self-expression

Hannah Gadsby’s ‘Nanette’ and Ted Talk ask: “What Is the Purpose of My Human?’

In her TED talk and HBO special, “autistic, pathologically shy” Hannah Gadsby tells how she came to be the most talked about comedian on the planet. It started when she asked herself an essential question:

Opened at Random: Chronicles Vol 1 by Bob Dylan

This morning, we opened Chronicles Volume 1 by Bob Dylan at random and found this…

Otto Zitko Makes Me Want to Paint on the Walls

Even though I will never have the mastery of Otto Zitko’s wondrous scribble-scrabble, I wanted some of the experience of it, so I figured out how and when…

Metallic Makeup Becomes Ephemeral Jewelry

What a curious pleasure it would be to spot a slick of gold on someone’s ear…or face or…

Debra Rapoport’s Powerful 111-Word Philosophy of Living

We haven’t got a thing to add to artist Debra Rapoport’s perfect, powerful 111-word philosophy of living (except to make a big loud sign out of part of it):

Art as Self-Alteration, Rather than Self Expression (John Cage)

John Cage used chance as the key determinant in his art. Rather than impose his will and self-expression, he preferred “self-alteration”, which is a unique approach to life as well.

Tattoos As Self Reclamation

As a tattoo artist I witness the myriad reasons and kinds of people who get tattooed. I have tattooed a mourning 64-year-old-man transforming his grief, a Hasidic jew wanting to secretly express himself, a young cancer survivor during his post chemo celebration. Memorials, achievements, jokes and dares, even the most controversial of all — pure aesthetics —…

Frida Kahlo’s Artful Wardrobe, Painted Casts and All

Frida Kahlo, confined in terrible casts most of life, painted them, transformed them into something beautiful, expressive; she turned them into art. Recently, we found a trove of powerful images by photograher Ishiuchi Miyako of Kahlo’s wardrobe, in remarkable detail. Each item is evidence of her powerful drive to self expression, despite wounds, setbacks and handicaps.

Personal Celebration: Vivid Colors for Hair, Face, Body (DIY)

During dark winter, I recommend using hits of brilliant color across bare skin and hair to brighten things up a bit, especially for holiday parties. I suppose you could call these beauty tips, but they’re also all about breaking the rules and trying out the unexpected. Unlike what maddening women’s magazines might tell you, there is…

Inspired, Inspiring Humans of New York, and Elsewhere

Even though we live in New York, we are smitten with Humans of New York, a blog which documents just that, that incredbly varied iterations of human-ness one finds on the streets of New York, all with a story. It doesn’t stop at New York either. Photographer Brandon Stanton posts images of strangers he’s met elsewhere,…

rick owens’ step-dancing big girls fashion show

(Video link here.) Fashion designer Rick Owen’s blew fashionistas away with his rad fashion show in Paris recently, where models were real-girl step dancers. They brought fierce energy and Africa-rooted moves to the usual fashion show venue. They also showed that Owens’ designs work just fine on all sorts of bodies, breaking the usual svelt…

personal style: tattoos and chanel

We were wandering through Saks Fifth Avenue the other day fending off smiling sales people trying to spray us with perfume, when we saw a surprising woman with a bold tattoo of the classic feminist Venus fist ; she was sitting at the Chanel counter checking out some makeup. We loved her style that was…