spearmint
9 771324 685004
ISSN 1324-685E
08
issue no8
june 2015
LIVE & LEARN bits & bobs, a brief history of girl groups, DIY space exploration, all the fails, the wisdom of st vincent, at home with creative types, things you are proud of
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spearmint EDITOR
ADVERTISE IN SPEARMINT
leila howell
advertise@spearmintmag.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
leila howell
hello@spearmintmag.com
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
SUBSCRIPTIONS
jill vartenigian julia mcnamara
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INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS PRODUCTION MANAGER ed harrington
COVER ILLUSTRATOR
RETAIL ORDERS
kris atomic
retail@spearmintmag.com
PHOTOGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTORS
post office box 2529, seattle wa, 98112
aya brackett emily johnson laura jackson kathy howell
EDITIORIAL CONTRIBUTORS jo walker sally maslen debra curtin emma howell samantha maslen
ILLUSTRATORS kris atomic julian callos leila howell
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subs@spearmintmag.com spearmintmag.com/subscribe
SUBMISSIONS spearmint accepts freelance art, photo and story submissions, however we cannot reply personally to unsuccessful pitches. for submission guidelines please see SPEARMINTMAG.COM spearmint is a fictional magazine that is not published 12 times a year. views expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher.
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FOR THIS ISSUE OF SPEARMINT, WE’VE BEEN PONDERING THE NATURE OF WINNERS AND LOSERS. WE’VE TALKED TO FOLKS ABOUT FAILURE (IT’S LESS DEPRESSING THAN IT SOUNDS), FREAK-OUTS AND BEING USELESS. On the other hand, we have the genuine goddess St Vincent giving us some sage advice about this wonderful life, and a look at the most successful girl bands of all time. That’s pretty much the definition of being on top (as long as you don’t mind wearing intense amounts of super tight lycra while you’re there). What we’ve learnt, though, is that triumph and loss are never 100%. For every win there is a tiny bit of loss, and inside every loss there is a little bit of win - the part that you hang on to. There fairytale overnight success is a crock, basically, and we know this now because Diana Ross spent a good amount of the ‘60s scrubbing pots and pans. What’s missing in almost every ode to victory is the dull stuff about hard and compromise - the unglamorour dish-washing bits. They’re messy and undignified and confusing, too, but we couldn’t get by without them.
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CONTENTS
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10. dear spearmint 12. bits & bobs 18. a brief history of girl groups
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26. DIY space exploration 31. all the fails 44. saint & sage 50. at home with
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54. things you are proud of
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IMAGE CREDIT: KRIS ATOMIC
dear spearmint GOT SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND? GIVE US A SHOUT. LETTERS@SPEARMINTMAGCOM Dear beautiful spearmint mag, Being a career female fire-fighter I am surrounded by stinky, truck-loving, ball-scratching guys all day and night. But each spearmint page I turn makes me fill with excitement and prettiness. Beautiful things like you in my life, spearmint, have provided me time-out from my manly little world, where I can sit quietly and indulge in all things exciting, fun and, of course, pretty. Thank you! Emily Dear spearmint mag, Armed with sparkling water, blueberries, some dark chocoloate and my much anticipated spearmint mag, I was ready to celebrate turning in the last assignment for my masters degree. Unexpectedly, I ended up with tears in my eyes reading about Megan Reeder Hope’s fertility struggles. Her story read like a page out of my own book and thoughout my experience have often felt alone. Thank you for printing this honest article that doesn’t end with the typical ‘We didn’t give up and ended up having a beautiful baby’. Success is not defined by procreation! Mae-Mae xx Hello there, I’m a 33-year-old guy who couldn’t wait to get home and take a bath with my spearmint mag and a bottle of ale. As I commenced my usual impatient first skim I happened upon a drawing of a dashing figure that my dreams are made of. I don’t want to know if he is real. My affection may forever be thwarted. Christopher 12 spearmint
Dear spearmint mag, My boyfriend recently moved into my house - a house that I’ve fancied up with my own stylings, a place where I’ve always been free to come home, take off my bra and sloth. Now my pretty little house has boy things in it and an underlying locker-room smell. Yet just as happened with Samantha Prendergast in her article “Sharing is Caring”, I’ve realised sharing a roomie isn’t all bad. I always have a nice big hot water bottle next to me on cold nights, someone to laught at my lame jokes a partner to have random dance parties at midnight. As long as he doesn’t mention “joint bank account any time soon, I think I’ll be just fine. Love Danni xx Dear spearmint, I’m chuffed that I now have an official title thanks to Samantha Prendergast’s article “The Hobby Hopper”. Sam painted a most accurate picture of my tendency to take up a new pastime only to abandon it weeks later. I’ve dabbled in everything from sewing and photography to mosaicing and life drawing. I’ve justified extravagant purchases, such as a $400 sewing machine, by resolving that ‘this would be a wise investment in what will become a lifelong hobby’. I have every intention of becoming really good at something, but why make such a whole-hearted commitment until I’ve tried every hobby under the moon first? Incidentally, this is also my approach to dating. Vicky xx
Dear spearmint mag, or more specifically, Elenor Robertson. My best friend and I are here to answer your call for the meeting of the bitchface and the jolly faced. Whilst her resting expression often scares the pants off people young and old, mine seems to warm the cockles of the hearts in all the people I come across. My bestie has a million qualities I adore, but one of the top reasons I love her is her bitchface. People are often confused by the union of our friendship, and I am approximately 97% less likely to be approached when she’s around. Elenor, Please, I urge you to seek your other half. It’s wonderful! Love Amanda Dearest spearmint mag, I fell in love with spearmint just the other day, when I flicked open the pages to “Mental Health Chums”. I too suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, Clinical Depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and your article couldn’t have been more spot-on! There was no bullshit ‘dancing around’ the issue, it was straight to the (very obvious) point, and it is something the majority of society needs to understand. Thank you spearmint, for doing your part in normalising mental illness all the other wonders I discovered while flicking through each page. Love always, Jaden Dear beautiful spearmint, Your issue 4 was indeed a lovely big surprise! You’re awesome, I love you. Thank you! Alice
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LA CASITA DE WENDY
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We have waxed lyrical about the clothing goodness emanating from Spanish designers Ines Aguilar and Ivan Martinex under label La Casita de Wendy before. But, when stuff looks this good we could crap on about it forever. Their new autumnwinter range, Zoologie, is inspired by wildlife, nature and “primitive love”, with big nods to the ‘30s and ‘70s and loads of bold colour and natural fabrics thrown in for good measure. All of us at Spearmint mag love it. Care to peruse further? Well you can check out their all of their amazing collection over at their website. L ACASITADEWENDY.COM
THIS MONTH WE FEATURE SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE FINDS FROM STAFFERS AROUND THE SPEARMINT MAG OFFICES. CHECK OUT BUSCEMI ON A PLATE!
