On the Castelbajac event a journalist walked up to me, and asked to take my picture for a fashion column. Playing it cool, and concealing my excitement under a "oh-well-it-happens-to-me-all-the-time"-implying "OK" I posed for my photo. A week later, the photo was posted at the Art section of Haaretz Newspaper [aka, one of the eminent publications in Israel]
There is absolutely nothing to watch. You have already read the news on your i-something; you have seen that movie a hundred times; and that episode of this show is outright idiotic. What, oh what, shall you do with your unpleasing TV set? Make a storage unit out of it of course!
Back in the 50's, the Television set promised family bonding and quality time with loved ones. Nowadays, only half a decade later, it carries separation, silence, and alienation. We re-watch shows on autopilot, but are we experiencing anything? Are we living life?
"Turn Off the TV Storage Unit", a design by Juliette Gold
"Turn Off the TV Storage Unit", a design by Juliette Gold
The model uses the figure of the 50's TV set - which was rectangular, stood on four thin legs, and had antennas. The visual compounds of the design (the colors, and the polka-dots print) also refer to the vintage vibe. When choosing colors, I opted for vibrant, statement-making hues. But tried to maintain visual harmony by going for opposing colors on the color wheel.
Drawing by Juliette Gold
What do you think about our TV-watching society? Do you consider watching TV a quality past-time?
Background:
Last night, on Tuesday June 26th to be exact, the thrilling
interdisciplinary fashion designer Jean-Charlesde Castelbajac lectured at BeitHa'ir ("City House"), TelAviv.
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at Beit Ha'ir, Tel Aviv, photo by Juliette Gold
It
was 20:30 p.m. on a warm, summery Tuesday night. There was peace and quiet on
the Bialic Square
at TelAviv … outside at least. Inside, magic was
happening! Girls with colorful hair, guys with fans, photographers, bloggers,
designers and curators all gathered up in one place. The music was cool; the
dimmed lighting was cool; the walls were cool; Castelbajac was cool; and
according to him, the crowd (that would us) was also cool!
The walls of the Beit Ha'ir museum, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at Tel Aviv, photo source: Castelbajac's Facebook Page
Seasoning
it with humor and fun, Castelbajac explained his vision of creativity. He told
us about his childhood, his past, and the sources of his inspiration. Jean-Charlesde
Castelbajac was born in 1950 inCasablanca,
Morocco and a few years
later his family moved to France. There, he was
sent to a boarding school where he stayed until the age of 17. He confessed of
being quite unhappy in boarding school. However, with his spectacular life
perspective, he was empowered by his situation.
{ He
built his imagination on wound, his creativity on failure and his strength on
loneliness. }
During
his years in boarding school he developed his fascination with color. When all
of his classmates kept their chocolaty treasures in identical wooden boxes, he
asked his mother for a blue plastic box. Even though his candies have all gone
bad in the sealed container, the color and individuality gave him hope. He kept
that unique, colorful, and extraordinary child with him throughout the 40 years
of his career.
Since
one should never conclude a day without learning something new, I bring to you the
summery of all the new content that now inhabits my brain:
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at Beit Ha'ir, Tel Aviv, photo by Juliette Gold
Don't
be afraid of failure:
At
the age of 17, Castelbajac graduated from boarding school. With no experience,
no diploma, and zero desire of becoming a fashion designer, he started working
for his mother, who owned a fashion business. Yet, instead of reveling in
self-pity Castelbajac became … well, Castelbajac.
{
"There's emotion in things we don't achieve" ~ Jean-Charlesde Castelbajac}
Open
your eyes:
He
finds his inspiration in things that people don't see, in the everyday life, in
accidents. His advice - look around yourself. Inspiration is everywhere.
Have
a clear say:
Each
collection he creates has its own manifesto, a distinct saying. His current
line, for instance, deals with "Dystopia". Castelbajac says that
Dystopia describes our time – the rapid existence in which we abandon
traditions and forget old beliefs.
{ "you
don't just buy a piece of clothing. You buy a philosophy, an idea". }
In
a fashion show, Castelbajac said, the first garment on the runway sets the tone
of the entire show. When his whole collection is complete, he spends hours in
the studio pondering on the selection process.
Laugh
at yourself:
After
his divorce, Castelbajac created a double poncho that had a zipper in the
middle.
