modmuze February 2023

modmuze

Self Portraits

A Moment In Time.

Bejewled A Beautiful Ode to Tolerance and Love in Our Society.

iPhone

The Art of the Mirror Selfie.

ZODIAC SIGNS

modmuze magazine’s Take on each Zodiac sign.

Mag NUM

KÓs mos

Introducing Magnum Kósmos. Meaning The Great Cosmos in Latin. This issue is a collection of personal essays, opinion pieces, editorials and deep dives into the phenomenon that is the culture of space. Our directors team came up with a concept for this issue that the team in its entirety could explore in their own way, bringing some of the best articles and editorials yet.

Uninterested, or not, in this concept, we all have a connection. This issue explores our own personal star signs and their meanings. When creating the concept for this issue I knew I wanted an editorial spread highlighting each sign’s vibe. It was important to me and the other directors that each photo was uniquely their own, just like the accompanying sign. Horoscopes and star signs were the main concept for this issue and discussed in many of the articles.

The overarching theme of this issue is to find yourself but don’t be afraid to live in that forever or be tied to anything permanently. modmuze strives to embrace everyone for who they are, even if you aren’t sure who you are yet.

This release was filled with many highs and lows for me personally. Struggling to manage everything and trying to live up to everyones expectations of you is tough. Mix that in with all of the emotions of being a senior and sudden -

ly you feel like you can’t do anything right. Although, sitting here rereading all of the articles and seeing the amazing content produced is beyond inspiring. Being able to create something can be so magical, but it doesn’t come without challenges. My hope for anyone reading this issue is that they finish feeling inspired to be unapologetically themselves in every aspect of life. Magnum Kósmos is the universe as a whole, where you so perfectly matter.

Here’s to finding the magic in life.

Cheers,

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & President Faith Bollom, SMSC/MMJ

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & Vice President Jessica Meza, SMSC

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Hadley Waldren, ENG

MARKETING DIRECTOR Megan Fillo, MKTG/MGMT

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTORS Ellie McKinney, Interior Design

STYLING & MODEL DIRECTOR Rylee Keesee, MKTG/MGMT

WRITERS Leah Brainerd

Cooper Carr

Jillian Eckert

Hailey Juen

Emily McCaslin

Haley Simpson

PRODUCTION Jack Steele

Gavin Pendergraff

Katie Wilson

MARKETING Patricia Dimick

Maddie Gooding

Joaquin Montiel

Hannah Schob

PHOTOGRAPHY Kylie Nelson

Emily West*

STYLISTS Sebastian Arias

Brynn Baker

Catie Barrett

Cierra Carney

Logan Howard

Abby Haraway

Anabelle Lindsey

Eliza Sowle

Trey Powell

Tayliur Thompson

Lauren Watkins*

CREATIVE Hallie Rosell

*Guest Contributor

CREATIVE ADVISOR Kelly Kerr

Multimedia Producer 106 Nancy Randolph Davis 918-691-1813

kelly.kerr@okstate.edu

FACULTY ADVISOR

Cosette Joyner Martinez Associate Professor Design, Housing & Merchandising 434A Human Sciences (405) 744-9525 cosette.joyner_martinez@okstate.edu

modmuze is a fashion and lifestyle magazine produced by students, for students. Our magazine provides a unique platform for students to freely express themselves creatively in any and all ways imaginable.

our mantra empowering self-expression

modmuzemag.com

modmuzemag@okstate.edu

@modmuzemag @modmuzemag

Self-Portraits

by: Cooper Carr

Photos, styling and modeled by: Rylee Keesee

In March of 2022, I rented a camera and put myself both in front of and behind the lens. I sat on the edge of my tub, in front of the smooth white wall of the shower and did my best to light myself with a lamp borrowed from my desk. I don’t remember anything else that happened that day, but I remember the months before it. January and February had been good and bad at the same time. I felt a little shaken by life because a lot had changed for me and rather quickly. There were changes mostly for the better, but I had a hard time learning which things in my life I could grab ahold of and which had to just happen to me. In short, I was confused. It’s hard to express with words. But the pictures that came from that day remind me of the events and feelings that defined my life at the time. As

a writer, I usually feel that a picture isn’t worth a thousand words, despite the old saying. I think a picture is worth maybe a hundred words, or when I’m most diplomatic, I decide that both forms of art can accomplish amazing things. I’ll most often take the words, but in March 2022, a camera was the better tool.

