Dessine-moi un mouton

- The Little Prince

Summer splendor

Now we dance

A friend told me this amazing story from his time volunteering in Ecuador. He was living and working in a small village and during that time he encountered a life of hardship. To him, as a wealthy American, their lifestyle was nothing short of unbearable. Food was limited, work was laborious, and the culture was highly traditional - men worked and women took care of the home and children. One thing that stuck with him was their ability to stay positive in what seemed like times of trouble. How exactly did they do this? They danced!

He remembered a town hall meeting where they had just finished discussing the dire state of affairs. He couldn't remember the exact issue, but it was related to the small school in the village. Ultimately resources were limited and the school would need to shutdown. After a long discussion about the school the village leader pulled out a small radio and said, "and, now, we dance." To my friend's delight (and confusion) the entire town got up and started to dance. They danced for hours!

This pretty much sums up my view on life. Need a quick happiness fix? Great, dance! Celebrating a life victory? Wonderful, dance! Bonding with friends? Dance! Bored? Dance!

Nothing is easier than this. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying these Ecuadorians, their troubles, feats, reasons for dancing. But I like randomness of it all. Suddenly they turned on music and found distance from their troubles. There is something so moving about that.

Americana

New motto: Forget drabness. Anything but drabness.

Self study by an Iranian/American

Interesting digital photo project by Natalie Abbassi. Natalie is an Iranian/American who has created this interesting photo collage. In each scenario she has incorporated herself twice, once as the Iranian and once as the American.

Such an interesting concept! While we all don't have such dramatic differences in our selves culturally. I'm fairly certain that each of us experiences some inner conflict between our different selves. 

Click here to see more images from the collage.

Natalie was raised both in the United States and Iran and speaks both English and Farsi fluently. She recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a BFA in design and a concentration in photography, and currently lives in Greensboro. Abbassi enjoys setting up scenarios and digital photo collages to discover a deeper understanding of who we are as complicated beings. The goal of her photographic communication is to tell the stories of individuals’s lives, as it helps us see the shared common ground between us all.

Amazing!

(Photo via Guernica by Natalie Abbassi)

Creative genius

After endless months of planning to visit the McQueen exhibit I finally did, twice.

The first time was as a refuge from the hot-hot heat we've been experiencing in NYC. After a long and hot subway ride uptown, I quickly found satisfaction at the massive sale at Comptoir Des Cotonniers before heading over to the exhibit. I insulted the sensibilities of the French and upper east side women at the shop when I decided, for efficiency, that I didn't need a dressing room to try on the marked-down goodies. I left with a pair of high-waisted silk shorts in a floral pattern, an oversized linen top and a pair of white jeans that are perfect for my derrière.

With my new purchases in tow, I headed to the Met and found my friend. Once inside we discovered that we weren't the only New Yorkers who thought they would escape the heat. It was crowded, very.

I slowly made my way through the exhibit with just one thing on my mind - how did he do it? How did McQueen come up with such thought-provoking fashions year after year? McQueen found inspiration in everthing from Japanese culture to human insecurities. His runway shows were a form of performance art and each year he took it further and further.

What was it like to live the life of a creative genius? And, do I have it in me?

I certainly have a creative side, ideas flow out of my mind every minute of everyday, but could I be a trend starter? Could I have endless vision? Know where to go and go there? I certainly hope so!

On a trip to Guatemala I met a gentlemen who told my friend and I that he was a creative genius who was misunderstood by the people. This post is dedicated to him and to his ability to believe in himself.

Speaking Of trend starting I've tried to make BTB a slang in NYC with no luck (so far). Help me start the trend!

Ta-ta for now.