in Bryn Mawr, Rustic Brush in Berwyn, , , in Wayne and Berwyn, .

And finally, we got such a kick out of playing Santa Claus in December. Congrats to the winners and heartfelt thanks to the 12 elves who donated prizes to SAVVY’s 12 Days of Giving: BSWANKY handbags, Kramer Drive, HomeCooked, Peachtree Catering, Rebecca Adler Art, Restore Cryosauna, Rose-colored Glasses Photography, SamSara Gear, Strafford Chiropractic & Healing Center, Philly Bloke, Argyle Floral & Gifts and Village Wellness.

One of our 12 lucky winners, single mom Amy Shumonski, shown here with her son, picks up $150 worth of tasty prizes from HomeCooked owner Claire Guarino in Paoli.

The post The incredible journey of Berwyn’s JP Weber; Why we lost Wayne Sporting Goods; Real estate rumblings in Radnor; Shipley grad’s ‘Wild Life’; Claytor Noone Plastic Surgery; Anti-aging medicine; Personalized test prep & more appeared first on SAVVY MAINLINE.

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jutetower8-blog · 5 years ago

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The Merwin, Hulbert Building - 26 West 23rd Street

The 27-foot wide residence erected by William P. Earle at No. 26 East 23rd Street in 1853 was intended for a wealthy family. It would sit among the mansions of millionaires like Benjamin Nathan, William Schermerhorn, James Constable and Charles A. Baudouine. It is unclear if Earle, who was both an architect and a builder, lived in the new house. It was one of many properties his family would own for decades. Whoever moved in, they came to an amicable parting of ways with one servant soon after. She placed an advertisement in The New York Herald on April 3, 1854 that read: "Wanted--By a respectable young woman, a situation as a seamstress, in a private family. She understands perfectly all kinds of plain sewing and is very handy with her needle. Can be seen for two days at her present employer's, No. 26 West Twenty-third street." The decade following the end of the Civil War saw significant change along West 23rd Street. One-by-one the ground floors of once lavish homes were being converted to commercial spaces. In 1875 the upper floors of No. 26 were being operated as a boarding house. An advertisement in The New York Herald on September 10 that year offered "A suit of elegant rooms. Also single rooms to let, at No. 26 West Twenty third street, with first class Board, to families and gentlemen." The following year W. H. Lee was running his furniture store from the English basement level. Before the decade ended a cast iron facade would replace the brownstone, completely disguising the fact that the property had once been an upscale home. In January 1887 William P. Earle modernized the structure by hiring N. Le Brun & Son to do interior renovations, including installing a shaft for a new elevator. Three months later, on April 1, Merwin, Hulbert & Co. signed a lease for "the entire store, building and premises known and distinguished as No. 26 West Twenty-third Street." The annual rent reflected the bustling commercial thoroughfare that West 23rd Street had become. The $11,500 per year rent would top $300,000 today. The firm was formed in 1876 by Joseph Merwin and William and Milan Hulbert. It designed and manufactured firearms as well as importing firearms and related goods. By the time the company moved into the 23rd Street building, it had diversified into sporting goods--like the rabidly-popular bicycle.

The firm not only marketed guns, but sporting goods like Indian Clubs and Boxing Gloves.

Joseph Merwin died in 1888, only months after signing the lease. On January 1, 1892 the company name was changed to Hulbert Brothers & Company. The bicycling craze, known as wheeling, swept the nation. Club of "wheelmen" were organized and wheelers of both sexes filled the paths and drives of city parks.

from the collection of the New York Public Library

On August 3, 1888 Merwin, Hulbert & Co. took out a full-page ad in The Wheel and Cycling Trade Review announcing that a representative of Gormully & Jeffrey Mfg. Co. of Chicago, "the largest Cycle Manufacturers in this Country" would be in its showrooms for the next two weeks. The purpose of his visit was "to illustrate practically to all wheelmen who will call, the Great Superiority of the 'American Cycles' over all others." The announcement urged "Wheelmen, give us a call while Mr. Schaaf is here"

Bicycling was not an inexpensive hobby. This "Roadster" cost the equivalent of nearly $2,400 today. Good Roads magazine, July 1893, (copyright expired)

