The past few days I found myself in a bit of a funk. I felt out of it and I was getting down on myself for feeling out of it. I’m typically a pretty upbeat happy person, so when I get like this, it’s really unsettling. My mind quickly shoots to, how am I going to make this better?I find myself acknowledging what is wrong – what it is that I don’t like about myself, and how I’m going to work to fix it. I come up with plans in my head: certain practices or consistent efforts that I think will combat my troubling flaws.
In retrospect, I realized how important it is to make note at times like this. We all have faults, and sometimes it’s good to mindfully recognize what they are. You can assess how you feel about them – if they’re something that really bothers you and something that you want to change. It’s about acknowledgement. Actively acknowledging how you feel and what’s making you upset. Without it, you can’t change.
On the flip side – it’s also important to acknowledge the things that make you happy. Take note of what those things are, and work to incorporate them into your life as much as possible. It sounds easy – but sometimes it’s really hard to know what you want and what you don’t.
Either way, happy or sad, it’s productive to acknowledge how you’re feeling and why.
What’s everyone doing this weekend? I wanted to tell you about an amazing art show taking place in Philadelphia so if you live in the area listen up!
Two of our fp girls have teamed up to put on a show at Reward in Old City, Philadelphia, called “A Distant Land to Roam.” The opening is tonight and several of us fp girls will be there. I can’t wait – to say these girls are talented is an understatement! Here’s a little sneak peek:
So amazing – I’m going to take some photos at the show to share with you guys!
On Saturday morning I’m heading to New York City! On Saturday I plan on spending some time in my favorite part of the city, Brooklyn, and doing some vintage shopping and maybe hitting up an art show. I’m staying at the Bowery House – I’m excited to check this place out, it’s a great option for anyone on a budget, and looks super cool.
Then on Sunday I’m heading to the Upper East Side for the event at Free People 3rd Ave, where I’ll be running a DIY ornament station from 12-5pm! If you’re in the area come hang out!!
For more info on the event and to RSVP click here.
“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”
Have you guys seen these amazing installations in Iceland by artist Theresa Himmer? The Mountain series consists of these large-scale sequin street art installations, “Glacier,” “Volcano” and “Waterfall.” The use of sequins allows them to reflect light, making them sparkle and appear to come alive like actual ripples of water or molten lava. I would love to see them in person!
This month we’ve been exploring some of the decades that inspire the fashion we see and love today – Paris in the 1920s, America in the 1950s, Morocco in the 1970s – all leading up to today. The twentytens and the modern girl, who mixes together all of the little pieces that make her who she is – her various inspirations, quirks, ethnicities – turning them into something entirely unique to her. It couldn’t be more fitting, then, that the modern section of our catalog featured a flag by artist Sara Rahbar.
I posted some of her flags on the blog a little while back… i was fascinated by them, and love the idea of a flag being made up of many elements that represent different places, ideas and stories. Read on for an interview with Sara and to learn more about the flags in her own words.
When did you first come up with the concept behind your Flag Series?
It was in 2005 when I was studying at central saint martins in London, it was for my final project… And I never thought that it would be a series, I thought that I would just make one.
What are some of the materials that you use to make your flags, and where do you find them?
I use anything that inspires me, anything that I am excited and passionate about, and anything that is “sew-able”… there are so many objects that I find that I love and want to use, but they are too large or too heavy for sewing, it has gotten to the point that the objects have completely taken over. I think that’s why I’m starting to do sculpture now.
As for where I find my materials, well just about anywhere that I can, and I mean ANYWHERE. I go to the most bizarre places to find things… from bazaars in Tehran, to flea markets in Pennsylvania, from Vietnam vets to little old ladies on the street… I see a million things and I pick two, editing is very important.
I am just as passionate about the objects that I find, as I am about making the work and the final outcome. Gathering these items is such an important part of my process.
What is the meaning behind the particular flag used in our catalog shoot?
There is never any one particular meaning, these pieces are like pages in a book, they are like pieces in huge puzzle.
This work is very personal for me and it’s a direct reflection of my life. In the end I am just a human being talking about my life to other human beings, the work is just an outcome of the way that I view the world and others around me.
It’s about falling, standing and attempting to survive it all. In the end we are all in exile, we are all just visiting and we all come to this earth alone and we leave alone. But while we are here we try so desperately to belong to something, to someone and to somewhere.
Art often inspires fashion. Does fashion ever inspire your art?
Yes, sure it can, anything can inspire me, anything can spark something, trigger something. The most random things can inspire me; there really is no rhyme or reason to it, it’s just instinctual.
What people have had the most influence on you and your art?
Wow this is a very difficult question for me, mainly because a million different things inspire me every minute of the day, and I have a really bad memory and cant keep track of it all. My mind is a very overwhelming place to be sometimes… that’s why I jot things down a lot, to get them out of my head so that I can make room for new things to enter.
But there really are an endless amount of people that inspire me, from film makers, to artists, to writers, to my mother and brother… the list would really go on, and on, and on…
What does Free mean to you?
Being free is just a state of mind.
If you were to create a flag inspired by Free People, what would it look like?
I couldn’t tell you that in an interview, it all comes to me very instinctually when I’m making the work. I could only show it to you when it’s done. It’s an unexplainable moment, flickers of colors and shapes, I have learned throughout the years to trust my instincts, and let them guide me.
Personally I feel that it loses something when I talk about it, I believe it all happens in the making of the work. I could try to make a piece about Sylvia Plath’s poems, but what would be the point…her words are powerful enough on their own. I think good work, really good work, moves you beyond words.
So inspiring. I love what she said about having to write things down to make more room in her head – I feel that way all the time. To see more of Sara’s amazing work, visit her website.
I’ve had the pleasure of going to one of our catalog shoots, so I know first-hand that our catalog team is amazing and so much fun – these photos definitely capture that spirit! Behind the scenes from our holiday catalog shoot :)
Here’s the second batch of behind the scenes photos from the 1970s portion of our holiday catalog shoot in Morocco… from a scorching desert landscape to a serene oasis.