I’ve been interested in self portraits ever since then and I recognize myself as an artist more. I’m as proud of those pictures as I am of any other work of creative output in my life. The self portrait is a unique and special act of creation because it allows the maker to be both artist and subject. All art is self expression. The things you choose to depict and the way you depict them show how you see the world. A self portrait intensifies self

Photos, styling and modeled by: Cooper Carr Layout by Hadley Waldren

expression, it’s how you see yourself and how you show yourself to others.

Art is powerful, both making it and experiencing it can be therapeutic. It’s found at the various intersections between many highways: what you see, what you imagine, what you are able to produce, what you want to say, and the list goes on. But in all of these intersections there is a collision between the artist and the world, and what comes out is a moment in time. Every work of art is a reflection of both the artist and the circumstances of its creation.

Any prolific artist will have a body of work that, when seen chronologically, takes the viewer on a tour of their life. This is never more true than in an artist’s self portraits. A famous exam -

ple is Pablo Picasso. Picasso painted around 30 self portraits in his life, and every one is a step toward the next. At 15 years old, Picasso’s first self portrait is traditional, a true to life picture of himself. By the time Picasso made his last self portrait, at 90 years old, he was unrecognizable on the page. It’s a dark, haunting scribbling with human features just faintly showing.

It’s important to me that I be able to express myself. I like to look back and do progress checks. Most of the time, this means I’m reading what I wrote about myself long ago. Sometimes it means I’m looking at old pictures of myself. It always means I’m looking at a moment in time, seeing how I saw myself. It’s a good feeling.

AST RO LO GY

Knowing which zodiac sign you fall under and the deeper meaning that comes with that can be a fun hobby to have but how far can you let it go?

Zodiac signs are an interesting way to gain deeper insight into the way your brain might work. It allows you to explore ideas about yourself that you may not have considered before. It can be used as a tool to get to know yourself and others better but that’s not always how people use these signs. Instead of just viewing these star signs as tools, people view them as their whole identity. They become their astrology sign, basing their lives and personalities on what characteristics their star sign possesses.

More often than it seems, people use zodiac sign characteristics as a cop out for their actions instead of owning up to how they’re acting. We as humans are always looking for excuses anywhere we can get them. We never want to admit when we’re in the wrong or need to grow and change. That’s when diving into the characteristics and stereotypes of your star sign can turn from understanding them to excusing behavior and actions. Instead of saying, ‘I understand this is how I act sometimes and I can better myself because I know this information’ people say ‘I act this way because of my sign, it’s just how I am and there’s no changing that’. I don’t agree with this philosophy. Each sign is going to have positive and negative characteristics associated with them since nobody is perfect but adopting the negative characteristics into your life because they’re associated with your sign doesn’t add up.

Accepting the negative characteristics and using that to excuse your behavior

towards others isn’t what we’re going for here. Letting your star sign be part of who you are is a fun way to tell others about yourself and can help you explain the inner workings of who you are, but it isn’t what you’re made up of. Your sign doesn’t define you. In my personal experience, I only relate to about half of the stereotypes surrounding my zodiac, but if someone decided to judge my character based on my sign completely, they wouldn’t know who I am at all. Most of their information and

judgment would be incorrect. It can be dangerous to assume these stereotypes and characteristics fit every person under the date of their astrological sign. Some people will relate more than others, and that’s okay as well.

Let it be an interesting way to learn more about yourself and understand others better but be cautious of how much you’re letting it dictate how you treat yourself and others.

Understanding, not excus ing

by Hailey Juen

Layout by Hadley Waldren

Can We Have a Sleepover?

Join us as we take it back to the days of dress up. This editorial invites you to focus on what made childhood friendships so special. So get in your PJs, build a blanket fort and sneak some of your moms makeup. You are always invited to our slumber-party.

18 modmuze FEB

Photos by Rylee Keese

Styled by Rylee Keese, Hadley Waldren

Layout by Hadley Waldren

Modles: Rylee Keese, Hadley Waldren

W I T C H

A brief history of crystal healing and spell jars

by Jillian Eckert

Natural healing is all the rage these days; from essential oils and meditation to crystal medicine and spell jars. These practices focus on mindfulness and spiritualism as opposed to hard sciences, and they date back millennia. Though crystal healing is trending right now, it has always served as an alternative to classical healing, and people have found comfort in these sorts of practices throughout history. People have been practicing crystal healing, or lapidary medicine, since about 4500 BC—the first documented use of crystals comes from the ancient Sumerians. Ancient Egyptians wore jewelry made with crystals and gemstones for health and protection— they also buried their dead with stones like lapis lazuli to aid them in the afterlife. These ideas persisted into medieval Europe, where texts known as lapidaries documented the various powers crystals were believed to hold.

