The Art of Fashion & Natural Hair: Head-wrapped!

 Hey Y’all!

So I know it’s been a minute but I’m finally back after finishing up my first year of Grad School. I have a little bit more time on my hands now that I have escaped its academic clutches. But it feels good to be back, and I promise to be better guys. Forgive me for my bootsy absence!

Now that I’m back I thought I’d hit you with a dual topic for this post, relating to both fashion and natural hair. I am talkin' bout HEADWRAPS! I know I sound overly excited, but when I tell you this is my favorite thing and my scarf collection is out of control I mean it, so I figured why not? I call this Headwrap post both fashion and natural hair related because it literally makes a statement while protecting your hair, so in theory it doubles as a fashion statement and a protective style!

  

While I have been covering my hair over the course of my life because of my religion, I didn’t get creative with it until recently. During my 3^rd year in college, I started experimenting with my scarves and different styles and BOOM a style staple was born. Sometimes I like to throw one on when I’m deep conditioning or my hair is in complete disarray, other times I like to draw unnecessary attention to my outfit, either way it’s really handy and accentuates your face. I also get asked a lot questions about them, and I figured since it is summer time why not style and wrap my friends’ hair, do a photo shoot, and then post about it? My fellow queens were nice enough to let me utilize their heads for this post, so shout out to them! *Laughs* Each look was styled and wrapped with love by me (#WrappedByDij), all the scarves and necklaces are mine (all from various places, some thrifted, some made by my mother, some bought), but I will make sure to let you know where I got everything under each photo, so you can go out and find some headwraps of your own :)

So with that being said here it is, the moment everyone who constantly asks me questions about my headwraps has been waiting for! The Infamous Headwrap Post! Enjoy!

Look #1: Criss-Cross Wrap

Model: Yolanda "Yoli" Redd
Instagram: @one_and_yoli

Headwrap : Made by my mom

Necklace: H&M

Curls: Naturally Paawpin'

Look #2: Partial Top Knot Wrap

Model: Mallorie Eckley

Instagram: @_olive_ilove

Headwrap/Scarf: Goodwill

Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Brows: Naturally Paawwpin

Look #3: Cross Over Wrap

Model: Surya Dennis-Young

Instagram: @surya_bean

Headwrap/Scarf: Nordstrom's Rack

Bone-Structure: Naturally Paawwpin'

Look #4: The Bow-Tie Wrap

Model: Mallorie Eckley

 Headwrap/Scarf: Eco-Thrift

Looks #5 & #6: The Turban (Yolanda) & Cross Over (Surya) Wrap

Models: Yolanda Redd & Surya Dennis-Young

       

Headwraps/Scarves: #5- ASOS #6- Nordstrom's Rack

Necklace: ASOS

Look #7: Partial Top Knot

Model: Mallorie Eckley

Headwrap/Scarf: My Great Aunt's

Necklace: Forever21

Look #8: The Wrap-Around Wrap

Model: Surya Dennis-Young

 

Headwrap/Scarf: H&M

Necklace: Nasty Gal

Look #9: The Crown Wrap

Model: Dij (Me!)

 

Headwrap/Scarf: ASOS (Altered by my mom)

Watch: eBay

So those are just a few of the Headwraps that I do regularly. I did them on different hairstyles so you can have the option of leaving your hair up, down or out depending on the style. I've been asked to do tutorials, so if this gets enough publicity and enough people request it, I'll suck it up and go head & put up a tutorial on my channel on how to do these styles and more. Well I hope that you've enjoyed the post and that you've gotten some inspiration in the meantime, if you have any questions, comments or requests feel free to leave them below or contact me via social networks (IG, tumblr, etc). And as all always feel free to share and spread the positivity :)

Until next time y'all...

Peace,

Dij

The Artistry Corner featuring... Aaron Beitia

Hey y’all! So this week we have our second featured guest/artist here at the Artistry Corner. I am so blessed and so honored to introduce you to an incredible young artist as well as one of my best friends and brothers, Aaron Beitia! 

