Author: Erika Bell

The Love Doctor

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In light of Valentine’s Day approaching, (cue groans..groans that are all coming from me…) I would like to share one of my beloved poems that I wrote during my Sophomore year of college in a poetry class. It’s called The Love Doctor.

The Love Doctor

Let me tell you what I think.

I think this thing they call love,

it’s bullshit.

We women do all this work to get a man’s attention —

hair soft as cotton candy

nails clean with girlish pinks and reds always prim

body right, curves that round the world —

Oh, and don’t forget a personality, we must have a little of that.

Which one should you be today?

The loving girlfriend that gives him massages,

hot meals, alone time for him to be a man?

So he can watch the same shot

being made by the same person on TV,

or so he can criticize that girl’s physique

like it really is that thought provoking.

Or should you be the girlfriend that’s —

oh wait

he doesn’t want you to be anyone else.

That’s all there is to it with love.

I’m telling you, when a man finds out that you

have needs, complaints, wants, dreams, feelings, tears—

They deny ever knowing you,

like a grain of dreary dust they stepped on,

walking away from a deserted beach

holding another woman’s hand.

My advice honey,

the next time you hear someone say the word love,

tell ’em to come see me.

Art Influences Art

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I have always been a lover of high, avant-garde fashion. From Gautier, Louis Vuitton, and Yohji Yamamoto, high-fashion houses around the world inspired me as a child to think outside of the box when it comes to creativity. I used to wonder incessantly of how in the world did these designers come up with these concepts that enveloped no sense of practicality but all aspects of wonder, dream, and true artistic form?

Couture fashion, designs created for one special, statement-making purpose, is the prime example of how the concept of fashion should literally be considered an art form. Designs that are custom-made, intricately detailed, and sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars not only take a lot of time to create, but also take the creativity and talent of some of the most brilliant artists in the world.

In analyzing some of the designs that walk the runway today, many of which are torn to pieces (figuratively) because of their “over-the-top” nature and impracticality, are pure examples of art forms redefined by other traditional art forms. Paintings, photographs, nature, decor, all are influences of the gowns you see walking the Paris and Milan runways.

This concept of “upcycling,” usually referring to taking something “useless” or “old” and recreating something “new” and “interesting” with it, can be applied to the way in which some high-fashions come to be. Not to say that any traditional art forms are of lesser value to the fashions that are put on display today, but there is a connection as to how these fashion designers fuse the creativity in their heads with the powerful creative minds of the painters, photographers, and interior designers that we come to immediately associate as artists.

Photo Credit: wetheurban.tumblr.com

The image above illustrates a comparison between a painting of a disturbed sea, with blue hues and deep blacks fading amongst each other, and a gown with a similar color scheme in an ombre-flurried effect. Similar aesthetic, different artistic geniuses.

Photo Credit: wetheurban.tumblr.com

Broken, demolished, nature’s colors, all are concepts captured in both of these photographs, illustrating great techniques of the same inspiration board.

Photo Credit: wetheurban.tumblr.com

When you can get the same effect from a painted/crafted wall that you do a dress and satchel, then you know you’ve hit the nail on the head.

Check out some of the Spring 2015 Couture looks for some great inspo!

 

 

 

 

 

The Classic Mystery Storyline

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I don’t know about you, but I love mysteries. Maybe it’s my inner boxcar kid or my desire to be Sherlock Holmes/Nancy Drew, but ever since I was a little kid, reading mystery stories, watching suspenseful films, and using my wild imagination, have always been my favorite pastimes to get that chilling thrill. For me, it started off with the cheesy Scooby-Doo-esque reads you’d pick up in elementary school, with plotlines of kidnappings and killings, leading us through a web of adventures to only find out that there was no kidnapping or killing at all. Then it moved up a notch into horror territory. Off-the-wall, dramatized stories of monsters looking to wreak havoc on the innocent. Now, I’m a faithful crime-tv watcher. It has the same elements found in the mysteries of my previous years, but a toned-down nature that is both heart-wrenching and relatable.