SNAPS FOR ARMINHO Somewhere along the way Portuguese makers Joao and Raquel, aka ARMINHO, got their hands on their own letterpress studio. Which is good because the papery stuff they turn out there is rather delightful. Like this vintage educational chart of seaweed (around $68), printed on cotton canvas using eco-friendly ink. ARMINHO.ETSY.COM
LIGHT AS A FEATHER In slumber-party-horror-film terms, ‘light as a feather, stiff as a board’ is the game you play after watching The Craft and right before the first person gets knocked off by a disgruntled maniac wearing a funny mask. In crafting terms, it may well be the inspiration behind Melbourne maker Madeleine Sargent’s cute (and decidedly non-grisly) feather garland. But who really knows. Anywho, this hand-stitched in patchwork style from bright cottons and linens for her label Made By Mosey is amazingly beautiful and it can be yours for 100 bucks. Want it? See their website for more lovely light as a feather ideas and more. MADEBYMOSEY.COM
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DEPEAPA Here at Spearmint we’ve been fans of Veronica de Arriba for quite some time now. So let’s just say that if her brand Depeapa was a bunch of cookies, and we were the Cookie Monster, and eating equated to loving and wanting and needing everything she designs...well, we’d have a very confused metaphor, wouldn’t we? All you really need to know is Veronica has a new collection of totes available for around 30 bucks each. DEPEAPA .COM
JUJUMADE Crafting accessories from clay and leather might sound like the pastime of a particularly fashion-conscious cavewoman, but rest assured Julie Hung is fully evovled and unlikely to grunt when provoked. Her label Jujumade is full of handcrafted bags, bangles, necklaces and hair pins made from materials like vegetable tan leather, stoneware and ceramic, and we think they’re rather neat. Would we donk someone of the head with a club and drag them by the hair to get our hands on some? Only time will tell. JUJUMADE .COM
BUSCEMI ON A PLATE Everybody’s favourite pale, google-eyed, strangely attractive weird - Steve Buscemi - now has his own commemorative plate. Hand painted on a vintage ceramic platter, it’s from clever lady Julie Alberti JULIEALBERTIART.ETSY.COM
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FAVOURITE THINGS WITH UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA’S RUBAN NIELSON GUILTY PLEASURE: I listen to the Ricky Gervais audiobooks every single day. I don’t even know why because I know every one by heart, so I hardly ever laugh anymore. I think it’s just a comforting constant in my life. BOARD GAME: I used to like Risk a lot when I was a kid, but these days the tarot is my hobby. I don’t think of it as a quacky thing where you read people’s futures; I think of it as a format for projecting the turth. it leads you to be honest with yourself in a way that isn’t like anything else. DANCE MOVE: The splits? Like James Brown. Travel experience: I ate these weird snails in Singapore that had claws on them. I love stuff like that. I don’t even know this creature exists for five minutes and I’m already eating it. EIGHTIES MOVIE: Arthur, starring Dudley Moore. No, I haven’t watched the remake. PRE-GIG TATIC: Three tequila and oranges is my latest ritual. FAN EXPERIENCE: A fan of mine once moved to Portland, crashed at my bass player’s house for three weeks, and still lives there just to be near me. It should be creepy, but there’s something flattering about someone uprooting their entire existence for you. TIME OF DAY: I like it at about three or four in the morning. Literally anything can happen at that time of day.
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OYYO RUGS Masterminded by Swedish design duo and hand-woven by a community of crafty types in India using techniques that date back centuries, they’re certainly not light on the pocket, but damn do they look nice. OY YE .SE/NO1 16 spearmint
If your’re going to spend all night reading in the library, you might as well do it in some nice threads. These pieces from Vancouver-born designer Steven Tai have won a small part of our big dorky hearts, as would any clothing designed to mimic the pages of a book, of course. STEVENTAI.CO.UK
CLOTHE YOUR PLANT Broadly speaking, plants are naked most of the time. But if you’ve got a shy one on your hands—you might want to pop it in this chunky crochet planter. For a bit of coverage on those not-so-perky days. Hand-stitched from natural Scottish jute in lovely seaside Wollongong, Australia, can be yours for $42 from CLOTHESFORPL ANTS.COM
APOM What is APOM? It’s an acronym for A Part Of Me. It’s a collaboration between Melbourne designers Kajsa Kvernmo and Kate Brook. And it’s a newish label dedicated to nostalgia and damn fine tailoring. This is their Chinkapook shirt (rrp $140), featuring designs from another Melbourne local, artist Sharon McRae, APARTOFMEAPOM.COM
LAUREN MOFFAT Sometimes you come across scenery so beautiful you want to take a little piece of it with you, but there’s only so long you can carry fallen leaves in your pocket before they wind up a pile of withered specks. This autumn collection from Lauren Moffatt is a much more practical option. Inspired by a trip to the Catskill mountains in upstate New York, her pretty, drapey fabrics take their cues from the colour palette of the woods she wandered in, with plenty of olive greens, dusty blues, mustard yellows and rich paprikas. L AURENMOFFATT.NET 17 spearmint
THE WIRE These wire baskets from Down to the Woods are just about the handiest dandiest things we’ve ever seen. You can use them to stash just about anything, and when you’re bored, pop one on your head, pretend your hands are guns and run around like Ned Kelly’s less hardcore sidekick. What could be sweller? They come in three sizes—small, $22, medium, $28, large, $45—you can nab one for yourself at What could be sweller? DOWNTOTHEWOODS.COM. AU
FINE LITTLE KIDDIES If you have little ones to clothe, you might like to know that talented and lovely Swedish designer lady Elisabeth Dunker, aka Fine Little Day, now makes kids’ clothes. (In addition to the million other awesome things she normally produces.) This here is the Happy/Sad pillow case, which has a happy face on one side and a sad face on the other, all depending on whether your little darling is in a smiley or sooky mood of course. It’s around $48 from Sad pillow case, which has a happy face on one side and a sad face on the other, all depending on whether your little darling is in a smiley or sooky mood of course. It’s around $48 from FINELITTLEDAY.COM E
GETTING TO KNOW ELLA YELICH-O’CONNOR AKA LORDE HOW DID LORDE COME TO BE? I’ve been working with my record label under development since I was about 12 or 13, then I tentatively started writing. When I was 14 I started making music that I was progressively happier with. Now I’m in the studio every day, and I love it. WHAT’S YOUR SECRET SONG RECIPE? Usually I’ll start with a lyrical idea. I’m a big believer in the perfect words saying something exactly in the way you wanted it. ASIDE FROM THE ACTUAL NOTES, WHAT ELSE DO YOU FOCUS ON WHILE MAKING MUSIC? I’m pretty conscious now of trying to keep things varied. You never want a listener to figure you out completely. YOU’RE A BIG FAN OF RAP MUSIC— WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE STYLE THAT APPEALS TO YOU? I’m pretty quiet in general, so if I listen to rap and get into that world it gives me a chance to be this hyper-confident, super-braggy person, which is really fun. HOW HAVE FRIENDS REACTED TO YOUR GROWING FAME? I feel like I’ve added my entire school on facebook—it’s kind of weird. I forget that other people have heard my music. The other night I was with some friends at a party and “Royals” came on, and we were like, ‘this is the biggest trip ever’. TELL US SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU I’m a big hoarder of stuff. I have a huge collection of weird things like bird skeletons and National Geographic that are 70 years old, and old unopened Fanta bottles. 18 spearmint
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF GIRL GROUPS Words: Jo Walker Photograph: Aya Brackett
featuring sweet tunes, beehives, bustups, and a spot of teen angst on the side
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THE BANGLES
ORIGINALLY CALLED THE BANGS, THEY HAD TO CHANGE IT BECAUSE ANOTHER BAND HAD THAT NAME. THAT BAND OFFERED THE NAME TO THE GIRLS FOR $20,000, BUT REFUSED. SOME BRAINSTORMING LED TO “BANGLES,” WHICH SOUNDS LIKE “BEATLES” AND IS THE NAME OF A SONG BY THE ELECTRIC PRUNES.