Check out his work & more about him below…

This Week's Featured Artist...

~Artist~

Aaron Beitia

A Bay Area Native and recent 4^th year at Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina, Aaron is an amazing artist with an intense love for life and every different type of art you can think of. Ranging from dance to poetry, this young man has a variety of artistic talents and is a full blown artist in his own right. Ambitious, amiable, and strong-willed, Aaron is prepared to take the artistic world by storm with talks of a possible clothing line as well as his most recent endeavor in being a part of a dope poetry organization on his campus, known as the Black Ink Monks. Despite his ever busy life and the various endeavors he finds himself immersed in, he always manages to make time for his art and is hardly without pad and pencil. Please welcome to the Corner, Aaron Beitia…

 Q&A

1. When did you start drawing?

“I started drawing at 9 years old, my inspiration came from my cousin putting on Japanese anime, and from that day on I’ve just been drawing, so I kind of fell in love with it.”

2. What exactly makes you draw?

“Inspiration and whoever I came in contact with. I believe that there’s this chemistry theory that I really feel that when you come in contact with people you take something from everybody. It may not be physically, but you always take a piece of them with you and a piece of you goes with them.”

3. What inspires you to draw?

“Peace and happiness, it’s as simple as that.”

4. How do you come up with your concepts for your pieces?

“I definitely do research based on how I’m feeling. I will definitely just go research art and different types of artists of the year, see, you know, what they do, how they do it, what mediums they use, and then I’ll go ahead and do my own research based off, you know, sketches, or designs I come up with, then I’ll go ahead and do some ‘thumbnailing’ and recreating designs and then making my concepts based off of that.”

5. What is your favorite thing to draw?

A: “Trees” Me: “You talkin’ bout weed?” *LAUGHS* A: “Naw, I’m talkin’ bout real trees, the trees that are outside.”

6. Who inspires you in general?

“My mom’s my biggest inspiration, but just being able to get up every day, knowing that I’ve been blessed to have another day that’s my biggest inspiration and that’s why I feel that I need to create and produce art for the world because every day’s not guaranteed, but what you do have and the time you do have you can definitely use to inspire.”

7. 5 facts about you?

1- I speak a little bit of Japanese

2- I love to travel

3- I love fruit

4- I love everything Japanese

5- I love nature

8. Ways to connect with you?

IG: inexplicably_cali

Twitter: @hellapeezdoe

Check out some of his work and their descriptions below…

The Sight (Beauty)

• The inspiration of this composition derived from the love and care of my mother, the sight of the first woman I ever fell in love with despite her hardships she remained beautiful, peaceful, and humble. The use of cool and warm colors speaks to the emotions felt within our relationship, the sight of her crying never broke me or her spirit which is so beautiful words can't describe.
The medium of this composition is paint, pastel, sharpie, and charcoal.

Design by Nature

• This composition was influenced by the black and white views of how society depicts nature. From spring to fall and I asked myself "what would the world be without sound?" So I created this piece as I thought about my favorite Bob Marley quote, "one good thing about music is when it hits you, you feel no pain." My mediums of choice were collage, sharpie, pastel, flowers, and Styrofoam. 

