- P I N T E R E S T -

 I have recently created a Pinterest account and I am hooked! Everything is just a pin away! So far I have 28 unique boards and about 156 pins.

Creating various boards according to a specific pin topic allows me to quickly and easily navigate through my Pinterest account. Above are the 28 boards I have created for my different pins. 

Although I can make one board for all of the jewelry pins, I have decided to even break down that topic to specific jewelry pieces. For example, I have created separate boards for my ankle bracelet, rings, and arm cuff jewelry pins. After realizing the amount of pins available for each of these topics, I felt it was in my best interest to create these separate boards so I can locate these pins more efficiently.

My beaded gowns board is another example of a more defined board to pin on.

Searching on Pinterest is a breeze. One can literally search any topic and the results are endless! Above is an "Art Deco" search. Pins of various topics appear that have Art Deco characteristics.

 There are also tab bubbles under the search bar that allow one to advance the art deco search to more specific topics such as wedding, furniture, pattern, home, interior, architecture etc.

I decided to advance my Art Deco search to view only patterns. Now I can easily browse through the pins that I want to see.

Pinterest allows you to follow your favorite topics so that they are displayed on the main home feed of your Pinterest profile. You may follow certain interests, pinners, or boards. You can also just "like" pins and they will all be stored in your Like tab.

You can view my Pinterest account here : http://www.pinterest.com/shannen_gallard/
Happy Pinning!

REMIX: Ancient Egyptian Art used in Advertisement for Louboutin

      Walk like an Egyptian in the stunning shoe designs of Christian Louboutin. The location on London’s Mount street displayed Ancient Egyptian wonder during Christian Louboutin’s Autumn Winter 2013 window decor. The unexpected theme made buyers feel like they were in the world of the Ancient Egyptians. 

   

        The Sphinx is associated with the sun God and joins the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.  The pharaoh in Ancient Egypt was not only a ruler but also the head priest and God. The combination implies that the mystical creature has human intelligence and immense strength and authority; truly the king of beasts. Louboutin has been an influential brand for decades which connotes the strength and authority it has on upcoming designers present and to come. Since the original Sphinx is immobile it presents the idea of eternity and is carved from bedrock. The Sphinx is protecting and watching over the pyramids of Giza, as well as watching you. The addition of the Sphinx to the Louboutin display may connect the iconic red-outsole bottom that each pair of Louboutin shoes are adorned with. Likewise to the Sphinx, the red outsoles are definitely an eternal trademark to the Louboutin brand. 

      

   
 This chosen theme is definitely appealing to buyers since the Ancient Egyptian world has been the most inspiring and marveled time period in ancient history. The Pyramids of Giza are part of the seven wonders of the world and to display Louboutin merchandise amid glorified aspects may subconsciously influence customers that the products are of great value. 

              As a high-end label, it is no surprise that the Louboutin designs were     
                         celebrated on pedestals of various heights. 

       The Christian Louboutin window display is extremely eye-catching. There is intricate detail in the papyrus paintings featuring Ancient Egypt and figurines wearing the same high heeled Louboutin’s and sandals that are on display.The Louboutin figurines seem to be in their own style of a composite pose since they have voluptuous womanly curves. They are also in their own form of canon of proportions due to their long legs; an ideal characteristic of a high fashion model in the 21st century. The papyrus Louboutin paintings hold tradition with the addition of cartouche, which is the framing of the hieroglyphic inscriptions signifying sacredness and honor. 

Christian Louboutin is definitely making a serious statement that the brand is worthy to be distinguished as everlasting since it is among one the most fascinating and glorified time periods in history.

SOURCES:

http://www.refinery29.com/2013/06/49077/christian-louboutin-store-windows#slide-6

http://www.fashionfoiegras.com/2013/06/christian-louboutin-goes-to-ancient.html

Michael Graves

    I have decided to focus on the inspiring work and life of Michael Graves after attending the opening reception of Studio Vendome's inaugural Art|chitecture Project which focuses on artwork by architects. Michael Graves was featured in the gallery showcasing his artwork which gave an intimate glimpse into the connection between his paintings and work as an influential architect and designer. Studio Vendome will continue to celebrate Michael Graves work until December 31, 2014.

