An introductory period

When I was growing up, beginning primarily in middle school, I was always looking forward to my art classes. I loved the creative freedom and allowed myself to get lost within those moments, even if they did only last about an hour. I tried so many different mediums through the years—batik, charcoal, acrylic and oil paints, clay sculpture, pottery, metal smithing, lost wax jewelry. The list could go on and on and on. I was determined to try it all so I could know exactly what I loved and what would maybe need more time.

In my spare time when I was home, I loved to write. I’ve kept stacks of journals for so long now that I almost have the chronicles of the greater part of my life documented in pen and paper. It can be most fascinating to pick an old one up and get a glimpse into my life back then. Who was I crushing on? Who did I hate? What was I looking forward to? What was I dreading? So many raw emotions when you’re that age. There would be many pages dedicated to poetry or some would be a kind of drawing-collage hybrid with my entry for that day integrated and hidden within the illustration.

I also began writing short stories early on and my older sister, who had just graduated college, enrolled me in a creative writing summer class. I was so inspired by movies and often dreamt of seeing them come to life on a big screen. I wanted to write the next Kill Bill which was my cinema obsession at the time. All I knew is that I wanted to have my art be consumed. The idea of your writing being turned into film or television was so exciting to me. To witness it come to life visually, your words becoming this breathing, growing, tangible thing suddenly…that’s powerful!

In my junior and senior years of high school is when I discovered that fashion could be another outlet. Not only how I style myself but I could make clothes for other people too! I could use decoration of the self as a means of expression. I was taking the W Magazine’s from my best friend’s sister-in-law’s house when she was done with them—cutting out and pasting the oversized glossy pages to my bedroom walls. It got to the point where almost 100% of my walls were covered in either magazine clippings or other art works. I literally surrounded myself with the work of the world’s top designers and would stare at it all, soaking it in.

My passion for fashion translated well into a retail career. I worked my way up the food chain for a solid five years after high school before ending up in New York. I was recruited to begin working for Giorgio Armani in 2012 which felt like a dream. The Fifth Avenue flagship store was megalithic and housed all the Armani brands, even the Ristorante on the top floor. I forged so many friendships and working relationships there. After Armani came Hermès thanks to one of my colleagues. This felt like I was reaching a pinnacle of my career in retail.

It was at Hermès where I met someone that would alter the course of my life forever. He only shopped with me once, but our friendship would transcend way beyond silk scarves and Birkin bags. This person encouraged me to reignite the fires of creativity within, return to school, and go after my dreams. Four months later I arrived in San Francisco to attend Academy of Art University to study fashion journalism.

Now, as an (almost) 36 year old, I am pleased to say that I still carry around these burning embers of creativity. As an adult we don’t always get to pounce on every opportunity…but the one thing I always find the time for is writing. I still keep a journal. Still must keep a log of my life’s highs and lows. Future me will be so pleased to have the content to read. I guess that this blog will be a kind of extension of that.

Here I want to keep a chronicle of things that constantly inspire me. I hope that these entries help me dig deeper and discover further into the worlds of artistic expression. If you’ve made it this far, I bid you a very warm welcome and I hope that you return to see what I uncover next.

With gratitude,

DH