Revolución de la evolución

• This composition was inspired by the African influence in Latin American countries. My country of choice was Puerto Rico because I am of mixed ethnicities. I used the white lotus to symbolize the fertility of women, and out of the white lotus grew three beautiful flowers, a Puerto Rican woman, an Afro-Puerto Rican woman, and an African woman. Together these three women create the silhouette of the continent of Africa. The reason why the Puerto Rican woman is at the back head of Africa is because that's where the slaves were taken during the time of Atlantic slave trade, next you have the Afro-Puerto Rican woman at the crown of Africa to represent the new generation as well as the heart in the stem to represent the life and mix of cultures. Lastly, we have the African woman to represent the nose and forefront of African because it all started with mother Africa. As you look to the background of the picture you see the Puerto Rican flag the red stripes of the flag play a very significant part because where the Puerto Rican woman is the stripe behind her is the continent of Puerto Rico, and the Afro- Puerto Rican woman has the continents of Africa and Puerto Rico, and finally you have the African woman and the flipped continent of Africa behind her. Finally as you look at the top of the composition you see the star gripped by the revolution hand symbolizing the struggle and fight for rights, morals and citizenship. Both countries are still fighting to be recognized, Puerto Rico because they are a common wealth and have no right to vote and Africa because it's the motherland but it is still a third world country. My medium of choice was sharpie markers.

The Journey

• The inspiration for this piece came from the influence I personally wanted everyone to feel when looking at this composition. Starting from the bottom there is a gate with a black and white lock on it, but the lock is open to symbolize that you’ve always had, the key to your potential. 
Next is the map of the world because you have to take your own journey into the world to find out who you are as a person. This takes us to the mind, where you are your biggest critic and the battle of the minds the only thing stopping your from your success is you (that's why there's two ships fighting amongst each other over the island and that island can be interpreted as the American dream, success, or whatever your heart desires). Lastly, the face well there is no face because this is a representation of every human being who hasn't looked into the mirror yet or hasn’t found out who they truly are. Everything begins with self so look in the mirror. My mediums of choice were sharpie markers.

Heart Surgery

The inspiration behind this composition was very blurry at first because I used stippling or pointism. The use of dots to create a composition is truly amazing and you have to be quite skilled but it is not impossible. The journey of learning this style was very much so heart surgery in and of itself because it requires patience and you cannot rush it or it will not come out how you want it to. I grew as an artist but I learned something about myself.... What's life worth living for if you don't have a passion or love for something? This composition is deeper than what you see and much more than what meets the eye, you have to feel it, think it, and be it. The mediums of choice were sharpie markers.

Hope you enjoy this week's feature, stay tuned for our next artist spot, until next time beautiful people...

Peace & Positivity,

Dij :)

The Art of Fashion: Sweater Weather is Better Weather

The Art of Fashion: Sweater Weather is Better Weather

Happy New Year Guys!

So, as you know it’s a new year filled with new goals, new concepts, and even better NEW POSTS! I’ve slaved over a hot keyboard, notebook, and camera to come up with some fresh new blog posts that should hopefully last me the next few months, so Grad School won’t get in the way of my blogging frequency.

     But anyways, it’s more than good to be back, it’s great, and we’re back to kick off the new year with a dope new post that we’ve been working on for the last few months now here at the Artistry Corner. I deemed this post, Sweater Weather is Better Weather, in honor of my collection of oversized sweaters for this winter season. I believe my obsession started a little over three years ago when for whatever reason I became overly infatuated with oversized-Cosby styled sweaters. I can’t tell you how or why this obsession originated, but I know after picking up my first sweater spring quarter of my freshman year in a small vintage shop in Riverside, CA, I was hooked. And from there the rest is history!

    So over the last few months I came up with a concept that involved showcasing my collection for Le Blog. I grabbed my brother, we pulled all my sweaters, created outfits for each, took pictures, and an awesomely dope post was born. So here for the first time ever via the internet and technological advances, I give you the Sweater Weather is Better Weather Winter 2014 Collection! Presented by the Poetess Dij & the Artistry Corner, sponsors include various thrift shops and Goodwill *LOL*

Enjoy!

