The Experience Magazine #7 RED Edition

u I Go o W Y O w N o E H M e k Li BLAOW!!

I might have took your first child Scarred your life, crippled your style

I gave you power

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Content P.9 POPNEOISM: THE TRIPP P.26 Don’t Judge: JRoche & SWANCOAT STORY: P.20 Styled By Steve: Starring Steve Gatez & Ady Bry

Creative Director/ Chief Editor/ Graphic Designer: Jason Stone Executive Director : Simonette White Managing Director: Christina Badroe Head of Photography : Jonathan Alonso Marketing Director: Teniola Sodeinde

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Other Contributions: David “Vice Royed� Rodriguez Bernadee McCartney, Steve Gatez, Ady Bry, Shavon Mitchell, Rilwan Ameen, Toni Benjamin

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SW: Do you have any upcoming galleries or fundraisers?

S: I am currently helping the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund plan their spring event at New York SPiN, a ping pong lounge in flatiron district. Also, although no dates are in stone, I am planning to do a large show with Tripp and are already discussing doing a large fundraiser and art show with the Pop Neoism team. As for medicine, I am also currently conducting a prospective study on labor and delivery on increasing the incidence of false labor through fetal fibronectin testing.

Please check out the very brilliant, Tripp Derrick & Steven Swancoat, artists of PopNeoism at www.popneoism.com and www.swancoatart.com. You will find their paintings, photography, and updates on fundraisers and upcoming events. They also take commissioned requests for paintings!

Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram and remain in the loop on their new masterpieces! Tripp Derrick @Tripp_art and Steven Swancoat @SwancoatArt.

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ST YL E D

BY STEVE

Photography by: Jason Stone One word to describe plaid; timeless. Its been around since I can remember. When I was younger, if plaid wasn’t the heavyweight flannel on the back of some lumberjack, it was a schoolgirls uniform skirt and that was it. Today plaid is everywhere. Today’s trend report shows that plaid has progressed leaps & bounds & the goal is to take your style to those levels. There are so many ways to pull plaid off; some simple & some not. I styled Ady Bryant in two looks for some examples.

In the first look, (Yellow Hat) I added just a pop of plaid. This men’s plaid button down keeps Adlyn’s look refined but the entire look keeps her chic & feminine.

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The second look (shorts) was a different play on plaid. Plaid on plaid is not easy to pull of but when done properly it can be very effective and stylish. I paired a gray plaid herringbone short with a lighter weight plaid button down shirt. The contrast in textures, mixing of plaid print sizes, & the perfect amount of confidence is all that it takes to pull off some trendy plaid looks.

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BEHIND THE SCENES: (L) Steve Gatez (R) Ady Bry shot & edited by Jason Stone

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DON’T

Jevon Roche

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e Interview by: Simonette White Photography by : Jonathan Alonso Edited by: Jason Stone

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Jevon Roche, Graphic Designer and Illustrator, has the fondest memories of art visiting her family in New York City and becoming completely engulfed by the graffitti in this mesmerizing city. She was prepared as a child, with notebooks and markers in hand, to put her creativity to artistic use. This was only the beginning of her endless admiration with Art. Now as an NYC resident, designer of her own brand JRoche, and Art Director for a designing company, Jevon is exactly where she wants to be. After years of art classes and following her dreams, the hard-work has paid off rewarding her with innovative ways of expression.

Her feminine designs of beautifully empowered women, reminiscent of Jevon herself, flood her portraits and prints. She customizes a wide variety of products with inspiring designs on stickers, buttons, iPhone/Android cases, skateboards, and of course her flawless t-shirts. With unforgettable quotes like “You Mad Blame Society” or “Diagnosed with Swag Since the 1980’s” the JRoche designs venture from thoughtful societal issues to fun and relaxing themes.

Jevon Roche is a unique designer with clever subtleties of empowerment for our generation.

SW: What triggers Jevon’s creative bone?

JR: Life…people. I love to observe people on an everyday basis whether it’s commuting on the train or just out and about in the city. And if I mix a little music in there, forget it.

SW: When did you begin creating and decide this was your career path?

JR: I swear it was from little. I would literally carry a notebook and markers every where I went (still do now). I remember our long drives to NYC and I would try my best to mimic the graffiti I would see around the city. I was in every Art class available in school and even when I moved from one town to the next to finish high school, apparently my art level was too high and they didn’t have any classes available but I didn’t care. I took the art class I had already taken the past year at my old school. From that point, I learned about photoshop. I would skip school just to stay home and practice my skills.

