Friday, January 11, 2013

Lightness

Whilst reading Portia de Rossi's book, Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, something, in a way, resonated with me. She wrote about her profound fear of being considered an "average" person in any part of her life. Her words exactly were: “Average. It was the worst, most disgusting word in the English language. Nothing meaningful or worthwhile ever came from that word.” Some may argue that her deeply rooted fear of being an unremarkable person was a contributing factor to her very complex and devastating eating disorder. This got me wondering if perhaps we all have a bit of Portia in us and if this sometimes unconscious fear is what drives us to do the things that we do. 

For a lot of us, accomplishment is one of our biggest goals in life. Nobody wants to feel as if they have come and gone without having ever having left a trace. Perhaps this is purely our species' nature but it got me wondering if some if the world's most creative minds are actually people who simply wanted to have an above average life. This does is not at all to say that Portia de Rossi is a phoney; she is a beautiful and brilliant actress as well as a wonderful person (not that I know her personally). However, what if people simply do what they feel will render them successful? What if Warhol painted soup cans because he knew it would make him famous? What if Aretha sang because she knew that she could belt out notes that no one else could? Although this thought comes to me with great chagrin, I cannot help but to wonder if passion plays any part at all in the creative process. 

Like most things in the world, the concept of creativity being linked to success is bound to trickle into fashion. What if great designers like Valentino only design because they know how to make a beautiful woman look her best? Even more importantly, do we wear what we wear simply because we are constantly trying to project a certain image of ourselves? Do the clothing and accessories, make up and hair that we obtain represent what we like or what we wish to look like

After having pondered these questions for what seemed like a very long time, I came to the conclusion that in my eyes, it would have been impossible for the most amazing artists and creative people in the world to do what they did without having incredible passion pushing them forward. Personally, being genuine is one of my most important values and I believe that others probably feel the same way. Although it does not personally represent what I consider to me true in most cases, it is possible that we as humans, pursue the ideas that will leave others more impressed with you then you are with yourself. I feel it is important to consider the motives behind the actions we take and to fearlessly chase after our passions. After all, Portia de Rossi would never be where she is today without that driving force. 


Monday, January 7, 2013

Go with the Flo

In my eyes, Florence Welch is one of those people you aspire to be your entire life. She is the epitome of "cool". Her band, Florence + The Machine, won the 2009 Critics Choice Award at the Brits as well as an enormous global fan base. Their music has been known to be very different, quirky and overwhelmingly powerful. It's the kind of music that you blast throughout your house and scream along to as you telepathically tell your ex boyfriend that you are so over him and it's the tune you sing to when you're on the road with your friends.  I believe that a few of her songs are on my "Top 25 most played" playlist on my Ipod.

Florence's own personal style as well as her on-stage wardrobe have also been catching the public's eye lately. Her style, much like her music, is refreshingly different in a society where the mainstream seems to swallow everything. I suppose you could call a lot of her looks "vintage inspired" since a lot of the lacy textiles she chooses give off that kind of 20s vibe. She likes to play with classic men's silhouettes like pant suits with bow ties as much as she enjoys dressing up in a feminine gown. I find this kind of contrast very interesting because it gives me the impression that she isn't afraid to experiment and that she wears what she likes. She has also never shied away from edgy modern looks on stage (a little Gaga esque, minus the meat). On the street, she likes to play it up with dare I say it, a little hipster edge, pairing things like high-waisted shorts with a blazer and a flower print dress with a leather jacket.

After watching Florence + The Machine's video for What the Water Gave Me, I was instantly inspired to get the exact same bird cage tattoo that she has on her finger (although I am convinced it would never be as cool as hers). Her music, her style and her attitude are all things that are admired by many and are a source of great inspiration around the globe; I'm sure that many have also tried to recreate her signature fiery red locks.