TAC Magazine Issue 2 by Darius Frank

Issue 2 January 2013

Cover photo // Lovisa Ingman

ON 23rd

FOREWORD Times Are Changing magazine stands behind its name. Created to shed light on the talent of tomorrow, TAC Magazine is fully aware of itself and what can be done to better the creative scope of the world. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not looking to become the biggest publication ever, or even marginal fame. This magazine is a labor of love and is in place to showcase the talents of indiviuals not yet discovered. Talent that, though gets praise, is overlooked by whatever circumstances. We want the magazine to act as a catalog of talented creatives and provide nothing more than stimulating content for both readers and those featured. TAC magazine began as a class project. Issue one was a university assignment, that of all things, was created to be different from what was usually offered in the course. The shared sentiment was a magazine by a student, showcasing students. Of course back then it was just myself so content was a bit rudimentary and the design was modest, but it resonated and it reached the right people to spark this opportunity. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud of what we were able to accomplishe here and I can only hope many of you enjoy it as I have. Hopefully we will become something large, large enough to own the accolade of being the exposure that got some kid their dream job, or sky rocket an illustrator to stardom. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to hoping for the best.

COLOPHON TAC Magazine Issue 2 New Year January 2013 Editors

Darius Frank Kasha Reavis

Design

Darius Frank

Contributing Writers

Isabelle Ofume Darius Frank Kasha Reavis

Contributing Photographers Contributing Artists

Sirui Ma Xang Mimi Ho Apollo Frank Lovisa Ingman Claudette David Marcel Mercado Darius Frank

Contributing Models

Joanne V

Advertising and Inquiries

timesacemail@gmail.com

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the respective author and should not necessarily be considered to represent the opinion of the publisher or its employees.

CONTENTS 8 14 21 26 32 36

Humble Beginnings Interview with Talisa Johnson

Mythical Niche Interview with Marcel Mercado

Summertime, Fine Sirui Ma

Adolescent Departure Interview with Lovisa Ingman

Style Sense: Effortless Photos by Xang Mimi Ho Styling by Kasha Reavis

Opinionated: The Next Four Years Isabelle Ofume

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Interview with Talisa Johnson Photographs by Claudette David

During my time as a student, I came into contact with a lot of ambitious spirits. Some moved on to do the very thing they wanted, while some, unfortunately, did not. This is an interview with one of the more proflific identities I came across. Talisa Johnson is an approachable firecracker with her dreams prominitely on her mind. With recent success in her fashion career and a few runway outtings under her belt, I spoke with Talisa to get her take on things.

FASHION

Was this a crazy experience, or was it more like “finally?” I have really bad anxiety, so every time I have a show I’m nervous. Of course anything you care about you want to go well, so there were a little bit of nerves involved, but I was lucky. I have great people working with me; helps keep me calm.

I have one more question, probably the more broad of the set. When you get to that point where you feel like you’ve accomplished more than others, a lot of people want to do or have whatever it is you’re doing or have. Do you have anything to say to those people? It’s funny because like I said, I have only been doing this for a year. So I feel like I’m still far from working in the industry. But, I’d say to anyone, no matter what you’re doing, just work hard, and chase your dreams. Something that I have learned is that it’s definitely not something that happens overnight. You have to work; you have to put in your time. That’s where I have stepped back and I’m just like, ya know, every chance I get, I’m going to make sure I put out something beautiful, that people like and took my time with. Ya know? It’s fun and it’s always good to have a successful show, but of course I’m still waiting for that breakthrough. It could come next year, it could take ten years, but I love what I do so it’s worth it.