Then with social media, like Myspace, I was intrigued when I learned you can modify your page to be custom with some coding and graphics. I was getting requests here and there for backgrounds and some people would request custom profile pictures.

Finally, I realized my art direction in life was slightly changing. So, with the constant hounding and nagging questions of ‘what will your major be’ I decided Graphic Design. In college, I freelanced which motivated me even more to stick with it. I finished my two year degree and attempted my bachelors, but I got so involved with freelance that I decided to put that on hold. I mean school isn’t for everyone.

SW: What is it about your art you think connects with your audience?

JR: Not sure. I know my art style is pretty simple yet feminine, especially my girly illustrations. You will see a lot of detail goes into the face most of the time and the smooth curves on my line work. A lot of consideration also goes into the kind of pose as well. Sometimes it’s the simple things that stand out.

I think people connect to my art because, most of the time, you can have your own adaptation of what is trying to be portrayed.

SW: Tell me about the “you mad blame society” design. How did this come about?

JR: That honestly was something I kept hearing over and over recently. I saw it on apparel, social

media and so on. I think it’s a true honest statement. People always have something to say about others whether it be about lifestyle, race and much more. At the end of the day, society does mold each one of us so I feel people should really think twice before judging. You don’t know everyone’s struggle in life, as to where they may be or how they present themselves. I look at it as a way of saying “Don’t Judge.”

SW: So you design t-shirts, accessories, stickers, posters, write poetry, the list goes on and on...which brings you the most joy and satisfaction?

JR: T-shirts, because they never go out of style and that means your art/design will travel all over the world. It’s also a great feeling when you see someone randomly wearing your t-shirt in the streets of wherever you may be. Makes you feel that your creativity is appreciated.

SW: Which is your favorite piece of art you’ve created, so far?

JR: That’s a hard question. They’re all like my children, can’t love one more than the other. I will say my eye gravitates towards my Kami Kami design.

I worked on that with an old friend. I created the concept and layout, followed up with the illustration of the girl which was a long process and my friend illustrated the planes for the background. I feel she has so much emotion and could be saying so many different things.

SW: What does the phrase “Always Inspire.

Never Dictate” mean to you?

JR: Read that in an illustration book I have and it stuck with me since. I take it as, don’t try to act like a know-it-all; treat everyone equally because we all learn from one another. So my goal is to always inspire the next individual I come across. You never know who you will meet or who that person may meet and sometimes the smallest thing can help another down the line.

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“Don’t try to act like a know-it-all; treat everyone equally because we all learn from one another. So my goal is to always inspire the next individual I come across.”

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SW: How do you plan to always inspire?

JR: By staying open to everything in life and always expressing myself whether through art or written words; not judging and learning from my experiences whether they are good or not.

SW: I love your t-shirts, they’re feminine but edgy and can be interpreted in different ways. What or Who are the influences for these designs?

JR: Women in general when it comes to illustrations.

However, some who have dissected my designs have noted that they seem to be a reflection of myself as if they were self portraits. Music lyrics at times also influence me a lot on some designs as well.

SW: You have also mentioned a love for graffitti, what was your first memory of graffitti and what did you love about it?

JR: Trips to NYC would be my time to draw and everywhere I went I saw graffiti. I had family in El Barrio by 116th street, so of course, I was bound to see something. I also had my other grandparents in the Bronx who I would spend time with in the summers when there was no school. Just venturing around with family in the city was my time to look around for it, whether it was small or big. I kept an eye out for it at all times wherever I went. It was just so cool to find someone’s mark in this world randomly. It was even better when I started to be able to spot the same tag in multiple locations. Some were bright colors and some were just plain, but they were so abstract and unique which really stood out to me.

SW: Besides designing your own apparel, where else do you plan to go with your talents?

JR: Wherever I possibly can go with them. I would definitely like to get back into my fine art skills and go large scale and do some mixed media art.

SW: In 5 years where will Jevon be?

JR: Hopefully checking out new scenery, expanding on my skills and trying new creative ideas.

Right now as an Art Director at the company I work for, I feel good. So hopefully I can expand on my design skills and move up or run my own small company and keep focusing on my personal art with possible exhibits.

Visit Jevon Roche and her art work at www.jevonroche.com. To purchase Jevon’s awesome customized products check her out at www.redbubble.com/people/jroche where you’ll find great art pieces, iPhone/ Android cases, dope T-shirts and more!

SW: I sense a lot of empowerment coming from your designs, what message do you want to relay to your audiences once they’ve bought your products?

JR: Just be yourself, don’t hold back and express yourself. If you like something? Like it, don’t worry if anyone else will or won’t.

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Thank You! From The EXPERIENCE

2013

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