Human beings are communal creatures. We crave to be understood and connected with others, to have the chance of sharing our story with someone who wants to listen. This can be a daunting task, however, and it is sometimes difficult to connect when words fail to express our voice. Art can exist as a mediator for our stories; it can be a conduit for showing instead of telling one's vulnerabilities and feelings.
It isn’t every day that four guys give a 140-billion-dollar industry a run for their money, but, in 2010, that’s exactly what the creators of the New York City-based online eyeglasses retailer Warby Parkerdid. The brand is ubiquitous with cosmopolitan hipsters, and it's boutique frames with names like “Wilkie,” and “Darby,” evoke the feeling of walking down halls of an Ivy League University.
According to Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, he certainly remembers what sparked his interest in pursuing music, and in great detail at that. He never forgets where it came from, and this humbleness is a testament to his character. His ascension as one of the most recognizable names and faces in classical music comes from his hard work, his personality, and of course what some would call luck, but I call it maximizing his opportunities.
If you want to understand American photographer Nan Goldin, you need to be comfortable with embracing both darkness and light. You have to be ready to descend into the underworld and to rise like a phoenix from ashes. There is the pain of abuse in her work, like her self-portraittitled: Nan one month after being battered,1984, which shows her bruised and battered aftermath of a toxic relationship. And there is also the carefree “let them eat cake” joy in her snapshot Picnic on the Esplanade, Boston, 1973.
In the age of social media, everyone has the ability to create visual art if they have access to a smartphone. Apple Inc. has made the advancement of its camera technology the priority, attracting photographers and film directors to experiment with the iPhone camera’s capabilities instead of opting for the usual expensive DSLR equipment. In this vein, the iPhone camera breaks down the barrier of cost and access to materials for the process of creating high-quality visual art. As a mentor once told me, “It isn’t what you have, It’s how you use it."
I have never seen a 12-month calendar that only contains black, positive faces. But, there are annual calendars for sale in stores like Walmart and Target filled with the “perfect photos.” You know a Caucasian mom and dad, a son, a daughter, and a little dog—huddled together, cheesing hard behind a white picket fence. These types of calendars have been around for as long as I can remember, with primarily white families as the focal point, supposedly displaying a perfect life and the “American Dream.”But now in 2020, it’s a different day. And, I’m proud to say my desk calendar displays an “African-American Woman’s Dream,” which can be found in the Glow Photo series 2020 calendar. It’s filled with candid shots of African-American women of beautiful brown shades, and all different shapes, and sizes.
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