Strike Magazine Volume 4

Vol. 4

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Vol. IV Editor-in-Chief Nicole Tripodis Associate Editor Haleigh Feix Art Director Sophie Li Business Director Alina Tkachova Digital Director Janna McCabe Assistants Ashley Freeman Emily Jensen Caitlin Hart Rachel Tavolieri Christina Clem Art Assistants Teaghan Skulszki Sheridan Duma Camila Suarez Gabriela Llanes Videographer Jorge Holguin Reed Social Media Director Christina Diniaco Blog Director Hali Azpeitia Writers Savannah Tindall Lyra Durr Calista Flores Amani Adams Jennifer Hopkins Kierstin Zankl Gillian Mckendree Women’s Directors Lucy Hurley, Chelsea Percopo Stylists Grayson O’Brien Grace Alexander Diane Fish Sarah Kern Men’s Directors Emma Steele, Alexa Janeiro Stylists Kyra Allen William Tamayo Michael Ramos Amy Brecker Beauty Director Haley Gagnon Assistants Amy Dantin Abby Morrow Public Relations Director Dasha Johnson Assistants Haley Hansen Rachel Pator Marketing Director Lauren Kacperski Assistants Becca Weissmark Kalen McDonald Merchandise Director Natalia de la Guarda

Us, Androgynous 6

Let’s Stroll 15

Amour?

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In a society with increasing equality, personal style is finding a new wholesomeness by balancing both male Anxiety has never affected a generation

Step is not just subgenre of dance; it’s a way of life for many students at Florida State University.

Contemporary relationship problems aren’t so exclusive to our day-in-age. Follow a love story in current times with dialoge tied to Romeo and Juliet.

The Rush 27

Anxiety has never affected a generation more than it has to millennials. This story takes a new approach to those feelings through positivity and excitement.

Me > You 28

Being selfish is not a bad thing, and should actually be encouraged.

Highlight: TOMS against Guns 30

Major shoe brand, TOM’S shifts its focus to putting an end to gun violence.

Rouge 32

Celebrating the glamour of 1920s beauty, we revisit some classic looks that are apt for today’s times.

Skin: Then & Now 43

Ancient skin remedies may help your complexion more than expensive products ever could.

Glitch 44

A new subgenre has taken over the art world, called “glitch art”-- artwork that is produced through intentional technological glitches.

Fike/Hecker 54

A conversation with up-and-coming musician, Dominic Fike, and his album cover artist, Reed Hecker.

Human vs. Machine 56

How do we find our place in a world that is being taken over by digital technology? We explore our advantages for a daunting, robotic future.

Hang up 69

Life is so much more beautiful beyond the screen. It’s time to hang up and hang out.

Modern Vitruvius 71

A tribute to Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, we remember the past physical ideals for men and embrace a more accepting future.

Contributors Gianna Stern @giannacarlyphotos

“I would say my photography style is defined by its vibrance. I use vibrant colors while adding a vintage tone to it. My most memorable shoot with STRIKE was probably my first one; it was fun to get out my comfort zone and STRIKE helped me do that.”

Lily Fox @lilymarie.fox “I'd say my creative style is super laid back and simplistic. The whole shoot was super memorable, the team made me feel so welcome and comfortable. They just told me their vision for the shoot and kind of just let me take it where I wanted to go.”

Lilly Longoria @lillyophotography I would describe my creative style as seeing the beauty in most simplistic and normal things and in doing so, capturing their organic & effortless beauty.

My favorite memory with STRIKE was honestly getting asked to do the beauty shoot. I’ve been admiring their content for so long that getting to contribute to the magazine has been so exciting for me!

Sabrina Di George @s.diggy.media My creative style challenges conventional portrait work. I love playing with shapes, colors, and angles while on set. I am constantly challenging myself to see things in a new way and distorting “what is” in order to find “what could be.” The most memorable moment on set was the positive attitudes everyone exuded, and all the help each team member gave into making the vision come to life!”

Ana Gomez @anagomezmedia I like to mix concepts of beauty and grit showing the subject in front of my camera in the most true, raw, and honest way possible. STRIKE allowed me to keep my creative integrity while trying to capture their concept. I had so much fun and would do it again in a heart beat.

Noel Guerra @noelguerra00 I like to capture artistic portraits that tell a story and have a meaning. I want to make people genuinely feel something when they look at my photography.

Everyone is so friendly and welcoming at STRIKE. When doing the photoshoot it was amazing to have such a great group of people work together to create a vision.

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Editor’s

LETTER

As I embarked on this fourth edition of STRIKE for the first time as editor-in-chief, it wasn’t hard for me to decide what this issue should be about.

I was born in 1996 — not very long ago, so I’ve been told. However, I’m ripe enough to notice that my whole life has existed within a weird period of our world’s timeline. I grew up in a rapidly evolving cyclone of new things: technology, societal norms, and cultural ambitions. This subject is one that I find myself contemplating every day. To have been born at the end of one millennium, then go through maturity at the beginning of a new one represents a bridge between two worlds, old and new. This current state of the world is reminiscent of an earlier period in history. We’re in the middle of what I like to call a “new-age renaissance”, which is the underlying inspiration of this fourth issue of STRIKE.