Such widespread belief across time and culture means there are no exact definitions of what a stone can or can’t do. Rose quartz, for example, was believed to prevent aging in Egypt, signified ownership in ancient Rome, and is now known as the “love stone,” believed to hold power over one’s emotions. Some have more continuity in their uses. The

ancient Greeks used amethyst to prevent intoxication and cure hangovers— now, the stone is believed to help quell addictive or disruptive behaviors.

Many people now use crystals to make spell jars, which are physical representations of one’s intentions. For example, make a focus spell jar to help clear your mind or a calming spell jar to soothe anxiety. The rules are loose, and there aren’t specific recipes for certain spells. The core idea is that setting intentions and binding them to a physical object will help those intentions manifest. You can use crystals, herbs, flowers, notes— anything. Many spell jar recipes on Instagram and Pinterest blend crystals, essential oils, herbs, and other objects to represent specific ideas and intentions. The concept of a spell jar comes from medieval Europe, where people created “witch bottles” to protect against witches. These spell jars weren’t nearly as pretty, often containing urine, hair, fingernail clippings, brass pins, dead bugs, etc. Some historians think these bottles were like voodoo dolls, wherein the urine and pins would cause whatever witch cast a spell on you to feel pain when urinating, incentivizing them to lift the spell. The modern spell jar is a far cry from the medieval version; there’s less body matter and negative energy.

That said, crystals and spell jars can be a fun way to focus your energy and manifest change. While it’s all pseudo-scientific and likely an example of the placebo effect, these ritualistic practices may help you make small changes in your everyday life. Simply having a focus spell jar on your desk can aid productivity if you believe it has the power to do so. These physical objects are reminders of your intentions— whether they work or not is entirely up to you. While creativity is encouraged, here are a couple of spell jar recipes to help you channel your inner witch!

Protection Against Negative Energy (via @thewitchoftheforest on Instagram)

For this spell jar, you’ll need black tourmaline, a bay leaf, nettles, a stick of cinnamon, cloves, and smokey quartz. Black tourmaline and bay leaves provide all-around protection, while the net-

tles and cloves protect against negative energy and gossip, respectively. The smokey quartz absorbs negative energy, and the cinnamon boosts the spell. Simply cleanse a small jar with incense and then place the ingredients in it, keeping your intentions at the front of your mind. Seal the jar with a cork and candle wax.

Peace and Harmony (via @lovebyluna on Instagram)

For this spell jar, you’ll need salt, lavender, lemon balm, moonstone, agate, and hematite. The moonstone and lemon balm symbolize harmony, the agate and hematite provide stability, the lavender brings peace of mind, and the salt purifies energy. Cleanse your jar with incense and place the ingredients inside, staying mindful of your intentions. Seal the jar with a lid, a cork, or candle wax and shake it to activate the energy.

Photos by Ellie McKinney

Styled by Logan Howard

Layout by Hadley Waldren

Model: Hannah Schob

Mixed Mediums Mixed Mediums

by Emily West

lities.

z i n g t h e e n d l e s s p o s s i b i

In many facets of life, we find ourselves in boxes of our creation. In fashion, it’s all too easy to feel boxed in. From walls formed by cultural standards used to separate & sort us into our respective bins, labels plaguing how we identify our style to styles just beyond our reach- or price point. These hurdles appear around every corner on the individual journey to genuine self-expression.

Influencers and the global fashion industry paint the picture that it’s simple. All you need is this product or these clothes, and it’ll all magically click. I hate to be the bearer of disappointing news, but it will never be that easy. One product or article of clothing won’t push you to discover new ways to express yourself or what style makes you feel most like you. It takes experimentation, trial and error, and it’s intimidating.

