OTHER.MAG

 Many moons ago I met a beautiful soul named Michelle Athena. At the time I was working at Aldo Shoes in Manchester, NH and my manager was off on pregnancy leave. Because of this the company was utilizing many different Key Holders and managers from other local locations in order to cover the store. Miss Michelle was sent to my location one night to close the store with me as her closing associate.

In life I truly believe people are brought to you for a reason, and a lot of the time it is crazy who is meant to be in your life and why. You see at the time I had no idea what life was going to bring either of us especially with my personal journey. That is how life works, though, it brings you people and a lot of time it’s before you know or understand the bigger picture! I now know that I was supposed to know Michelle to be inspired by her talents as well as sing her praises for her accomplishments.

That night Michelle and I instantly bonded over life having very similar interests in many different things. Little did I know then how beautiful her success would prove to be and how far she would truly come! Michelle is now a published author of the book Charlotte and the Wooden Castle, and now founder, editor, and chief of Other.mag. She lives in Florida with her boyfriend and two pups and lives a life of inspiration & destination.

After that night I never really saw Michelle in person again, but we stayed in touch via social media. Michelle is truly an inspiration and I don’t think she even knows how much her posts have influenced and inspired me for many years now. I wish very much that we lived closer as her magazine is truly art and I wish very desperately to help with it one day. For now I can be a fan and reader and share how incredible her magazine truly is so let’s begin:

The magazine is broken up into five different chapters so how I want to go about this post is to give you a glimpse of each chapter by a quote from each.

Lilith.

“When you built me in the womb, was I not to delight in the way it mimics the moon? Was I not to seek her companionship, as we wax and wane in tandem?" 

  Undine.

“She must exist within our world without becoming consumed by it. All the emotions we feel for being what we are, that is what floods in for her, because she is no longer creature or monster; she is a soul within, looking out.” 

Wicked.

“Nine ounces an eternity in the making you are stardust. You are volcanic ash and you landed on the eyelashes of your great, great grandmother’s great, great grandmother and that night she dreamnt of your smile my girl.”

Banshee.

 “I saw it in her eyes. Like a sunrise in the forest, she moved through the trees slowly, greeting each like a solider coming home from war.”

Crone.

“I simply lie with my eye on the door, pulse rushing and heartbeat quaking. Those are the nights that follow me to my waking existence; that leave me glancing at moving shadows in empty corridors.”

I have always had a love and passion for magic. My imagination has always been my refuge. I use fashion to execute my need to express and create something all of my own. After reading OTHER.Mag I have found myself in awe of its beauty and pure poetry. Michelle and her team have created a world all of their own by representing different interpretations of the mythological world. I think my favorite part of the magazine (other than everything) was simply reading Bree Hays talk about the journey they took to creating OTHER.Mag.

People forget how important it is to listen to the voice in your stomach (your gut) that tells you what your true purpose is. Society has a compelling way of whispering doubt into our minds convincing us not to fulfill our dreams. I for many years listened to that voice and did not pursue the path that I am on today. Now I am not afraid to use my intuition to guide me towards my bigger purpose, and it is so beautiful to see many “OTHER.s” following their true paths.

Michelle was kind enough to answer a few questions I came across after reading each chapter. I asked her a series of three questions that I think will inspire you to enter the beautiful world she has represented and created through OTHER.

“What made you choose each chapter’s subject? Was it due to simply historic symbolism or was it slightly personal?”

Michelle: “That’s a great question. It was a mixture of the two. Each member of our creative team expressed what they were drawn to, focusing on the misinterpretations and stigmas associated with female ‘monsters’ or figures in folklore. All embody this quality of the Antagonist, which I find, on a personal level, is often associated with anything ‘Other.’ So, I think it was a combination of both the knowledge and closeness in choosing features. Making connections with the modern feminine experience was fairly easy once we began developing each character.”

“Since you are the face of ‘Wicked’ is that because you feel as if this is a pure representation of you? Or do you feel as I do that a piece of you is represented in each chapter?”

“It’s funny you mention the feeling that each section represents an aspect of yourself. After production, I came to the realization that this is the journey of one woman. Each is a stage of the feminine experience and development, and even though this wasn’t intentional, I believe it was subconsciously motivated as I constructed the projects and designed the layout. My part in Wicked was a mutually agreed upon character between the visual director, Alex and myself.

I do feel a visceral connection with all these characters. On set I was responsible for conveying the narrative and directing each model to become their assigned persona. So, in a way I was conveying a part of myself in how I am a piece of a greater feminine being by being a woman.”

“When coming up with the link between our modern day understanding of ‘magical’ and tales of history & culture what brought you to ‘OTHER.’ as the link between the two worlds?”

“The concept of ‘OTHER’ originated from the medieval era illuminated manuscripts that spoke of the creatures and entities that existed on the precipice of human perception/borders both physically and spiritually. I have a strong connection to that era in my education; I focused my art history and literature curriculum on this timeframe and because of this, it has greatly influenced my creative endeavors, including my second novel which I have yet to release.   

I arrived that Otherness being a facet of the human mind as it bridges from spiritual to physical; in how we relate ourselves to the unknown, usually emphasizing our oddities and how uniqueness in turn relates us to our fellow human. It is all very complex and holds beautiful meaning for me, and the entire mission of the magazine is wholly born by the value I hold on Otherness.”

