I just spent the last two hours listening to Ann Delisi’s thoughtful tribute to Prince on WDET. She ended the show with Purple Rain and I ugly cried, big heavy tears, for the first time since he passed away.

Ever since the news broke I’ve vacillated between disbelief and numbness. The grief has only just started to creep in. Truth be told, I’m still reeling from the death of David Bowie.

These two mystical, magical, alien-rockstars seduced me before I was old enough to know any better. They emoted this irreverence of gender and style that just DID something to me. Their rebellion against the norm awakened my inner weirdo. They taught me to walk in through the out door.

“I’m not a woman. I’m not a man. I am something that you’ll never understand”.

I was about five years old when my parents brought home Prince’s album, 1999.  I took to it like a moth to a flame. It was hard for me to stay in my body when his music was playing. During an impassioned moment I jumped from my bed while belting the words to Delirious and sprained my ankle. Later, while performing a dance routine to Baby I’m a Star, I over compensated a flip and broke my toe. I guess if I’m going to have arthritis, let it be from Prince!

Last year I saw Prince perform for the second time in my life. I never guessed it would be the last. As I stood 18 rows from the stage at the Fox Theatre I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. He could have easily sold out a stadium, but he chose to play a three-hour marathon set inside an intimate theatre. To Prince, the music has always mattered more than money. And the music slayed us that night. I’ll never forget it.

I read that Prince passed away in the elevator of his home. An erie example of how life imitates art. Toward the end of Ann Delisi’s radio show she played Let’s Go Crazy. I listened to Prince’s eulogy of “this thing called life” for the billionth time, and I could still hear his message loud and clear. In that moment I realized he’s not really gone. He just punched a higher floor.

Last Summer I worked with Goodwill Detroit curating items for their boutique pop-up shop at Eastern Market in Detroit and this year I’m back at it! Goodwill Detroit will have a pop-up shop at Eastern Market’s Sunday Street Market, the second Sunday of each month throughout the Summer. Hours are 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Each shop will be curated by a local Detroit stylist (there are four, including me) and will contain gently used clothing,  accessories, furniture, and unique vintage housewares.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been digging for treasures at the local Goodwill stores and I’ve pulled so many great things for the pop-up shop. You can expect to find vintage record players, a metal bar cart, mid-century furniture, several large trunks, handbags from Coach, Fossil, BCBG, and Dooney & Bourke, Polaroid cameras, vintage fiber art, pyrex, dresses from Zara, Top Shop, and Asos, vintage jewelry, designer shoes, men’s vintage belt buckles and so much more!

Here’s a sneak peak!

Come see me THIS SUNDAY, June 14th, at the Goodwill Detroit pop-up shop inside Eastern Market from 10-4. If you want the good stuff, come early! Remember, these are Goodwill prices (not fancy vintage store prices) so people line up early. Bring cash, credit cards, and all your fashionable friends!

These are my friends, Dennis and Lauren. They recently became engaged and asked me to shoot some photos of them. I was like “Me?! I’m so flattered!” and they were like “Yeah, cuz you’re free”.

Here are a few of my favorite shots of them cuddling, laughing, flaunting their adorable faces, and basically making all other couples look like moldy dog food.

Find me a person who doesn’t love an American Gothic parody and I will challenge that person to a duel.

Dennis: “I could hold you forever.”

Lauren: “I’m bored.”

Everybody calm down!

“Look at our plants and flannel shirts! Aren’t we a delight?”

Lauren: “My love for you is eternal.”

Dennis: “I’m bored.”

Happy engagement, beautiful peach morganite engagement ring, Dennis and Lauren! I love you both SO MUCH and can’t wait to celebrate your marriage! Please don’t sit me at a loser table, ok?

A few weeks ago, I photographed the Marche Du Nain Rouge in Detroit. I had the best time wandering amongst the energized mass of costumed revelers, drag queens, marching bands, and chariots who tracked south down Second Avenue in an effort to chase the evil red dwarf out of the city.

The event is best described in its Facebook bio:

The Marche du Nain Rouge has its roots in Detroit’s early history, when Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Detroit and was confronted by the Nain Rouge. He purportedly hit the Nain Rouge with his cane and became cursed for life. Since then, the Nain Rouge has been spotted throughout Detroit’s history, usual at the city’s most notorious occurrences.