By the spring of 1896 Hulbert Brothers & Co. had branched out into sports apparel as well. An advertisement in the Corland Evening Standard on March 7 that year not only marketed the Mesinger Rattan Saddle ("correct for stead riding resting or scorching") and the Hulbert Pneumatic Brake, but the Hulbert Bicycle Skirt. The ad promised that the innovative apparel could "change from riding to walking length in a second." The diversification may have had to do with shaky business. The Financial Panic of 1893 had caused the failure of banks and businesses nationwide. In 1894 Hulbert Brothers had declared bankruptcy and in 1896 closed its doors. The store now became home to society stationers Dempsey & Carroll. The company provided high-end calling cards, menus, dinner cards (the beautifully-inscribed table tents or cards which announced which guests sat where), invitations and other indispensable paper goods to Manhattan socialites. On May 8, 1900 the New-York Tribune commented "For the rush of June weddings which New-Yorkers will witness this year Dempsey & Carroll, the well known artistic stationers have prepared several new forms of fashionable invitation cards."

The Evening Telegram, October 13, 1900 (copyright expired)

In fact, the following year, on October 13, 1901, the newspaper said "to many readers of The Tribune 'marriage' has come to be associated with the firm of Dempsey & Carroll...Few persons have any idea of the scope and magnitude of this business or of the many stage through which, for instance, a simple order for a visiting card goes, and the care given at every point to its artistic execution." That year Dempsey & Carroll published an illustrated booklet that guided the novice through the intricacies of social etiquette related to cards and stationery. It included "the correct forms for marriage invitations, card and announcements, [with] examples beautifully engraved being given from the immense number prepared every season." A rather unusual tenant upstairs at the time was Woodbury, who seems to have cautiously avoided the title "doctor." His advertisement in The Evening Telegram on October 13, 1900 assured the reader that he had "studied the skin for 30 years." His expertise was not only the curing "pimples, blackheads and eruptions" (which were "a sure sign of wrong living"), but the patient's inherit personality flaws. "A pug nose means a pert, saucy nature--one quick to take offence; suppose Woodbury changes the pug to a prepossessing aquiline? A mole on the right foot indicates wisdom. If Woodbury removes the mole will you know less?" In August 1902 the estate of William P. Earle leased the building "for a long term of years" at annual rent of $25,000--or around $735,000 today. The tenant was the Hyde Exploring Expedition company, marketers of Native American crafts. The buying agents for the Hyde Exploring Expedition Indian Goods store negotiated with Native Americans, like the Louisana Chitimacha tribe, which produced baskets sold in the 23rd Street store. The firm also published The Papoose here, a magazine that not only advertised its products, but ran articles about Native American life, culture and arts.

While, arguably, The Hyde Exploring Expedition exploited the Native American craftsmen, most notably the women who wove the textiles and baskets; The Papoose lobbied for their better treatment. And yet the inherent racism of the early 20th century seeped into even those laudable efforts. In the April 1903 issue, for instance, and article entitled "Am I My Brother's Keeper?" said in part: The negro was here of our own bringing. What of the Indian? His was the broad land by right of ownership, and the coming of the white man wrested the land from his grasp by right or might. Our great and good government takes care of the negro, appoints him to office, places him in high positions, gives to him authority over his onetime masters. What of the Indian? What return is given his for the rights wrested from him?...He is subjected to the humiliation of receiving alms at the hands of his captors. Prices for authentic Native American goods were not cheap. Navajo blankets in 1903 were priced at as much as $50; more than $1,400 today. Baskets were more affordable, going for about $5.

Moccasins were marketed as "The Ideal House Slipper." The Papoose, May 1903 (copyright expired)

The Hyde Exploring Expedition would remain in the building until 1907 when the Earle estate leased it to Ferrin & Co. Run by Louis V. Ferrin and Louis A. Doullet, they sublet spaces to several tenants, such as the Van Orden Corset Co. and the Perrin Glove Store.