If you would like to purchase and subscribe to the OTHER.Mag, purchase Michelle’s novel, or her personal blog check out the links below! NEW ISSUE OUT NOW!!!! 

v  OTHER.Mag- https://www.othermag.co/shop 

v  Charlotte and the Wooden Castle- https://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-Wooden-Castle-Michelle-Athena/dp/1522776389

v  Archaic Malady- https://belleathena.com/

The King of Captivation: Zack Stone

Lately I am sure you all have noticed I haven’t been blogging often. This is because some changes in my life: I got my first very own apartment, I am creating my own Etsy.com company, and I am expanding my brand to be something powerful and hopefully meaningful. All these things take time, preparation, and focus, so I have been putting effort in time spent alone and with friends to make these dreams come true. I have always been a big dreamer, but haven’t always been able to find purpose for all my dreams.

This year I have learned that what I was meant to do wasn’t just one thing, but a series of goals that all collaborate into one big one. I am creating more things than I ever have both physically and metaphorically. I have some really exciting things to share with you all, both projects I have been creating and making, as well as business plans I am going to be implementing soon.

On another note I have not only been focusing on my goals, but also meeting more talented artists who have skills I do not. One in particular is an extremely talented photographer Zack Stone. His pictures are captivating, breath taking, romantic, mythical, exotic, and other worldly. He has a way of taking a moment and making it a masterpiece.

I have worked with a good amount of photographers and I find that working with Zack is really a rewarding collaboration for many reasons. A lot of the time when you go into a photoshoot you are only to go off of the moves and angles that you know. What I love about working with Zack is his ability to make you a piece of art by guiding you and directing you into this unbelievable moment. His small or even dramatic guidance puts you in a certain mood when he photographs you.

Now that we have done a couple shoots together I have started to learn the mood he likes to capture, so it has become such a fun process of knowing the direction he gives and now the guidance I have completely implemented into my modeling. I think he has made me a better model, simply by helping me feel a mood when taking a photo, but also by learning new ways to hold myself in order to capture something beautiful.

When I first received the photos I was astonished at how gorgeous they were and it was not because of me by any means, but by his ability to take such a powerful photo. I will let his words through some questions I asked him and the pictures he has taken of me speak for themselves, as his pictures speak way more than 1,000 words.

When in your life did you first realize photography was something that would forever be your ultimate passion? Was it a series of events, or was it something you always knew?

Well, I’ve always struggled to have hobbies because most of them that I tried required me to have others to do it with, so most other things prior to photography I gave up because people didn’t get into it as much as I did. Photography is different because I can go out and take photos of whatever by myself. I have a tendency to go all out when I’m into something. It’s something that’s in my personality; I’m very hot and cold about things, which can be a determent sometimes. I made it an almost daily routine to grab my camera after work and just take photos of everything, I really enjoyed it. It also provides a nice buffer between my personal issues and me. It wraps me up in a positive place that I always want to go back to.

What inspires your photos now to have both the mood and look that you aim for, and do you think the mood you have now is consistent with when you first started avidly pursuing photography?

I’ve always been obsessed with depth of field; I just love the look of it. I struggle to describe my artistic vision because it seems like a certainty that I’ll come across as pretentious. I think a lot of what I try to go for comes from a love of fantasy, a bit of idealism and also a sense of sadness at times. I grew up watching, reading and playing games that revolved around fantasy. I think photography allows me to put my own spin on the world.

How would you describe your art if you had to describe it instead of letting it speak for itself?

I’d like to think of it as emotive, moody, and dreamy. People often tell me my photos look “soft” I think that’s a desirable adjective. I’m a pretty emotional person myself, who thinks a lot; I’m also pretty existential so that may also reflect in my work. I’d also say it’s simple I don’t like photos where there is a lot of crazy posing, and cheesy gimmicks. I like the “less is more” approach.

When you pursue models and looks what usually inspires that? Is it organic or do you feel as if it is something you plan out before implementing?

I find a lot of different models photogenic for different reasons. I think a lot of it may be a subconscious processing that I’m not completely aware of. Some of them have an “agency” look and some have that girl next door look as well. There are women who are certainly more apt for certain genres more than others just based on appearance. Sometimes, models can do a lot of different things but that’s rarer. I’d also like to stress that it’s not enough to just be an attractive person, it helps but there has to be a connection between the model and subjects who will be looking at her photo. I find a really great model is someone who can basically just look at you with minimal body language and hook you in.

What is your favorite thing about being behind the camera lens? Is it almost like looking through your real eyes or do you feel like you see the world in photographs now?

The camera gives me the ability to transform the world into the way I envision it in my head. I preconceive my photos a lot, especially landscapes, but I do for portraiture as well. This is also where I’d like to dispel the mantra of gear doesn’t matter, it does. I couldn’t do portraits the way I’d want to without a fast aperture. As I said earlier, I’m pretty obsessed with a thin depth of field. Photography in general has really opened up my social life as well. I can incorporate my photography into everything I spend my time doing. And I’ve made some wonderful friends who I never would have met otherwise.

What does your logo SlamzeeNY stand for and why did it become your brand?

Oh god, haha. It’s actually a self-parody that just stuck with me since I was 14. The story is, I was listening to Eminem’s “My Name is” and during the chorus I thought Slim Shady was Slamzeeny, my friends took note of my mistake and I decided to make it a joke because I thought it was amusing. It’s also unique in its own way as well.

If you would like to see more of Zack’s work and I urge you to do so, please visit his Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/slamzeeny/