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
Charlotte and the Wooden Castle- https://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-Wooden-Castle-Michelle-Athena/dp/1522776389
0 comments:
Post a Comment