I’ve known you for years, seeing you do this is incredible for me. Is it just as awesome seeing you do it, as I am sure it was ACTUALLY doing it? I congratulate you. I have another question for you. With everything that is going on, do you have any regrets? I would have had more time to prepare for sure. With it being the beginning of the holiday season, I definitely plan on showing a few more times. So I just wish we had more time. I think we did really well for the time we did have. I definitely think, given everything you have put together, you don’t have much to worry about. Now that you’ve gotten to the point where you have clothing to show, viewings to give, and people who want to see the items, where do you see yourself going from here? Oh man, I see myself going very far. I have been doing this for a year. I have had a few shows, but it takes a long time for a designer to get in the industry. I’m honestly at a place where I am patient; I love what I do, so I am willing to put in the time to take tomorrow one step at a time. I definitely want to have my own boutique where I do custom clothing. Where people come to get fitted for gowns and other pieces that are specially made. I’m more focused on made to measure clothing but would love to have some ready to wear and sell things to retailers. That’s my next question. Do you plan on having stuff set up, or keeping things seasonal? Definitely, I tried to throw different pieces together in this collection. Such as the puffy vest and things like that. So you have your pieces that you wear when you go out, but you also have stuff you just chill out in as well. So I definitely would love to do some ready to wear, glamorous pieces at a moderate price. So that everybody can have the opportunity to wear whatever and get dressed up. 12

MYTHICAL NICHE

Interview with Marcel Mercado Join us as we speak with the talented, Marcel Mercado. Afreelance fantasy illustrator with immense talent, Mercado makes and keeps contacts heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made to better his career and life. In speaking with the AI alum, you learn that having talent is only part of the battle.

TAC Magazine: Well lets start with your name occupation? Marcel: Marcel Mercado, I’m a Freelance Fantasy Illustrator

Oh, orcs and dragons, pretty cool. I’m an illustrator myselfand finding work is hard. So how important are those long term contributions to magazines, and what do you do to keep their business? Well Im fairly new to doing magazine work. I was mostly in the videogame industry the last 7 years. I approach all clients the same way. I let them know that I value their product and that I want to do everything I can to make their product sell. Communication is important, not just communicating with the client but communicating with your art.

Fantasy Illustrator, what kind of work would that title bring? Anything fantasy related, whether it’s posters, books, cards, comics, roleplaying magazines, videogames, etc. Oh well that leaves things open for you. I mean you cover a lot of illustrative avenues. Is there any one of those you like more than the other? Well magazines tend to have longer schedules, which gives me plenty of time to sit down and come up with a really thought out painting. Videogames on the other hand, well the turnaround there is always much quicker; but I’m happy as long as I’m painting knights, orcs and dragons.

A lesson that needs to be emphasized. Communication in all points are imperative. Which brings me to ask you, do you have connections? People you’ve graduated with, met, worked with; how integral have those relationships been in your career? Yes, one of the best things of going to college was being able to create those connections. Every student should take advantage of that. I have friends all over the entertainment industry and it has helped not just in getting jobs but sometimes there might be issues/ problems and it’s good to be able to ask somebody in confidence for advice. I still keep in contact with a lot of them and I graduated back in 2003. 16

I have a hard work ethic. I don’t consider myself a perfectionist but I like what I do so much that I would spend after hours working on something just because I liked it and that ended up putting a strain on my marriage. My wife has been very understanding about my situation but it made me realized that I had to enjoy other aspects of life just as passionately.

I envy you, I graduated 5 months ago and lost some of my old friends. Never mind that, lets talk business. The economy is not in the best shape right now, but art seems to flourish no matter the time. Is it hard for you these days to find paying jobs, and what advice would you give to those having problems right now? It was hard finding work when the economy was good. I used to work for a video game outsource house, and while there I did some freelance work. The jobs were far and few in between, since I had a day job, it didn’t matter. Now I’ve gone full freelance and if it hadn’t been because I was able to save some money I would be desperately looking for work, any work. This industry has exploded with talent, it’s become very competitive. Add to that the fresh graduates that flood the job place with almost free labor and you will find yourself looking for work a long time. My advice, unless you have the resources, look for any work that will pay the bills. This might mean work outside your specialty, outside your chosen field. This will no doubt make things harder since you will have to split your time between a day job and what you really want to do. but if you really love this and you want it, then you will have to really tough it out. at least until you are able to find consistent clients that will support you.