Learn
from others:
Castelbajac
says he absolutely can't work alone. He has to be in a studio and around
people. Theirs is always something we can learn from others. Their perspectives
are contributive, not disturbing.
Last
and most important: Stay true to yourself:
Even
though that during the 90's grunge era, Castelbajac's colorful and poppy
designs lacked popularity, he remained loyal to his aesthetic. Surprisingly
enough, since his clothes were sold on sales and in cheap department stores,
they became popular among the rising NY rappers. Now, JZ has a collection of
these then-disapproved sweats and they are sold for thousands of dollars on
e-bay!
{
" What you do can have more than one life. It's about whether you're
sincere or not." ~ Jean-Charlesde Castelbajac}
What
do you think about his work and his life perspective? What is your favorite
piece from the latest collection?
In our parents' generation, things where much more predetermined. You could be an engineer...a doctor...a teacher, and these titles defined who you were as a person. The engineer - smart and well-educated; the doctor - heroic; and the teacher compassionate. These statements were still valid even when I was growing up - who doesn't remember the
Nickelodeon sitcom from the 90's of two grannies bragging about their doctor / lawyer sons ?
Currently, however, things are slightly different. I thing that the invention of the internet caused the change. The internet introduces a new array of possible career paths and opportunities. It also made information a lot more available, brought content from overseas, and made the world seem smaller and approachable. Nowadays the answer to the question "what kind of person do I want to be?" is completely up to us. So what kind of person do I want to be?
Who is Juliette Gold?
She is graceful and elegant. She knows how to behave like a lady.
She treats everyone she meets with respect.
She keeps a positive outlook on life. On her "thunderstorms and horseshit mood" days she just keeps to herself, to avoid upsetting others as well.
She always strives to learn new skills and to improve the ones she already knows.
She embraces life and enjoys every day to its fullest extent.
Her work inspires and influences people.
She knows who she is and what she stands for.
Juliette gold is the girl who would dance in an empty room with no music on, just to enjoy herself and have a good time.
"The Ghostly Dancer", sketch by Juliette Gold, July 2012
How would you describe your ideal persona? Which qualities would it have?
Inspired by my latest realization, I decided to stop waiting; to stop waiting for someone to teach me how to design; to stop anticipating a diploma that would "allow" me to finally create something; to stop letting others decided what I am capable of doing.
That same day, I picked up my sketchbook, and created this:
THE PERSONAL GROWTH CHAIR
The Personal Growth chair, a design by Juliette Gold
The Personal Growth chair, a design by Juliette Gold
Thesis: This chair was created to inspire personal growth, exploration of self, and discovery of individuality. We start as a plain grey [aka commonplace and comfortably invisible] stool. We can either remain as we are for the rest of our lives, being content with our resemblance to everyone else. Or we can change, evolve, and become our own kind of chair . How do you know you've achieved growth ? Once you feel you have overflowing confidence by simply being yourself.
What do you think about the design? What about the drawing? Are you a grey chair or one-of-a-kind?
In order to know how much we really want to work on ourselves, how many things we would like to change, we first need to identify those things. In other words, we need to asses our life-satisfaction.
What do you already like about your life?
Are you happy with your everyday routine? Do you like the way you treat people [and consequently, the way they treat you]? Are you happy with your apartment or house? Take a moment to ponder upon these questions:
Are you excited to wake up each morning?
What do you like most about your family?
What do you like most about your friends?
What is your favorite spot in your home?
Name one thing you like about your job.
Name your 3 most favorite qualities.
You should have a clearer image of your life and your level of content. Do you press snooze every time the alarm goes off? Then perhaps your routine could use a little shake (or maybe you're just not getting enough sleep). Your parents seem to always get the best of you? Have you tried to sit down with them and clear the air? Can't find a single thing you like about your job? Why don't you quit then?
Our life is the result of our own choices.
Though it may sound like a cliche, it's definitely not bull'. I believe that before we can design someone else's reality, we first need to be pleased with our own. We cannot improve the being of others, if we keep ranting about our own. However, a quick shift of perspective can make wonders!
Story time: One day I had to run around Tel Aviv collecting documents I needed to apply to university. There are two ways to look at that day:
I left the house super-early, had to deal with the most annoying secretaries, froze (I forgot my jacket), ran around all day and did nothing productive. Basically, this day sounds terrible!
I got to see the beautiful morning sky, finished all of my chores, spent an entire day walking around my beloved city, and later at home, spent some quality time with my cat. Not only this days sounds bearable, but is actually seems pretty nice.