In this issue, we’ve explored the different corners of this contemporary rebirth.

Spearheading the issue is a photographic story on the subject of “androgyny.” Shot at sunrise within a deep, dew-covered wood, the male ballet dancers in the story exuded both masculine and feminine energies through their art, in front of the camera. Next, you’ll find a narrative spread that portrays the complications in relationships among young people today. This story, titled, Amour? is paired with text from Romeo and Juliet, showing that our common relationship troubles have actually been around for centuries. Later in the issue, we sat down with up-and-coming musician, Dominic Fike, who has recently landed a spot on Spotify’s “Today’s Top Hits” playlist after signing with Columbia records. Our cover story, “Human vs. Machine” details the main aggressor of this “newage renaissance”: digital technology. Haleigh Feix searches for our place in a world that is steadily proving its needlessness for the human ethos. This issue ends with a tribute to Italian Renaissance pioneer, Leonardo da Vinci, and his iconic Vitruvian Man, with a photo story that celebrates the human body, much akin to da Vinci’s work.

Thank you to all of the dedicated staff members who captured the concept of this new-age through the mediums of ink and paper.

Enjoy!

Nicole Tripodis Editor-in-Chief

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Us, Androgynous Savannah Tindall Photographed by Gianna Carly

Gender norms can feel suffocating.

They can trap someone from being able to express themselves, especially when it comes to personal style. Luckily, there is a certain style that is gender ambiguous and skyrocketing among design houses and street-style patrons, known in the fashion world as “androgynous style”. It’s the blending of certain gender norms with opposing norms to create a cool balance that feels right.

While androgynous style is for both men and women, women were the first one to use it. Around the time of the suffragist movement and the first wave of feminism, women started dabbling in androgyny. This was made possible by fashion icon and designer Coco Chanel. She created clothes that gave more freedom to women’s choice of style, including the most memorable pants.

Instead of old, conservative, traditional dresses and skirts, women could ditch them for white collared shirts and pants.

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Following in the footsteps of their mothers, women in 1930s further experimented with androgynous style.

Hollywood legends such as Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich did so by wearing ‘scandalous’ clothing at the time, such as pants and suits. As society progressed and the concept of an independent woman began to be shaped, the androgynous style became even more prevalent. To liberate themselves from the gender roles that were holding them back, women started taking traditionally masculine items of clothing, such as a tie. It was seen as pushing the boundaries on equality.

Men finally jumped on the androgynous style train in the 1960s. What is known as the Peacock Revolution, marked the start of men asking the question of masculine identity and fashion. The lines between gender and fashion were blurred

by A-list celebrities. This includes icons like David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix, both of whom were known to wear flamboyant feminine outfits, bright makeup, and heels.

Prince was at the forefont of bringingbrought sexy to androgynous style. He proved that dressing in an untraditional way could still be appealing for hetero men. Likewise, supermodel Grace Jones also proved the same for women.She embraced both of her “masculine” and “feminine” sides and became a feminist icon for her individuality.

The 90s androgynous grunge look could best be summarized by the style of legend Kurt Cobain. He was constantly wearing feminine items such as women’s underwear, tiaras, and various dresses/gowns. While his clothing choice gave him headlines, his reasoning that it was just comfortable to him normalized androgynous style.

Today, men and women both rock androgynous style. Women in the workplace are known for blurring the lines between femininity and masculinity and can still be seen wearing suits today. That doesn’t necessarily mean though that it’s limited to the workplace.

Each individual person can define what androgynous style means and when/ where to rock it. Nowadays, major fashion designers use male models on the runway to release their new women’s lines, and viceversa with female models on men’s collection runways. While androgynous style for men is very popular on the runways and with social elites, it is not the number one choice for the everyday modern man. As it becomes more normalized, though, we can expect to see some fresh, new androgynous hit the stores and the streets in the near future.

Let’s Stroll

Lyra Durr

If you are a student at Florida State University, you may have noticed music playing from the Oglesby Union on Wednesdays, accompanied with dancing. This isn’t just any kind of half-hearted dance steps; this is stroll.

Different multicultural organizations participate in stroll and it carries more cultural significance than you may know. It has become a rather popular event at Florida State because of its prominence within the different organizations on campus, and the impact it has on the individuals participating.

Stroll starts at noon every Wednesday, with an introductory performance by the DJ. The organizations then take turns strolling. This type of dance includes step: where the whole body of the dancer is used to perform complex movements and sounds through footsteps, spoken word, and hand clapping. Each routine is unique to the organization. Stroll is typically performed as a line routine and lasts only few

minutes. Nkechi Emetuche, a member of the Theta Nu Xi sorority, participates in stroll at Market Wednesday every week. Emetuche describes stroll as “a cultural thing along with having fun and being proud of our sorority.”