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merging from the Los Angeles ‘Paisley Underground’ scene - a loose collection of musos into ‘60s-style folk rock - the group initially known as The Bangs formed in 1980 when Susanna Hoffs answered a singer-wanted ad placed by sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson. Initial contact was made just days after John Lennon’s assassination, and the girls went on to be heavily influenced by the Fab Four, cutting a track called “Going Down to Liverpool” for their first LP and - when legal wranglings forced a name change - adding “les” to the band’s title in honour of The Beatles. After a couple of independent releases and a US tour supporting Cyndi Lauper, The Bangles signed to Columbia Records with a new bass player, Michael Steele, and a new look courtesy of in-house stylists: loads of trashy jewellery and big shoulder pads replaced their previous scruffy, vintage vibe. Their full-length debut, All Over the Place, was critically acclaimed, and more importantly it was Prince-acclaimed as well. The singer-songwriter apparently developed something of a crush on Susanna. And in addition to being incredibly awkward around her, he gifted the band with “Manic Monday”, their first mega hit.
The bandmates had always tried to operate as equals; everybody writing, everybody singing, everybody playing and everybody harmonising. But Susanna was increasingly placed front and centre by publicists and the press (she even had a short-lived acting career) and friendships started to crack. Taking on “Walk Like an Egyptian” in the studio was particularaly demoralising: the band’s producer made each girl ‘audition’ for verses and drummer Debbi was cut altogether in favour of synthesised beats. Along with “Manic Monday”, the chart-topping ditty made album number two, Different Light, a massive success: LA mayour Tom Bradley even designated February 23, 1987, as ‘Bangles Day’ in the city. But by the time 1988’s Everything came around, featuring smash single “Eternal Flame”, the end was definitely nigh. Susanna and Michael were no-shows at Debbie’s English wedding, later citing extreme homesickness as an excuse for heading back to the States. Clearly the love was gone, and the band split in 1989. But 10 years later they reformed in honour of the Austin Poers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, with a groovy track called “Get the Girl”. They’ve been gigging and recording together ever since.
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THE RUNAWAYS
THE RUNAWAYS WERE AN AMERICAN ALL-FEMALE ROCK BAND THAT RECORDED AND PERFORMED IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 1970S. THE RUNAWAYS, THOUGH NEVER A MAJOR SUCCESS IN THE UNITED STATES, BECAME A SENSATION OVERSEAS, E.G. IN JAPAN, THANKS TO THE HIT SINGLE “CHERRY BOMB”.
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ig in attitude and big in Japan, The Runaways ticked all the boxes on the sex/drugs/rock ‘n’ roll score card. Formed by 17-year-old rhythm guitarist Joan Jett and 16-year-old drummer Sandy West in Los Angeles, 1975, the band was tightly controlled by the creepy and maic music producer Kim Fowley. After Joan and Sandy hit it off over an abiding love of hard rock, the search was on for young girls who could handle instruments and look pretty on stage. Eventually a line-up solidified around Joan and Sandy, plus lead guitarist Lita Ford, bassist Jackie Fox and singer Cherie Currie. Fowley had spotted Cherie while hanging around a teen nightclub, and she was invited to tr out on vocals. Told to learn a Suzi Quatro song for the audition, the tune she practised wasn’t known to the rest of the band, but Joan and Fowley sat down and wrote “Cherry Bomb” on the spot - the song that would become their biggest hit. Fowley’s ambitions for the five girls were massive. To prepare them for their glittering futures, he insitituted a kind of rock ‘n’ roll boot camp, including something called “hecklers’ drill”, where he’d throw garbage, toilet paper and trash cans at the band, who
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had to dodge the missiles without missing a beat. Abuse came in othe ways, too. Fowley constantly called the girls ‘dogs’ and fed them drugs and alcohol. Bitchiness between bandmates was encouraged, and money - for the girls at least - was always in short supply. After cutting a sel-titled debut album in just two weeks, the girls toured the US headlining sold-out shows. Despite Fowley’s insistence the The Runaways weren’t just rock ‘n’ roll jailbait, they had a raunchy image onstage - Cherie in particular, whose favourite costume was a corset and garters. A second album, Queens of Noise, came out in 1977 and was backed by a European tour, fuelled by out-of-control prescription drug abuse and in-fighting among the band. The same happened on a trip to Japan, through there was some triump, too. Arriving to a throng of hysterical fans at Tokyo airport, the girls performed sold-out shows, released a live album, and even hosted their own TV special. Offstage through, Jackie began cutting herself and abruptly quit the band, then Cherie followed suit, leaving Joan to take over on vocals. It wasn’t the end - that came after another album and a world tour with The Ramones. Then the Runaways were over.
BANARAMA
BANANARAMA ARE AN ENGLISH FEMALE POP MUSIC VOCAL GROUP FORMED IN LONDON IN 1979 BY FRIENDS SARA DALLIN, SIOBHAN FAHEY AND KEREN WOODWARD. THEIR SUCCESS ON BOTH POP AND DANCE CHARTS HAVE EARNED WORLD RECORDS AS THE ALL-FEMALE GROUP WITH THE MOST CHART ENTRIES IN THE WORLD, A RECORD WHICH THEY STILL HOLD.
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espite spending a good part of the ‘80s tied to mainstream pop staple Stock Aitken Waterman - home to Rick Astley and “Locomotion” - era Kylie Minogue - Bananarma’s roots were all punk. The group formed in 1979 after childhood friends Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin met Siobhan Fahey, a uni friend of Sara’s who had been studying fashion journalism with her in London. The trio bonded over their shared love of radical clothes and punky tunes, and often jumped on stage to play impromptu sets with acts like Iggy Pop and The Jam. Keren and Sara had been rooming together at a YMCA, but they were thrown out and ended up sharing a flat with Siobhan over The Sex Pistols’ old rehearsal room. Their downstairs landlords helped out with their first demo, “Aie a mwana”, which became an underground hit, and the girls soon found a contract waiting for them at the Decca record label. A debut album, Deep Sea Skiving, was released in 1983, containing chart-topping singles like “Shy Boy” and “Really Saying Something”. Now the girls were officially big in the UK, and had the Smash Hits covers to prove it. But despite a few attempts at press tours and exposure on a new little thing called MTV, America was still a little in the dark and was slow to jump on the Bananarama bandwagon.
All that changed in 1984 when their track “Cruel Summer” featured in the soundtrack to Karate Kid, alongside a lot of slo-mo martial arts. The tune was their first Top 10 hit Stateside, and heralded a second, self-titled album - plus a little extra-curricular time to join charity super group Band-Aid for the hit track “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Album number three in 1986 was the start of the Stock Aitken Waterman era, with their collaboration on “Venus”. the tune had a campy, retro, dance vibe and - alongside a filmclip replete with she-vampires and oiled up male dancers - became an international number one. The girls had left behind their earlier punky image for one that was sexy, if still tongue-in-cheek, and shimmying toy-boys became something of a theme, turning up in clips like “I Heard a Rumour” and “Love in the First Degree”. In fact, Sara fancied one of their back-up dancers so much she later had a child with one. Meanwhile Keren hooked up with Andrew Ridgely from Wham! and Siobhan married David Stewart from The Eurythmics - just before she walked out the door in 1988. Since then Keren and Sara have carried on as a duo, and Banarama is still alive to this day.