Sweater/ Jet Rag LA- Jeans/Gap- Converse/Converse Outlet 

Vintage Coogi Sweater/ Goodwill- Jeans/Gap- Shoes/Vans Store

OBEYHat/Zumiez- Sweater/Goodwill (BK,NYC)- Jeans/Gap- Shoes/Vans Store- Watch/Gift

Hat/Fully Laced - Sweater/Mom's- Jeans/Gap - Chucks/Converse Store

Sweater/ American Apparel - Jeans/Gap - Oxfords/Nordstrom's Rack

Sweater/Etsy - Leather Pants/H&M - Boots/Shiekh Shoes - Gold Chain/ASOS

Sweater/Rob's Vintage - Khakis/Gap - Loafers/San Diego Swap Meet - Necklace/Urban Outfitters

Sweater/American Way Thrift (Burbank) - Jeans/Mission Thrift (SF) - Shoes/Target- Watch/eBay

Sweater/American Way Thrift (Burbank)- Jeans/Banana Republic- Oxfords/Gap - Necklace/H&M

Sweater/Etsy - Corduroys/Gap - Oxfords/Aldo

For tips and tricks to start up a collection of your own or just to find a dope sweater to own, feel free to leave comments or contact me via social networks. Well we’ve got a lot in store for you as we start up the New Year so stay tuned!

Until next time y’all…

Peace & Positivity,

Dij

The Art of Poetry: 'My Skin'

Hey y'all,

   As of today I have posted something new and old on my Sound Cloud today. 'My Skin' is a poetry piece I wrote a while back during my senior year in high school while performing in my first slam with the Youth Speaks Organization in the Bay Area. Though I didn't make it to the final round of the slam, I continued to perform 'My Skin' personally for people until I had fully memorized it, in doing so I had no idea the extent of the impact it had on people and how far it would eventually take me. Long story short, once I arrived at UC Riverside in Fall 2009, 'My Skin' became who I was, turned me into the campus poet and became my signature piece.

   'My Skin' is a reflective and personal poem about me and my experience with being dark skin. Growing up, I was made fun of and often disrespected because of my skin tone. Despite coming from an unconditionally loving household, it was difficult to come to grips with my reflection because I held the opinion of others in too high a regard. The teasing eventually stopped, but as I got older the back handed compliments, comments, and preferences others made in reference to my complexion still lingered. Eventually, I just got tired of everyone's opinion and BS, and from the exhaustion and annoyance of not being able to back-hand stupid opinionated people on sight came 'My Skin'. It summed up my whole experience intertwined with historical facts and references dating back to slavery. Eventually as I performed it more and more, I came to realize that this poem was not only my own experience, but also that of others who often held their composure instead of 'back-handing' stupid people when they really wanted to. This poem was about uplifting and educating people who felt just like me as well as those who did not, so if you have a minute please listen, share, and pass on to someone you think would appreciate it. I plan to record a video a little later. The link is below, support & share :)

Enjoy

Until next time ya'll,

Peace & positivity,

Dij :)

FlashBack Friday: 90s R&B Classic

Hey Beautiful People!

So today we’ve got our first of many Flashback Friday posts that we’ll be doing here at the Artistry Corner. Today’s post consists of the 90s R&B classic, so for all you 90’s babies visiting the Corner, this should be a walk down memory lane. I know you miss it, the 5 million and 1 singing groups, the leather garments and fur collars, the sky high pony tails and excessive front bang swooping over right eyes and foreheads. Still don’t remember? Those songs we all made up slumber party and after school dances to? When everyone was only wearing one solid color in their entire outfit and metallic eye make-up and lipsticks ran rampant in front of every video camera lens? Yes, y'all I’m talking about 90’s R&B videos!

Being that I grew up in a household with good music and parents that cared about my ears, I can say that I’m pretty much a “90’s R&B Expert” and know all the jams of the decade. So recently while I was on Tumblr, I was so excited when I came across a massive compilation of some of the greatest R&B hits and videos of the iconic decade. I’ve posted the video below, so feel free to take a trip back and try to see how many songs you remember. Feel free to comment and let me know some of your favorite songs and music videos from the 90s and maybe even some that weren’t even in the compilation.

Enjoy!

Until next time guys...

Peace,

Dij :)