Katarina Cuevas, also a member of Theta Nu Xi says, “the different movements and facial expressions used during performances are unique to each organization as they step. It is the physical embodiment of our organizations and it’s how we choose to express ourselves.”

What makes stroll so unique here at FSU is that every organization adds their own spunk to their routine. No two performances are alike, which makes each one special.

Dance is a form of art and self-expression.

With stroll, synchronization and expression are what make each performance one of a kind.

Because each organization performs differently, they can showcase who they are as individuals

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and as a group through their stroll. These organizations use market Wednesday as a chance to not only express themselves through dance, but as a way to show that they are proud of the groups to which they belong. These performances are a window into who each organization is, and what makes them stand out.

Strolling is more than just a group of students gathering to dance, it is a way for organizations to integrate their culture into their college lives.

“Stepping is a traditional thing in it of itself, and to me, by incorporating strolling into our organization lets us uphold what it means to be a woman” Cuevas shares. Through strolling together, each individual helps each other grow by supporting one another as a collective group. This experience is a way for each group to bond both internally and with others in the multicultural and Greek communities.

These organizations use Market Wednesday and stroll as an opportunity for empowerment.

Emetuche adds, “years ago, our organizations couldn’t participate on campus. Now, we have the chance to showcase our talents”. Each member is proud to belong to his or her organization and want others to understand that joy with them. Performing stroll is not only a way to express that pride, but it’s also a way to express the individuality of each organization and what they stand for.

Photo: Alyssa Heritage

Amour?

Photographed by Lily Fox

Juliet wakes

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Juliette est ici, et sa beauté fait...

For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes...

... de cette voûte une présence festive pleine de lumière.

...this vault a feasting presence full of light.

Alors s’il vous plaÎt, laisse-moi rester seul.

So please you, let me be left alone.

Car, j’en suis sÝr, vous avez toutes les mains pleines.

For, I am sure, you have your hands full all.

My dismal scene I needs must act alone.

Ma scène lamentable dont j’ai besoin doit agir seule.

Hors de sa faveur, où je suis amoureux Je me suis perdu; Je ne suis pas ici; Ce n’est pas Roméo.

Out of her favour, where I am in love.

I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo.

Exeunt

The

anxiety |aNGzīdē| noun (pl. anxieties)

ush

A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome: he felt a surge of anxiety.

The knotting in your chest. The heavy weight of the unknown. Synonymous with “fear.”

Jennifer Hopkins

It is the darkest demon that overcomes your grasp, making even the most mindless task daunting. Your question: To talk over the phone? To make eye-contact? A feeling similar to a loss of control.

Anxiety is a thing that meanders itself into the smallest corners, relationships, and mentalities of an individual’s life. It is not so much a feeling rather than a force.

Personally, the experience of anxiety withheld me-- not from the things everso critical, but from a certain form of life’s growth-enriching opportunities. I’ve dodged dates, social events, conversations, etc.

Anxiety can be situational, social, or overarching. More often than not, the symptoms of anxiety outspread the mind of one individual and massively affect a generation at large, which research has shown that millennials are the most demonstrative of.

Although destructive, there is one positive effect that this generation of anxiety has brought to light--a strength in allowing feelings of uncertainty to be acknowledged, and aiming to resolve them. The aim is to reach a healthy balance that finds it ends in an inner stillness.

A calm in moments of uncalculated upheaval.

There is a certain beauty in a person who can harness weighted, negative feelings and transform them positively. It takes not magic, but an inner-stableness that transforms fear into excitement. Choosing to take on anxiety rather than running from it, has the potential to open a plethora of lessons and room to grow, allowing good change. The cure to anxiety is oftentimes a path with many steps, however, the start of the journey begins with knowing yourself from inside out.

Feel that pain in your chest. Name that weightiness. Sit down at the table with fear and hold its hand. There is a way to become anxiety’s friend.

Visualize it.

Speak it.

Write it down.

Most of all, search for excitement and love in whatever situation you’re in. It’s natural to feel intensely—embrace it.

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Rebecca Weissmark

A good person always thinks of others first, right? This means that the major difference between being selfless or selfish is all about how you are treating yourself.

You’re either putting yourself first or you’re putting yourself last. Sure, this sounds like a lose-lose situation, but it doesn’t have to be.

We can all be good people even if we don’t think of others before ourselves, and most of the time, we should be thinking about ourselves first. It’s a healthy kind of selfish: making yourself a priority and putting your happiness before that of others, whose happiness lies in their own hands. It’s about practicing proclaimed acts of self-love, taking care of yourself, and doing things that bring you joy.

I had this epiphany a few months ago, when I found myself in such a dark and negative headspace. I was running in circles for other people, searching for time to do things that only made them happy. I was only doing things my friends wanted to do; if they wanted to go to a restaurant I hated, I couldn’t say no. I was giving my ex-boyfriend a lot of undeserved attention, that I forgot about allocating any attention for myself. At the end of the day, the loyalty I was giving out to people wasn’t being reciprocated.