Overcoming these stigmas we’ve been socialized to believe is hard, but mixing mediums and experimenting with fashion doesn’t have to be a face-first dive off the edge. Mixing mediums is more than just crazy pattern mixing or Camp ensembles. It’s about adding texture and dimension to an outfit, mixing styles, and being unapologetic. It’s true to your unique style in whatever way it works. But styles as a whole can be a hard concept to wrap your head around. Most of the time, we stick ourselves to one category of one style and keep with it until high school or college. Then, we pick another style, and it sticks for the rest of our lives.

t

But the freedom that mixing up your style gives you is a window to a whole new realm of possibilities. From coastal cowboy to streetwear grunge, your week can become infinitely more exciting by allowing yourself the freedom to change it up and break out of the boxes you find yourself

stuck in, but we play it safe. We think we’re overdoing it, and we get scared that we can’t pull off anything other than what we wear every day.

But the fact of the matter is that you already utilize a hundred different styles a day: you just don’t realize it. It’s like that scene in The Devil Wears Prada, where Merryl Streep is telling Anna Hathaway about the history of her Cerulean blue sweater (you know which one I’m talking about). Well, just think about it like that.

Your closet is full of clothes inspired by different seasons, periods, styles, and people. So, you shouldn’t be afraid to mix and match styles you don’t think you could pull off because you 100% can.

Mixing Mediums is about feeling confident in yourself through your style, not letting your style define how confident you feel. And I, too, have fallen prey to the ever-looming fear that my choices are ‘too out there’ or ‘not stylish enough,’ but what I’ve had to teach myself…

Who in the hell cares?

And if they do, let that be a reflection of them. Those who can’t do it, hate, and those who do are the ones we remember forever.

Photos and styling by Emily West

Layout by Katie Wilson

Models: Shannon Bailey and Makenna Breedlove

BEJEWELED

By Leah Brainerd

Sparkles are the next big trend, thanks to Taylor Swift and her current bejeweled era. Bejeweled is the new wave of being sparkly and fun in a post-pandemic era. The new way to stand out and show your personality in a fun way that also aligns to pop culture. Bejeweled is not only sparkly clothes but can also be hints of sparkles such as shiny jewelry or sparkles in your hair or accessories. It does not always have to be flashy, but it can be a subtle way to add a pop to any outfit. Taylor’s outfits have been more sparkly than ever - giving an ode to the Reputation era and breathing new life into ‘peacocking’ as it was used in the early 20th century. Peacocking was a way to describe men who dressed flamboyantly in the 1900s. This term was used for men because male peacocks show their feathers and colors to impress the female and obtain a mate. This translated into men who wanted

A Beautiful Ode to Tolerance and Love in Our Society

to impress women in society and show off their wealth to find a better wife. Since the world changed due to COVID-19, many people have shifted perspectives from the constant grunge and loungewear of staying at home to pushing for new, fun and outgoing outfits. One of the best examples is Harry Styles: he has been peacocking during the most recent world tour in his sparkly and colorful outfits, which has led his fans to do the same in attending his concerts. He even helps them in their efforts by providing boas at some of his shows. Bejeweled is also the name of a top-charting Taylor Swift song and a way of life for many people. Taylor has been in a bejeweled era with all of her dresses and outfits this awards season, making the whole place shimmer, if you will. This display of sparkle from the pop star has also put some of her followers into a bejeweled era as well. Ulti -

mately, pop culture influences us as individuals, and the era of sparkles and flamboyancy is upon us, as shown by celebrities such as Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. Aside from pop culture, sparkles are also timeless and an often used accessory. In addition, one of the great qualities of sparkles is that they are for everyone, all genders can truly embrace sparkles and make them applicable to all scenarios. Sparkles making a comeback is exciting for many reasons, one of which is that sparkles are much like the color yellow: they are a mood boost because people are drawn to reflective and bright textures, and they can also help with mood improvement. Sparkles show that people are not afraid to shimmer and show their true selves, which is a beautiful ode to uniqueness in our society.

Special thanks to Amber’s Lighting and Home Accessories for allowing us to photograph in their store

Photos by Kylie Nelson

Styling by Hannah Schob

Layout By Gavin Pendergaff

Models: Rod Ashaba and Rachel Minick

Styled by Rylee Keesee, Catie Barrett

Layout by Hadley Waldren

Photos and Modeled by Sydney Biggerstaff and Aubrey Ruffin

Piercings Based on Zodiac Signs

Self-expression and Personality Through Jewelry

By: Leah Brainerd

Piercings and tattoos are a way of self expression that many indulge in, including myself. They tell stories about a person and have great significance. They can also be a way to feng shui your body or ears to have mood benefits. Piercings in particular can have an effect on people’s health and improve their lives.

