#missjamjam

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I had the pleasure of meeting Nina of NinaMarlena when I was asked to be a part of RAW. Right away I was in awe of her beautiful Skull Creations. I knew I had to have one of my very own.  So with my love of Purple leopard print in mind I asked her if she could make me my very own Nina Marlena Skull and thus she created me this masterpiece:

    ♥Explain your work a little?

At the moment I create colourful, textured and patterned skull related art for the interior environment. This includes but is not limited to skull ornaments, three dimensional wall art and prints. I am constantly experimenting with new techniques and ideas so my work is ever-evolving and there is so much more to come!

♥What inspires your work?

I am incredibly inspired by the quality of materials whether it be a textile or a substance. I am inspired by the concepts of surrealism and the threshold between the real and the imagined. I find most inspiration browsing through art and design blogs. If I am moved by an image, even in a distantly related field, I enjoy trying to apply an element of the aesthetic or concept to my own work, creating something new all together. Working with other passionate creatives on projects and merging ideas has also been incredibly motivational for me.

♥Pick a favorite piece of work you have created?

I had an exhibition last year, "everything is anything else" which featured skulls involved in bizarre installations. An installation titled "submerged" was my favourite. It featured 6 skulls submerged in an aquarium with a bicarbonate/water solution. Ink droplets were dripped into the solution throughout the evening forming curling, creeping coloured fluids that wrapped and morphed around the skulls. The bicarbonate caused the ink to move as if in slow motion.

♥What’s the best thing about creating?

Executing a concept and the thrill of seeing it come to life in finished form. I also enjoy discovering new things through each and every project; in terms of myself and art techniques. I love that further inspiration is born from creation and it continues as a cycle.

♥How do people interpret your work?

I have witnessed a mixture of responses to my work. Children fall in love with the bright colours and patterns and then more conservative adults are completely creeped out. The skull is such a widely known object with varied cultural significance and i think because of this my art resonates with a variety of different people for particular reasons.

♥Where can we get more info about you and your work?

I have known Chayla for some time now and have always been in awe of her work. We have worked together on many different shoots.

From the soft feminine imagery or the work that reminds me of yesteryear I am drawn to her work, which is why I chose to share her work with you all. Have a read of the little interview we did together and take in all the beauty that is Chayla Taylor Photography  

♥Explain your work a little:

 I'm a photographer and I love shooting in my own style. I love to create pin up style images with ladies from all walks of life, from burlesque performers to cleaners - I love making them all look amazing in front of the camera. I love shooting pin ups but I also love vintage and creative weddings, and fashion concepts as well! I put a lot of effort in posing perfection and understanding women’s bodies to create a better image - my work is very female and feminine and centered around women - their lives, their stories, their interests, and their businesses

♥What inspires your work:

 My biggest inspiration is history, and often not just retro 1950s... I spend hours every week reading about such a variety of topics - the ottoman empire, the history of geishas, the fashions of the French revolution, how WWI changed dress lengths forever and the start of the flapper style. I love how politics strongly influences fashion. Although this influence may not be obvious in most of the work people see on my photography page, it is the fire that keeps my photography passion growing. I realised when I was younger I didn't have the skills to draw or paint like the masters I worshiped, so I poured my heart into photography as a way to express all the images I saw in my head reading about times gone by.

♥Can you pick a favorite piece of work you have created?

 I don't think I can pick a favorite! Each piece I create is often so personal.. But for my final exhibition from TAFE I chose a photo I took of the stunning Laura Young wearing a Chein Noir Designs gown.

♥What is the best thing about creating?

For me when I see something that I have thought about so long finally finished its how I imagine mothers of baby birds would feel when they see them fly. That feeling of so much energy and focus to create something beautiful is amazing.

♥How do people interpret your work?

I'm not really sure! I guess I shoot a variety of styles but the common theme of most of my work is women, and I like to represent all the sides that every person has. We can never just be summed up in one photo, so all the photos I create are a little fragment of myself and of that person posing for me. The feedback I get is overwhelmingly positive though!

♥What Advice do you have for aspiring creators?

If you are interested in photography, yes, by all means pick up the camera and start to play around! But you NEED to educate yourself as much as possible about it! One of the things about photography that I love and that really grabs me is that it is never just take a pretty picture, there is so much technical knowledge necessary to keep moving forward with your work and in the field. Everyone owns a digital camera and if they like can ask at camera shops what is a good lens they should buy. What should be special is YOU. Your skill, your style, the way you talk to people... it all makes a huge difference to the final image. Education is key. Some people can blunder blindly in the dark snapping photos and encountering problems with their work they don't understand and trying to fix it in their Photoshop work. I have a need to understand exactly what I am doing so it makes me feel very in control of my shoot if anything goes wrong that I know exactly why and can fix it. And stop shooting for free or doing weddings for $100. It is NOT okay to do this. People will never value you as an artist or a photographer if your work is free or too cheap. That’s where education is important again. One interesting fact about your work: Some photo shoots may develop in the back of my mind for months, or even years before the opportunity to shoot it comes up. I often wait until I meet the perfect person for the shoot or until I randomly drive past the perfect location. Rarely am I creating something from nothing... sometimes it is a line in a book I read as a child that suddenly comes back to me and I have to create this perfect image to bring it to life, but shoots like that can take so long to come to fruition just for ONE image!

♥Info about my work:

 Most of the info about me and my work is on my photography facebook page. I find that people don't visit websites very often anymore so I put a lot of my work on that page for people's convenience. I can also be emailed at [email protected] because I LOVE hearing about other people's ideas and helping them to create their vision!

♥Facebook: Chayla Taylor Photography

♥Email: [email protected]

After our little post down memory lane featuring Burlesque Baby and Mame Clothing. It only seemed fitting that the next in line would be Redstripe Clothing.

  Our partnership started back when Jade and I were together for Suzi Homemaker. Upon having our wares in Redstripe , Lake Bovell owner and operator of Redstripe  Clothing went above and beyond to help our little label become well-known and established with in the Perth Fashion Scene.   Once I started with Miss Jam Jam the generosity flowed from Lake again.

Lake is well situated in many events and committees running to make Perth the creative hub it is today.

Lake is not only a part of Red Stripe Clothing which started out as a little market store at the Subi markets which over the years evolved  to the well reputable alternative store it is today.

She has leant her hand to many of the events featured in Northbridge to help support local designers.

From http://www.onwilliam.com.au

 a collection of William Street Stores coming together to Show case events

in 2011 Miss Jam Jam was asked to be a part of Popsicle. This event is another event that Lake is heavily invested in.

Popsicle is associated with Perth Fashion Week featuring many up and coming designers in Perth.

Window Displays in Redstripe helped me really bring my label to a whole new crowd.

I thank Lake and Redstripe for all their continual support for my label and I hope for a long and enjoyable relationship for the future.  

It's been a tad little while since I actually made a proper post on my tumblr

But I have decided to start giving back a little more over here. Posting more and more... plugin local events/people/places ect. And generally sharing awesome things that well I think are awesome and that I hope you do too. So keep an eye out for the weeks to come and the things that I shall be posting about :O)