Anyway, as I delved into some great Lifetime movies this weekend, mystery and drama-filled of course, I got to thinking about the classic mystery storyline that has been recycled year in and year out since the beginning of time. There’s always these elements that make a mystery a mystery, and even though we know what will probably happen (granted, there are some plot twists), we can’t stop watching them because they’re so enticing!

What makes up the classic mystery storyline? What are its potions that make it the perfect recipe for suspense and awe? Well, let’s try and figure this out.

Step 1: Make Life Seem as Perfect as Can Be

Do you ever notice that in mystery plots, its almost always a cookie-cutter, all-is-well ambiance to start it off? The main characters are going about their day-to-day activities in blind contentment. Skipping, jogging, cooking, laughing..basically life is great, and they’re about to get a rude awakening and everybody knows it.

Step 2: The “Dun Dun Duuuuun” Moment

It happens. The murder, kidnapping, missing-person, monster, stalker, killer, whoever and whatever it is, occurs. It makes us gasp. It makes our wheels get to turning in our heads. It is the moment whether you decide to commit to this plotline and invest your emotions or drop it and go do something happy with your life.  If it’s a good “dun dun duuuun” moment, you will commit.

Step 3: The Mess and Stress Stage

All the action a.k.a the mess goes down. The adventure of figuring out who did what, why they did it, and what’s going to happen next, becomes the main objective. And, of course, there’s tons of stress amongst the characters, which in turn, stresses the reader/viewer out (me).

Step 4: The Gasp…”I would’ve Gotten Away With It If It Weren’t For You Darn Kids…” Stage

We finally come to put all of the pieces of the mystery together and find out who did it and for what reason. By far the best stage, but if it is not done right, things could go very wrong and all of that hard work could be worthless.

Every mystery follows this pattern. Some worse and some better than others. Although, I love a good mystery with this classic storyline, I can’t help but desire a little change and a real shock factor within the genre. The repetition of this storyline sometimes makes the exciting genre…yawn-worthy. I urge those mystery-lovers and creators out there to break out of the box that has been established for so long. Surprise us, shock us, make us scream!

 

 

Wait, Shouldn’t I Hate This…

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It’s Friday and classes are over for the week. In hopes of unwinding, I turn on Pandora to inhale a little of today’s latest jams. Pandora is put on because I can’t think of what I specifically want to here, there’s no rhyme or reason to my choices, just something to spark my interest and get me dancing and bobbing my head. On comes Usher – I Don’t Mind. Now, if you didn’t know, this song follows the mindset of the R&B singer as he serenades to possible strippers, communicating how he doesn’t mind of their profession. Admirable in a sense, but the delivery with lines that target that the women are bad examples to society, that his only acceptance of them is that they will be his at home, and his only real connection to these women being their physical features, makes the message questionable and alarming. But…for some reason… I couldn’t resist dancing and bobbing my head!

Why is this? I find this happens a lot, whether it be with questionable songs with great beats, or films and television shows littered with misogynistic characters but great story lines. There’s something that makes these works of art that we should hate, in regards to content, popular and likable. The Usher song is a great example of using an awesome beat and sweet, serenading voice, in hopes of disguising such a questionable message. Are all of the popular content that carry these sour lessons on being a human being, disguised really well with other fancy aspects in order to distract viewers and listeners from the reality of what is going on and being said?

I think it is important to note that, with complex creations like films or music, not everything is black and white. There has to be some things we hate, some things we love, and some things we’re kind of unsure of, in the story line so that a complexity is there for audiences to evaluate and critique. It is questionable, however, if these complexities are put into these creations intentionally or naturally? Are these beliefs, words, messages, true to the creator’s reality and the audience they want to capture, or was it intentionally made in hopes of arousing some controversy on possible issues?

Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer to a lot of these questions, and if I could interview Usher right now I would. A lot of toxic messages are out in entertainment media, and it is important to be mindful of whether its consumption is changing our ideals on what is right or wrong. However, I do know the struggle. It’s incredibly confusing when you hear a song and don’t support what’s being said, but continue to dance wildly along because it’s just too damn catchy to avoid enjoying yourself over.