New-York Tribune, October 13 1907 (copyright expired)

The Perrin Glove Store provided ladies with the various types of gloves necessary for different social events. In the summer of 1908 a pair of "20-button silk gloves" were priced at $2.25 (nearly $62 today); while 16-button gloves were slightly less expensive at $1.75. The store also offered stockings: "Women's fine thread Silk black, tan and colors, double sole, heel and toe" for $2.25. Both women's and men's winter wardrobes required furs and in 1910 the Hudson Bay Importing Co. moved in. Founded in 1890, the company proclaimed "We sell furs and furs only." Because of that, the selling season for Hudson Bay Importing Company ran from about September through January. As the selling season drew to an end in its new home, the firm announced its "clearance sale" on January 15, 1911. "Everything must go and will go, and is sure to go. We carry no furs over; $500,000 of the finest furs at clearance sale prices." Included in the sale were "minks, sables, fishers, raccoon, ermine, fox, silver fox, &c., &c." Still left in stock to be liquidated were a few Caracul Coats, "52-inch garments--the latest Parisian models--lined with heavy brocade; jewelled buttons" and Black Fox Sets, described as the "most magnificent shawl or animal scarf and beautiful pillow muff." The coats had been priced earlier at $150 (about $4,000 today) and were now half price. The store was restocked for the coming season by the end of summer. A Hudson Bay Company ad in The Evening Telegram on September 24 announced "An Exhibition of Furs (new models) at their New Building 26 West 23d Street." The firm remained here until December 1918 when it, like so many high-end retailers, moved northward along Fifth Avenue. Its advertisement in The Evening Telegram that month announced its entire $650,000 stock would be sold for $325,000 in a three-day sale. The building's owners, now Daby & Co., Inc., hired architect Harry Hurwitz to completely remodel the architecturally dated structure. His plans called for "addition of one story, mezzanine balcony and general alterations." The "general alterations" included an entire new front. Completed in 1920, the $20,000 in renovations resulted in a clean, white terra cotta facade, now six stories tall. Vast expanses of glass flooded the interior spaces. Hurwitz gave the building a neo-Tudor touch with a crenellated parapet and heraldic terra cotta shield. New tenants included the French Merchandise Company, which took the third floor in May 1920, and James M. Shaw, pottery, glass and china dealer. Shaw's was typical of the stores along the block which had become the center of the china and glass district. Next door, at No. 18, for instance, Charles Hall, Inc. took over the entire building the same year for his "china, glassware and general household goods," store. Among the best known of these firms was Theodore Haviland & Co. Founded by American importer David Haviland in the 1830's, it expanded into manufacturing when David moved to France in 1842. The American set up his factory in Limoges, turning out high-end porcelain products which he shipped back to American to be sold by his brothers. In 1891 Charles Edward Haviland and his brother, Theodore, had parted ways. Two years later Theodore Haviland began his own firm, known as Theodore Haviland, Limoges. The siblings and their respective companies were bitter rivals until Charles's death in 1921. Theodore Haviland & Co. was in No. 26 at least by 1926 and would remain here for decades catering to the carriage trade, even while other china stores moved up Fifth Avenue. Finally, in 1951, it too relocated.

The "H" in the shield was most likely added after Haviland moved into the building.

The 23rd street block was no longer a fashionable shopping area, as reflected in the new tenant at No. 26. On February 23, 1952 Billboard magazine announced "Mills Sales Company, after 26 years, has decided to move uptown to the heart of the novelty and toy district. Their new home will be located at 26 West 23d Street (fourth floor) where they will occupy larger quarters." Mills Sales Company dealt in cheap "novelties, gifts, sundries, toys and housewares." It would remain here for several years, advertising in Billboard on June 23, 1956 as "Cut Rate Wholesalers since 1916." That ad touted "magic rain bonnets in plastic pouch." A dozen would cost the buyer $1.50.

A renovation completed in 1986 resulted in offices above the ground floor store. Whatever Harry Hurwitz's store front was in his 1920 re-do, there is nothing left of it today. Nevertheless, the surprising and romantic terra cotta commercial building survives essentially intact since then. photographs by the author

Source: http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-merwin-hulbert-building-26-west.html

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valomile · 8 years ago

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“Even when we are not doing work, there is work being done within” – Artist Interview with Lee Meszaros

Image: #eauclaireresin pendant with forget-me-nots, handmade by Lee Meszaros. You can learn more about Lee and see more visuals of her work on lee-meszaros.com. Lee also has an Instagram (@leemeszaros), and an online shop at leemeszaros.storenvy.com.