I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Graves and I felt as though I was in the presence of genius.

I have attached a link to a video that gives a clear outlook on Michael Graves place in history.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2282858956/

Throughout his eminent career, Michael Graves has achieved various distinguished titles and awards but most importantly has broadened the role of the architect in society and raising public interest in good design as essential to the quality of everyday life. I truly admire the way he is able to influence a positive and lively sense of emotion through his unique designs that hold so much character. As an accessories designer, it is my aspiration to create aesthetic designs that are distinctive but hold immense quality through durability and functionality as well. 

This is one of his earliest paintings.

This painting was from his Remembered Landscapes section in the gallery.

As an architect he did many studies on the shapes that he wanted to include in his buildings. While viewing his artwork I began to recognize his style and connected his paintings to the architecture I had viewed online. 

This building is the St. Coletta Special Education Public Charter School. This school serves students with intellectual disabilities, autism and secondary disabilities. The colorful and imaginative shapes of the buildings must surely fascinate the children.

When I first viewed these paintings I felt like I could see Disney characters hidden in the abstract. These paintings were actually studies for carpets that Michael Graves had designed for a hotel that I cannot recall.

At the end of the night I was fortunate to have Michael Graves sign one of my favorite paintings that was inside the booklet I received at Studio Vendome.

To view another one of his upcoming exhibitions visit:

 http://www.nj.com/inside-jersey/index.ssf/2014/09/michael_graves_exhibit_at_hamiltons_grounds_for_sculpture.html

My sources

http://www.michaelgraves.com/

https://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=88,3

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/famed-architect-michael-graves-in-a-wheelchair-widens-his-design-focus/2014/07/14/72ad8430-af82-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html

http://biography.yourdictionary.com/michael-grave
s

Organizing Relevant Info Overload

Time to maintain our impulsive appetite for irrelevant online lurking and gain control of a balance to what we spend our time viewing. Algorithms are deciding what we see and are not showing us what is being tailored out of our search results or newsfeed. There is no standard google search?! It is an eerie concept that we are being limited to the news we receive due to our prior interests on the Web. I do not want to be locked into the digital filter bubble that the algorithms have assumed for me. I want to be able to see what I want as well as what I need to see. I have created several different social media profiles and it is reassuring to know that there are free dashboards available to help me juggle the information overload. Now that I have been introduced to Netvibes, I feel confident and ready to handle my digital life. On Twitter, I follow different users that do not have any relation to each other and they are both posted on my newsfeed and thus get lost in the mix. With Netvibes, I am now able to make different categories for the news I want to receive. For example, I have made a new Tab and named it “Health”, now all of my health related news will only be in that tab and will not get lost in the various other topics I am interested in. I can make new tabs for sports, fashion, and any other topic I can think of. The information overload can be managed in a clear dashboard. After reading and viewing enlightening articles and speeches on algorithms and how to avoid the info junk food, I feel motivated to lead a balanced digital lifestyle, much like keeping a healthy diet. Netvibes is almost like my own personal food chart, but manages the news that I subscribe to view. I can rearrange my Tabs from most important to least and even change the viewing of the Feeds in each of the tabs. I can check the authenticity of sites that I wish to add with Snopes.com, Hoax-slayer.com, Delicious.com etc.,  just as one would check the Nutrition Facts on a product of food they were considering to consume. Very excited to personalize my Netvibes and work towards my future aspired self!

Maintaining the digital life

         Social media is so strange. It truly is another world and somehow slightly another limb to the anatomy of ones’ identity; which can be an unfortunate consequence when your privacy is not what you thought it was.   

