Posts Tagged ‘studentspecial’

Some Scrappy Artists

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023
The Lantern Bearers – Maxfield Parish

Interview my stylish and paid stylist friend with me

Hanna decided at fourteen she was going to move to the city, as long as I moved too. I noncommittally agreed. I asked her why New York, she said, “I like fashion,” and that was it, that was all the reasoning she gave. She liked fashion. Many people have the same sort of instinct, we all grow up with an abstract impression that if you like to paint, write, sew, sing, you move to a city. It’s just what you do. I was much less compelled by this instinct than Hanna, but the years went by, she applied to colleges in NYC, and I casually followed suit. 

We ended up moving to opposite ends of Manhattan and I often wondered what she was up to thirty minutes away. In high school we’d have sleepovers on Friday nights, pizza and coke cans and movies. And every Saturday at 7am sharp she was up and looking through my closet, throwing together outfit after outfit. Some days she’d try to get me to try them on, I’d groan and pull myself from the covers. Some days we compromised; she’d try on the outfits as long as I opened at least one eyeball and muttered a score 1-10. The variations of outfits often decided my wardrobe for the week. A certain black t-shirt must be worn with the medium shade of jean skirt, not the light-wash, and it must be worn with a certain undershirt that would pop perfectly out at the collarbone, and I was not allowed to wear any matte black shoes with it, only the glossy black boots, and hair accessories was a lucky privilege, I could pick those out on my own. I didn’t give a lick what I wore, but Hanna was meticulous and passionate. I imagined her having the same routine with her college roommates now and the thought made me laugh. 

Two years later and I’ve watched her go from dressing me, a lowly recipient in comparison, to being paid to dress models and red-carpet attendees. Some random weekday I’ll see her posting about styling “so and so” for “so and so’s” shoot and I’ll swipe up, amazed that said “so and so” is actually someone with millions of instagram followers, working in partnership with a big name brand. 

Here is a brief part of our interview: 

“At what point did you realize you could do something with your hobby”

“I was taking fashion classes as soon as I got to school, learning about this designer and that designer. I spent so much time engraving the names in my head and the different season collections and this and that etc… I just assumed that these people were what you aimed for in fashion school, the Madonnas of fashion. But then I was like, how the **** am I supposed to get there and what if I never do… but styling people is its own art, you are wrapping someone in your knowledge, of who made what piece, what fabric, etc, not just your own taste, that’s when I realized it was a job, because it wasn’t about what I liked, like I wasn’t just like ‘Oh I’d put her in this top because I like the pattern’, it was, ‘let’s put her in this top because it references this one 89’ Spring show, where this pattern was paired with this color and heralded in the papers as the best combo of the time, let’s reference that in a cheeky way’… that isn’t about taste, or subjectivity, it is a job”

“So it wasn’t like you got a styling job handed to you on a silver platter to decide, it just seemed like a necessary course of action?”

“Totally, I didn’t bump into Anna Wintour and have her offer me an intern position. I realized I needed to look. You can’t wait around and hope you end up at the top of your profession, you have to first realize the worth of the lower level work. Styling isn’t low-level work, but I needed to start low-level obviously, low paid, low profile jobs”

“Still though, do you think you excelled because of your previous hobby/talent?”

“Oh definitely, high school girls, minus you, are a lot harder to style than real clients. In high school when I’d dress people, you say… I don’t know, Vera Wang, and they look at you with a blank expression. My little hobby and the way I liked clothes in high school made me feel much more of a resonance with work once I did start to be surrounded by people who spoke the same language as me. It wasn’t a struggle to know fashion in a way small-town people didn’t, but here, in New York, you learn a lot really fast. Your natural inclinations and ‘talent’ are half the struggle though, they’re what keep you ‘in the game’ so to speak, they keep you going back to the struggle, they keep you interested enough to push past the imposter syndrome and critical feedback.”

Nothing will make you feel more productive than a smoothie bowl and Union Square.

Olivia Sully is a Junior studying English Literature at New York University. Olivia spends most of her school and professional life writing and reading, but she likes to decompress with her paintings. 

 For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful ebooks, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2023.


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Hang It On The Wall

Wednesday, October 18th, 2023

I didn’t listen to music for two months. I hardly ate. I went for jogs along the water every Friday late at night because I couldn’t sleep. 

Painted sketchbook page, I referenced a Russian artist I forgot the name of

It wasn’t like I started painting girls crying or the silhouette of couples embracing. There was an old book from my parents that I had lugged with me to college. One of those massive, expensive books you can pick up at an art museum, full of glossy pages and photos of the art. I would pick a random page and try to replicate it on some canvas paper. No grids or tracing paper; no pressure for it to be good or accurate. It was mind numbing but in a good way, like legos, or a familiar movie. There wasn’t much thought behind it and it got me out of my head and into my hands. I bought thick brushes that needed to be held the same way you’d grip onto a glass bottle. I bought tiny brushes, the three small strands of which would fall off within a week because I was too rough with them. Painting got me into my nose; the smell of the oil paints was somewhat nose wrinkling, like fat turned solid in the pan after frying bacon, but with a less repulsive, animal quality. 

Heartbreak came at a time when I was already not doing great. I got a good kick in the pants, meaning, I started calling my parents more, I budgeted my money strictly, I showed up to work thirty minutes early every shift, I ate kale salads, and I tried to keep myself busy. It worked to some extent by keeping me out of bed and active. Yet I still needed something more.

