Year: 2016

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Raaja Nemani

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“I trekked in the Himalayas for two weeks in May 2009. Normally, people do this in large tour groups, but I ended up doing this alone with a guide named Prakash. Prakash and I got to know each other very well hiking for 12 hours a day and since I was on my own, at nights he would take me into the homes of various Nepalis and Tibetans who lived in the mountains to tell stories, drink rice wine/whiskey, and laugh … a lot. I learned that Prakash and I were the exact same age at that time, 27 years old. But while I was in the middle of a trip backpacking around the world, Prakash worked in the mountains 7 days/week so he could make enough money to send home to his wife and two kids in Kathmandu. Near the end of the trip, as we were descending, Prakash mentioned to me very casually that I was lucky. I asked him what he meant, and he said that I was lucky to be doing …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Sheena Sood

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“As a designer and color lover, every place I visit affects me creatively, professionally, and often personally. The art, people, textiles, street art, and food I experience inform my design work. Last year, I traveled by myself to Mexico City to visit a friend and to explore the city. Three moments from this trip stand out to me the most now. 1)   My visit to Casa Luis Barragán– the rich color palette of pinks, ochre, metallics, touches of blue glass, lots of wood and natural greenery, and the sense of zen that comes from being in such an impeccably designed space. My eyes were dancing for days after. 2)   A vendor selling these multi-color hand knotted bracelets on the street. The geometric rainbow patterns on each one were so mesmerizing to me and my fellow Libra friend that it literally took us both half an hour to choose about a dozen of them. Each one provides a perfect palette to inspire something to come. 3)   The insanely delicious, never-ending bowl of pozole I ate in …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Rachna Hukmani

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“My younger self did not really believe in miracles. To her I would say just let go. Believe that opportunities have a way of presenting themselves and that I am somehow always protected. My first day in NYC and the U.S. was 9/11. It completely changed me (and everyone who experienced it for that matter!). I was scheduled to be at the World Trade Center that day and miraculously missed the train that would have situated me there right when the towers fell. My sister and I missed that train by 3 seconds. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. I am so grateful and in awe of how every opportunity since then has paved the path for me to find creative ways to travel to new places safely. Each trip reveals clues about what I am meant to be doing which is to create something of my very own that hopefully inspires. This is what my company Whiskey Stories is to me. A  form of self-expression that tends to evolve naturally on its …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Maurizio Zatachetto

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“Definitely New York has been significant with how I now perceive the world. There is no other city like it. I had this fascinating feeling that I would somehow find the missing portion I was always looking for to allow myself to freely be the real me. When I first arrived, it wasn’t easy like most people can imagine. But after a short period of time, everything changed, changed me both as a man and as a creative. There’s such an amazing alchemy in that city. A kind of environment that I’ve only ever experienced there.” – Maurizio Zatachetto    

Bronx Rising: No Commission and the Politics of Ownership

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Sway may not have had the answers for Kanye when it came to finding a Medici family to support his dreams of creating art freely outside of the confines of rhymes, beats and breaks. However, hip hop artist & producer Swizz Beatz and his Dean Collection are fulfilling this patronage act in an unexpected arena- the high-brow world of art dealing. Through his No Commission: Art Performs series, Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean is helping both established and emerging artists like Swoon and Delphine Diallo bypass “the man” in the form of sales & gallery representation by empowering artists to display and sell their work directly to the highest stakeholders with no frills attached. The radical factor which some view as naive is that zero costs are associated with being included in his tightly curated shows along with having 100% of proceeds go straight to the artists’ pockets. Swizz’s philosophy behind this experimental model, “If you free the artist, you free the world,” stems from the idea of allowing living, working artists to enjoy the fruits …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Erick Hercules

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“I’ve had the battle between stillness and chaos be primary subjects in my head – artistically speaking – even before I learned to distinguish them both apart in my photographs. Growing up, I was always drawn to images that depicted still backgrounds combined with a subject “on the move”. Stills with people running, looking back, jumping, or even walking were always more thrilling to me than a simple picture of someone standing still.  After attending music school, I realized I might have found a link between “action” in an image and why I was so interested in them.  In music, a “cadence” is the end of a musical phrase. It is the end of a sentence. Where the notes finally return home. Where everything is finally at peace. But before that cadence, music is always at unease. That’s what makes music so appealing. Your ear is waiting for music to return back “home”. An image with movement causes the same effect. There is an untold story told in one frame. What happened before? What will happen …

6 Real Life Lessons from Adult Summer Camp

Published by Khadijat Oseni

A few weeks ago, I was invited by uber-cool blogger, Kelley Louise of The Culture Collective, to be participate in the inaugural weekend of Camp Shock Top, an adult summer camp in partnership with Camp No Counselors and California brewery, Shock Top, with the simple motto of “living life unfiltered” while retreating back to childhood shenanigans with a host of strangers in the heart of The Adirondack Mountains. Here are notes from this nostalgic, pop-culture laden trip w/ a boozy twist… Summer’s here and the official adult in me envies every kid that easily yelled, “School’s out!” and cast all responsibilities aside until the fall. Instead, with 100+ emails sitting in my inbox queue, I’m contemplating the meaning of life while trying to devise an ultimate life hack that will bring back the glory days of being a kid with the added benefits of not being told what to do. Luckily, in comes Camp Shock Top, the latest adult summer camp collaboration with Camp No Counselors that’s aimed at bringing back that old loving feeling of …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Laurs Kemp

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“I moved to Portland from Arkansas in 2012 to launch my clothing line and seek out more creative opportunities with like-minded people. There is such a rare atmosphere of collaboration and encouragement in the Portland arts and fashion community. My collaborations with all the amazing female artists and makers in Portland is truly one of my biggest inspirations and influences. I became the designer-in-residence at a Portland shop called Backtalk, where the owner Katie Freedle exclusively features the work of independent designers. In my year at Backtalk, I was able to develop my line and meet so many amazing collaborators. One of my favorite collaborations was a photo shoot I had at Backtalk using local photographer Hillary Boles for my most recent collection. This collection was inspired by the 1991 arthouse film, A Little Stiff, 1980s Japanese minimalism, and the song, Yama Yama, by the Yamasuki Singers. In fact, I titled the collection Yama Yama. For models, I reached out to the gorgeous Kassala Holdsclaw through Instagram, and I also used my all-time favorite muse, …

Postcards from the Edge

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Dignity above all else speaks volumes. Inside our hearts, we are all born kings and queens… Spotted this underserved king on the streets of Varanasi and was instantly moved by his regal stature. I decided to not focus on his eyes because his struggle is not mine to interpret. But, observing him within this moment gave me an undeniable sense of calm about whatever was to come and his stillness was as vibrant as the noise within the streets… xo KO   Varanasi // Uttar Pradesh, India   Instagram | Twitter  

An Introvert’s Guide to Travel

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Fun Fact: I’m an extroverted introvert…the worst kind possible because no one begs to think we exist. I’m equally fueled by human interaction as much as I am easily drained by said social interactions. A little part of me dies whenever I have to commit to plans, peel myself off the couch, say bye to my #bae, Netflix to head outside and interact with people…especially lots of random people! Once I get out of my own way and dart into the world, I of course couldn’t imagine a life without exploring but the steps getting there can be quite treacherous depending on my mood. I’ve found that one of the best remedies comes from building in mini breaks between commutes to fully recharge before immersing in social situations. Here are some fun ways that I’ve found helpful with hanging onto “me-time” while navigating through various points of my journey… OVERSIZED HEADPHONES Not only made for blocking out the wails of screaming babies, oversized headphones are also a stylish way of placing a visual do-not-disturb sign …