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SALT-N-PEPA
THE GROUP, CONSISTING OF CHERYL JAMES ("SALT"), SANDRA DENTON ("PEPA"), AND DEIDRA ROPER ("DJ SPINDERELLA"), WAS FORMED IN 1985 AND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ALL-FEMALE RAP GROUPS. ORIGINALLY CALLING THEMSELVES SUPER NATURE.
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ong before Cheryl James (Salt) and Sandy Denton (Pepa) were talking about sex, they were talking about other bodily function as well, having met at nursing college in early ‘80s New York. Cheryl was dating a wannabe rapper called Hurby ‘Luv Bug’ Azor, who recorded their first single “The Showstopper” as a student project. The tune was a minor hit on the R&B circuit and - with the addition of DJ Latoya Hanson as ‘Spinderella’ Salt-NPepa had themselves a record deal. In addition to being the band’s sometime writer, producer and manager, Azor had an eye for the ladies. his affair with Latoya while the band put together its first LP, Hot, Cool and Vicious, supposedly inspired the album track “Chick on the Side”. (Latoya was quickly replaced by Spinderella number two, 16-year-old Dee Dee Roper.) But it was a remix of another tune, “Push It”, that shot album sales into overdrive; cloaking up 1.3 million units worldwide. Not that the girls were rolling in cash just yet. Years later they would sue Azor for royalties oweing from this period, at the height of “Push It” hysteria, Cheryl was still living with her mum.
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But on stage and on the stereo, Cheryl, Sandy and Dee Dee were tough and sexy and full of spunk. All decked out in spandex and bomber jackets, singing about race, gender, body politics and guys being stupid. A world away from mainstream misogynistic rap, they became known as the First Ladies of Hip Hop. Platinumselling albums and hit songs kept coming: “Expression”, “Do You Want Me”, “Shoop” and “Whatta Man”, featuring R&B songstresses En Vogue. And, of course, there was “Let’s Talk About Sex” - a catchy plea for openness, respect and lots of condoms. (The B-side version, “Let’s Talk About AIDS” was even more up-front.) Cheryl and Azor were together through much of this time - he was still producing and pocketing cash. But there were fights and dramas, and Sandy and Dee Dee often got stuck in the middle. It wasn’t till Cheryl got pregnant with boyfriend Gavin Wrap that she finally purged Azor from her life, and the band’s. Through the girls officially broke up in 2002, a reality series called The Salt-NPepa Show brough them back together in 2007 to document a reunion. And they’ve been pushing it ever since.
SPICE GIRLS
"SCARY, BABY, GINGER, POSH AND SPORT Y WERE THE MOST WIDELY RECOGNISED GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS SINCE JOHN, PAUL , GEORGE, AND RINGO". WITH THE "GIRL POWER" PHENOMENON, THE SPICE GIRLS WERE POPULAR CULTURAL ICONS OF THE 1990S. THEY ARE CITED AS PART OF THE 'SECOND WAVE' 1990S BRITISH INVASION OF THE US.
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he world must have been ready for some zigazag-ha in the mid-90s, because it only took The Spice Girls 18 months to go from an open audition at a London dance studio to their debut single “Wannabe” - a global hit that went to number one in more than 30 countries. Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Adams (aka Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh) were all proponents of girl power - a cute brand of feminisim-lite that stood for female friendship and empowerment, and a whole lot of cheekiness. After “Wannabe” came “Say You’ll Be There” and “2 Become 1”, and with just throse three songs, the girls were the biggest pop act on earth. Debut album Spice sold 30 million copies worldwide, and those numbers translated into cultural capital, too. Geri only had to appear at the 1997 Brit Awards in a Union Jack dress for the frock to become an instant icon. The smacker she planted on Price Charles at a Royal Gala performance - and the pinch she gave his bum - made headlines too. Managed by Simon Fuller (Mr X Factor), the girls soon signed up
to a string of multi-million dollar merchandising deals with brands like Chupa Chups, Polaroid, Pepsi, Impulse and Cadburys. Most capitalised on the band members’ distinct characters - a kind of collect-them-all vibe that dound its clearest expression in a range of Spice Grils Dolls released by Galoob Toys in 1997. They put out a film, too: 1997’s Spice World, featuring celebrity cameos from Meat Loaf, Stephen Fry, Elton John and Barry Humphries. While all the cashola was being made, music was happening as well, with hit singles “Spice Up Your Life”, “Stop”, and “Viva Forever” rolling off album number two, Spiceworld. Their brand was everywhere - a circumstance that led to some pretty nasty media backlash, especially at home in the UK. Then in mid-1998, just before a scheduled US tour, Geri exited the band, reportedly due to a bitchy bust-up with Mel B. The remaining Spices cut a final studio album, Forever, but it sold only a fraction of its blockbusting predecssors. The group went on hiatus, only to come back (with Geri) for a reunion tour in 2007 and again in 2012 to publicise the short-lived Spice Girls musical, Viva Forever, and warble a few tunes at the London Olympics.
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DIY SPACE EXPLORATION Words: Jo Walker
Ariel Waldman wants you to boldy go where not that many people have gone before
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riel Waldman didn’t grow up dreaming of space. No more than the rest of us, anyway. She isn’t a physicist or an engineer. She’s a graphic designer by trade and would probably be up to her elbows in pixels and Pantone swatches right now - if not for a lucky chain of events that launcher her career as a kind of evangelist for at-home galatic exploration. Yes, that is a thing. Five years ago, Ariel was at home watching TV when a doco called When We Left Earth came on; a history of NASA from its earliest flights to putting a man on the moon to constructing the International Space Station. Then she had a bit of a fangirl moment. “I decided on a whim to send someone at NASA a real shot-in-the-dark email. I told them I was a huge fan of what they were doing, and if they ever needed a volunteer or something I was around,” Ariel says. “Serendipitously, that day they created a job description for someone like me, someone who didn’t already work at NASA, someone from outside. So I got this job and it changed my life and my mideset, and made me realise I could really actively contribute to space exploration.” Whether by unmanned technology, like
deep space probes and satellites, or a couple of guys in a tin can floating around in zero gravity, hurtling out into the universe has long been the domain of big government agencies. And, well, just big governments. Like the USA. Or the Soviet Union. Now it seems like big business is all the go, with Richard Brandson planning suborbital joy rides and companies vying to be first to land people on Mars. But according to Ariel - who’s since left NASA for her own kind of space race there’s a third way for us to ‘boldly go’. Not via politicians and money. But pretty much via each other, collaborating on open-source projects that invite all kinds of folk to join in. On her website SPACEHACK.ORG, Ariel posts links to dozens of projects that regular, non-rocket-scientist types can get involved in. The easiest (and least timeconsuming) is distributed computing, where you donate downtime on your laptop and join up with thousands of other people doing the same thing, creating a kind of super computer through the internet. So while you’re on facebook, your computer might be helping run simulations of the Large Hadron Collider, or search for gravitational waves theoretical ripples in spacetime - just out in the great beyond.
