by post street’s COLLECTION 2 was created in celebration of Chaos to Couture at the Met.
To launch the collection, we collaborated with Booty Call Wednesdays in San Francisco!
Juanita More and Joshua J Cook
I created several portraits of notorious SF locals. A backdrop was created by my daughter, Anna T Fabulous, for the event. The paper dress I created (my third one) was premiered at Booty Call Wednesday May 22 and my daughter “killed it.”
Photos from Booty Call Wednesday
Introducing our new collaboration! Face of the Month with:
FACE OF THE MONTH
At the end of every month GMS will pick a “Face of the month” from the models on our site. This will be someone that we think stands out. What makes them stand out could be uniqueness, coolness, attitude or perhaps great personal charisma. The height and size is of no consequence.
[source]
First edition:
‘Sofie’
It’s a family affair!
GMS was founded by my best friend, Maud Kerzendörfer, from Stockholm, Sweden!
by post street is directed by my daughter, Anna Thorsen, and I am by post street‘s artist-in-residence! Anna is also a guest blogger for GMS!
Filming/editing of my creative process is provided by my son, Julian Bowers!
Stay tuned for new faces!
I am working on a manifesto.
I have decided to immerse myself in the concept. To journal it out. To look at the history of the manifesto. What it means to write one. To look at the classics.
The first obvious one that comes to mind for me, personally, is the S.C.U.M. Manifesto by Valerie Solanas:
It’s a radical, troubling piece, the message inseparable from Valerie’s history of childhood trauma and mental illness, but it is a powerful piece in its style and declaration.
Valerie Jean Solanas (April 9, 1936 – April 25, 1988) was an American radical feminist writer who is best known for herassassination attempt on artist Andy Warhol. Born in New Jersey, Solanas said that she was the victim of sexual abuse by her father; and, after her parents’ divorce, she had a volatile relationship with her mother and stepfather as a teenager with her unruly behavior. As a consequence, she was sent to live with her grandparents. Her alcoholic grandfather physically abused her and Solanas ran away and became homeless. She came out as a lesbian in the 1950s. She graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Solanas relocated to Berkeley, California. There, she began writing her most notable work, the SCUM Manifesto, which urged women to “overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation and eliminate the male sex.” [SOURCE]
I am fascinated by the notes Valerie added to the book:
Warhol’s Assailant Left Another Mark, on a Library Book
–
Raw moments with peonies captured by Nancy Kirkpatrick today at Intersections Media:
Moss covered paths between scarlet peonies,
Pale jade mountains fill your rustic windows.
I envy you, drunk with flowers;
Butterflies swirling in your dreams.
– Qian Qi (Tang Dynasty)
Painting by Alicia Love
Weighted and achy heart today on Mother’s Day. Missing Mom is an expected constant in my life. But I am so blessed to have been loved so completely by her. The pain now is, therefore, beautiful.
Revisiting some favorite photographs.
A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan
Because you are
only
a seed,
chestnut tree, autumn, earth,
water, heights, silence
prepared the germ,
the floury density,
the maternal eyelids
that buried will again
open toward the heights
the simple majesty of foliage,
the dark damp plan
of new roots,
the ancient but new dimensions
of another chestnut tree in the earth.
From Pablo Neruda, Ode to a Chestnut on the Ground
Watercolor. Quote by Lynda Barry
Inspired by moments of self-doubt and lack of momentum, I found myself looking at who I really am, to me.
JOURNAL EXERCISE: Who am I really?
Write without hesitation. What happens? Who are you?
–
Peering into my childhood summerhouse for the first time in 25 years. Photo by Julian Bowers. Ulriksdal, Mässvik, Sweden, July 2009.
I am many.
I am the 9 year old too frightened to use the washroom at school and peeing my pants when I sneeze.
I am the mom at home waiting for my kids, fresh sheets on their beds, listening for the sounds of their keys in the door, a fridge full of food, and ears that will listen gleefully, without judgement, forever.
I am the eccentric old lady in 8 layers of skirts tending my flowers in the garden out front of my little shed house, with a cat on my shoulder and 20 more in my house and my loom creates endless rag rugs and the coffee is always on.
I am the distracted monk in the scriptorium, rubbing my eyes by candle light, my hands flecked with ink stains, my skin ever itchy from the wool cloak, lost in imagery of reds and blues and golds.
I am the pubescent dancer in rose pink, alone on the stage, performing for no one but the ghosts of Balanchine and Stravinsky.
I am the lowly librarian, sorting through card catalogues and aligning the musty books in the shelves just so, pushing my glasses with a dart and and anxious glance.
I am the lustful twenty one year old, fearlessly grinding to the Kinks.
I am the recluse.
I am the leader.
I am the activist.
I am the restrained.
I am the New Yorker.