I don’t live with many regrets, I never really burned bridges with anybody and I’ve learned too much from my mistakes An optimistic outlook, awesome. I feel like i’m learning a thing or two myself. Last, where do you see yourself 5 years from now? I hope to find myself with more consistent jobs coming in! I don’t think to far ahead, seeing how much I have changed in the past it’s hard to pin yourself down to something. As long as it involves art I know I’ll be happy. I see it the same way, why plan everything? Lets try hoping were just happy in five years. I thank you Marcel. I have more than enough here to really give our audience something to think about.

The kind of thing I was looking for. So many people believe that you have to be doing what you went to school for right out of school and that isn’t the case all the time. I thank you for being one of the only freelance grads to admit that these days. I went to school for computer animation, I wanted to work in films, I got a job in an architectural firm doing 3d walkthroughs and then through one of my contact’s friends, I got a job compositing in a video game outsource house. From there I’ve been a texture artist, concept artist, art director, and now I find myself doing freelance Illustrations. Wow that’s the story we should’ve been digging for. So you didn’t necessarily graduate with this line of work in mind...? -You spoke earlier of loving what you do, would you say you love what you do and what would be your highlights and regrets about it all? Yeah I didn’t graduate with an Illustration degree.

SUMMERTIME, FINE Sirui Ma Showcase

Sirui Ma, our resident candid artist, returns with a batch of images basking in sunkist rememberance. To offer an alternative to Winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chilling grip, we here at TAC would love for you to enjoy what Sirui has to offer.

DOES SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US @TIMESAC 25

ADOLESCENT DEPARTURE Interview with Lovisa Ingman

Hey Lovisa, here is my patented, rapid fire section. A few general questions to be answered as they come. What’s your favorite…

No, but seriously, You’re work is excessive and at times feels methodical. Where does it originate or are these spur of the moment captures? Thank you so much. At all times I carry at least one camera with me. Thereby I create the opportunity for myself to capture these moments. Also I take a step back, change perspective to see what and whom I have in front of me. Because all we need in life we have inside of us, and surrounding always. So as much as it is about being in the moment it is also about taking a step away form that. It is a matter of what outlook you have.

Color? Red Food? Japanese Piece of Clothing? Knitted jumpers Camera? Olympus Mju-II and my Canonet QL-17 G-III

Are you always taking pictures? You have a pretty vast collection. Since 2008 when I first borrowed my mum’s Canonet I have been testing, trying and learning to take pictures. I have been questioning what makes a good picture, and what makes a great one. All I know today I have learnt myself and I am still exploring this medium of creative expression, or art.

Photographer? The real and honest ones. Haven’t found anyone in particular yet, but Lina Scheyniuz’s expression is very real to me. Now, for a hard hitting question, what do you do when you aren’t being awesome? Ha! I’m awesome always! 27

As I do everything through stages, it has been times when I haven’t been taking any pictures at all, much to my regret. Then I have tried to take digi pictures but it has been half-hearted, not with the same care neither consideration. Today I shoot with film only and it is truly the best.

make us see things much more clearly, which is a playful way to highlight what I want to bring out of the picture. How involved would you say you are with the current photography scene? I would say I am not. Every now and again I see an exhibition but that’s it. If you ask me to name drop photographers I would get quiet rather quickly. What is happening “out there” I have not much of a clue of. The pictures I take reflect my bubble, which naturally is a product of today’s society. So indirectly I might know things about the outer world by turning to my own.

Well what do you do when you aren’t taking pics? What are you like outside of your work? I am. I live! I learn! I try to understand life and ask more questions, questions on life, people’s behavior and society’s rules and how it shapes us as human beings. Together with friends I have wonderful conversations where we turn things around. We go for adventures. We create. I draw and paint, I read and I write a tremendous amount, I dream and I travel. As my very close friend Kate Somers wonderfully phrased it “We let our wings grow”. That is how it is. We are building up; we are growing to be able to fly. To say something more concrete I can not do, and I see no need to do it either. In my opinion it is not a good thing to put yourself in a box, to label yourself and especially not with your occupation. No matter what you do in life you still are who you are. You shouldn’t categorize yourself because the definition of you is constantly changing, but instead provide yourself with the freedom to redefine yourself every day. Others might try to define you but some might not be able to understand who you are anyway. By that reason it is unnecessary to put energy into explanations.