Forget-me-nots swimming in a tiny wearable world of resin, a merit badge awarded for your specialty in being, as they say, like bump in a log, the scent of a cabin in the woods, warm with suede and cedar—these are all things that Lee Meszaros makes in her home and garden in Brantford, Ontario. Through handmade artist multiples, Lee celebrates childhood experiences with nature and the humour of human bonds.

In early 2016, I had the pleasure of hearing Lee talk about her work in my arts business class at Sheridan, and a few months later, I was eyeing her resin jewelry at the White Elephant here in Hamilton, one of a handful of retailers across North America that carry Lee’s work. I finally bought one of her forget-me-not necklaces as a birthday present to myself, and it remains one of my favourite pieces. Here are a few things I asked Lee about what she does:

“I took private sewing lessons from one of my mom's friends and made all of my own prom dresses and ridiculous wide leg jeans.”

Valentin: What do you think got you started making the things that you do?

Lee: I realized a few years ago that making has always been my default way of supporting and expressing myself. When I was in elementary school I would make it my summertime business every year to make a mountain of art and crafts to submit to as many categories as humanly possibly at the local fair, with extra attention paid to the bigger cash prize categories. In high school I took private sewing lessons from one of my mom's friends and made all of my own prom dresses and ridiculous wide leg jeans. From high school I went on to Sheridan to study textiles formally, and from there my silk screening and embroidery work followed. I took a hard left two years ago when I moved to the country, dropped my textile focus and moved into an entirely new creative area of fresh flowers and resin. This came from moving into my grandma's house and taking over her beautiful but neglected rose garden, where I became so inspired by the magic of flowers, and a pull to work with them creatively.

Valentin: What has your professional journey looked like over the years? Would you describe it as a meandering path, a knife fight, a bit of both, or something else entirely? Do you view your personal and professional journeys as intertwined, or completely separate?

Lee: I would say that my professional journey is closer to a meandering path that is definitely intrinsically linked to my personal life and struggles. Being in charge of a business isn't something that comes naturally to me—making the work is where I get my fulfillment and joy—but obviously both halves are needed to succeed in making things as a source of income. I've found that my business succeeds and suffers right along with me. If I am personally having a hard time, it is nearly impossible to motivate myself to be creative. If I'm personally flourishing, it's in these times that I'm able to see my business with rose coloured glasses and take it to new places and make bold decisions with confidence. There have been times where I wished so much that my work and my personal life could be separate, how much easier would that make my path to 'success'! But over time I've learned to see it all as a beautiful dance that is always working to teach me things. It is often in the lowest, darkest times that my subconscious is working out the plans for me to enact once the clouds clear. It's been a very important lesson to learn that even when we aren't doing the work, there is work being done within.

Valentin: What kind of education, internships, or mentorships have you pursued?

Lee: My educational path started with one misguided year of Art History & English studies at a large and faceless university, where it became painfully obvious to me that I needed to be working with my hands and needed to be taught usable skills. I went to Sheridan College for the Crafts & Design program to study textiles. After graduation from Sheridan I went to NSCAD in Halifax to finish my BFA (they allowed me to apply my Sheridan credits toward the degree, leaving me with 1.5 years to finish) where I broadened my studies to Interdisciplinary so that I could investigate illustration and book arts in addition to textiles. Since leaving NSCAD I haven't sought out any further studies, mostly because I've never been sure where I fit into the scheme of things, the hard binaries of art mediums.

“I've tried to create work that captures a moment, an accomplishment, a feeling that we would like to keep.”

Valentin: What is it about yourself that you find helps you the most in making your work?

