Fly

Link of the Day

a must see interview featuring Street Etiquette

An Artist to Know

Beautiful works by the late Hughie Lee-Smith. That center painting is so dreamy and atmospheric.

Man Jewelry

...from JW Anderson. These unisex pieces are very interesting. Not sure that I am open enough to appreciate my man rocking any of these, but the concept is cool and I really dig the styling and photography. See more of the collection here and be sure to check out the photos of the female stylings.

Mixed Materials

Gorgeous bags from Carmina Campus. Perfect for next fall/winter.

Link of the Day

shop the rainbow

FGOTW

Who? Jamia Wilson, 29

Where? Expat-brat. Born in South Carolina, Raised in Saudi Arabia, Lived in Rome, Baltimore, DC, Harlem and now the East Village in NYC!

What do you do? I currently work at NYU in Student Affairs following an invigorating MA program in Humanities and Social Thought with a focus on race and gender. I also blog at www.prettypolitico.com. I'm working on devoting more time to increasing my blogger presence as a beauty and politics blogger. Before working for NYU I worked in Communications for Young People for the American Way and managed Planned Parenthood's national youth outreach program.

What inspires you? Women’s wisdom: the words from my mother, my grandmother, my aunts, bellhooks, Audre Lorde, and Michelle Obama strengthen me everyday. I am also inspired by beauty and its presence in all things, people, and ideas. And of course… vintage fashion! I am so excited that I can rock all of my
mom's and grandma’s pieces in style this season. All hail the power of the pencil skirt! I am also inspired by the beauty of nature, yoga, Kara Walker’s art, Ntozake Shange, Cleopatra Jones, French New Wave, Fafi, Wangechi Mutu,Nina Simone, Billie Holliday, Jimi Hendrix and critical race theory.

Why are you fly? I’m fly because I keep it real and I strive to honor the goodness in all people.  My steadfast passion for politics and activism often provides me with the ability to endure in the face of adversity and to make connections with people from various walks of life.

Advice: Life is short. Don’t let other people define you. Be present and enjoy your life. Live!
"Here ... in this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Love it. Love it hard.” — Toni Morrison, Beloved.

Beautiful Lady

Just picked up the latest issue of Arise Magazine and saw this gorgeous photograph by Micaela Rossato. That smile is gorgeous! See more of the dynamic spreads here. Oh, and I love how the stylist used an Alexis Bittar brooch as a decorative hair clip.

Link of the Day

branding an educational institution — a design project I would love to work on...

Creative Tip of the Week

Do it.
As a creative person you probably have projects listed in your mind or on a dreamboard waiting to come into fruition. You probably researched, explored, and even reached out to people for advice on how to make something happen. Yet those projects remain to be little notes jotted down on your to do list. Weeks go by, then months, and the next thing you know you're cleaning out a desk drawer and stumble upon that list written years ago. [[read on]]

Ruffled Pumps

I want these cute peach pumps from Aldo.

Pretty Prints

Quiet photographs in pretty pastel tones by Lola's Room.

Kalighat Paintings

In honor of the creative tip of the week, here are some lovely Kalighat paintings from the V&A online print collection. Have a great weekend!

Res

Another show to check out at Johnny Brenda's.

Link of the Day

Studio Visit: Erin Riley

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the studio space of Erin Riley, an amazing tapestry weaver. Using a traditional medium she creates dynamic contemporary tapestries inspired by personal experiences and real-life observations.

Erin and I met three years ago in grad school where she was pursuing her masters in fibers. Soon after that initial meeting, I visited her graduate studio space and also spent some time chatting with her when I was taking a fibers class where she was a teaching assistant. Since then we've graduated but after running into her at the local Whole Foods last month I wanted to catch up and see what she's been working on.

After a quick tour of her shared studio space adorned with brightly colored yarn and large scale sketches, we sat down to talk about her process and inspiration.


So we met in grad school, but I don't know too much about what you were up to before your graduate years. Tell me a bit about your undergraduate experience.
I attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design where I was initially a painting major. There I discovered fiber arts, took a course and fell in love. I was intrigued by the hard work, commitment and time it took to create one tapestry. It was then I decided this is what I wanted to do. [[read on and see more photos here]]