Then there’s data analysis. All those probes and satellites we’ve got out there are picking up way more info that experts can ever hope to get through, which is where everyone else comes in. Take Galaxy Zoo, a site containing millions of images from the Hubble telescope, some that have never had human eyes on them before. All you need to do is identify their shapes and characteristics (a bit like an interstellar version of Guess Who), and bam - your findings are contributing to science. Some users have even struck galatic gold, Ariel says. “It was literally people going through and going that’s a spiral, that’s an elliptical, and then they saw these weird green blobs. They were like, ‘That’s weird, this doesn’t look like anything else I’ve looked at.’ They went into the forums and pretty soon after you had scientists and non-scientists collaborating together to find images of these weird green blobs, because they didn’t really understand what they were. Then they ended up discovering that they were an entirely new form of galaxy.” Other online data projects need help analysing rocks on Mars and spotting solar flares. You can even hunt for aliens by listening live to radio signals from the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI), which is both frightening and awesome. 29 spearmint
“TAPPING AROUND THE EDGES OF WHAT WE KNOW IS JUST REALLY EXCITING”
All this is what Ariel calls “citizen science, open science, accessible science”, and it’s a concept she has a lot of time for. “It’s about people being able to actively contribute to scientific discovery and scientific processes that you don’t necessarily have to have a formal science background to do. ANd specifically contributing in a way where they’re actually using the skills that they already have.” Anyone can have a go, Ariel says. “New and more clever things emerge when you have people who aren’t so narrowly focused on a specific task. It’s essentially bring fresh eyes to problems.” Aside from joining up with super computers and lazily cruising the cosmos on your computer, there are more active projects to join as well. A few require a fair amount of skill (or, as Ariel points out, a willingness to learn new stuff quick smart), but all are open to anyone who fancies reaching for the stars. Some investigate the future of human planethopping: everything from how to interact with robots and craft the perfect astronaut glove to how to bake in space. Some - like Citizens in Space - are looking for cool ideas for experiments that will fit on a satellite. If you have a lazy $8000 lying around, you can even buy and launch your own satellite through a group called TubeSat. According to Ariel, these are handy if you need to grow crystals in space, or maybe install a camera or your own personal email server. No lasers of 30 spearmint
death, then? “You could definitely put lasers on it. I don’t know if they’re be lasers of death, though, “she laughs. What all this proves is that taking part in space explorations is something just about anyone can do. “It’s not out of reach,” Ariel says. “That’s what we try to do with Spacehack - show a wide range of stuff. Anything from very simple, very accessible things to do something that might require some more skills and some more time and a lot mroe dedication. But it’s still something you can do without necessarily having a PhD or going to school for it.” One of Ariel’s favourite phrases is “disruptively accessible”. Not just making data available in special research facilities, but popping it up on the web and inviting lots of different people to have at it. “There’s a lot of science stuff that already been opened, but no one’s really thought about making that open data accessible, and making it accessible for al arge variety of people to contribute to,” she explains. “For instance, if there’s a competition where maybe you really do need to know how to build a robot to enter. It’s sort of accessible, but I would argue that it’s not disruptively accessible.” One project she’s a big fan of is the Google Lunar X Prize, which has pledged a cool $30 million to the first privately funded teams to land a robot on the Moon. Some people
involved need to know how to build a robot clearly, but not all: “These teams needed lawyers, they need writers, they needed graphic designers, they needed software developers. It was disruptively accessible, rather that just saying, ‘Well, we’ve opened it up! As long as you’ve got all these tech skills you can participate!’” As well as space-themed research, Ariel has now got into the broader idea of science for all. These days she’s something of an agitator-in-cheif for Science Hack Day, a 48-hour event that bring together “designers, developers, scientists, citizen scienttist, web geeks and anyone with good ideas” to basically see what cool stuff they can come up with when crammed together in the same space. So far they’ve taken place in 10 cities around the world, including Ariel’s homebase of San Francisco. “Once I realised it was accessible to me it really changed eveything. And of course NASA and space exploration is the most awesome thing ever! I just did not think it was in my path in life. But there’s something about focusing on the edges of our knowledge and better understanding our place in the universe. I think weird science and fringe science and tapping around the edges of what we know is just really exciting.”
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all the fail s Words: Jo Walker Photograph: Laura Jackson
Five creatives share what they’ve learnt falling fl at on their face.
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CLEA GARRICK FASHION DESIGNER
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How do you define success? Success is feeling fulfilled; inspiring and involving others, and taking the time to see the rainbows. I look up to people who follow their dreams and believe that anything is possible. We have just started a ‘You Inpsire Me’ series on our Limedrop blog, profiling creatives who are doing just that. It is being true to your values and trying to achieve your goals, but knowing that now reaching your goals can be success, too!
How do you define failure? Failure is an opportunity to try something differently. it is inevitable that not everything is gong to go to plan; it would be boring if it did. The only real failure is not learning from your mistakes and not planning or thinking through the possible scenarios. Winston Churchill said: “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” I like this.
Was their ever a point where you though: this isn’t gong to work? I often that that, even now. That’s what keeps me on my toes. There is a saying that you are only as good as your latest fashion collection. I am constantly under pressure to create new things and try ideas out. There is a little part in the back of my head that says: you could fall flat on your face. But it is better than never knowing if it could work. It is the part that pushes me: that keeps me up early and back late.
How did you feel when you were in the middle of it? I have been trying to practice calmness in times of turbulence. I like to think: 1. Do I have enough information to freak out? 2. Will freaking out help anything? I haven’t found a time yet when the answer to question two is yes - damn it!
What advice do you wish you could go back and give your younger, faily self? Don’t push to get everthing now. Take time, build relationships and work together with others - I still need this advice now! I always want everything immediately. It is really important to constantly adapt and change.
There’s a theory that you can’t win at every aspect of life at once. Do you think that is true? No, I like to think that I can have everything. There are times when everything is gliding along well in all areas. It may just be that I’m optimistic.
What sacrifices have you had to make along the way? There has been plenty of missing my friends and travel. In my 20s, all my friends were globetrotting. We launched a Limedrop collection called Places I’ve Never Been, with a range of tourist T-shirts featuring destinations we dreamed of travelling to, but had been working on the label instead. It was a bit cheeky and funny. It’s good not to take yourself seriously.
How long and hard have you had to graft to get where you are today? I find that I gloss over this as I feel like it would be ungrateful to complain about living my dream. I like to make things seem effortless, and yet there are a lot of years of hard work and sleepless nights. Even today is an 11-hour day after installing a new window display and working in the shop until 6pm - and it’s a Saturday! I have just had a solid month without a day off, heading from a day at the shop to an evening in the studio. Anything worthwhile is long, hard work, but most days it doesn’t seem like it and I wouldn’t change it.
What helps you get perspective on failure? My grandma would say that the worst won’t happen. I like to think that no one notices your failures as much as you do.
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GEMMA JONES
ARTIST & CRAFT ORGANIZER
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How do you define success? Positively meeting your expectations or, even better, smashing them. I guess the rub here is where you get your expectations from. When you’re measuring against other people’s expectations, or larger social expectations, then perhaps your success isn’t really yours.
How do you define failure? Not living up to your full potential. I think when you’re young it’s easy to ride on hope and future potential, but at some point you have to crack that egg and prove yourself. You’re not failing if you crack the egg and make something else out of what you find. You’re failing if you sit tight on that egg and don’t act.
Was their ever a point where you though: this isn’t gong to work? I think I play constant doubt against wilful positivity all the time. Breathe in the ‘this is too fucking hard’ and breathe out ‘I’m gonna do it anyway’. I’m jealous of what I imagine is naive confidence and balls in people who don’t have as much self-doubt as me. I have many, many moments in life when I think to myself, “You got away with this by the skin of your teeth last time Jonesy, but maybe this is the time you just don’t scrape through.” But as long as I’m making, doing, acting - even when something isn’t turning out right - I’m at the coalface able to turn it around.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learnt from your failures? That a knock-back stings, but it doesn’t really injure you. That I sometimes live in fear of failing, and when the crunch comes it is disappointing, but it turns out I’m still standing. And, in the end, you forget about your losses and your failures - so sometimes I just choose to fast-track the forgetting bit. Coming up to a dead end can also mean that you have a chance to pick a new adventure.