Lee: I think my nostalgic tendencies are an incredibly strong linking component in all the work I've done. I've tried to create work that captures a moment, an accomplishment, a feeling that we would like to keep. The emotional connection to my Be Proud merit badges was one of the main forces in their warm reception into the marketplace. They brought people back to childhood feelings but within a new grown context, and that was very special. My Eau Claire resin work that I am now immersed in follows suit in capturing natural magic that is historically ephemeral, in resin. This emotional connection to beauty and to personal identity is a driving force I recognize in myself.

Valentin: What is the most important piece of advice you have received about making things?

Lee: The most important advice I've received was early on, and it was to not be afraid to show your work and get it out there. When creative folk are first starting out there is often this fear of talking or showing off your ideas for fear that someone else will take that idea and run with it. I've learned how baseless this fear is, and how important it is to know that everyone has the same ideas all of the time; very few ideas are truly one of a kind. The most important element of the idea is that it’s YOURS, only you will make the aesthetic decisions to execute this idea, and that alone makes it unique and worth pursuing.

Valentin: What is your workspace like? As part of your practice, you collect a lot of found material—dried flowers, stones—and I am wondering how you organize and take care of your collections?

Lee: My work space is divided up into three spaces currently: first there is the built-in bar in my living room that I have made into an art and craft supply heaven, cupboards stuffed with all the lesser used supplies, my Hungarian textile collection, and all of my business files, topped with a three-sided counter for spreading out and working. The second space is upstairs in the sun porch where my 'messy' table is—a work surface for pouring resin and silk screening. My third workspace is outside in the garden, where I've been cultivating a collection of small preservable flower varieties to use in my resin work. I keep my collection of preserved flowers in airtight labeled containers to extend them as long as possible. I keep the gemstones I collect to include with the flowers in a little labeled bead organizer. Organization and labeling is key when I'm working with so many moving parts, and keeping a schedule of flowers and their blooming periods is essential.

Valentin: What is your typical day like?

Lee: My typical day depends so much on the seasons: in the winter when the garden is dormant I am working on the business side of things—organization, ordering findings, making order forms, creating my wholesale business, updating my website (still on the to-do list...). In the spring and summer I am more in work-mode, so I wake up as early as I can and head right out to the garden before anything else. I work for 1-2 hours while listening to podcasts, and then I come inside, get cleaned up and start my creative day. There are a lot of stages to this work, so I could be working on preserving flowers, pouring resin, sanding, gluing, packaging or mailing, depending on the outstanding orders I have to fill. Working from home and be tricky, as I have a tendency to get tunnel vision and just work away at a task regardless of the time.

Valentin: How do you deal with the discomfort of taking on new skills, such as working with resin, in order to make new things? Is there ever a time where pouring resin isn't terrifying?

Lee: Taking on new tasks can be so intimidating. I've found I often need to sit on an idea and think it over for months, working out all the parts, the supplies I'll need, and the aesthetic I am in pursuit of. I had been thinking of working with resin for over a year before I finally sat down and poured for the first time, and I was just electric with a mix of excitement and fear of failure. Aside from a couple of Google searches and one old book, I taught myself about resin from top to bottom, and I am by no means done learning. It's humbling to take on a new medium and learn all of its ins and outs, and the pride that comes from solving a problem is immense. After a few months pouring resin turned from scary to just plain exciting and it remains my favourite part of the process.

“I wanted to make work I myself could afford, and would want to buy, not as a gift, but for myself to make me feel good.”

Valentin: What do you think you will be making when you're 90?

Lee: I can only imagine! I have no question that this is my life long pursuit—I will always be making and trying to express myself through objects. When my work was more focused in embroidery and fine hand work I used to worry that I wouldn't be able to be creative in this way when I was older and my motor functions decline, and I would worry that without those skills I would be nothing. But after switching to my current resin work it made me realize that there are endless mediums to inspire me, and that regardless of the physical limitations that naturally come with age, I'll find a way.

Valentin: What is a question that no one asks about your work?

