Friday, May 17, 2013

Refashioning Fashion and the World With It

Hi dolls!

Lately I've been having trouble getting inspired to make some things I definitely want to finish, mostly because there are things I think I need in order to finish them, but also because I've been dealing with the issue of whether or not I should really open a shop. It's not necessarily a question of whether or not I should do so, it's a much larger matter of what that will mean for my place in our current economic structure, the pros and cons of accepting money for things I have no desire to exploit, and how long it will take before I get tired of having to promote and advertise, in order to make a decent income., because I have no real desire to make money.

See, my problem is economic and spiritual in nature, because what I want and how I want to go about it seem so completely unfathomable in our current condition. I am at odds with the idea that we live in a society that worships money, and not creativity. I do not like that as a result of this false idolatry, only certain people have access to certain things. I am disappointed that, as a whole, we, as the propagators of this society, have failed to take action and break down this system, which only perpetuates poverty, a social hierarchy that cares only for material resources, and the continuous destruction of our environment. What I want is to create a world where beautiful things are all around and free for the taking. Where I don't have to consider the money I spent in order to create something wonderful, because there was no money involved in the process. I want to see people wearing amazing, stylish, eco-friendly clothes, because they enjoy how it makes them feel, and not because it's a status symbol. 

I HATE that clothing is a status symbol. I HATE that high fashion labels dictate to us what we should wear, what we should look like, how we should present ourselves, when behind all of that, their factories are filled with men, women, and children, who don't make enough to feed themselves, let alone wear these clothes themselves. I HATE that we allow these so called "clothing designers" even have a place in society, when half of what they make is uninspired, stolen ideas, boxed-in, and most of the time, downright ugly. These clothes only serve to give us false ideas about who we are supposed to be when we wear them. They lock us into false gender roles, stratify us in a false hierarchy based on labels, and undermine our ability to be ourselves. 

I am passionate about so many facets of what needs to be changed in our world, and none of it will come without the complete destruction of our current one. When I started making clothes, I had no idea that I was capable of making such beautiful things. I was so excited to have found this talent, because it's something I truly enjoy. All day everyday, I have visions of gorgeous clothes, I'm always playing dress up in my head. But it goes beyond dress up for me, because dress up implies that you are wearing something in order to pretend to be someone you aren't, and that's not what I want my clothes to do. My clothes to me are a reflection of who I actually am, and are for others who are like me and want to be themselves. It's not just about clothes either, it's about my place in a world where money is god, and everything down to human life can be bought and sold. My wife and I make all sorts of things, and want to share them with anyone who will enjoy them. It seems so simple, and makes so much sense to us, to just make things and give them away. The profit is the enjoyment of having done it, and knowing other people will enjoy it, and find uses for these things. 

The reality is that this is a hard thing to do when we're currently relying on a system that does nothing for us. I choose to live a life that is radical for some, but works for me, and that is being free of money. I'll talk about that in another post, but suffice to say that this means that I have to be pretty creative when it comes to finding things for free to use and produce. Finding free things isn't necessarily all that hard either, but doesn't negate that there are things I still need and must buy if I'm going to get them, which leaves me in a state of limbo more often than not, and is very frustrating. Because I refuse to make excuses for our system, I prefer not to immediately jump back into the world of money. It's doing us more bad than good, and won't do me any good to rely on it to do what I love. That taints my creativity, kills my vision, and leaves me feeling hopeless when I know that I, and everyone on our planet, deserves to be able to have what they need and want when they need and want it. 

Beauty, creativity, and love should not come at a price. And I do believe that we inherently understand this. What we're missing is the inspiration and hope that we can create a world where LIFE is free. We're missing the motivation to stop the madness that is our world. As long as we continue to believe we need money, we will remain selfish and destructive. War will not end, poverty will only get worse, and we will ruin our planet to the point where we will not be able to survive on it. I have all the hope in the world, and no idea where to start, but I don't think the "regular" way of doing things is the right way. What I need is help, and lots of it, and it must come from the hearts of those who want to change the world with me. Perhaps it is you?

Thursday, May 2, 2013

My Newest Anime Addiction

Hello hello!

First of all, I want to say HAPPY SPRING!!!!! I know it's not technically spring yet, especially if you live in the midwest, but as a kinda observer of May Day, I consider it the start of a new season. Also, since I'm in the Carolinas right now, the weather is quite spring like, the daffodils out front started blooming , and I've been thinking up some sweet springy skirts to make in the very near future. In the meantime, I actually wanted to talk about ANIME!!!! Yaaaaayyyyyy!!!! I adore anime. Well, good, anime, if I may amend that statement. My wife and I don't own a television, so we count on the interwebs for our daily entertainment needs. American TV bores us, so we tend to watch a lot of documentaries, foreign films (when we can find 'em anyway), and loads of anime series. We've watched some pretty damn good ones lately, but I have to take this time to gush about my new addiction "Michiko e Hatchin". If you're not watching this series, you need to quit reading this blog, right now, and go watch the first episode. 

First of all, this is the first series I've ever seen where every character is one of colour. The series is set in Brazil, which, to my knowledge, is unheard of. The plot line, in my opinion, leaves a bit to be desired, only because I think it's far too simple, but the production is great, and I just adore the illustration. Not only that, I adore the main characters, obviously Michiko and Hana "Hatchin", a super bad ass, not to mention HAWT, escaped convict, and the kid she kidnaps to go looking for her ex-boyfriend (yeah, exactly  :/). I think maybe the fact that I'm watching this dubbed might be why I'm having serious issues following the story, but for the most part, I sorta don't care because it's so addictive. It has tons of flavor, whatwith being set in Brazil, however, it doesn't portray that postcard, "let's have a vacation there" side of the city. It shows the very real reality of daily life for the impoverished peoples of the city, run by dirty cops, gangs,swindlers, and child traffickers. On the other hand, I think it's a beautiful portrayal of the ugly side of life there, even if there are children shooting adults in the streets. I think the thing I love the most is how dynamic the series is. I haven't gotten to the last episode yet, but so far, I can say that not one episode has left anything to be desired. The development of the characters is saddening, hilarious, and even relatable, as you come to realize just how lonely they ALL must be, having grown up in this very harsh world. Each one, even the villain, is someone you can have true empathy for, as they weren't given much choice in the way they have to live. Michiko might be an immature, lazy brat, but you can totally understand why.

I'm mostly looking forward to seeing how Hatchin's character develops though. She's a 10 year old with a huge personality, and as the series progresses, you get to watch her struggle with growing up way too fast while trying to retain some iota of her innocence.

Since I dunno where the story is going quite yet, I won't try to give a synopsis on it. It's fun and daring, dangerous and superbly sexy, and I highly recommend it, so go, now. Here's a link:

 http://www.animehere.com/michiko-to-hatchin-episode-1.html

Enjoy it and tell me what ya think!