5 Novels to Kick Off 2015

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This is my first post of the new year/school year, and I am excited to kick it off with something that not only is my current obsession, but something that I feel would help all of you fellow pro-2015, make-it-a-great-year people out there. Reading! I can’t imagine that anyone in this day-in-age would whine and complain about the thought of picking up a good book, outside of what is presented for us to read in the classroom. I mean come on, whether it be the classics or the new-age books of today, there’s nothing like curling up with a great book that you are excited to escape into.

It’s 2015 and everyone is all about starting afresh with new goals and new ideas of turning your life around and making it the best year yet. Well the best way to start these goals off would be to dive into some good reads within the first month of this journey. Books dedicated to inspiring you, teaching you, and entertaining you, are always helpful in planting seeds for prosperous growth. I have a 5-novel list of some of the books that I plan to crack open/have already read (before school swallows me up and spits me out), that I hope sets you all on the journey to growth and enlightenment this upcoming year.

1. The Examine Life by Stephen Grosz

The Examined Life is a book of short stories containing over 50,000 hours worth of conversation on psychological insight into individual lives. What sets this book a part is Grosz’s intentional avoidance of psychoanalytic jargon, which allow for these real stories of human behavior, mistakes, discoveries, and ideals of losing and finding ourselves, to seem real and attainable.

2. The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane Von Furstenberg

I currently have me nose in this book by Diane Von Furstenburg, one of the most renowned fashion designers and business women of today. What sets her a part from the pack is her effervescent sense of self that stands on the idea of practicing independence, becoming one’s own best friend, and using any hard or difficult past to create the best future possible.

3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This classic work tells the story of an Andalusian shepherd boy who is traveling to the Egyptian pyramids to find a hidden treasure. He encounters many people who aid in his journey to find this treasure, but what he comes to discover is the idea of finding treasure within himself. Cheesy caption, great read.

4. Girl Boss

Girl Boss follows the story of Sophia Amoruso, founder and CEO of Nasty Gal retail company, and her journey from the bottom to the top. There are many cliche’s and I-already-knew-that’s present in this read, but the biggest thing to take away is the idea of there ever being impossibility of succession, couldn’t be further from the truth.

5. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown

This quintessential self-help book is one of my read-a-little-everyday reads. There are so many inspirational quotes and mantras to live by, as this book draws on classic psychological concepts of what is needed to mentally live a healthier and happier life.

Procrastination, Motivation = Same Thing

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So it’s crunch time. Finals are around the corner, studying has to be done, and you don’t want to do either. You know what is a great way to find that little bit of motivation you need to start some of these daunting tasks? Immersing yourself in an artistic distraction, of course! Let’s be honest, you will get distracted and procrastinate, even if you’re like superman/superwoman or something and it only last for 5 minutes. Here are some fun, artsy-ish, and inspirational ways that you can use your procrastination time, so that you’re motivating myself whilst also giving up completely on life. Ha ha, just kidding. Kind of.

1) Read something that is short and makes you smile.

A poem, some quotes, a couple pages of a book you love, just anything that allows you to escape into a happier place, even if it’s only for  a couple of minutes.

2) Do a little blogging, but set a limit people.

I’m an avid blogger, and let me tell you when I start it’s hard to stop. But, when I do find the will to stop, I find that it’s so cathartic looking through great images and immersing myself in this world to escape my academic one.

3) Get up (maybe not in a library) and dance to your favorite song of the moment.

Studying at home has its perks, and by that I mean being able to throw on Beyonce and dance to “Get Me Bodied” until my knee gives out.

4) Write.

Writing centered around your own thoughts and ideas is the best form of emotional-release, in my opinion. Buy a journal or start a blog, and instead of getting completely mixed up in your thoughts, write them down. Trust me, it’s amazing.

Good luck to those who have finals starting this week, may you spend your time wisely! 😉