Lee: One thing that I haven't been asked about Eau Claire resin is in regards to my intentionally low price points. I wanted to make work that was beautiful AND affordable, which is such a tricky balance to strike when working in handmade. I wanted to make work I myself could afford, and would want to buy, not as a gift, but for myself to make me feel good. Having worked for so many years making Be Proud merit badges that were predominately a gift item, I was so attracted to the idea of personal adornment, of women celebrating themselves. In hearing stories back from my wonderful retailers about young children coming in with their piggy banks, spending their hard saved dollars on a piece of my work for a friend or a mother... It’s everything. Making work that is magical and inspiring to young girls makes me feel so complete.

Lee Meszaros brings a charming, woodsy aesthetic to not only her work but in how she has expressed herself to me in her stories: the summertime crafting, the revival of the rose garden handed down to her from her grandma, the “natural magic,” as she puts it, that she casts in resin. I am encouraged by her honesty about her journey as an artist, and I think it would be interesting to talk to more artists about their work. It’s meaningful to hear from other young artists, especially ones who share similar motivations—nature, whimsy, interdisciplinary study—and to be reminded that no one can steal my ideas because it is my execution of them that makes them my own, to be reassured that the way that we work changes with the seasons. There is always work to be done, inside and out.

Interview by Valentin Brown.

#artist interview #lee meszaros #eauclaireresin #hamont #toronto artist #not my art #my writing

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shopofast · 5 years ago

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T-Shirt The Yard Stick to Measure the Fashion Trends

T-blouse: The yardstick to degree the style traits

T-blouse: the building block of style

As season changes from summer season to monsoon and monsoon to wintry weather, fashion developments also alternate for that reason. But after every 3 or four months most of the people of us do not have the time or the need to buy new clothes. Then the query comes: What form of casual clothes or clothes will trade you in step with your variety of styles, hues and temper? - Obviously the T-shirts.

T-shirts have continually been believed as the mere essentials - those primary necessities that form the bottom of style - the building block of fashion. If you need to understand how much style fashion in T-shirts have changed within the remaining couple of years, take your degree tape.

Fashion, which had commenced inside the 50's, became inspired with its sociological and business advances. It become a noble time to be young, and fashion became a rip alongside the location of age. In the 60's humans commenced to wear the tie dye and display screen-printed cotton T-shirts. Improvement in printing and dyeing stood out for extra range and got here in to style and it bloomed inside the 60's. Tight fashion of the seventies In the 1970s the disco scene was sizable, live performance dancing was famous with dance events and tight pants with T-shirts have been a trend. The whole '70s fashion became form-fitting - 'very tight', in which the extra-large, loose-fitting, urban-influenced tees moved out and tight T-shirts with tight polyester, generally with bell-bottomed guys's pants escorted by standy shoes had been used to draw the younger ladies seeming for romance, have been very famous.

Chemin de fer pants, Elephant Ear Pants, embroidery on pant legs, flag pants, Gabardine Pants, HASH Jeans with Bonds T-shirt (raglan cut T-shirt with ribbing round neck and sleeves), Rock Concert T-shirts (with a brand photo of a rock big name or a rock band or trademark of rock band) and tie-dye T-shirts (homemade T-shirts with stripes and curved in one of a kind colors of dye) were commonly popular in 70s and ladies generally have been short mini skirt, maxi get dressed, midi skirt or warm pants with T-shirts.

The eighties: Iron-on T-shirts with stonewashed jeans pant trend

In 80s Iron-on, the good kind of T-shirts turned into popular. Tight Stonewashed Jeans, Parachute Pants, Corduroy Pants, Tight Leather Pants, Super Tight Minis with Fido Dido, Ocean Pacific T-shirts, Long T-shirts, and Hard Rock Café and so on T-shirts have been famous amongst them.

The nineties - Baggy and vibrant denim trend

Levi brand T-shirt that had "Button Your Fly" written in very huge letters have been very famous in 90s. Flare Jeans, Baggy & Bright denim, the schoolgirl look of baby doll dresses with puffed sleeves and thigh-excessive stockings, slip clothes worn over T-shirts became famous and became a trend of 90s.

Fashion of 2000

T-shirts with "Boys Are Great", "I Make Boys Cry", and many others slogan T-shirts with zip off at or round knee pants had been popular in 2000. Duller shades had been more famous at the beginning of that decade and V-neck sweater and feature accents woven in around the neck, waist changed into very famous.