There’s a theory that you can’t win at every aspect of life at once. Do you think that is true? Yup. I think we have to pick our priorities and our battles. I’m probably not going to pick being a domestic goddess over being a painter or a good friend. I think that as a foundation, we have to look after ourselves, though. Sacrificing health and sanity is a good recipe to really fail at everything.
How long and hard have you had to graft to get where you are today? I hate for a day to end - I like to squeeze as much as I can out of every single day I’m given. I fight the end of each day like a stubborn kid. I have done a 9-5 job most of my working life, on top of which I’ve layered my art practice, research and writing - all of which end up coming in fits and starts between friendships, everyday life and random projects. My parents taught me that art is a valuable and important job and that it really is hard work. I witnessed artworks coming to life not from whimsy and dreaming, but from hard work, action and commitment.
Did you get any advice or support from the people around you that helped with the fails? Yes! I’m all about this. I think that a lot of my super powers actually come from the amazing friendships and work colleagues I have around me who prop me up, smash my ideas around and cheer me on even when things are only going half-right.
What is the upside to failure, do you think? Sometimes a good failure can finally put a stop to pointless persistence. It can also be the experience that helps you reach success the next time. Failure can also just be humbling that was a dumb idea to start with - saved! Drawing a line under something and putting it down to experience can free you up for new things. It can be the experience that helps you reach success the next.
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TAI SNAITH ARTIST & AURHOR
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How do you define failure? To be honest, I don’t really like to label anything as a true failure; nothing is a waste of time. Even things that don’t turn out right, that don’t sell, or fall apart or whatever, are often an important step in realising a bigger idea.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made along the way? Not taken myself and my practice seriously enough. Not believed I was good enough at what I do, and as a result sabotaged my own success. Like when people ask what you do and you say, “Oh, drawings and stuff.” Now I try to be more confident when I'm describing my work to others.
Was there ever a point where you thought: this isn’t going to work?
There’s a theory that you can’t win at every aspect of life at once. Do you think that’s true? Perhaps you can’t do as much as you might have done in the past when you have two children under four! But I do believe you can have a career and have kids, a partner and friends and ‘win’ at them all, eventually. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying it’s easy! I spend most of my time trying to address this balance. But I think the real win is making what you do part of who you are. I found having my studio at home really helped with this - it’s just part of my life now. I also get my four-year-old son Leo to critique my illustrations for my books. He’s very helpful.
How long and hard have you had to graft to get where you are today?
Yes, all the time. At least half of what I attempt to do doesn’t work out. I think if it was obviously going to work, or be ‘easy’, I probably wouldn’t be that interested in doing it.
Well, put it this way - I haven’t slept much for the past five years. My boys get up at six, I work in my studio most night till midnight and the littlest one is still up at 2am and 4am. It’s really scary when you add it up.
How did you feel when you were in the middle of it?
Do you think failures and mistakes change you as a person?
Really conflicted. I hate feeling like I am letting anyone down, or missing out. Sometimes I feel like Ihave one failure after another. The recurring negative feeling that I am plagued by is that I am irrelevant or not visible; that no one cares about my ideas. I try to ask myself, does it even matter? As a female artist and a mother it can be difficult to keep perspective of a lifetime of work, rather than feel trapped and stifled by these few crazy, difficult years. Lately I’ve been trying to tell myself that I have a long life ahead of me and that I don’t need to achieve everything right now.
For sure. Sometimes when you miss the mark or really mess something up, it can help you to pull her head in a bit and tread more carefully. These times stay with you and act as a constant warning not to get too full of yourself. Well, they do for me anyway.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learnt from your failures? That failing is not a bad thing. It is often a more useful thing that succeeding. It draws my attention to where I really need to be with my work, who I really am. I have learnt that I shouldn’t be afraid of failing, because this stops me from taking risks.
What helps you get perspective on failure? My family. I grew up in a very hardworking farming family and it doesn’t matter how hard I try, I will never work as hard as my dad does. My children and my partner are also very important in achieving perspective. They exist outside successes or failures; they love you even at your worst. My children and my partner are also very important in achieving perspective. They exist outside successes or failures; they love you even at your worst.
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MARTY BROWN MUSICIAN & PRODUCER
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How do you define success? I have two definitions. The first is being able to follow whatever inspiration and ideas I have; essentially to make a living doing what I love and to be able to commit to projects that I really want to do. The second definition is simply my own subjective view on how a project or job went in my own little grumpy-oldmen-from-The Muppets scoring system in my mind. It’s just too hard to rate your own success by record or ticket sales - essentially anything that is outside of your control. I prefer to be able to say, “That record was something really special and came out a lot better that even I though it would.” Was their ever a point where you though: this isn’t gong to work? No. I’ve quite liked the slow, natural build of both my and my partner Clare’s careers. It means we are always moving forward and don’t feel like we are going backwards. And I’ve always had a tremendous amount of faith in what we do together and separately. i think if I was starting out now at 39 I would have more reservations and probably not give it enough time to work. What advice do you wish you could go back and give your younger, faily self? Don’t be shy or scared about promoting yourself. Get out there and give it a crack, ‘cause you’re all right, kid. Do you think failures and mistakes change you as a person? It’s impossible to prevent small mistakes and failures. This is what keeps us going to make art, so that we can get it just right the next time - which we invariably do not achieve, and the whole process starts again. I think if I was 100% happy with an album I would stop.
There’s a theory that you can’t win at every aspect of life at once. Do you think that is true? There is definitely not enough time in the day - I think everyone over 27 recognises that. But I think the problem that workaholics have is to think that all of their goals need to be met straight away. I prefer having long-term goals and achievable timelines, so that I have enough time for date night or for taking the kids to the skate park. So for example, in the studio I only work from 10am to 6pm when it’s standard practice for bands to come in and go for 15 hours a day. That’s fine for a band that does it a week a year, but not particularly sustainable for the producer who’s sitting in there week in, week out. Also, if you have your goals clearly set then you can prioritise different aspects of life as opportunities arise. It’s always a question of realigning the balance as it gets too lopsided one way or the other. How long and hard have you had to graft to get where you are today? A lot! Unless you’re extremely lucky, expect to working at music for 10 years until you make a career out of it. When I was 14 I dreamt of being a rock star and the ease that would bring. Industry connections, fortunes, jacuzzis with Snoop Dogg or whatever - but even then, I wanted to end up doing what I do now. Weirdly I feel fortunate that I didn’t being a rock star, because I ended up being involved in so many more interesting projects and in different facets of music rather than ‘making it’ on someone else’s terms. Having to keep paying the bills spurs me to keep on creating and getting involved.
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VICTORIA MASON JEWELLERY DESIGNER
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How do you define failure? Failure is action and an inevitable consequence of doing stuff. Even when I try really hard to pinpoint the time when I’ve failed, I think about how it was the right decision because that’s what happened in that moment. Failure is also a sign that you gave it a go; evidence of testing those boundaries. When I think about a life without failure it’s one that’s stagnant and filled with fear. Failing can be the catalyst for giving it another try.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made along the way? I should’ve continued playing piano, learnt how to touch-type, done percussion at school (instead of piano), said yes to more sport and not cared about the opinions of mean people!
