TIE - DYE FEELS

The tie-dye trend is making a colorful splash back into our lives. Popular in the 60’s and 70’s, tie -dye is making a comeback in 2021 as the post quarantine trend.

There’s resurgence of craftsmanship and a love of hand-made goods done in a modern way and I am here for it. I recently bought a pack of crotchet needles and it gave me such pleasure getting started. My mother taught me how to knit and crotchet in my younger days and I used to enjoy it so much. The nostalgia of it all flooded back. My sister Flo is the true MVP of crocheting and she just finished a top which will be on here sometime too.

This time we have spent during the pandemic has brought about the need to be connected with nature, and things made by hand. Tie-dye is playing a huge role in that. It gives that sense of connecting with our inner creative selves. Not just tie-dye, any form of craftsmanship that sparks joy for you in these times. I find myself leaning heavily on things I used to do when I was young. Like painting and drawing, knitting, and crocheting. I have a sense of wonder when I actually accomplish something. My inner child is at bliss.

 The tie-dye trend is in full blast for spring summer seasons and not just for Coachella enthusiasts.

Is this a trend you are willing to try? Let me know in the comments.

Sandals: Chanel

Kiondo Bag - Maasai Market

Sunnies: Ray Bans

Photography: Jess

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curlderon/

Website: https://www.curlderon.com/

Thank you for stopping by. :)

ROSHIE - SAN

The Story of “Roshie-San Afro-Samurai.” [Visually Narrated by Nestlè Snipes.]

Here Are Candid Images of Roshie-san. Rogue Member of The Dora Milaje Who fled Wakanda Against King T’Challa Orders.

Seen Here Traning On The Steps of The Shaolin Temple. Roshie-San Has Learned The Ways of The Samurai In Order To Be Among Those Selected To Protect The World & Engage In Mortal Kombat.

Roshie-San Is Seen Here Channeling Her Kundalini Energy Though A Series of Ancient African Poses To Awaken The Warrior Goddess Inside of Her In Order To Fight Against The Powers of Evil.

This was hands down the most unconventional shoot I have done to date. And after doing 8 years of this, I am loving where we are going with this.

I initially had a lifestyle shoot planned out but the location and vibes wasn’t doing it.

This shoot happened post brunch walking downtown and boom! Arthur spotted the door the colors and here we are. I eventually took of my shoes to fly into the wait with the greatest of ease. The lightness of it.

Ah! I enjoyed this so much. Granted all that was not easy with a mask on but my goodness! Phenomenal. Arthur stated he would pen this post. A first for this blog! :)

The best part about this shoot was that, I wore items from my friends.

My friend Yao, brand strategist and a designer made the mask. My former roommate Lian has a company that makes beautiful jewelry that I wore. All showcased on here. I am interested in forging relationships brands that are starting up. That’s my new commitment moving forward! super excited for what’s to come.

Also, thoughts on these new editorial shoots. I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for stopping by!

Creative Direction: Arthur and Roshie

Editorial Photography: Arthur Snipes

Mask: Yao Ayeh

Rings: Loocid Global

Instagram: Snipes_studios

Website: http://snipesstudios.com

PIER 17

Happy Friday!

Listen, New York City is opening up and I will be hear to document it all. I can feel it in the air. The energy! The people! It’s happening. It feels almost electric. I feel like I am shedding the winter air weight that had clinged on me like lint I couldn’t get off. Things feel a little lighter now in NYC.

Heavy winter months are fading away and sunny lighter months have strolled in an pulled a chair. On this day, lightness sat down and asked for a mimosa! We shot, had brunch and vibed. Pier 17, downtown Manhattan has been revamped and looks really beautiful. The perfect location for this shoot.

I have been really enjoying this weather and my baldie out. New York is opening up and I am beyond excited. I have sang about the joy of dressing up and since that is the mantra, a utilitarian vibe what this calls for. I spotted utilitarian trends over on the interwebs after the Spring Sumer Fashion shows last year. School has me researching trend reports and I can confess am enjoying every minute of it. Product development has a whole new meaning for me.  I am currently obsessed with blazers because they go with anything an everything. Now that I have stowed away the hoodie, hello blazer. This post makes it the third post with a blazer look and it makes me so happy! Blazer baby what’s good!

The dress is from Marisa Web, she is huge on all things utilitarian and I love her spin on it. I paired with a Ralph Blazer that had been staring at me for the longest. It brought about an interesting contrast paired with a dress. White trainer will always be it for me. The go with everything. I am actually officially adding them to my list of classics. With that said, I guess it’s time to do a classics list. Perhaps on the next post.

Oh man, I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to be back jotting on this space of mine. It gives me so much joy. Writing a post and editing is the final step before releasing this idea born out of a love of  fashion and art. Once I hit publish, we are off to another adventure. A constant cycle from ideation to completion and I had missed that so much. This week has been heavy as I was reminded of the loss of my dear brother three years ago. April 26th 2018 changed my life. The blog hasn’t been the same since. To be back to this space that he too contributed and is forever going to be part of is something I will treasure.

We are back to creating, dreaming, and  living the very best life!

I am passing this vibrant energy to you. I hope you find that which fires up your soul and you keep doing what brings you joy. I saw a tweet that said, “ No one is supposed to understand your calling. It wasn’t a conference call.”