T-shirts have passed thru each social, cultural and economic stage of human existence and got a amazing acceptance in daily lifestyles from large towns to small cities everywhere in the globe.

Age alternative: Feel young forever with T-blouse

T-shirts are not handiest a first-rate object, but have end up elegant and best career apparel. Fashion has always been impelled by using more youthful people, of course, and not something says young like the T-blouse. As ordinary, the young are looking for some thing out of the regular. Wearing T-shirts in vintage age presents a lifestyle option as opposed to an age alternative and offers feeling of more youthful.

Women T-blouse: A separate recognized marketplace

During the final -three decades, girls's participation stages in the corporate houses, commercial enterprise, fashion, jobs, sports, sporting activities or yoga and so forth have reached an all-time high all around the international. The antique unisex T-shirts became a element of the history; today women require T-shirts that suit them that wash and feel secure at paintings region or at the same time as transporting and adopting a greater female method to styling, have made a large difference in the type of designs and merchandise. Women also are thinking about T-shirts as a multi-motive garment and by way of both ways the ladies's T-shirt market is growing. Today, girls have such a lot of alternatives in the marketplace as many T-shirt manufacturers have seen the brilliant prospectus and are producing better ladies's T-shirts in brief converting state of affairs of demand, which covers higher fabrics, state-of-the-art designs, appropriate color combinations, exceptional patterns etc. And the ladies's T-blouse is going to acquire a separate identification from guys's T-shirt.

Co-relation of T-blouse and ink call for

Fashion or choice of colours also vary, when season or tendencies adjustments. Color is taken into consideration as a serious enterprise whilst it comes up to T-shirts, as a key differentiation in wearable apparels.

T-blouse printing is in truth silk-screening or, more properly, display screen printing. The 70s introduced massive development in T-shirt printing started out with making display screen-printing machines in the basements and garages and those revealed T-shirt enterprise referred as Imprinted Sportswear Industry in general. In the Nineteen Eighties the development in ink enterprise greater and T-shirts became a part of every thing of our way of life, promoting groups, government, and non-profit corporations. Retailers determined the importance and eminence of T-shirts and have sold tons of merchandise in numerous issues, logo-call and patterns.

The most important advancement throughout the 80s changed into the growth created by means of the automated T-blouse printing system, allowing display screen printers to print a many T-blouse printing in a unmarried day. Automation modified everything and with the approaching of the 90s, the pc turned into fetched into the mixture of designs and styles in T-shirts. In the give up of 2000 the over all fabric display-printing enterprise had passed through a totally hard stage, but as improvement of printing era correctly finished the want of ink and screen printing era, sustained nevertheless and received higher role. And now with the development and development of latest printing generation, you could have a number of options like two-size and 3-size; virtual published, animated or printed T-shirts. Today the ink or printing is exclusively depends on T-shirt industry/productions whilst considering fabric printing industry.

T - Shirt used as a vast advertising and marketing or publicity tool

Would you like to make a assertion? Then you'll want a T-shirt: A T-shirt is a cheap idea of apparel or a portable ad with its garb to declare political, musical or social connection for anybody to look at, like The Tennis Women's T-blouse with the statement on the court docket. "I am going to make you run!", or as Indian tennis participant Sania Mirza had statements "Well-behaved girls hardly ever make history", "Attitude Unlimited". It affords a cheaper advertising or exposure weapon. Events, campaigns or programmes like women's rights, civil rights and more located their manner to the face and rear of T-shirts. People began to kingdom who they're/have been and what they positioned for without ever pronouncing a phrase without a doubt with emblem or slogan. Today, further to appearing as a medium for declaring non-public ideals, group affiliations, pursuits and more, T-shirts are favored, because in a word they are relaxed - no insignificant trouble in modern place of business, an ecosystem wherein T-shirts are going up in greater figures via the day.

More choice than ever before

The T-shirt by no means going out of fashion, it's far the base or foundation of the over all textile and garment marketplace and drives the whole business. It is a very giant a part of the enigma for what humans require and select and lots marketplace studies have a look at confirmed that one can not forget about the commodity in addition to new modern day marketplace. There are many alternatives or picks that you didn't have only some years earlier than.