“The idea with the Marche was to tap into Detroit’s rich history and use the Nain Rouge story as a way for Detroiters to come together in common purpose,” said Francis Grunow, co-creator of the Marche. “Of course it’s supposed to be silly and fun, but it’s also supposed to be positive and meaningful.”

The event was reignited in 2010 when 400 Detroiters gathered to continue a lost tradition – to march the Nain Rouge out of Detroit on the Spring Equinox. The carnival-esque festival calls for all Detroiters to don costumes that mask themselves in front of the Nain Rouge and represent the effigy they want to shed.

Here are a few of my photos.

Until next year!

xoxo

You guys know I’m into Halloween. I’ve waxed poetic about Theatre Bizarre. I’ve blathered on about my annual Halloween party and my dorky Luna Lovegood Costume. These images of Eleanor Rigby dressed as a sexy devil porn star, I have laid bare.

Please, no slut shaming. She’s been listening to a lot of Katy Perry and we’re hoping it’s just a phase.

So let’s just get to the meat of this post, shall we?

This Halloween I dressed as a ‘classy broad from outer space raising her alien baby alone while waitressing at a space wine bar to put herself through college.’

As you do.

She’s a feminist minded extraterrestrial, who dreams of working her way to the upper crust of space society. But she does it all for her Glirk. The baby, after all, is her own flesh and blerve.

Perhaps I am getting carried away.

Want to create your own Classy Broad From Outerspace costume? Here’s how!

For the helmet, I used a 14″ acrylic outdoor lamp shade. With a dremel, I cut the base large enough for my head to squeeze through and added a few air holes. For the antennae, I attached wire pot scrubbers (from the dollar store) to the ends of a couple threaded rods. For the jet pack, I wired two galvanized pipe fittings together and added 2-liter bottles, spray painted silver, to the tops. I added some knobs and dials to the front and clipped on book lights from the dollar store for added space-age-iness. For the alien baby, I carved the head out of styrofoam, layered on some paper mache, and added a few coats of paint. By the way, Martha makes the perfect alien-green paint color (of course she does).

A few photos from Theatre Bizarre…

Somehow, the Theatre Bizarre crew outdid themselves again. The artistry, imagination, and talent injected into this event is bonkers. If you’re not attending Theatre Bizarre every year, YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG. I’m sorry to yell, but it is the truth.

Over Halloween weekend, my friend Mish and I hosted our annual costume party at a new venue – Corktown Tavern in Detroit. The turnout was huge. Everyone danced, drank, thrillered, and time warped. I had the best time.

And now! Partially-focused Halloween photo dump in yo face! Blame the under-lit bar. Or the booze.

Only 349 days until Halloween!

xoxo

Remember when I started a blog series called Instant Detroit back in January of 2013 and then never wrote another post in that series until now? Me neither.

I’m a terrible blogger. Anyway, post number two, COMIN’ ATCHA.

I’ve been a longtime supporter of The Heidelberg Project, an outdoor art installation located in a residential community on Detroit’s east side. Tyree Guyton, founder and artistic director, started the project in the 1980’s as a creative response to the poverty, decay, and crime that had taken over his childhood neighborhood. He, along with the help of family and neighbors, boarded up abandoned houses, mowed the overgrown lawns, and cleared out the trash. They gathered up discarded tires, shoes, dolls, and other everyday objects and nailed them to the houses. They painted the concrete with colorful polka dots and turned a two block area into a living art gallery. Tyree didn’t attempt to cover up the truth of the neighborhood, nay, he amplified it, calling attention to the desperate area by turning it into a tourist attraction. And it worked. Over 275,000 people visit The Heidelberg Project annually. A bevy of celebrities have publicly discussed their visits to The Heidelberg Project as well,  including Anthony Bourdain, Kate Moss, Beyonce, Bruce Weber, and Ryan Gosling to name a few.