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I knew that something needed to be fixed. The first step I had to take was to separate myself from all of the negative energy sources that I was unknowingly keeping alive. I realized that the people that I surrounded myself with before never gave off that positive energy I was craving.

I found new energy, after trashing the negative thoughts and feelings that encircled me, by spending less time with those negative people and spending more time loving myself. I was able to make myself my number one priority. Our bodies, hearts, and minds work best when we allow ourselves to have the energy that suits us best.

The second step I took was to start saying no. If I had even an ounce of doubt that something wouldn’t make me feel good inside, I had the instinct to just turn it down without feeling guilty. After I quit forcing myself into the spaces that were uncomfortable, following my heart to the spaces with better energy, I was able to celebrate myself, even if no one else did.

Now, I’m living in the present moment and acknowledging my own desires of being happy by practicing healthy selfishness. Going to the gym on my own time, and not when my friends ask me to go with them, reading and journaling to help me grow, and spending time with people that uplift me, are what I do now to stay at peace.

Doing small actions for myself helps me create a positive atmosphere around myself and the people in my life. For others, I create a space of positivity between us, where we’re both lifting each other up. These acts of compassion move us both forward, because we’re not living life by ourselves, but alongside others as well.

With this method, I don’t allow myself to hurt or betray others or myself; it allows me to live a fulfilling and enjoyable life. I steer clear of people who don’t want to elevate others, which makes me more productive. The habit of making myself happy before anyone else has been more of a celebration than a defeat.

Practicing healthy selfishness has made me love myself more while still being thoughtful toward other people, just in a different way than you’d expect.

“Practicing healthy selfishness has made me love myself”

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Highlight: TOMS Lyra Durr

Against Guns

A promising, new idea has edged its way into clothing companies that has changed the reasons why we shop at certain places. Brands that are creating awareness of different social and political issues has become a major step in giving back to society, and it’s only a small preview into the rapidly changing branding techniques.

Now, we are seeing multiple campaigns from companies that are willing to get vocal on social issues and even provide some of their profit and/or merchandise to those in need.

Nike recently made headlines when they made Colin Kaepernick the face of their “Just Do It” campaign for the brand’s 30th anniversary. Kaepernick is the football player known for kneeling during the national anthem at games in protest of police brutality in America, which made their ad controversial but also gained national attention.

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Along with Nike, more and more brands have become involved in social causes. Brands who decide to take a stance on a social issue use their platform to give a greater voice to the cause.

For example, Nike’s brand has always advocated the idea of taking risks, following one’s passions and creating one’s own path.

Putting Kaepernick, and what he stands for in the forefront of an ad campaign, fits into their brand’s mission. Nike decided to take this bold step, including him in this ad to inspire people to stand up for what they feel passionate about. This came with some backlash, with some even boycotting the brand, but in the end, it gave the company, and the cause, more attention.

On a lower scale, there are small businesses that spread awareness and support for social causes with their merchandise.

Artwork inspired by TOMS®

Dazey L.A. is a brand whose mission and merchandise theme revolves around empowering women and other social causes such as intersectional feminism. The founder of the brand, Danielle Nagel, designs all the clothing with the themes of the brand in mind and has created a business that creates sustainable fashion. The brand sells clothing with slogans such as “Speak Up Speak Out” and “Stand for Something.” The brand’s social media also posts about current issues, such as encouraging customers to vote.

TOMS, a popular shoe and accessory brand, have always included helping others in their mission statement, by giving a pair of shoes or glasses to those in need for each one purchased. Recently, they took a risk by taking a stance on the topic of gun violence.

The founder of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie, announced that the brand was going to

start supporting more causes, starting with working to end gun violence in the United States. Along with donating $10 million to organizations that are involved with this cause, an option was added to their website where people can fill out a postcard that will be sent to a local state representative, asking for universal background checks for gun owners.

When brands take part in issues that are much bigger than themselves, it shows that they care about more than just making a profit. They are using their platform and voice to spread awareness about important issues that our country is dealing with.

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RO UG E

Coming off from the revolutionary cosmetic products of the 1910s, the “1920s look” was completely identified by makeup.

Bright red cupid lips, winged eyeliner, dark eyeshadow and rouge was seen all over famous women. At the time, makeup had also become much more accessible and could be found at every drug store.

The 1920s saw the embrace of femininity and empowering women-- much like the makeup industry today. Flapper girls showed the world that women weren’t just supposed to sit at home, but that women will not be confined as individuals. The makeup of the time goes along with those ideals and helped those women prove their worth.

Savannah Tindall Photographed by Lilly Longoria

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Skin Care:

THEN

NOW

Haleigh Feix

Despite the recent scientific advancements in skin care, the base of every new product is comprised of fundamental ingredients that have been used for centuries. Archaic peoples such as Pharaohs and Geisha’s have handed down their beauty secrets and rituals to flawless complexions for the generations proceeding them.