Was there ever a point where you thought: this isn’t going to work? I thought for a long time that my business trajectory was to get bigger, continue growing my list of stockists and employ staff. There was a point where I started to lose the very things that I loved doing and was headed towards a road where numbers were more important than making beautiful, respectful-to-the world things.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learnt from your failures? I’ve learnt to keep going and try to understand my own strengths and weaknesses. Working out what you are good at takes time - I’ve had moments of courage that have surprised me and it’s only because I gave something a go and was prepared to fail. We don’t celebrate failure enough; we don’t like the stories of labour and toil. We love the accidental success stories, but they are rare - most victories come from persistence and hard work.
There’s a theory that you can’t win at every aspect of life at once. Do you think that is true? Yes, I think there’s some truth in it, but you can still have a great and happy life without ticking every single box. There is a huge amount of pressure to have the best of everyone else’s lives, but it really isn’t very realistic.
What sacrifices have you had to make along the way? I don’t feel like I’ve had to make many sacrifices, but I suppose that opting out of being employed by someone has meant that I don’t get those benefits like sick pay or holiday leave, so it can be a little like living a parallel life to other people. I do live quite modestly, but I don’t feel like I miss out on much - I think that’s because I’m really content with the choices I’ve made. Manufacturing jewllery can be quite detrimental to your health, though. There are a lot of dangers associated with long-term exposure to metal techniques and fumes, so that does concern me. It’s not unusual for jewellers to get very sick from the trade.
How long and hard have you had to graft to get where you are today? When you love what you do it doesn’t actually feel like hard work, but there is no down time. You never ‘turn off’ when you are working for yourself, and so I work all the time, even when I’m on holidays, but it's never bad thing.
Did you get any advice or support from the people around you that helped with the fails? My partner, Cass, is my sounding board. She’s far more analytical than me and has the ability to look at the big picture when I’m still buried in the details. Good partnerships are based on balance and I think we make a very strong team.
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IMAGE CREDIT: JULIAN CALLOS
SAINT &SAGE ANNIE CL ARK, AKA ST VINCENT, HAS SOME WISE ADVICE ON LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERY THING
Don’t be a dick
Try and try again
Age is a funny thing. There’s one number, which is your actual birth date, but then there are these other things that can age people, like not getting to do what they love. I’m basically a child. I don’t have any of the trappings that I think a lot of people my age have. I feel pretty cool about it. My life is better in the past 10 years. I’m a happier person and more myself and everything about it is better, so if I were to look at age and go, “Damn you, age, it’s your fault!”, it doesn’t really make sense. Looking back, if I had to come up with a life motto, it would be just don’t be a dickhead. It’s better to be kinder than to cause more suffering on the planet. That’s my tip: don’t be a fucking dick. Be better.
I had a very strong sense of what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t exactly sure how. Learning how to find my own style was a matter of trial and error and just doing. I was becoming better at being a performer and at being a writer, and when you do that and use trial and error, you learn to trust your own instincts and sharpen that tool. Constantly doing and refining. Throwing a lot of things at the wall and refining that, and then eventually you kind of chisel it down. I guess I’m talking about art now, but the same thing could be applied to self. Refining yourself. about art now, but the same thing could be applied to self. Refining yourself. Becoming the best version of yourself you could possibly be.
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Appreciate the good It’s kind of rare to have a real career. A lot of people just get a moment, and those moments are great, but a moment is something and a career is something else. I’ve been able to grow over four or five records, and I’ve work a lot of different hats, even in terms of being a touring person. I’ve tour managed and I’ve been a roadie, so I know the ins and outs of it and how to communicate with people on the technical aspects, which is very helpful. I think the biggest lesson I learnt in the early years was to be grateful for what you have going on, and not measure yourself by other people swimming around in the pond. And to never feel entitled to anything; to work for it.
Don’t expect a wizened sage Wisdom can come in a lot of different packages. Somebody can say something that’s so brilliant and spot-on, and otherwise be a little bit out of their mind. So it doesn’t necessarily come in the package of the gleaming, stately wise one. I think what I recognise as wisdom is an endless curiosity mixed with real compassion, not just for humans and not just for the planet, but the universe. Certain people radiate a sense of being fearless, or are just compassionately receptive to the mysteries of the planet. But wisdom doesn’t reveal itself in the same form in every person, I think it’s the same way with anything. People just show you who they are by how they act.
Learn by deconstruction I find inspiration in stories; other people’s stories, my own stories, jokes. I remember being really inspired by George Carlin around the time of my first record. You know, it’s almost like a meth head picks apart dumpsters - you pick apart different kinds of art and think, “What makes this work? Why does this joke work? Why does this movie work? What are all these elements that make it feel cohesive, and how are you making this dramatic art that has a real feeling at the end of it?” I kind of think of music in terms of shape, like colour and architecture. you can take anything apart and figure out how it works, then put it back together. Then try to infuse that lesson into whatever you do next.
Family makes the best teachers I’ve learnt the most in life from my mother. She’s highly intelligent, but also incredibly compassionate. She is always in a beautiful place, but not naively. She’s aware of the dark side of things, but she always manages to bring out the best in people and use compassion rather than hatred or misunderstanding. I think she’s my most aspirational influence. When I was younger I also spent time touring with my aunt and uncle, who are musicians. I realised I wanted a life on the road, travelling, seeing all the world. The actual earth. And playing music for people. I thin one of the best things they ever said to me was, “Be good to the music and the music will be good to you.” They also instilled in me a obsessive work ethic that has served me well.
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Giggling is good
Give life a go
I think we should all carry with us a sort of existential sincerity. I don’t take myself that seriously, but I do take my work very seriously. Occassionally you’ll meet people who’ll say things like “I don’t like music” or “I don’t like to laugh”, and it’s like, what planet are you from? There’s no personality Venn diagram in which we can intersect. I don’t know what you’re talking about. If we were friends, all I would be doing is trying to make you laugh. It really takes the pressure off.
If you don’t know how to do something, don’t worry about it. Just figure out how to do it. If you’re pursuing some goal, try to know as much as you possibly can about everything around it. Like, I wanted to be a musician, so I started out as a tour manager and somebody who just made sure the electrical voltage in the room was correct. Y’know, just try to know as much as you possibly can so when you get to that point where it’s your turn, whatever that means, you’re ready. Probably everything I’ve ever done I’ve been somewhat afraid to do it, but I just did it anyway. If you’re afraid of something, in some instances that’s a good thing, you should push against it. Don’t be afraid, don’t apologise for asking questions, just get in there and DIY.
Anxiety can be a blessing Y’know, I feel like most of the world has an anxiety disorder. It’s probably rarer to be that serene, placid lake. Mine started when I was seven or eight, and I didn’t know what it was, so I thought that I was a crazy person. And I didn’t know how to ask for help, because I thought everyone would think I was crazy if I did. There’s a certain knowledge that comes with growing up, you get better at managing your own stress and realising what triggers you. The best thing to do is actually communicate with someone who will understand and talk it out and realise that the sky isn’t falling and all the air in the planet isn’t being sucked out. Just find ways to kind of manage it. But I have to say, in some ways I’m perversely very grateful for it, because I’m a freak and I wouldn’t have cultivated my particular world view or have this sense of being ‘other’ that was either the product or cause of my anxiety disorder. I wouldn’t have cultivated this inner world and become whoever it is that I am if I hadn’t been so hyperexistentially aware from a really early age. So in some ways I look at it as a very motivating force.