Who is your favorite photographer, currently? No, haven’t got one. Is this photographer’s works what influences yours, if not who would you say does? Inspiration I find in everything, which is what I am influenced by. It is the morning sun, the crispness of autumn’s air, the high blue sky and the fragrance of someone who passes me in the street. It is people, persons, and characters on the subway that radiate some special kind of energy that fascinates me. It is also a building’s and a nose’s shape, a profile, a fabric and a piece of clothing. Friends are highly inspirational to me and I would say they are my greatest influence. They give so much; their care and warm words; diverse kinds of views and new perspectives. To create together with them is liberating, as there are no rules for right or wrong. Everyone is comfortable and dare to say what they think; we know each other’s strengths and how to bring out the best of one another.

What motivates your work? The sustaining theme in your photos is a sense of youthful content in these rather coming of age settings. Would you attribute the feel of your work to your current station in life, or is this a quality you consciously seek for your work? The motivations is simply the force inside of me, which makes it a must for me to express myself, who I am, what I see and how I see it. This I want to share with outers, I want them to be conscious of what I am conscious about. I want to make them aware of things they haven’t seen yet and to question their preconceptions. There are so much of today’s ideals and opinions on how things should be that I do not agree with. Through my creative outlet I am able to questions these things. One does not have to be provocative to catch people’s eyes.

If you weren’t a photographer what would you be doing? Never would I have though that someone would call me a photographer this early on. Though I believe I never will see me as one either. Mostly because the definition of a photographer today seems to be someone who can fake the best studio light and who has a skilled retouching assistant. In my opinion a picture is created in the moment and not in the computer afterwards. It is a sad fact that that often is the case.

The way I choose to portrait people is not a choice of style rather a matter of how I want my messages to be perceived and of course how I see that person. I believe exaggerations, contrasts and contradictions 29

To take pictures is one of many different creative things I do. Usually I am modeling, which I have taken a break form this past year but will pick up now that I feel ready for it again. Then I will keep on doing everything else that I have done lately in addition to the modeling. So for now I am doing what I should be doing and wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything else.

makes sense and has meaning. Together with others we are stronger. We confirm each other. Where do you see yourself, 5 years from now? Dreams change with us, so it is hard for me to say what I want to be and where I will be in five years. But of course I have dreams and wishes for the future. To create I will always be doing, so I want to be in a place where I freely can do that. Life I want to share with good people, who make me happy, who enriches life and to who I can give all that back. I want to go on adventures, explore and experience the world together with them. In five years I wish to be wiser and have established a more solid foundation of who I am, what I am doing and to have an attitude that helps me see all possibilities life holds.

What would you say keeps you going and what would you tell people who need that bout of inspiration? It really is all about being honest to yourself. If you dare to you know exactly what you are created to be and do. You can not do something without full ambition, passion, motivation or willpower. If you do that anyway you take someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place, someone that would love to be doing what you merely like. When you have found your place there will be no questions. You will know and have the strength to do all it takes. Of course you have to be ready to work hard for what you believe in, which can be difficult if you are in a place where you and what you do is not approved by the people surrounding you. No one wants to be neglected and told wrong. Then you have to create you own world where who you are and what you do

Effortless

Photographer- Xang Mimi Ho Makeup Artist- Tyra Williams Stylist- Kasha Reavis Model- Joanne V