Of course, there’s the never ending debate – is it art or is it junk? Many people say The Heidelberg Project wouldn’t last a second in the suburbs, and that’s true. But the suburbs don’t need a Heidelberg Project, and that is Tyree’s point. After the riots in the late 1960’s, thousands of businesses and residents fled the city for the suburbs. The tax loss led to cutbacks and non-repair of basic services. It became clear to the remaining residents of Heidelberg Street that they had been forgotten, and help was not coming. This is a situation (somewhat) familiar to me. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, my family lived near the Michigan State Fairgrounds, a similarly blighted section of Detroit. We watched our neighborhood fall to ruin as our previous neighbors’ homes turned into crack houses. Our house had been burglarized and all our windows shot out, twice. I was robbed before I was even three years old. My parents never once called the police, for a simple reason – they wouldn’t come. It’s a terrifying feeling that many of us living in the suburbs will never experience, and thankfully, we got out while I was quite young. To the cynics who pose the question – Would YOU have wanted to live next to The Heidelberg Project? I answer that question with an emphatic YES. With its constant flow of tourists, neighbors, and volunteers welcoming visitors and maintaining the grounds, Heidelberg Street is the safest street on the block.

Tyree created an eccentric dreamworld, that despite it’s controversy, shifted the way people interact with this neighborhood. He collected the trash and created a visually assaulting work of art, that, just like the neighborhood itself, isn’t always pretty to look at. But people are coming. In droves. People who would be too scared to visit this area otherwise. The Heidelberg Project reminds us that this neighborhood, and the people who inhabit it, are still alive, and they need our help. It’s rumored that the national attention drawn to the neighborhoods surrounding The Heidelberg Project and the recently shuttered Theatre Bizarre grounds aided in calling the city into action. Detroit’s emergency manager recently proposed to spend half a billion dollars to demolish 400-500 abandoned and unsafe residential structures per week. As Detroit begins its revitalization efforts, many fear that the end is nigh for The Heidelberg Project. But isn’t that the whole point?

Despite its adversity, despite its dissidence, The Heidelberg Project is a part of Detroit’s history and this cake still isn’t done. I imagine there will be a day when the street lights come on at dusk, and the kids are safe to play. Maybe the windows are no longer barred and the eight foot chain-link fences are gone. I like to imagine that a few polka dots remain, too.

It’s a real nice dream.

The above images were shot with black and white instant film in my old Polaroid Land Camera back in October.

PS: The Heidelberg Project recently selected 34 Instagram photos from the hashtag #snaphp to be displayed in the Number House Gallery. Three of my photos are on display and available to purchase for $10 each until the end of October. 100% of the sales are donated to The Heidelberg Project. The Number House Gallery and gift shop is open on Thursdays from 11am to 5pm and Friday through Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.

xoxo

A few weeks ago, my interwebs pal Bethany Nixon (owner of Reware Vintage, founding member of Handmade Detroit, and all around cool gal) contacted me about an opportunity to curate a pop-up shop at Goodwill’s new boutique location inside Detroit’s Eastern Market. She recently signed on as one of their local stylists and suggested I participate as well. Of course I was game and immediately hopped on board. Thanks for thinking of me, Bethany!

So here’s the deal. Goodwill Detroit will have a pop-up shop at Eastern Market’s new Sunday Street Market, every other Sunday, from June 1st through September 28th. The shop will be located inside Shed 2 and will be open from 10am to 4pm. Each shop will be curated by a local Detroit stylist (there are seven, including me). Each of us are combing through the local Goodwill stores to find exceptional items that match our personal style. Each shop will feature at least 40-50 pieces of hand picked clothing and accessories, completely styled outfits, and unique vintage housewares. I will be curating two of the shops – the first on Sunday June 29th and the second on Sunday August 24th.

I’ve visited each of the local Goodwill locations in the past couple weeks, and I must say, I’ve been very impressed with their stores. I’ve shopped a LOT of second-hand stores over the years and I can say from experience that they are not all created equal. Nothing bums me out more than spending an hour or two sifting through a dirty/smelly second-hand store that straight up gives me the super-willies only to come out empty handed. The Goodwill stores, on the other hand, offer a more palatable and upscale retail experience. They have hardwood floors, pleasant overhead lighting, and their stores are very clean. The prices are great, new items are added daily, and the quality of the merchandise is really good. I’ve pulled fantastic pieces from Coach, Michael Kors, Dooney & Bourke, Banana Republic, Free People, Levi’s, and Gap. (Goodwill did not ask me to review the stores or say any of this stuff, by the way. I just had such a great experience and wanted to share it.)

