Barrier Free Art

Art- n. the quality, production expression or realm, according to aesthetic principles of what is beautiful, appealing or of more than ordinary significance.  

 

DCD065FD-4E0A-4A96-B8A5-BD62B22F6B62At the crossroads of fashion is art. Intersecting with beauty. Obstructed by society with conceptual identities circulating around us.

Daily, intrusive societal barriers are unconsciously imposed on us thru various art forms/propaganda: fashion, music, movies, politics and of course- with its curated content- social media. These barriers operate as systematic attempts to place identities on individuals through standards sculpted by society. Artfully shaped these mind mediums don’t just resonate with us they subconsciously reinforce who we are.

These same societal barriers disrupt beauty and self-expression. Westernization, along with trends, has diluted  individuality,  deflecting the gravity of embracing our authentic being. Considering a trend is a social process of change and acceptance created by human beings, this explains why we buy into mainstream trends and  beauty ideologies  – the more you see it, the more appeal and acceptance it garners. Figuratively, beauty trends are forging modern day, cookie-cutter cults.

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Photographed byMarcus Jones of  L3 Media

Ask any male and he’ll label it witch craft, but makeup application in itself is definitely an art craft; without art’s individualistic influence, it’s just makeup. This modern day beauty “trend” has always been an unconventional tool of self-expression and personal empowerment.

It is up to the makeup artist to see not only the beauty in our clients, but also the beauty in the world. With social media perpetuating beauty as a tangible good and creativity as a copy, the Art & Makeup Exhibition was born.

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Artist in Action @ Art & Makeup Exhibition

The Art & Makeup Exhibition is social and creative endeavor that reinforces that beauty is about confidence and individuality while uniting makeup artist in an environment that fuels creativity and dispels competition. Thus, artist can build community while exchanging honest feedback on beauty products and create beauty content to showcase their artistry.

 

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Barrier Free Art Installation created by Yancy Villa-Calvo @ Orange Mound Gallery

 

 

 

 

The Artitude of Attitude

 

It’s been a fast 4 years in NYC and I’m living out my (dream) life. Dreams are supposed to be enchanting, exhilarating and perfect; likewise nightmares  are perplexingly dark, numbing and hellish.  Somewhere in between the two worlds, you can find me bent over backwards, on one foot, wobbling through reality. Balancing your dreams and reality really is an art form. It’s thrilling- yet gut wrenching when your dreams start to manifest.

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To believe you have full dominion over your dreams  and be held accountable for its shortcomings, evokes both power and fear. Fear can be crippling. Like a nightmare we have to convince ourselves that fear is not real. As humans we naturally have fears, but placing more weight on our fears counteracts our faith, ultimately blocking the manifestation of our goals and life purpose.

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It can be visually empowering  to see others flying by the seat of their pants fighting fear. Social media can make it look sooo effortless you’d need a psychic magnifying lens to see the life disturbances and demons present in the background.  My  NYC daydream has been no walk in the park. I’ve been physically assaulted,  fired, battled homelessness, heartbreak, enlisted more frienemies than friends, along  with an infinite number of other obstacles/failures. Life challenges in the face of fear are important because they mold us into greater versions of ourselves. These ruthless and relenting obstacles create courage and wisdom while strengthening mental/spiritual growth.

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4 is the number of fate and resonates mastery, endurance, stability, conscientiousness and self-sacrifice. It is with great honor that I accept the fear and challenges of the unknown as I celebrate my 4th anniversary in the concrete jungle. Feel the fear and do it any way! #FUCKFEAR

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CONTROL your thoughts. CHALLENGE yourself. EVOLVE….just embrace it.