Green tea has been a staple in the Chinese diet for thousands of years, and not without reason. It is not just enjoyable to have in a hot cup as a beverage; it also has many other active properties to help manage weight and promote youthfulness. The tea leaves have antioxidant properties that promote antiaging. Geishas used to make a paste out of the leaves for a facial mask to help their skin look bright and fresh.

Crystals are ancient, beautiful, and many of them have healing properties, including jade. This far east mineral has been used as a tool during massages since the 17th century. Jade rollers are said to remove toxins, smooth fine lines, calm inflammation, and brighten skin--pretty much a 4-in-1 for those of us with a minimal regime. This motion of rolling a cool stone over your face helps to reduce stress and tension, and costs just $10.00 at most stores that sell skincare products.

“Let them eat cake!” as Marie Antoinette once said, though I’m not quite sure that would have done the complexion

any good. What she did do was help us move out of the face mask craze and remember our hands and feet.

So often we forget that our hands and feet go through more than our face sometimes.

Marie would go to sleep with a thick layer of cream on her hands and cover them in a towel overnight. A super effortless way to bring more moisture into the skin without running to the store.

Last but certainly not least is the queen of all Pharaohs, Cleopatra. Her legendary extravagance and beauty resonate with us today in many ways. History tells us she would indulge in milk baths with honey and olive oil. Milk contains vitamins A and E which are super moisturizing, especially for the face. Honey has natural antibacterial properties that help with broken skin and acne scars. Fret not, those without bath tubs; these ingredients can be mixed with some oatmeal for an easy DIY facial mask.

It is no surprise that these secrets have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. These natural remedies work, no matter how old they are. The best part about it is that most are common household goods that are available at the nearest corner store.

Take some “me-time” and pamper yourself with these ancient skin care regimes instead of buying that unnecessary, pricey face mask.

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Savanah Tindall Photographed by Sabrina di George

The internet has had profound effects on today’s society; a simple tap on a handheld device can provide answers to anyone about anything. Technology has improved the flow of information and has made the world more interconnected than ever. It has now sunk it’s teeth into every aspect of our lives. Technology has forever changed the way we communicate with one another, which many people will argue that it was for the better. We can now easily communicate with people in different parts of the world, share bits and pieces of our lives on social media, have thoughtful discussions with someone with opposing views, observe other cultures, stay close with family and friends no matter the distance between you...the list goes on and on. A new venue for digital technology has been opened up for the digital technology realm-art. In today’s world that experiences more life behind a screen then not, the new art form called, “digital glitch art” was born. Digital glitch artists take an image or a video and edit it by exposing the pixels with different methods.

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In 1917, French artist Marcel Duchamp submitted a piece called The Fountain to the 1917 exhibition for the Society of Independent Artists of New York. The exhibit was advertised as completely “open” to any artists and any works.

Yet, Duchamp’s ready-made sculpture ‘The Fountain’ was not accepted. ‘The Fountain’ was a urinal on its side with the name/date “R. Mutt 1917” written on it. Duchamp was testing the limits of what could be considered art and who could be given the authority to judge that.

This is one of the most iconic pieces from the artistic movement called Dadaism, which was labeled as “anti-art” and rejected logic. Dadaism was a product of World War II, which showed the world that no matter how far we seemed to have progressed, life was still irrational. The Fountain is my personal favorite work of art, it would make sense that digital glitch art interests me. Dadaism can be seen as having a direct effect on glitch art, with the fact that many of its ideals are parallel to.

The goal of digital glitch art is to make the viewer question their so-called perfect surroundings by revealing the foundation of it.

There are five different methods to achieve this goal in digital glitch art: data manipulation, misalignment, hardware failure, misregistration, and distortion.

My generation has never experienced life without readily-available digital technology, which is why digital glitch art flourishes in the modern world. The different methods of asking this has different effects on the audience.

Data Manipulation physically changes the code of a file to manipulate the sound and visual quality of a video/photo and as result, creates a glitch.

Misalignment is the process of taking a digital file and applying it to a format that it would not typically be in. An example of this would be projecting some kind of code on an item or on a person.

Hardware Failure is physically manipulating technology to produce a glitch.

For example, a digital glitch artist could punch a TV and then proceed to watch something and this would be considered taking the Hardwire Failure approach. While the other methods of digital glitch art accept technology as a constant, Hardwire Failure seems to flat out reject it.

Misregistration is creating a glitch heuristically, which can be seen in electronic dance music. Distortion is my own personal favorite method of digital glitch art. Nam June Paik, whose most famous work, Electronic ‘Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii’ is one of the most iconic digital glitch art pieces and utilizes the distortion approach.

The distortion process involves taking a film and placing magnets nearby while it plays, and thus causes a distortion of the images played on the screen.

All of the traditional methods of digital glitch art are taking a piece of art and combining it with some kind of technological malfunction. As Paik’s famous work proved, creating a glitch can aptly convey a strong message.