Here’s a sneak peek at the types of items you can expect to find in my pop-up shop on June 29th and August 24th.

I’m only pulling items that are in great condition, are of good quality, and fit my own personal style. I won’t add a single thing to the shop that I wouldn’t wear myself or have in my own home. The clothing, shoes, and accessories I’ve selected are on trend and in like-new condition. I’m pulling all sizes, including plus sizes, so nobody will be left out. NOT ON MY WATCH. The housewares are primarily mid-century vintage and akin to what you would find at a nicely curated store, like Lost & Found Vintage or Vogue Vintage, but the prices are wayyyy more affordable. You have no idea how hard it’s been to not take all this dope-ass stuff home with me!

Someone please buy that Pretty in Pink poster, because she’s not going to appreciate herself. And if you want to get your fingers on a BADASS designer purse, get to my shop early. I pulled a few really good ones and they are priced to go! There will be soooo much good stuff, it’s stupid.

Come see me at Goodwill’s YB Blue shop on Sunday June 29th & Sunday August 24th and treat yo’self to some new duds. Bring cash, hugs, and all your fashionable cousins! Located inside Shed 2 at Eastern Market, 10am to 4pm.

Here is the schedule for all of the Goodwill pop-up shops this summer and links to all the stylists involved. I can’t wait to see what they found and shop their collections!

xoxo

A portrait of my great grandparents (on the left) at a family wedding in the late 1920’s.

I’m really excited to be part of a show called Portrait of a Secret, which takes place at The Scarab Club on Tuesday, February 25th.

Literary Detroit and The Scarab Club have been collecting family secrets through an anonymous online form and sharing them with artists, including myself, who have selected some of them as inspiration for an original work of art. These art pieces, as well as the written family secrets, will be shared at the event.

This event is inspired by Post Secret which is an ongoing community mail art project, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on a homemade postcard. Select secrets are then posted on their website, used for Post Secret’s books, or art exhibits. Entries range from admissions of sexual misconduct and criminal activity to confessions of secret desires, embarrassing habits, hopes and dreams.

While researching this show, I fell down a rabbit hole of Post Secret archives, so I thought I’d share a few of the images with you. Some are amusing, some are disturbing, all are veritable statements on the human condition.

The evening will also include a discussion of the book Annie’s Ghosts. Described as part memoir, part detective story, and part history, Annie’s Ghost’s tells of Steve Luxenberg’s investigation into his “secret aunt” who was confined to the Eloise Mental Hospital in Wayne County for many years as her existence was kept from Luxenberg and his generation of the family.

Pivoting off the book, the evening will also include a talk by Mark Bowden, a genealogy expert from the Detroit Public Library’s Burton Collection, who will lead attendees through the process of uncovering stories from their own past.

I mentioned before that I inherited a bounty of family heirlooms after my great uncle passed away. One of the things we discovered in his house was an old trunk filled to the brim with very old family photos, including the one above. Many of the photographs date back to the 1800’s and although I can assume they are pictures of my family members, I don’t know many of their names. I’m interested to hear Mark Bowden speak and hope to gain some new tools for tracing my family’s past.

I’m so excited to hear all the family secrets and to see the artwork they inspired! It should be a fun night.

If  you’re interested in reading the book, copies of Annie’s Ghosts are available locally at Source Booksellers, 4240 Cass Avenue, Ste 105, Detroit, MI 48201 and will also be available for purchase the night of the event.

Event details: 

Free to attend!
6:30pm, Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Scarab Club
217 Farnsworth St. Detroit, MI 48202
More information on this event can be found here

I hope to see you all there!

xoxo

For those of you still finishing up your holiday shopping, I thought I’d share a few gift ideas for the animals and animal lovers in your life. Our fur babies give us so much unconditional love, comfort, loyalty, and companionship throughout the year, so why not spoil them a little bit? I can assure you that Eleanor & Celia would be thrilled to receive many of these items (as would I).

