Even though I don’t follow them as closely as NYFW, I still love catching some of the shows in London, Milan, and Paris. And this season some of my favorites were Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Elie Saab, and Dolce & Gabbana…
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If you follow along on Instagram, I confessed my recent obsession with all things ballet. This is nothing new and I get the ballet bug every once in awhile but this time it’s really sticking with me…
Ballet was a large part of my life growing up, I danced for fifteen years and then pretty much abandoned it when I went to college. I haven’t danced since. I don’t really know why, maybe I was just enjoying being lazy for awhile =) But ballet has left such an impression on me and I still think it’s one of the most beautiful forms of art. I based my undergraduate senior visual art thesis around the study of ballerinas in motion…
The final installation consisted of sixteen ballerinas created with pastel and charcoal in various stages of fragmented movement, frozen in time, suspended from the ceiling, and surrounded in floating white tulle. Beneath the images, on the floor I arranged some old pointe shoes my roommate and I had been holding onto from our dancing days. The heavy sand represented the gravity and weight that is always present and ever challenging but somehow the ballerinas effortlessly float above it. It took forever to install my work in the space and I had a labyrinth of fishing wire above holding it all together but I look back on it now, seven years later, and still feel its relevance in my life and in my love of ballet.
I’m really excited because we just purchased tickets to opening night with American Ballet Theatre at Lincoln Center in October. Fingers crossed we’ll get to see Misty Copeland dance. I’ve started practicing ballet again in my apartment… (I just ordered a new pair of ballet slippers!) and am working up towards feeling strong and confident enough to take some beginning classes at the Joffrey ballet school. Maybe someday I’ll be able to dance pointe again. I’m obsessively watching all the videos on New York City Ballet’s website, I just saw this amazing documentary, and I’m pretty sure the number of ballet dancers I follow on Instagram is starting to outweigh the number of fashion bloggers. It’s been ten years since I stepped foot in a ballet studio but I think I’m about ready to go back. Here’s to rediscovering past loves and following your heart wherever it may take you.
Have a wonderful and inspiring weekend!!
~Joanna <3
Happy weekend lovelies! I have some exciting news to share on the shop front. I’ve recently partnered with Casetify (a leading phone case manufacturer who prints on transparent cases so your golden iPhone can shine through!) and am now offering for the first time ever some of my favorite illustrations on cell phone cases.
It was so much fun choosing which illustrations to feature and I will definitely be adding more to my Casetify shop soon. If you have an illustration in mind that you’d love to see on a phone case, iPad cover, etc. let me know! I hope you have a fabulous Saturday and happy phone case shopping =)
~Joanna <3
P.S. – Thanks so much to the Marchesa team for featuring my illustration of their gorgeous clutch on Instagram! And a happy welcome to my new Insta followers, I can’t wait to share my journey with you!!
How gorgeous was Marchesa’s Resort collection? If you missed it, you can find all the looks here. I follow them on Instagram and love seeing up close garment details and inspiration behind the line! I picked my three favorite “casual sunday brunch” looks and had so much fun rendering the details… meet my Marchesa triplets!
After a short work day, I’m off to the beach to enjoy some sunshine! Hope you have a fabulous holiday weekend!!
~Joanna <3
I’m a firm believer in celebrating victories big and small when you’re working hard to pursue a dream… and this past Sunday, I reached 3,000 Instagram followers!
When I quit my full-time job back in January of this year, I had a vision of where I wanted to be, the support of my close friends and family, and about 600 sweet Instagram cheerleaders giving me that extra boost to make the leap.
Fast forward nearly 5 1/2 months later and I’m able to share my journey with some wonderful people! I love seeing the comments and making a connection through my art, it helps me to keep going, keep pushing to achieve my goals and know in my heart that if you work hard enough and believe in yourself, you can will your dreams into reality.
I hope you have a happy Wednesday and a wonderful July 1st! I’m excited to celebrate the 4th this weekend with some dear friends and hopefully plenty of watermelon! =)
~Joanna <3