An

I

w it h v e i w r e nt

minic F i ke o D

Naples based musician Dominic Fike released his first album “Don’t Forget about Me” Oct. 16, 2018 after signing with Columbia Records. The demo album has a total of six songs that explore his relationship with growing up in Naples, Florida and moving out to L.A. to begin his musical career. But life wasn’t always so first class for Dominic. Much of his first album was created by himself, without the flashy recording studio or sound engineer. Dominic’s passion for poetry and expressing his experiences through song is evident in the whole album. The songs take us through his journey of getting to the point he is at right now.

There are still so many questions about Dominic and his work as a musician and where it is going to go. I got the chance to sit down with Dominic and his album cover artist, Reed Hecker, and talk more about their journey.

Haleigh: How has the immediate access to thousands of songs, artists and genres influenced you?

Dom: Like my engineer and I will be sitting, and I’ll have like an idea… So, I say ‘Yo, I want this to be a little more pop, like 808 Drake era.’ We can just go and pull up that song right there. It’s the best for researching and referencing.

H: Tell me more about the Apple tattoo.

D: That’s for my sister. My little sister’s name is Appolonia. That was a real spur of the moment.

Cuz I got the top one first; LBE (“Lame Boys Untamed”). It didn’t look right I was like Fuck, it’s like not balanced. You like get a face tat and it’s fucked up and I was still in the shop and said we gotta fix this. You can’t take away, so you have to add. The guy had a Mac and didn’t speak English.

I was saying ‘Apple, that right there on your screen that logo same size put it on my face.’

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H d Reed e cke r n a

H: How do you remember your time spent in Tallahassee?

D: I went to all the bars, I really like Poor Paul’s cuz they have free pizza on Mondays and the beer is always cheap and you can win beers. I was becoming an adult there; figuring it out cuz I wasn’t living with my parents, I wasn’t living in the same city as them. I had actually moved away from home. My mom wasn’t there to do my laundry or cook. I started drinking a lot and shit around the house wasn’t getting done. I got a little balance from Tallahassee.

Me: How has your time in SOFLO impacted your music?

“In the best way, I mean meeting all the people I did here and like the way people act here. The South Florida like style you know of music how rap in Florida has its own sound and things like that influenced me. People like X and Wifi like that, their music was really cool to me and helped me be a little more open. I wasn’t as scared to say certain shit that came from this area and being in Naples and making music here is the best. That’s why the songs like ‘She wants my Money’ and the tape in general is really calm. You know maybe not beachy just the wind and the trees flowing.

H: Tell me more about the significance of song length and order.

D: I’ve never been good at making long songs. It’s not my thing. It’s never been important to me. I know when the time comes, and I have something to say about a certain subject or melody the song will end up being longer, but it’s never been important to me. The order is super important I think on the project we talked about that for a little bit and I never thought it was important until we thought about how people would experience it and how the songs would affect the overall experience. Cuz you can fuck up a story if you start it the wrong way.

h Feix Haleig

Pho t og

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ation with Jennifer Hop ki ns

H: How do you see yourself as an artist/poet/ voice for our dynamic generation

H: How else would you be making art without Adobe Creative Cloud?

D: I mean hopefully it will help people. The crowd I hang around with don’t really listen to rock music and now they do and shit like that is cool. Expanding peoples taste that’s where I see myself doing. I’m going to be Naruto. The light.

Overwhelming force. Watch Naruto.

R: I definitely wouldn’t be an artist without it. I don’t think I would’ve taken it seriously.

Photoshop helped me realize different ways to create. Create in so many different ways using different parts of your brain unconventionally.

...

Along the way Dom met an album cover artist name Reed Hecker, who is also originally from Naples and moved to L.A. a few years ago to pursue his love of music and art. Their common connections have created a friendship that has enable both of them to work professionally and personally.

Haleigh: How did you get into album cover art?

Reed: I always kept a very organize iTunes.

Everything needed to have an album cover. Some songs and mixtapes didn’t come with album cover artwork and that would bug me. I just made covers for songs and albums that didn’t have one.

It got to a point when an album would come out and I wouldn’t like the cover, so I would just make my own version and fill it in. I found places online to share it and got more comfortable with it.

H: How has modern technology influenced your work?

R: I think technology influenced how we interact with other people; where we draw our inspiration and influences from. I am definitely a product of that. Growing up with the internet and stuff and being able to have access to so many different things online. The ease of access online. I pirated photoshop when I was 15 and all possible because of the internet and interacting with other people.

H: What is your work process like?

R: Always different because I realize if I go back to the same process the energy isn’t as strong.

I like to find inspiration from different places and let that influence my process. Whether it’s something I talk to someone about, an image I saw online, an article I read the previous day.

H: What role do colors play in your work, specifically to this album cover?

R: For Dom’s cover the colors are super simple.

I came to them right away. The cover has three colors: black, yellow and beige. The beige is from a paper cuz I want the eyes to not look too obvious because it’s from his mugshot. So, I took a paper and put it over the image and cut out where the eyes were and that’s how I ended up with the beige. Yellow was an afterthought and it seemed like an obvious color of the music, Florida = yellow/warmth. Dom was in his dark room making the music and it [black] seemed obvious as a juxtaposition.

