Category — Beauty

I decided to read this book in the freezing cold on Black Friday.  Wabi Sabi is a book that talks about finding beauty in the unpretentious.  “Things wabi-sabi easily coexists with the rest of their environment.”

There I was standing at 3am with everyone else trying to save a deal reading about the simple things in life that exist inconspicuous and are overlooked.  It did hold me back in going out of control on my spending spree.

The three lessons from the book are (1) Nothing lasts forever (2) Nothing is perfect (3) Nothing is complete. We live in a culture where we cherish beauty and celebrate those things that are complex and give us a show.  Wabi-sabi does the opposite of that and haves you take a look around you at “the minor and the hidden, the tentative and the ephemeral: things so subtle and evanescent they are invisible to vulgar eyes.”  This book had me looking at everything around.  The trees that were losing their color in the winter, the turkey meal hours after it was devoured, and even old objects that I’ve had since childhood that I had thrown into a box.

The pictures through out the book helped emphasize the visuals of what Wabi Sabi is and represents.  Every chapter is detailed and outlines what beauty is and how it has been lost on the western world.  It is written in what seems like poem form.  This is the perfect book to read during holiday season.  It lets you appreciate that which goes unnoticed and unrecognized, and gives you the ability to see the beauty in it.

Tweet This Post 

Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements.  As an Assemblage artist he used the process of making artistic compositions from putting together found objects.
“Duchamp painted few canvases after 1912, and in those he did, he attempted to remove “painterly” effects, and instead used a technical drawing approach.”

What I like most about his work is the simplistic colors that lets the figures tell the story. It tells a story about a specific time and in a specific setting.  The hard structures show the technical aspects he brought to all of his artistic pieces of work.  It has complex shapes with subtle details in it.

Here’s another one I enjoyed.  He participated in the Armory Show and one of his paintings was depicted in this stamp.  The paining is titled Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2. In the composition, Duchamp depicted motion by successive superimposed images.  A lot of what we’ve been talking about in my class lately.

Tweet This Post 

If you haven’t checked it out and you’re an avid user, do so immediately:  http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php

I am not a fan and have sent in plenty of feedback to the Send Feedback link.  It looks like they just stretched out the pages and added in more ads.  If you’re going to do a redesign at least add in some new features.  Am I missing them? Here is a review to the site updates, just nothing I have found really useful.

Tweet This Post 

I guess it was coming. With the success of Avatar’s comes this opportunity to really pimp your avatar out in hopes of winning an avatar portfolio and critiques on beauty and styling for both online and offline versions of you.
“In addition, the model-wannabes will each receive virtual versions of a bottle of M by Mariah Carey, along with a Ford Models portfolio book.“

“MTV Networks is attempting to define virtual beauty for the masses. The media company has announced plans to search for the world’s first virtual supermodel through a partnership with Ford Models and Elizabeth Arden – the producer of the perfume M by Mariah Carey.”

I’m not surprised by this, and I think that’s a little scary. Most people on the web have avatars, whether on Instant Messaging Services or virtual worlds. Adrants reports that last month, Evian provided skin-oriented beauty tips for parched Second Life citizens.

I’m actually excited to see how it goes. I better give my avatar a makeover.

Tweet This Post 

Once again Dove has released a 30 second spot on Real Beauty vs. that which is manufactured with software tools such as Photoshop. This video is as good as the first and I was excited to see it circulating the blogosphere. With marketers and advertisers filling the market with glossy images of unrealistic women and men, it’s important that these messages are kept in perspective.

Dove released these viral video spots to help drive attention to their Dove Self Esteem Fund.

Developed to help free the next generation from self-limiting beauty stereotypes. Committed to reaching 5 million young women by the end of 2010, the Dove Self-Esteem Fund invites you to play a role in supporting and promoting a wider definition of beauty.

Here is the new spot. As well as the one they released previously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9xVJhZEhwc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZEQmTn8bGk

Tweet This Post