 
          I have come to terms with the fact that I need to use all of my social media profiles as tools rather than a social playground to interact with friends in. I am currently taking an introductory course in sociology and I have learned and personally noticed the different languages I use with the different groups of people I interact with. I do not use the same vocabulary as I do when speaking to my family, professors, or friends. I present myself differently during certain circumstances but deep down I am still the same person with the same character and morals and beliefs. It is not that I am fake, it is more like a subconscious reflex that is driven to pursue appropriateness. Since my generation is using more social media and more of our random and nonsense blabber is being recorded and or documented on these social network sites, (sites that do not offer the amount of privacy we believe we have), it is in my best interest to keep a better eye on what I share on the web. These comments, shares and likes could somehow come back to haunt me, and cause others to form a misconception of who I truly am. After reading that Apps can gain access to your account and post, share, and like without your knowledge, I immediately began to investigate. Luckily I had not added any Apps to any of my profiles so there was no “cleaning up to do”. I would hate to think that some random nonsense that slipped out of my keypad in the mere half a second it took me to type it and perhaps had barely a millisecond of thought behind it, could cause any damage to my reputation and or brand.

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots”, said Albert Einstein. This generation is so locked into the bubble of their peers daily lives that we are not taking advantage of the tools that are at our finger tips. These social networks are like digital communities. Much of our free time is spent mindlessly lurking into the profiles and observing the posts that our “friends” have shared to our newsfeed. We are processing a lot of irrelevant information about others and failing to focus on ourselves or more important tasks at hand; and possibly sharing extraneous information about ourselves as well. Having a normal conversation with a stranger has turned into an almost extinct and absurd interaction, most people are too busy with their noses in their devices. “Social relationships are the primary focus of daily life” for young adults, which would explain why they would want a digital community of people their own age and thus flee Facebook due to the massive adult presence.

In a positive perspective, these new social media tools have been pushing me to know my brand and therefore, be my brand. These articles have really made me concentrate on figuring out who I want to share with the world. I have made a Linkedin, AboutMe, Twitter, and Goggle plus profile in the last three weeks. With so many new open slates to portray myself on, I feel like I can truly build a strong digital identity that is true to who I really am. After reading these articles I feel more aware and safe with the privacy settings I have set for my accounts. I feel determined to set a true projection of my character and brand on these sites.

Internet Stranger

         

         Zap me with a bolt of lightening immediately! I nearly threw myself out of my one-story home when I saw a terribly embarrassing video I had made in high school on Youtube. Although there were only 82 views, my stomach still sank and I exploded with panic. The video was on a random Youtube account which I could not access because I had no idea what the email or password was. After several grueling hours I finally found an old notebook containing the glorious email and password I was searching for. I have never been so relieved to click the delete button.

           Who knew I was on the Fashion Institute of Technology's Facebook banner?! After googling my full name Shannen Nicole Gallardo,  I discovered my orientation common project group and I posing in the breezeway! I had noticed this same picture of us in FIT's spring 2014 orientation booklet but I had no idea we were also on FIT's Facebook banner as well. Our common project group was called Red Group 36 and the Youtube video I edited and filmed was also on the web; I included the link for our video below. Our group actually won the Fall 2013 orientation project so this brought back happy memories of my start at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

       

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7RYTRFXWSjs

          After viewing images on the google search I discovered my legs! I actually remember that day when a nice woman asked to photograph me from the waist down for a worldwide project she was working on. At first I was puzzled because I was trucking my way through the sea of fellow pedestrians to get to my morning class at the Fashion Institute of Technology; but she was really cool and it only took a minute.

                 I  love the fact that all of my running stats are online at my finger tips. Running as a captain for my high school cross country, winter and spring track teams meant a lot to me. It was a sport I participated in but it was also a passion and still is today. This sport makes me tear up because it is so beautiful in a way that no other sports can compare to. At the end of a race, we shake hands with our opponents, we congratulate each other because in a race you either have it or you don't. We push each other to train harder. I loved running for the Fashion Institute of Technology for the fall 2013 cross country season. We won in our division and that was awesome! I even ran personal bests in my spring track 2014 season with my FIT track girls!  

            I continued to look through the various links attached to my name, and to my surprise someone is using my identity on a website called Houzz to sell curtains? I attached the link to this mysterious site below. They stole an old profile picture from my Facebook and used my full name, pretty creepy. I'm very confused and I have no clue how to settle this... But if those curtains begin to sell out I think I deserve a chunk of that change?

http://www.houzz.com/user/shannen-nicole-gallardo

After accumulating all of this information about myself floating around the web, I have come to the conclusion I definitely need to google myself more often.