In terms of health, many people pierce the inner part of the ear called the daith to alleviate migraines and have had success in remedying their constant pain. The tragus has also been shown to have a similar effect in helping subdue the pain of headaches and migraines. Many people pierce their ears based on their zodiac signs as well to help with health concerns and to help align their center.

Zodiac piercings have become popular recently to create a collage on your ear that aligns with who you are as a person and to have piercings that relate to each other and go well together. Zodiac piercings work by placing the piercings in the same formation as the stars from your zodiac sign, the same stars from when you were born. Zodiac signs can say a lot about people’s personalities and reveal traits they might not even be aware of. Many people rely on their signs because they help you with goals and motivations as well as give insight into relationships with other people. For example, Tauruses and Leos have an intense relationship together because they both like to be in-charge as well as Leos are more outgoing while Tauruses are more introverted.

Because zodiac piercings may be too many piercings at once for some, this can be done at many different times or in different stages of your life, just as the moon goes through different stages in its cycles as well. One of the simpler piercings is the Aries with only four piercings: the helix, rook and two tragus piercings. The helix and rook are fairly simple as well and not super painful, which can be a relief if you are new to piercings.

Layout by Jack Steele

The most complex is the virgo piercings with 12 piercings because of all the stars aligning together in late August and September. There are eight piercings around the outside and lobes of the ear and four inside the ear all close together towards the middle. All zodiac signs and piercings are different and can have different effects because of their placements, but zodiac piercings are a fun way to say something with your piercing choices and make them significant to you specifically. They can help remind you of your sign and bring you back to your ground. It can be a great reminder that all lives have cycles and that you are always changing, evolving and different from others based on your specific signs.

Piercings may be an investment, but creating a personalized ear stack that is important to you is worth the money. Piercings can last a lifetime if taken care of properly and are great conversation starters. Ear piercings are also a great way to express yourself and show off your unique personality in a more permanent way.

Westernwea r , year 3000

The

cowboy aesthetic of the future.

From Lollapalooza to Coachella, the adoption of westernwear into mainstream fashion has catapulted to the forefront of festival fashion and has plastered itself across modern media. It creates the wonder of how the timeless pieces of this fashion genre will be adopted once we’ve been to the year 3000, to quote the Jonas Brothers.

Countless adaptations of the ‘space cowboy’ have plagued wardrobes since its rise in popularity, but the staple of westernwear is its timelessness. Not its current trending status. Thus, modmuze offers you a new kind of cosmic cowboy.

Saddle up.

50 modmuze FEB

Photos and styling by Emily West

Layout by Hadley Waldren

Models: Gaby Tiger and Emily West

IAC ZOD

SIG NS

Photos by Ellie McKinney

Styled by the modmuze executive team

Layout by Hadley Waldren

Model: Charley Van Newkirk

TAURUS

Model: Bella Panganiban

Model: Olivia Ballard

GEMINI

CANCER

Model: Hannah Schob

Model: Mya Cerda

LEO

VIRGO

Model: Sara Thomas

Model: Caroline Pitzer

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Model: Izzy Brundage

Model: Rebecca Lee

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

Model: Dalton Vasquez

Model: Allie Ecleston

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Model: Kamryn Major

by Haley Simpson

If you’ve been feeling blue since the time changed this year, there’s no question why. Some of us are all too familiar with the term seasonal depression. Every year during possibly the busiest and most stressful time, amongst finals and holidays, we lose an hour of sunlight. Not only do we lose an hour, but the earth moves farther from the sun, the UV lessens, and we launch into fall and winter. These changes have a major effect on your body. You no longer have the sunny summer rays fueling you. Less sun means less vitamin D and less serotonin production. So, take a short inventory before blaming yourself for stresses and woes. There are many ways to help you fight seasonal depression. First, find a way to get as much sun as you can. Take bundled walks, sit on your porch and bask, or consider a vitamin D supplement. All of those options will boost your slowly sinking vitamin D levels, in turn supporting your body and allowing it the vitamin it needs to balance your mood. There’s absolutely a reason that seasonal foods change, and your grandma’s stew is so comforting.