Painting didn’t magically fix everything, and there was no intention to use it to “heal” anything. But there was certainly a meditative aspect to it. The colors, the lines, the physical exertion of blending and dragging, the little triumph of looking at a finished page and thinking “I am done and I did good”. A little pat on the back. Your roommate saying it looks good. Hang it on the wall and make the space a little bit more your own.  

Being treated badly by someone you are dating can deceive your emotions. Logically I knew it wasn’t about me, there was nothing I did to deserve being treated poorly, and it shouldn’t make me feel bad about myself. Logical and emotions are two very different things. Emotionally I felt this suffocating worry that I was failing at loving, at dating, at making people care about me. Painting was like a shining antithesis to these emotional notions. It didn’t matter that the paintings looked good to people around me. I only cared that it made me feel good at something. Every time I finished a page there was a little success, a little pit of contentment in my stomach. Proof I wasn’t failing in life. 

When I’d finish cleaning the brushes I’d feel hunger in my stomach. I’d go days picking at my food and eating only a quarter of my morning bagel. Bits and pieces here and there, only eating out of necessity. Falling in and out of love unfortunately goes straight to my stomach. But I swear, after closing the paint tubes and wiping down the last brush, I could go into the kitchen and heat up the leftovers, scoffing them down while post-mortem analyzing my work. Painting gave me an appetite. 

I can’t claim art fixes your life, only that when I was at my lowest it certainly picked me up and put me back together better than most things and people could have. I wonder if other people feel the same way.

Another therapeutic activity if painting isn’t your style.

Olivia Sully is a Junior studying English Literature at New York University. Olivia spends most of her school and professional life writing and reading, but she likes to decompress with her paintings.

 For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services. 

 At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful ebooks, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2023.

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Buy Yourself Flowers (Why You Should Plan Dates With Yourself)

Saturday, July 8th, 2017

You are your own main squeeze. Your relationship with yourself is the primary relationship you will have over the course of your life. People love to stress, “You must have a solid relationship with yourself to be capable of developing meaningful relationships with other other people.”And of course, they are right; you cannot pour from an empty cup. But that goes for everything else too, not just connections with other people. Your relationship with yourself informs how you tackle opportunities, handle challenges, approach work and play, and interpret the world you inhabit, because all of these things are tied to your sense of worth and self esteem. If that cup is empty, what will you be able to pour into your pursuits and interests? Your relationship with yourself is also the only one you are unequivocally guaranteed for your whole life, so you must enjoy spending time with yourself. If you can do that, you know someone will always be there to support and guide you when times are tough, and that someone is you. It means having someone to hang out with, whose company you enjoy. It means, in this big world where it’s easy to feel disconnected and alone—especially in New York—never being truly alone.

A few years ago I started buying myself flowers when I was feeling really down or something really big and exciting happened. I realized I didn’t need a guy to buy me flowers. I could go out to dinner alone. I could take walks by the river at sunset and sit in cafés and wander in bookstores. I could think of dates I’d want to go on and then just go do those things myself. And you know what happened? I got things done. I met some remarkable people. I grew exponentially. I flourished.

Self care, in the way we often talk about it, is a luxury. Spare cash for Lush bath bombs and spare time for people working 3 jobs—these are luxuries that many people don’t have. But dates don’t have to be constant, and planning them doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank. The goal is simply to create an experience now and then that makes you feel refreshed, loved, and worthy. So hang out with yourself; get to know yourself really, really freaking well. Show yourself some TLC. After all, you’re the person you’re stuck with till the end!

If you’re having trouble coming up with solo date ideas, here are some suggestions:

Make Yourself a Picnic to Enjoy by the Hudson River

Sunshine.  Soft grass. View of the water. Skyline. Benches. Need I say more?

https://www.timeout.com

https://www.timeout.com

Take a Candlelit Bubble Bath

This is easier if you’re in an apartment, since dorms don’t allow incendiary objects. The Kmart at Astor Place has a selection of cheap candles. You can also find some pretty reasonable ones at Michaels, or if you’re feeling a tad more extravagant, check out the yummy smells at one the many Ricky’s NYC stores. If you’re in a dorm, the right playlist will soothe your ears and help create the mood.

Smell the Flowers… Or Perfume
Speaking of smells, here’s one of my favorite pick-me-ups for when I’m down. Grab some fresh coffee beans (not required, but they add a nice touch), and head to Sephora. Indulge in smelling all the glorious scents, and take a whiff of the coffee beans between smells to clear your olfactory palate.

Visit the Botanical Garden at Prospect Heights

Admission is typically $15, but if you bring your ID it’s only $8 for students. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden website has a number of resources and information on events and activities, including a list of what is currently in bloom: https://www.bbg.org/bloom

https://www.nycgo.com/

https://www.nycgo.com/

Check Out a Museum

When you’re by yourself, you can stay for as long as you want or leave as soon as your feet get tired. No need to try and impress anyone with interpretations of artwork. Oh, and for students, they’re nearly all free. Hello Whitney, MoMA, and Met, to name a few.

http://whitney.org/

http://whitney.org/

Take in a Literary Reading

There are countless places in NYC to hear writers share their work. Check out KGB Bar in the East Village for a reading! Monday is poetry night, and if fiction is more your speed, stop in on a Sunday. See you there!

https://www.timeout.com

https://www.timeout.co

By Sofia Lerner

Sofia Lerner is a Campus Clipper publishing intern who is studying English as a senior at NYU. Passionate about literature, dance, and wellness, Sofia aspires to help the arts thrive and help others pursue healthy lifestyles. For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services. 

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.


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