By choosing to remember the good parts of controversial days, by focusing on the positive aspects of my life, I keep my happiness level high and my inspiration flowing.
What do you like about your life? Share your answers to the Q's in this post here.
A few days ago I was pondering upon my life - who do I want to become? What do I want to do? What goals do I want to accomplish? Where do I see myself in 1-5-10 years? The answers I came up with are, unfortunately, too vague to be put down in writing (C'est la vie). However, I did come to another realization:
ME: What I really want to do with my life is design. I want my designs to inspire people to be better, kinder, more respectful...
My OTHER SELF burst into my train of thought inquiring: What's stopping you, kiddo?
ME, all defensively offended replied: I don't have any formal design education yet!
OTHER SELF, smiling smugly, asked: You have ideas, don't you? That would do.
ME: Ideas are great, but what about funding? How am I supposed to execute them?
OTHER SELF seemed disappointed: To draw a sketch, or to create a small model, you barely need any materials. Stop making excuses!
It took
OTHER SELF to yell at
ME for
ME to realize that the only thing stopping me from doing what I want, was myself. I could sit all day stressing about the future, reveling in "I have no clue what to do with my life" moodiness, letting my ideas get piled under endless to-do lists... Or, I could get myself together, and create.
There's nothing quite as
magnificent as getting lost in a big, lively city; wandering aimlessly around
the streets; discovering it as you go. "When I travel and in my life in
general, I’m always looking for those little surreal and magical moments that
make every long journey worthwhile because they are so uniquely awesome."
Oh how I wish these were my words. But unfortunately (for me; awesome for
everyone else), this is a quote from ShimritElisar's DIY TelAviv
guide that gives you the straightforward answer to "Where do the cool kids
go?"
No more staying in the dark; no
more missing out on cool festivals and events; no more being unaware of Tel
Aviv's most adorable café's and trendiest clubs. After reading the guide from
cover to cover, I got more inside info about the city than years of
walking-around-until-my-feet-would-threaten-to-fall-off have ever taught me!
My excitement is justified, believe
me. For instance, did you know that TAR, the Tel Aviv Rollers group hosts a
Tuesday night TelAviv roller ride? Or that Pua café
in Old Jaffa is also a vintage shop? Or that the RakShniya
second-hand store is open daily till midnight? Or that Rogatka bar serves
vegan, cruelty-free brunches every Saturday morning? There's even a list of
cool, up-and-coming TelAviv based bands!
And if you're a tourist looking to
discover the "city of life", the guide is just shameless enough to be
perfect. It tells you everything you need to know for a wonderful vacation -
from insight to the morning-after pill to an explanation to what is Sabiah.
So come, by bus, train or plain,
and travel, discover and live! Directions are not your thing? Fear not! The guide
comes with a map that spots all the locations for you. (Now you can toss your old
GPS, or recycle, in the spirit of TelAviv.)
There is also a blog, which actually initiated the guide, where you can find
daily posts about what's hot right now in the city: http://www.diytelavivguide.com/blog.
Do you prefer the aroma of freshly-printed volumes? Then there is good news for
you! DIY TelAviv guide would be released in
it's first-ever printed version this month!
Our image is the persona we project into the world. It holds within it every aspect of our being: starting from the way we answer the phone and ending at whether or not we lead the life we desire to have.
To clarify, I will quote the undisputed information source of our generation [Wikipedia, that is]: "A person's self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to objective investigation by others (height, weight, hair color, gender, I.Q. score, etc.), but also items that have been learned by that person about himself or herself, either from personal experiences or by internalizing the judgments of others."
In short, self image is the combination of the way we see ourselves, and the way we present ourselves to others. It is the answer to the question: "What do you want to be?".
Why should we give a D'?
I believe out image is more than just a logo we plan upon ourselves. It reflects our values and beliefs, and manifests our goals. By being loyal to our image - our personalities - we could shape our lives to be profound proclamations.
In order to define the way you want to present yourself to others, and to create that presentation, you need to figure out who you are as a person. Thus, working on our personal image helps us get to know ourselves better.
Nowadays, when our lives are displayed online for everyone to see, people determine their first impressions based on the content we put out there. Having a defined image would help us showcase ourselves in the most accurate and most positive way.
What do you think? Do you think a personal image is important? Have you defined yours?