Second, pick up an activity. Whether you love pilates, barre, weight lifting, or running, winter is the time to increase or revive those activities. The increased blood flow and release of feel-good hormones will boost your mood astronomically and help you feel balanced despite the amount of time you spend indoors. Lastly, winter brings about lots of isolation that can fuel seasonal depression. Spice that up with finals and winter break, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for feeling lonely. Make an effort to see your friends and spend time with people who love and support you even if you feel down and out. Don’t let snowins and winter weather bum you out. Regardless of how you support your body and mind, understand that what you feel is natural. Dark winter days change our health. You are not responsible for the distance from the sun. The earth itself changes each season to adapt to the way of nature. From trees losing their leaves to the pattern of the moon, we also change when the sun leaves us.

Layout by Katie Wilson

By: Cooper Carr

1986’s Labyrinth is a uniquely charming children’s fantasy movie for everyone, and not just because of Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie’s star power. Labyrinth reminds us of a different way of making movies.

Many of the characters are puppets and they’re just one piece of the practical effects masterpiece. There’s something about the real, physical nature of the sets, goblins and trolls that just feels right, and it makes much of today’s CGI-driven fantasy look uninspired in comparison.

Labyrinth is a trip down memory lane, and for younger viewers it offers a fascinating glimpse into 1980’s filmmaking.

Photos by Rylee Keesee

Styled by Sebastian Arias

Layout by Jack Steele

Models:Carson Scott, Yasmine Abusaleh

ANGEL NUMBERS A simple look into who is looking out for us

by Emily McCaslin

We all can admit that sometimes we feel a little lonely or just need a sign in life to tell us we’re going to be okay. Angel numbers are a way for us to take a deep breath and know that someone is looking out for us. Angel numbers are a sequence of 3 or 4 numbers, for example, 333 or 444, that we may see in different places in our everyday life that can give us a spiritual message.

If you see one of these out and about, it can mean a multitude of good things. Angel numbers can be found on clocks, street signs, receipts, or any other random place in your daily life. Each of the numbers stands for different things.

Each angel number means:

000- Zeros represent new beginnings and fresh starts.

111- Ones represent manifestation and intentionality.

222- Twos represent balance and trust.

333- Threes represent creativity and finding value in certain situations.

444- Fours represent the correct and healthy path.

555- Fives represent transformation and new changes.

666- Sixes represent self-love and kindness.

777- Sevens represent luck and good fortune.

888- Eights represent the supernatural world.

999- Nines represent a chapter closing. *Information from Allure.com

These numbers can mean change is a good thing, that you need to go with the rhythm of your life, to give up control, or many more meanings. A popular interpretation of angel numbers is that if you see one, then you are moving on the right path. Many people see this as a calming source for their lives.

Some say that when you see your angel number, you should stop and consider what it may be trying to tell you. They can remind you to stop and meditate on your life. Some angel numbers can redirect you to think, “what do I need to do differently?”

Angel numbers have recently become more popular, as more people discover what they are. People all over social media are using their platforms to

spread this positivity to people everywhere. Accounts such as @angelnumberguide are using their accounts to educate people on angel numbers and encourage people with reassuring messages as they go along with their day.

Some people believe these numbers were ‘assigned’ to them based on the time and day they were born, whereas others believe they are based on common numbers you see most in your day-to-day life. Some people have even taken it a step further and have gotten tattoos to pay tribute to their angel numbers. Seeing it on their body, can cause them to re -

lax and know they are in good standing.

Angel numbers can go as far as to help with issues of mental health. Angel numbers were created to give people hope and calm their minds. They randomly show up when you need them, but you can also ask the universe to send you your angel numbers as a sign.

Angel numbers were given to us to help us grow, relax and be more confident in ourselves and the decisions we’re making. Utilize this gift, and you may find yourself enjoying life more and everything it has to offer.

Layout by Hadley Waldren

The Lives of Others

And the Transforming Power of Art

By: Cooper Carr

In October of 2022, Matty Healy, lead singer of the English band The 1975, did an interview with radio host Zane Lowe. Near the beginning of the interview, Healy and Lowe talked about art and culture. The front man seemed more earnest than usual. As an artist himself, it’s no surprise that Healy had strong feelings. He expressed disdain for the leaders of the British government who cut public funding for the arts. “It’s literally ‘cause they are philistines,” Healy said. “If you are the Minister of Culture, you should be able to f**k. And you should know who Aphex Twin is.”

Even if art has become more difficult to support financially, it hasn’t become any less essential. Art is powerful. It is a force in and of itself. Those people who have been the most affected by it know this, and they know how important art is.