  Do you! 😊

Thank you for stopping by!

Photography: Arthur

Instagram: Snipes_studios

Website: http://snipesstudios.com

Blazer: Ralph Lauren

Dress: Marissa Web

Sunnies: Chanel

Shoes: Ralph Lauren

Bag: Gifted RL

RAINY DAYS

Spring is a time I look forward to. The beginning of another season. Time for something new and yet for me this is a reminder of loss.

The month of April for the past couple of years have always been heavy. April reminds me of loss of my brother and there is this air of constant grief that is surrounding me. My siblings go through it as well. We have learnt to lean on each other for support that way. A casual check in. An “I love you.” text.

I promised myself that this year, rather than sink in the grief of it I would rather swim in it. Find a way to breathe through it all. My prayer was to also find strength to celebrate the moments that make life full and be fully present.

Sometimes I think, you really get what you profess and confess. And that the law of attraction is alive and around us. Creating for me is a divine experience. Everything is well thought out from ideation to completion. It could be a new recipe I’ve I am trying out. Or testing out some new paints. To working on a new look for this blog

My focus was a bright color that would scream spring! Maxi dresses are very feminine however, once you throw on a blazer, it shift the silhouette and gives it its own identity. A play on masculine/feminine in dressing. Talking about playing, I have been doing a lot of that and I find it restorative. I read Brene Brown’s The Gifts of imperfection and cultivating Play was a fabulous chapter. Why? Because we don’t make enough time for it. We are on adulting mode as our default setting. Any form of fun and play is frowned upon. To this I say no. Gah! The importance of play brings you joy, laughter, happiness, and evokes a sense of inner peace. You only need to look around you and what is going on in the world to understand that.I think this Global Pandemic has shown me the importance of cultivating things that bring you joy. I spoke on it on the last post and I will be singing about it through this year. We are all connected. We are hurting, we are grieving, we live in a state of constant trauma that my friend even mentioned that it’s beginning to make them numb. To be numb is to be reprieved of feeling and responsiveness. To be deprived of the power of sensation. Like a domino effect, numbness will deprive you the endless joys that this world has to offer.

The weather chose to give us rain, a shoot had been schedule and thus a shoot came to fruition. I danced in the rain, skipped, tangoed and waltzed with the umbrella because the wind would not let me prosper, laughed so hard at it that at some point I used the umbrella as an accessory. I felt the rain on my skin, the wind blowing on my bald head, and the hem of my dress got wet as I skipped over little puddles. IT FELT AMAZING! GLORIOUS and I felt very much alive!

I look back at these pictures with so much happiness because of the memories they evoke. They are those who get rained on and there some of us who feel the rain.

Arthur outdid himself. Extremely calm and composed in these weather elements because we don’t cancel shoots, we flow with them. Rain or shine. Here’s to celebrating everyday moments that make us feel alive and full.

Also Happy 4/20 to those that partake ceremonial herbs :)

Photography: Arthur

Instagram: Snipes_studios

Website: http://snipesstudios.com

Thank you for stopping by.

Dress: Staud Clothing

Blazer: Madewell

Shoes: Adidas

Bag: Ralph Lauren

Sunnies: Ray Bans

Umbrella: Borrowed from Fuza :)

NEW SEASON

I have been laughing a lot recently. Perhaps it’s in resistance to what’s happening around me. In the world because this year feels long already. I lost someone I dearly loved this past February. The grief of it felt like an abyss. It still hurts writing about it. We all have lost so much in so many ways. With loss, any loss, I find that I am constantly reminded of all the other losses. The grief finds a way of magnifying. It feels strange coming back on this pace. I have gotten used to journaling on paper. I did that when I decided to hibernate for some time. Regroup, think, then get back up. And in the hibernation, I started cultivating joy in little ways.
For things that I enjoyed in the past but kinda sorta stopped doing because life was moving to fast. Things like writing, cooking, painting, walking.... in one of my photographic styling classes, they termed that as “INGing” the things we do that brings us pleasure.
I love using the word cultivate because in essence, you are constantly toiling. Plowing.
I found a definition that really rings true on Google

Cultivate - to improve or develop with careful attention, training or study : devote time and thought to.

Ahhh that hit home. Some days are easier than others but the only way to be in those moments of joy, is to constantly work on it. Like a muscle. The things that bring me joy like working out, mediating, sketching, painting, walking, reading, have been gems for me. My way of praying and connecting to a superior power. I have been thrilled to be back on here writing and creating. We are back shooting with Arthur, earlier readers may recall some dope work we did together in 2016-2017. We both have grown in our artistic expressions and I can’t wait for you all to see what we have in store. There is a newness in the air. It feels really good. Like taking a deep breath in nature. As the seasons change so do we. May we be aware we are shifting just like the wind.

This shoot was done at my dear Fuza’s place. The décor is extremely divine and the art well curated. We have been indoors for quite sometime now and creating spaces that feel like home is what a full life calls for. Here we talk, vibe, create, paint, laugh, dine, partake in ceremonial herbs, and now take photos.

Thank you Fuza & Anunay for opening your space for this shoot. We had a grand time.

Welcome back my dear reader. We have great things in store for you :)

Photography: Arthur Hylton

Instagram @Snipes_studios

Website: http://snipesstudios.com