Today, there are numerous sorts of cotton T-shirts to be had in market. Open-stop cottons give a softer experience for an exquisite charge. Ring-spun cotton has an exceedingly tender hand and organic T-shirts to guard from chemical substances. Though, more realistic, overall performance-driven fabrics which include dry-fiber are growing in recognition which is lousy because of plenty of segregation in which a fashion that the consumer is famous and relaxed with. T-shirts crafted from a 60/forty cotton/poly mixture in unisex sizes XS-4XL, ANSI-licensed polyester and non-licensed 50/50 are very famous. High-performance polyester micro fibers T-shirts are usually desired via working people because of their feature of reducing the moisture hastily from body. On plain material setting of lace and crochet also are being used, to create female appears. Recently DuPont's Sorona fiber (polymers that lend higher stretch, recovery and stain resistance to fabrics) is likewise used in T-blouse as a cloth.

The T-shirts are completed with jazzier for party put on with gold inside the prints and trimmings also are a strong fashion in recent times. To create prints greater charming, sequins, beads, buttons and embroidery and to craft a sparkle look on the tees cotton laces lose out to metallic laces and glitter, texture weaves at the side of layered contrasting fabric of tulle, chiffons, bubble fabrics, crinkle printed semi sheer crepes, also are used. Ethnic, jungle, picture or graffiti-inspired, prints with brilliant or muted, more than one shades are extremely used now a days. Styles of tees encompass rose, forest and blue, layering, retro men, graffiti and pix, khaki and blues and striped patterns are a robust fashion in T-shirts for guys.

More and more alternatives are available with lots texture desire, together with ribs, hemp, pique, ottoman, and so on. And greater fits for guys, ladies and junior are available. T-shirts are supplied in variety from the exceptionally mild of three.8 oz. To the regular 5.5 oz and be able to as excessive as 7.1 oz.. Heavier weights have the benefit of lifestyles of durability and ultimate their define beneath common carrying and washing. Lighter-weight tees are more relaxed, specially in hotter climates, and offer a great in shape. Higher-stop T-shirts will provide the extra energy of double-needle sewing and shoulder to shoulder string. In 2004 stretch T-shirts introduced excessive call for in girls's jersey merchandise both made of 95 percentage combed ring-spun cotton and five percent Lycra and heavyweight T-shirts in 50/50 combination, a hundred percent cotton, extremely heavyweight in a hundred percent cotton and top class extremely heavyweight T-blouse in 100 percentage combed ring-spun cotton.

Worldwide style designers cited that common consumers had been only worried about denims and T-shirts in 2004-05 for sunlight hours and nevertheless the trend is continuing. Sportswear, sports styling will continue to possess clients who wish comfort in normal put on and could maintain to call for for ever. In current instances wearing the company T-shirts in workplaces became a trend, and the call for is increasing, even it's miles more demanding for the motive of corporate gifting with particular emblem or company statements.

Conclusion

Today, a common shift towards sporty and comfortable put on in style existence seen, and T-shirts have become popular and "lively put on" with many manufacturers, designers and turn out to be a fundamental a part of each person's casual cloth cabinet and favored in athletic teams, faculties, gyms, athletic occasions, golfing events, outdoor active corporations, firefighters, the university bookshop market, emergency service workers, police offices, camps and outside workers and even in company homes. In a nut shell, humans with energetic jobs or pursuits are motivating to apply extra for a tee that stay them cool, dry and greater relaxed.

The coming out of standard fashion trends is a social manner however as appearance of new competitor inside the textiles industry T-shirts are transforming into more elegant and are changed with tailor garment shirts and other wears and the T-shirts are considered as a multi-reason garment by using majority consumer.

Whether color aggregate, cloth used, publicity tool, new or old traits of men's or women's fashion, new printing technology, and so on adjustments style traits or whether or not fashion developments arrive and pass on, clothing ought to usually be amusing with T-shirt because of a robust motive of more availability of alternatives. Hence, T-shirts will no way get out of style, over all be take into account as a constructing block of fashion.

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