I am the timid.
I am the middle finger upping, Doc martens covered in shit wearing, obliterating chins that get in my way kicking, my life aggressively behind me dragging, yelling:
Come on! Get up, you fuck!
There is no time to delay for the the time is now.
Your life is here.
Here, now.
TRUST IT. TAKE IT.
–
China marker on newsprint
China marker on newsprint
Pasted on “the wall”
Check out djriot.com:
Follow @bypoststreet
The latest creative collaboration by @poststreet (Kat Thorsen) and @the_social_life (Anna T Fabulous).
Art/ Fashion/ Music
Portraits/ T-shirts/ Podcasts
Twitter/ Instagram/ Soundcloud
COLLECTION 2 in celebration of Chaos to Couture at the Met:
“R”
“V”
Stiv Bators
Linder Sterling
Lora Logic
Kathleen Hanna
Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
I am drawn to the metaphoric significance of the dead bird in my graphic novel even though I am uncertain what the metaphor is.
I come across these sacred moments on my walks and always pay attention. I stay still. And try to listen.
My friends are sharing in my search for the meaning.
Dead Bird at Abandoned House. Photo by Matthew Roy
“Not a whole dead bird but enough evidence to open a case file.” – Darcy. Photo by Darcy Glip
My search continues. I seek out meaning in literature. Since I was 10, I come back to Oscar Wilde’s story of the nightingale. I cannot read it without a profusion of tears for the nightingale and its sacrifice.
The Nightingale and the Rose by Chris Conn
In dreams, dead birds can symbolize a loss of freedom. Various cultures view birds either as a way the soul is carried to heaven, or, in the case of vultures, ravens and crows, as a symbol of death.
When I read the quote above, I recalled my scratchy notes on the central theme for my graphic novel. What is the need Molly is trying to fulfill? What is her core value? What is the one word?
FREEDOM.
That is it. I believe I have found the central theme. The meaning of the dead bird. My need to seek them out and listen.
The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hill for the caged bird
sings of freedom…
- May Angelou
Recall my journey with visionboards, mindmaps using:
My previous posts:
Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes.
Right-brain entrepreneur Jennifer Lee is a certified coach, writer, artist, yogini, and the founder of Artizen Coaching. Before pursuing her own passions full-time, she consulted for ten years for companies such as Accenture, Gap, Sony, and HP, helping leaders and organizations manage change. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and her website is www.rightbrainbusinessplan.com.
Last Thursday, I led a group through the process of mindmapping using my usual techniques and incorporating tips from the right brain business plan.
[I look forward to actualizing a to-do on my current mindmap: taking the right brain business plan online course and then hopefully taking it even a step further and becoming a licensed facilitator!]
I shared mindmaps made by my previous students and also relayed how mindmaps have helped me for years to organize my life. I keep all my mindmaps as they are reminders of how far I’ve come and reminders for where I need to focus. They make everything relate to everything.
Mindmapping and the right brain business plan helped my daughter and I create the ultimate and ever-evolving business plan for our new business, by post street. It helps us stay sane as we maintain vision and keep moving forward on a miniscule budget.
Inspired by Jennifer Lee’s BIG-VISION VISUALIZATION SCRIPT (p. 34-36), I encouraged the group to write about their ideal future, to think big, to see abundance and success in work, in relationships, in spirit.
Personally, I found it very empowering to write about an abundant future. It’s a LIGHTENING experience and a good balance as I tend to write during dark and anxious times.
Despite my default setting of envisioning myself in a magical little cottage down by a little lake, what do I actually envision for myself when I really concentrate? My stream of consciousness writing shows:
I found the process of envisioning an ideal future a cleansing experience. It is the opposite of processing the now or the processing of yesterday. It is a way to ease the heart and soften the belly.
And mindmaps (and visionboards) are a way to envision and put into practice [that cliché of] intention. This intention is thereby transformed into fruition. The process is not just an idealistic visualization but an actualization.
Right now I am organizing the massive amount of info in my graphic novel research using charts and mindmaps and magic markers.
On this rainy Saturday, it’s time to re-focus on the projects I am working on by using:
I am getting clearer as to the multiple directions in my life and how they actually all relate nicely to each other and feed each other into A LIFE OF ART. Each category needs full attention to come to fruition, but by relating them all to each other through imagery, connection and layout, I keep it simple.
To make the task more ME and to make me energized, I tend to collect images I love and draw them out.
For a visual learner and do-er like me, it’s the perfect way to stay on task and to have a check in and to ease anxiety.
Then I add notes and analyze and type out… It’s just SO MUCH MORE FUN doing it as a piece of art… Plus I practice drawing at the same time!
I keep all the boards and check in on all of them daily. Just a glance is enough to remind, to create inner dialogue, to stay on course, to trust.