“It’s literally ‘cause they are philistines,” Healy said. “If you are the Minister of Culture, you should be able to f**k. And you should know who Aphex Twin is.”

“Some people are a person,” Healy said. “And then they hear ‘Blue’ by Joni Mitchell. Or they hear Bob Dylan. They hear whatever record it is and they immediately become someone else. They are transformed.”

For many people, this will not just be a statement they hear, or even something they learn. They will hear it and realize it is something they have always known. Or it is something they have known ever since it happened to them, though they never really thought about it. They have been transformed by art themselves and whatever work of art it is that did the transforming will immediately come to mind.

These are the kinds of people who devote their lives to art and end up transforming someone else. In some cases, the art they make is itself an ode to that transforming power of art, either directly or indirectly.

The Lives of Others is a 2006 German drama film directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck starring Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck and Sebastian Koch. Set in East Germany in 1984, the story follows Gerd Wiesler, a captain of the Ministry for State Security (Stasi), playwright Georg Dreyman, and his girlfriend, actor Christa-Maria Sieland. The Stasi closely monitors the affairs and households of most prominent artists in East Germany, including all of them that Dreyman knows.

At the movie’s start, Dreyman is not being monitored due to his apparent sympathy for the ruling East German Communist Party. Wiesler, seeing Dreyman at the performance of one of his plays, indicates to his superior, for no apparent reason, that Dreyman may not be as “clean” as he appears. So the Stasi begin monitoring him, with Wiesler leading the mission.

Every inch of Dreyman’s house is bugged, and Wiesler constantly listens in from the abandoned attic of a nearby building. Later, knowing when Dreyman comes and goes, Wiesler sneaks into the apartment where Dreyman lives with Sieland, walks carefully through the artists’ rooms, and steals a book of poetry by Bertolt Brecht. He reads the poetry back at home and is visibly moved. This is the first significant hint that Wiesler will not remain the force of East German Communist oppression that he is at the beginning of the film.

The second scene that makes Wiesler sympathetic and adds depth to his character comes when Dreyman plays the piano in his apartment. Wiesler is listening in as usual, wearing head phones, surrounded by technical sur veillance equipment. He is shown from behind first, and as the camera slow ly moves around Wiesler, he stares off into the distance. A single tear rolls down the Stasi agent’s face as Dreyman continues playing for the audience he doesn’t know is listening. Throughout the rest of the movie, Wiesler is trans formed, which began with art.

Layout by Jack Steele

I don’t know what inspired Matty Healy to start making music or what made Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck want to make movies. But I know both of them could tell anyone in a second the name of the art that transformed

I remember watching Barry Jenkin’s Moonlight in 2018 and falling in love with film because that movie opened my brain to all that movies can be. And I remember seeing Porter Robinson per form his song Musician in 2021, seeing the lyrics on the screen, later screaming them in the shower, and knowing I would never be an engineer, even though I was studying engineering at the time. And I remember finishing Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, thinking Baldwin used words more beautifully than any one I’d ever read before, and realizing I wanted to use words like that too. If not for those works of art, you wouldn’t be reading this because I wouldn’t be writing it. I would be someone else. I wouldn’t be myself.

I don’t know if you have been transformed by art or if you even want to be. But I feel these transformations are usually for the better. If you’re struggling to find yourself, I hope you dive into art. Find the stuff you like. There is more art at our fingertips than there ever has been. So if it’s not a single song, poem, or movie that does it, it will be a synthesis of many of them. You will hear it, read it, watch it and become someone else—yourself.

Coloring Outside the Lines

Because Breaking the Rules can be Good for You

By: Emily Mccaslin

Life is a beautiful thing, filled with good and bad, bruises and scars, but they make you who you are. But it is how you got those bruises and scars that make life truly worth living.

When I was little, my first scar was from my family’s golf cart. It was a thing to drive your golf cart around your neighborhood and drive to all your friends’ houses. My golf cart was different from everyone else’s because it didn’t have a backseat. Instead, it had two belts that initially helped hold your golf clubs in place. I didn’t own golf clubs, but I had the next best thing, my body. Instead of listening to my mom and sitting up front, I thought it would be a good idea to buckle myself in the belt straps and have my sister drive. As you can probably guess, this didn’t end well. It was fun riding at first, but ultimately, I fell, and I was left with a big scar to show. It’s a fun story, and sure it hurt, but it was fun riding in the back and feeling free, and now my sister and I can laugh about it.