Be in the moment Basically I think the only mistake you can make is not following your inner voice. Often times some of the best music is made when people are really reaching for one branch, but they sort of end up on another. That’s kind of the happy mystery. Personally, I don’t really have regrets. I don’t live in the past, and - because I travel all the time - I don’t really have time to be attached to one place or thing. So that kind of transfers onto my mental landscape as well. Wherever I am, there I am, and I just make the best of whatever situation I’m in. All you really have is whatever moment you’re in.
Don’t obsess on the past I can be as nostalgic as the next person, but I think nostalgia in art can be kind of manipulative. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever re-read a book. I’m onto the next thing. In this day and age you can beg, borrow and steal elements of things, but you can’t take something from the past full hog and just do a version of it. I think what you’re doing is trading on people’s nostalgia rather that trying to build on what the future could be. It seems a little bit easy. And a bit clinical, because it presupposes that the past is better than the future. And I don’t think that’s true.
We all age, wisdom stays the same It’s sort of a shame that you grow up and then you learn whatever it is you learn, and then you die, but you’re not really able to download that data and upload that into someone else’s brain. As it stands, there’s no way to do that. Everyone has to go through life essentially relearning the same lessons that dead people have learnt, to varying degrees. So there’s probably not really any kind of quality difference between wisdom now versus wisdom in the future or wisdom in the past. It would almost rob somebody of their life if you were able to download someone else’s brain and just have all those lessons pre-loaded. then life wouldn’t be fun or such a trip.
“ALL YOU CAN DO IS MAKE SOMETHING THAT YOU LIKE AND FEEL PROUD OF AND THEN JUST HOPE FOR THE BEST AND TRY TO GET OUT OF ITS WAY.”
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AT HOME WITH KIM VICTORIA & STUART BEER
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This beautiful house in Kensington is home to Melbourne jeweller Kim Victoria Wearne and her husband, Stuart Beer. For a modest single fronted home, it’s incredible how generous the proportions are in the renovated rear extension of Kim and Stuart’s house – the soaring ceilings and clever internal courtyard give this home a deceiving sense of space.
As someone who works from home, Kim is particularly attached to her new surroundings, and loves the way her home and studio are now connected. ‘Because I work from home, it is amazing to occupy a space that feels serene and quiet. The connection to the outdoors is fantastic. While we actually have far less backyard than we originally did, the courtyard allows glimpses of light and greenery from many rooms. Every single room has a view outside which is unexpected in a house like ours’. ‘My studio is also just wonderful’ says Kim. ‘I am so lucky to have a purpose built space to make jewellery in, and it functions beautifully. The tools can be organised, the lighting is perfect for soldering and I can lock the door at the end of the day when I ‘leave’. A simple action that mentally helps when you work where you live’. As a creative herself, Kim has relished the chance to add a few personal touches to her home since the completion of their renovation. She and Stuart are very fond of their dining table, a particularly treasured piece, as it was hand made by a close friend – AJ from CIP. The repurposed stove in the bathroom is also feature that Kim and Stuart are very happy they could include, having always loved it as a feature in the original house. Other sentimental pieces include the paintings by Laura Skerlj hanging in the lounge room, purchased whilst on honeymoon in Byron Bay. ‘It was the first time Stu and I had ever totally agreed on a painting – we bought it straight away!’ says Kim.
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AT HOME WITH SARAH SHERMAN
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“Our home is a two-story townhouse that I share with my husband and two pups. There are two bedrooms on the top floor, one of which I use as my studio, and the bottom floor is one big open space that includes the kitchen, living, and dining areas. The building we are in was brand new when we bought it, giving us the opportunity to choose some of the finishes and put our own stamp on it (like the dark wood flooring and the lighting). Now, six years later we are selling our place (it ust sold!), and we bought a small house nearby.
Moving from this space will be bitter sweet, as it was the first home my husband and I bought together. I also started working from home about six months ago, so I only just finished my studio space! The things I will miss the most about this home will be the high ceilings, the wide open spaces, and large rooms. Our new place is a little bungalow that was built in the 50s, so the rooms are a fraction of the size, but I am really looking forward to having a yard there and an outdoor living area, which will be a major plus.” “The studio is now used solely as my creative space. I do photo shoots, pen my blog Smitten Studio paint, finish wood pieces for A Sunny Afternoon, package and ship products, make plenty of messes and design the days away all from this room.” “One of my favorite pieces is the large framed photograph that hangs on the wall behind the sofa. It’s a photo of Lake Superior that I took when my husband and I were just dating. It was one of the first times I brought him to my home state of Michigan. And although I used to vacation in the area a lot when I was younger, it was the first time I had gone back as an adult. We were both taken back by the unspoiled beauty of the landscape, and it’s still one of our favorite vacations to date.”
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AT HOME WITH MIRANDA SKOCZEK
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I CAN’T TELL YOU how long we have been hounding poor Miranda Skoczek about shooting her home. It’s been a longer campaign than any other home we’ve ever chased! A couple of months ago, our persistence eventually paid off, and we finally scheduled a time to shoot the beautiful art deco apartment Miranda shares with her son, Harper, in St. Kilda!
Miranda and Harper’s apartment is a rental, and they’ve been here just under two years. The apartment block dates back to the 1930’s – which is evident in its generous proportions (they don’t build apartments like they used to!), and subtle details such as the ribbed glass internal doors, and original hardwood floorboards. With two bedrooms, generous kitchen and living rooms but sadly no outdoor space, one of Miranda and Harper’s favourite things about this apartment is its proximity to the St Kilda Botanical Gardens, which is only a short walk away, and acts as their backyard. Miranda is a character. Her home, much like her artwork, is eclectic and colour saturated, drawing on a myriad of cultural influences, from middle eastern textiles to modern Italian design, and everything inbetween. ‘It’s really an interior testament to my love of combining stories and histories’ says Miranda. ‘Decades old rugs serve as platforms to sleek contemporary lines, contemporary Australian art hangs alongside antique folk art imagery. It’s an interior of opposites, old and new, expensive and inexpensive, a carnival of colour settled by key furniture pieces in white. It works because it’s never contrived or forced, every piece I own is because I love it, not because it’s fashion… although I do love fashion!’. Interestingly, only one of Miranda’s own paintings has found a home here, in her son Harper’s room. However, the rest of the local art community is well represented! Miranda’s fledgling art collection includes works by Rhys Lee, Kirra Jamison, Jacqui Stockdale and Leila Jeffreys, to name a few. Amongst many treasured possessions, her Rhys Lee painting from 2004 is a firm favourite – ‘it was my 2nd significant art purchase, my first being another piece by Lee from 2000′ says Miranda. ‘Both I still look at today and am reminded how I suffered on Baked Beans for weeks in order to secure them!’
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LIST THE THINGS YOU ARE PROUD OF Everyone has reasons to be proud of who they are, what they have made it through and what they have created in their lives. Many of us doubt that we even have anything to be proud of. If you are having a hard time feeling proud of anything about yourself or in your life, you can at least try to acknowledge those things which you should seek to find pride in. Pride is not a bad thing. Being pompous and show off-y isn't a good thing. But to trust in your own confidence, you must acknowledge ILLUSTR ATION CREDIT: KRIS ATOMIC
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that you have justified reasons for being content and happy with yourself and your efforts. Failures, do not define you. They are markers that you took action and made a serious effort. That is enough to be very proud of friends.
List your efforts, your best qualities, your dreams and hopes, how you learned from a hard situation, and anything else that helps you recognize that you have reasons to be proud of yourself.
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