1. Temporary Tattoos $9.23, 2. Hanging Cuddle Pod $19.99, 3. Star Wars Catnip Toy $3.00, 4. Inflatable Unicorn Horn $6.99, 5. Cat’s Trapeze $79.99, 6. Cat Cave $79.00, 7. Fox Terrier Toy $10, 8. Organic Catnip $10, 9. Grumpy Cat Snow Globe $16, 10. Custom Pet Portrait, price varies, 11. Cat Clothes Hanger $12

1.  Ombre Dog Collar $56, 2. Thug Life Hoodie $40, 3. Burt’s Bees Paw & Nose Lotion $12.99, 4. Custom Laser Cut Dog Tags $15.99, 5. Neon Raglan Shirt $12, 6. Bow Tie $20, 7. Canvas Gnome Toy $8, 8. Zombie Foot Dog Toy $10.49, 9. Dog Treats $10.46, 10. Arrowhead Leash $26, 11. Dog Beers Pint Glass $8

I’ve got my eye on that hanging cuddle pod for Celia, the zombie foot for Eleanor, and the custom watercolor painting for Mike D me. Now get to spoiling your fur beasts, even though they’d probably be just as happy with a few balls of crumpled wrapping paper and some belly rubs (but doesn’t that make you want to spoil them even more?).

PSST!  Tomorrow, Tuesday 12/17/2013, is the LAST DAY to order  from my shop for guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. Everything in the shop ships for FREE to anywhere in the U.S.! Do you have any Detroit, New York, Paris, or Italy lovers on your shopping list? I’ve got you covered!

xoxo

Back in August, I received an email from my good friend and old roommate Melinda inviting me to participate in the Detroit leg of the World Wide Photo Walk. After doing some poking around and reading about the walk (it’s an annual social photography event where photographers all over the world gather in urban areas to walk around and shoot photos on the same day), I was all “Yes! Of course! How fun!” and then I saw it started at 7am on a Saturday and I was all “Aw hell no, I ain’t doing that.” and then she was all “Stop being a baby.” and I was all “Stay out of my life!” and she was all “You’re being ridiculous.” and I was all “Fine, I’ll do it.”.  Perhaps this is a bit of dramatization, but you’ve come to expect that from me by now.

And so I got my sorry ass up at 5:30am on October 5th to meet Melinda and a bunch of strangers at Eastern Market, and you guys! It turned out to be a really amazing day.

Our group was led by Chita Hunter, a technology trainer of Adobe Software and an instructor at Schoolcraft College. We joined forces with Shawn Lee, the leader of the I See Detroit bus tour, and together, we made for a pretty diverse group of photographers, tourists, and Detroiters of all ages. Chita (below, in the front row with a white shirt) & Shawn (not pictured) made the day really enjoyable and did a great job of keeping our group together and engaged.

Photo by Chita Hunter

Photo by Chita Hunter

We spent a few hours shooting throughout Eastern Market and The Heidelberg Project, which sadly had been victim to arson early that morning, and then headed to Historic Indian Village where we were given two private home tours (whaaaaat!). We ended with lunch at Milano Bakery in Eastern Market and the entire thing was done by like noon. Noon! Most Saturdays, I’m barely out of bed and onto my third bloody mary before 2pm.  Getting up early, man. You all should try it.

Tangential aside – This event was sponsored by Canon and Adobe, and was founded by Scott Kelby who is a well-known Photoshop instructor. As you can imagine, it attracts super techy (and uber talented) photographers with big fancy cameras who talk about FPS rates and AF exposure ranges and other high-tech terminology that makes me yawny. Don’t get me wrong, I totally respect that method of photography, it’s just not my thing. Although the above photos were shot with my digital SLR (and iphone), the majority of the photos I shot that day were from my 50 year old Polaroid land camera, which I’ll be sharing soon as part of my Instant Detroit series.  I thought for sure I’d get many an eye roll walking around with my wonky old Polaroid, but most people were really interested in it, praised me for keeping film alive, and asked a bunch of questions. Photographer solidarity! Fist bumps!

If you have about 5 million hours to spare, you can see ALL the photos (nearly 10,000!) taken on October 5th,  from all over the world during the 2013 World Wide Photo Walk here. Turns out, playing tourist in your own city is a really fun thing to do.

Stay tuned friends! The parade of Polaroids is coming, and she can’t be stopped.

xoxo.