iNanz

My last weekend in LA was entirely magical. A part of that magic was given to me through a lovely designer I met who goes by the Inanz. It's always so powerful meeting other women creatives who are as passionate about sharing their message and vision with the world as yourself. Her's came through the story of hip hop and how she wanted to share a real, authentic taste of that through her artwork.

I'm so glad she went through with getting her paintings onto clothing because this Sade & Erykah Badu piece was too crazy not be worn! I wish I had gotten some more pictures of her paintings from the booth. But by clicking here, not only can you view all of her works and clothing, but you can buy them, too!

Inanz's work meant even more to me after getting the chance to talk with her. Honestly, it's been frustrating watching popular fashion brands kind of appropriate images from hip hop culture without knowing anything about its history for the sake of a trend, especially in this past year. This is an artist who is creating art from the music that has been an inspiration to her since her childhood, our childhoods, and that is clearly shown in every detail of her art. Thank you for putting so much love into your work. I was so excited to share it with my viewers, especially my hip hop fans, so they could be apart of your movement as well. iNanz, thank you for Taking the Stares.

Let's shop iNanz.

Shirt - by iNanz
Jeans - by Forever21
Scarf - from Slow Clothing
Sunglasses - by Aldo

Photography by Eric Barbosa

Godspeed

Welcome back to The Stares America! During this brief hiatus, a lot has changed. A lot has resurfaced. A lot of new inspiration has came to fruition. My year long journey in California came to close. And now I'm back in my hometown with a completely different outlook on life. I've returned with a new thirst for life I never thought I could experience. And I'm excited share all of what I learned with you guys. 

I cant' express enough how important it is to master the art of open mindedness. There's our plans. And then there's God's plans. I went to California with the intent of accumlating complete and total success in my profession. I went praying everyday that I'd be able to open my store, become this hardworking stylist and creative director, and ultimately finding a way to live fruitfully through my art and my truth. None of this has changed - these are still visions in my line-up of dreams! But these are not things I was given immediately. What I was given was something much greater: the key to unlocking my full potential.

California was a land made for dreamers. I crossed paths with so many different, strange people with so many different, amazing stories of passion and art and struggle. Something we all seemed to have in common. All these dreamers seemed to be part time bus boys, sales people, Uber drivers just waiting for 5 o' clock to so they could get to their next gig. It was all so scary and inspiring. But in the midst of all of that young struggle, everyone seemed happy.

But just like I met a lot of people who had just began a real pursuit of their dreams, I met a lot of people who had given up on their dreams as well. The comfort and security of a 9 to 5 just kind of stuck, and honestly it was just "easier", I was told, than falling short in the rat race you find yourself in in the city. I also watched people lose their souls to LA. For the nightlife. For the fame. For the followers. For the money. For all the easily accessible vices. All of a sudden the motivation that once  engineered your dreams changed somewhere a long the way, and you find yourself in a completely different space than when you started. Taking all of these things into consideration, my journey continued.

California is a dreamland. Living in its beautiful environment counteracted for a lot of the hard times I faced. And I faced hard times. There a lot of days I can remember almost being pushed to limits. But I had to continue being almost pushed to my limits to finally realize that I didn't have any. It's when you don't have a lot that you really get to exercise your creativity. You improvise. You make a way. But you don't give up. It's during those moments when you make something out of nothing do you truly start to believe in yourself. And to me, that was the whole purpose of my year in California: self-growth. Preparing my heart and spirit for the life I've been praying for. I have all these new ideas, new dreams, new motivations. I feel like a different person. Thank you California. I can't wait to be back. But I'm happy to be home.

Wishing you and yours. Godspeed.

Two Jogger - by Soprano
Glasses - by Timeless Frameworks
Sade T - by Drink Black Water
Boots - by Cape Robin

Photography by Dexter Davis