FASHION

Dress - Pretty People Vintage Earrings - Forever21

Dress - Pretty People Vintage Broach - Forever21

Dress - Pretty People Vintage

THE NEXT FOUR YEARS Written By Isabelle Ofume

America’s very first African-American president takes the seat for second term in the White House, in the midst of a supposed “economic meltdown” (fiscal cliff), debate on Obamacare, and the truth behind Benghazi. We even see a decrease in the support of the Caucasians (white) community and a significant increase in Latino population, and not to mention the substantial (93%) participation of the African-American population. The week after our president was placed back into office, he stated: “I hope and intend to be an even better president in the second term than I was in the first.” The question that boggles most minds is what exactly do we expect in the next four years? 36

to me, I really want something done about Chicago, I don’t want to say: bring in the National Guard, but something drastic needs to happen. Since the beginning of the war in Iraq 1200 something soldiers have died and in the same span 4600 black people have been killed in Chicago, so who’s really at war? – Darnelle Hailey, Photographer.

President Barack Obama has mentioned in the press conference on November 15, 2012 that the “top priority has to be jobs and growth”. Technically, a focus on the economic issue which was a major discussion point during the 2012 Presidential Debate. Some say the economic issue is one of the most important things the President should tackle: the so called fiscal cliff, unemployment, and national debt. Others believe that a new or renewed system of healthcare should be instituted, ruling out Obamacare (right-wing most scorned act), for a more limited or voucher enhanced approach.

I believe Obama should focus primarily on aspects that promise potential. With that said, meaning education and constant contact with the American people. Be loud with any movements, give America back to its people - understanding he is merely a representative of our needs; the embodiment of our outcries - not our savior. He must give this beautiful country a clear basis and direction for tomorrow, meaning our children, and not be so obsessed with finding a middle ground for the interest of the individual social classes; but become obsessed with taking out the politics in politics, and doing what’s needed. Primarily education, schooling, and helping the poverty stricken homes be able to raise healthy children of tomorrow. – John Hurtado, Editorial Director for Corner Store Mag & Writer for The Star Ledger.

On the other hand, Barack Obama has finally taken into consideration the lower-class or poor Americans who made up a good sized amount of his vote in the post-elections atmosphere, with his mention of also helping “those” Americans that are struggling to get into the middle-class. It’s hard to decipher the state of mind for either side of the political sphere. Although, inevitable to rule out one third of the Wabi-Sabi three simple realities: “Nothing is perfect”. I took to the internet for public, more-so virtual opinion, here’s what I found: I want to see him actually compromise with the republicans to somehow assist our small & big businesses. Fact of the matter is those are the people that create jobs. The government can’t really create jobs. Secondly, I want to see him really make the process to receive benefits from the govt. more meticulous so that people aren’t milking the system as much as they have been. Thirdly, I want to see if he can do anything to limit outsourcing of American jobs. I can really go all day. I want to see zero military action or spending. I think these things are the issues that ruined our economy. – Ian Grey, Singer and Writer. Sequestration is a huge issue! I want to hear more from Obama though, before January. – Tasha Bleu, Photographer for Hypebeast and Karmaloop. As far as our president, I think he should be stern and try to get everything passed that he wants. He can’t run for a 3rd term so he has nothing at all to lose. As far as our country, these are amazing times. We have the petition going, where states want to leave the US. And Chicago is a warzone but nobody wants to talk about that because a black person killing themselves isn’t important. I, also, think Obama should legalize marijuana and same sex marriage in every state. But

Oh I wanna see better prices for healthcare. $300+ a month is outrageous. The truth about the Benghazi incident. And a better education system. – Johnny Thach, Student. That would be up to the President. There are so many problems that America faces. The question that he has to answer is: “What is a priority” to him? – Minister Louis Farrakhan, Head of the Nation of Islam Although, we might feel obliged to create possibilities for Barack Obama, we must understand that humans will be human: disconnected with what the real issues are and focused more on the substance of whatever so they wish. A contribution to the environment that creates a fulfillment in the things that we’ve been through or passionate about. Education should be the main concern of the administration. Not student debt, but more so the public school education. With a huge margin between suburban and urban school education, the inadequacy and adequacy of teachers, and the content of the curriculums there is no surprise that the United States education system continues to descend in the international standards. No disregard to the post-secondary schooling but (HEY!) we all started somewhere?

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