Breaking the rules can be good for you sometimes. It teaches you to let loose and have fun. Life is about living and creating new experiences; some of the best memories come from bending the rules a little.

“You’ll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it.”

-Mandy Hale

If you spend your whole life living by strict guidelines, then you’re not giving yourself room to grow in a different manner.

Rules are set for a reason, yes, but they also have the power to restrict you from experiencing certain things.

Think about movies. I agree, they’re not always realistic, but I enjoy living my life as if I were in a movie. None of the best movies become great by people just sitting still and following the rules.

think my favorite time that I broke the rules was on a family vacation. At this particular moment, we went to a park that had many different paths you could take. And as my high school journalism teacher and Robert Frost taught me, you should always take the road less traveled. On our hike, we came upon a sign that said, “don’t enter.” So, of course, we did the responsible thing and went right past it. Because we broke the rules, we found this beautiful underwater cave with water that glistened like diamonds. Because we went against the rules, we got to experience this 11/10 moment as a family. Talk about a movie moment.

Some Instructions are meant to be rewritten. Obviously, be careful and use your judgment, but take time to find a new sense of freedom every once in a while. You don’t want to live your life not really living at all.

My advice to you: do one thing every day that scares you, even if it means breaking the rules a little bit.

Photos by Ellie Mckinney

Styled by Lauren Watkins

Layout by Jack Steele

Models Laiza Hernandez and Brighton Roggow

Me and the Moon

Where will we be without our tether to the universe?

By: Jillian Eckert

For billions of years, the moon has been drifting away from us.

I vividly remember the first time I heard this. I was around ten years old, watching a random space documentary that happened to be on TV. The narrator told me in that deep, dramatic documentary voice that in the distant future, the moon would be pulled into Venus’s gravitational field, leaving Earth to spin out of control without our moon’s orbit to ground us. Even though I certainly won’t be around to witness that, and it’s likely that humanity as a whole won’t witness it either, something about this knowledge fills me with dread. What is Earth without its moon? Where will we be without our tether to the universe?

The scientific answer, if my memory serves, is that the earth’s axis will tilt farther, the ocean’s tides will be out of control, the ice caps will melt, the climate will drastically change, and every coastal city will be buried underwater. It’s world-ending stuff (if there’s a world to end in a few billion years). However, that’s not what scares me about this knowledge that our moon is

ever-so-slowly creeping away. It’s the symbolism of it all, the idea that even our moon, that eternal fixture in the sky is not permanent. This heavenly body that humanity has been looking up to for millennium, that has been the muse of so much art and poetry and music, that connects prehistory to the present, will one day be out of our reach.

When I was little, I used to ask my dad to go outside and look at the moon with me. We’d get home at night and I’d just want to stand in the driveway, gazing up at the night sky and pondering the moon. Its magic and mystery struck me as something divine, something beyond a rock in the sky. I love the idea that all of humanity has gazed upon the same moon—in a way, the moon is our one point of connection throughout history. Perhaps, sometime in the distant past, there was another young girl who longed to visit the moon with her dad. Perhaps she also pondered such subjects as the vastness of the universe and the impossible truth that we’re all connected in some way. Perhaps that girl and I are similar in every single way, apart from the point in time that we inhabit. I like to think so.

The moon is drifting away from us, but we can count on its presence for a while longer. It’s up to the humans of the unfathomable future to mourn that loss—for now, we can simply look at our moon with reverence, appreciating the ever-present reminder that we are not as disconnected from one another as we may think.

Layout by Jack Steele

Sad Beige Rooms

by Haley Simpson

I have three sets of white sheets. They accompany white bedding, a beige nightstand, tan curtains, and various neutrally colored trinkets. It seems boring in a maximalist trending world, but there’s a bit of science to my sad beige room. Color and colorful lights are proven to aid our physical and mental health. We are affected by the visual world around us, including the colors. My beige room is actually my tool. It soothes me at the end of a stressful day. It calms my mind and brings the business to a slow. The low stimulation in my room is my haven. This theory applies beyond a bedroom. Wearing different colors may also aid your mood. Our brain positively or negatively responds to different colors or lack thereof and what they are associated with.

Photos byEllie McKinney

Styled by Anabelle Lindsey

Layout by Katie Wilson

Models: Tori Collison and Meredith Francis