H: How does your personal relationship affect how you portray Dom as an artist?

R: I think it helps us to make more honest, true work. We know each other better and there’s no guessing. I think honesty is very important.

Especially in my own work it’s really important to me. That’s been a recent revelation that I’ve come to, how can I make myself better and develop my own style and all you have to do is be honest with yourself.

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Human Machine vs.

Haleigh Feix Photographed by Ana Gomez

When we were all younger, we thought that by the time we turned 20 years old there would be flying cars and teleportation devices used in our daily lives. The former, we aren’t very far from, but the latter still has some catching up to do. We had these big dreams and aspiration to become something and be someone in the world. Now that we are finally starting to squeeze ourselves into the crowd, it has been determined to not be that easy.

For years we heard the questions of “What do you want to be when you are older?” “Where do you see yourself in 20 years?”. We would nod and say, President, a doctor, lawyer, an artist or something along those lines. We welcomed in new gadgets and gizmos into our lives like they were mere playthings to brag about in front of our friends. Yet we have come to this point where those same pieces of technology have started to turn against us. Now, they can do those very jobs that we so dearly dreamed of. We were told to do this, and study that, to get this job, and that is how we will be successful. We thought that these steps to success would be a surefire way of achieving what we wanted. But now, we find ourselves confronted with an opposing force of technology that may just end up ruling us all.

This renaissance happening among us has given our society a new kind of freedom. A new sense of liberation from old ideas and ways of living. It has given us clean and efficient energy, more access to clean water, aiding those with disabilities and so much more. But what if all these new and amazing innovations have been done in vain? There’s an overarching fear amongst the millennial generation to become more than what we dreamed and hoped as a young child. Good is not just good enough. You have to be better than the person sitting next to you, but also the technology outperforming you.

First, basic math was done with pen and paper. Now, supercomputers do that. Einstein’s and Hawkins’s theories are now coded into Artificial Intelligence. Where does that leave us? Siri? We spend so much time on these machines that we have finally figured out a way for them to talk back to us. Even interpreting our emotions, tones, and body language and then being able to reciprocate that. Not long ago Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to the first ever humanoid robot, Sophia. The next question is whether AI will come so far as to become self-aware. To which Sophia responded “Why is that a bad thing?” in an interview with Future Investment Initiative back in 2017. She even continued to talk about how some people would rather interact with her than a living human being.

Looks like Siri has truly come to life.

The term “handmade” has become almost obsolete.

Nowadays it’s a way to stamp a heavy price tag on something no one is willing to buy because there is a cheaper alternative on Amazon. It has made the millennial generation numb to good quality and hard work because we are not the makers of it anymore. A great example of this is the car manufacturing industry. There was a massive boom in care sales post WWII, which meant a boom in the job market.

Today, all of those workers have been replaced. It took less than 50 years for machines to replace those workers, machines that can do the same job better, faster, and cheaper.

It feels like no one is safe. You might be thinking “I have an interpersonal career field, that requires human characteristics, like creativity and emotions.” Well, allow me to introduce you to Aaron, your worst nightmare.

Harold Cohen is a painter and engineer who created a project titled Aaron, in 1973. Aaron was the first computer that was programmed to generate art. Today, it is one of the longest-running and maintained AI system in history. It is hard to imagine a piece of machinery being associated with art. Art is abstract, expressive, subjective and highly dependent on psychology and cultures. Unlike computers that are precise, objective and governed by codified rules. Thought that because your career path was going down an artistic route that you were safe from impending technology? Just Google ‘painting computer’ and that will surely send you into a downward spiral.

So where does that leave a confused and lost generation?

Does it really matter? Do we even matter? What you can do, is make sure that whatever you are doing is with a purpose. The only thing that can overcome technology is the assurement that what you do in life is meaningful and brings you a sense of fulfillment. What is important is how you will leave your legacy in this world. In the end, that is what we should all have faith in.

All of what surrounds you has meaning and it is up to you how you let it affect you. Life is short; give it meaning.

Hang Up

Rebecca Weissmark

Over 90% of adults have their mobile phone within arms reach at all times of the day. I bet you’re sitting here, reading this, thinking, “Oh no. She knows. My phone is in my hand. Right now. Yikes.” Scary right? An even more daunting thought is that our future lives are looking absolutely inextricable from digital technology and there is no way to halt it.

Although there are many positives to digital technology, I’m a firm believer that it has more negative effects than beneficial ones. There is still growing evidence that digital technology is harmful to our overall health. In this day and age, it seems inappropriately difficult for people to put down their phones.

Because of these skyrocketing statistics, I want to break that stereotype with your help. I want to explain just how easy it is to put your phones down. I’m living proof that you don’t need to be attached to a phone screen to live a fulfilling and connected life. Below are some examples of how technology’s negatives impact us.

Distraction

I’ve been without our dear friend Snapchat for over a year now. This sounds surprising coming from a girl heavily involved in today’s culture of marketing and living an active and social lifestyle, but, here I am. To live my life more “in the moment,” I had to let go of something that I felt was holding me back and not pushing me forward, and that was Snapchat. Even though other social media platforms are time-consuming as well, once I got rid of Snapchat, I felt like I was spending less time on my phone in general.

In order to move past my smartphone addiction, l needed to find healthier hobbies.

The distraction of phones in this new era of technology is caused by paranoia that sets in if we miss some sort of communication with other people. Without Snapchat and other social media platforms, I’ve found myself spending more time making meaningful connections with people in real life and truly living in the present.

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Blue Light Effect

Besides the day-to-day distraction digital technology brings, we are also unawaredly bombarding our faces with blue light exposure. Our gadgets and gizmos that use blue light affect the hormone levels in our brains, as well as our sleeping habits.

Melatonin, the natural hormone which regulates wakefulness, is completely unregulated from technology such as cell phones, tablets, and laptops. The hormone begins being released a few hours before bedtime and peaks in the middle of the night.

When we’re looking at our phones right before we fall asleep, the natural melatonin becomes stripped from our bodies from just looking at a screen.

A method I’ve been using to avoid technology before bedtime is simply turning off my devices about an hour before I want to fall asleep. I’ll set them aside somewhere far away and out of reach and cozy up with a book or my journal. Being away from my phone gets my mind and body relaxed while preparing me for restful slumber.

Dependency

The dependency that our current society has on technology has never before been so high. We tend to turn to Google or other search engines for answers instead of asking a friend who might even have better knowledge on the subject matter that you’re curious about.

Search engines are incredible for research and knowledge, and so is social media; but there’s a time and a place for them. Our answers are always going to be there when we get back. We don’t need to be keeping our phones next to us at all hours of the day because we’re so reliable on them.

We don’t need to be refreshing our apps every second until we finally find exactly what we’re looking for.

To create a healthier relationship with technology today, the best thing that we can do is take a breather. We, as a community, are still evolving along with technology.

Becoming more aware of not only what’s changing around us, but also of how we are changing within ourselves, will always be more important than whatever is on your screen. Hang up, and hang out.

Hang Out 70

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Modern

Savannah Tindall

Photographed by Noel Guerra

Vitruvius

Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, may appear to be a simple diagram of a man’s body, and yet it has been regarded for decades as an iconic work of art.

Surrounding the drawing are notes that detail the measurements that would make up the ideal proportions of a man’s body. Da Vinci created the drawing with the concept that “everything connects to everything else”, combining nature, mathematics, and God through art as he has been famous for doing.

Da Vinci wanted to represent “perfection” on paper, aligning himself with the humanism way of thought at the time. Yet, if you look more closely at the man’s face, you can see it is in fact a young Leonardo da Vinci minus the beard. In an effort to become perfect man, da Vinci has drawn himself in perfect portions, creating the universal definition of perfection.

Let’s take a look at general body type ideals during this time. Back in Italy during the Renaissance, different genders had different ideas for body types. The ideal women body was slightly overweight and soft to appearance, giving the message that

she had the time to lay around all day and eat, instead of working outside.

A fuller womanly figure also symbolized fertility, which was the most imperative aspect of appearance for women.

On the other end of the spectrum, the ideal body for men was rugged and athletic. Though they didn’t aim for over the top muscles as the likes of HulkHogan, the goal for men was to find the perfect balance between appearing active and also like they had time to focus on their studies.

Fast forward to now.

In 2018, social media is swamped

with “perfect” accounts. Perfect couples, vacations, pets, houses; the list never ends.

In a time where society is exposed to so much “perfection,” how much value does that word carry anymore?

The definition of “perfection” is now diluted so much through all of the accounts on social media advertising perfection, that we know it’s impossible, and therefore, not true.

By taking those ideals from the 16th century and comparing it to the ideals of “perfection” today, it seems like not much has changed. As aforementioned, scrolling through social media feeds, both women and men often aim to portray their lives such that they don’t have to work, and can lay around all day (maybe in Tahiti) and eat exquisite food. Social media’s aggressive push for the illusory appearance of “perfection” is just like what people hundreds of years ago were aiming to achieve through their looks. So, has our societal way of thinking really not changed since da Vinci’s time?

Luckily today, society is indeed changing, despite social media’s forces.

Bodies of all shapes and sizes are not only accepted, but are starting to become encouraged. Though we may be surrounded with images of “perfection” we are understanding that nothing is really what it seems; an insight that people of Leo’s time may not have had the insight to understand.

Because of this, “perfection” is a term that now has little value, since practically anyone online can look like they’ve achieved it.

Leonardo da Vinci universal definition may soon be crushed with only trace amounts of it finding its way into some vain individuals’ definition. There is, however, one thing that is still held true from da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man: “everything connects to everything else.”

Everyone’s unique definition of perfection is intertwined with the mutual respect for one another.

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