Tara Thongbanthum

After reading through several blogs of students reflections on the Better Lives projects, I settled on reflecting on Rada McNally-Marchenkov’s second blog post. 

Rada starts by expressing her admiration for the fact that “a photograph is individual to the photographer…/Our backgrounds, culture and identity play a big part” I agree with this statement and I think it that it resonates with me personally; I try to incorporate the idea of identity and my own cultural identity as a Thai woman into my work often and have found that this has really affected my photography style and aesthetic. I think it is important in such a diverse world to express this diversity within the media we produce and to learn things about people from their work. 

Unlike Rada I did not take Portrait Photography as my Better lives option however it was my first choice, this made me even more inclined to read her blog to perhaps learn something I didn’t get the chance to learn in my Better Lives choice. It is interesting to see Rada discuss the theme of diversity and her opinion on photographer Nikki S Lee. After researching the artist in my own time I did also find her work interesting, however found myself also having the same concerns as Rada. Although Lee’s work are great examples of exploring different social groups at the time, would these photos be appropriate or have positive feedback in this modern day society where cultural appropriation and lack of cultural understanding is so apparent in many artists work? It was nice to see Rada’s honest opinion of this visual artist, and to appreciate it but also criticise it from a modern standpoint. 

Through reading Rada’s blog it is clear that she already has a strong moral compass and is inputting that within the work she already produces. As well as discussing the theme of diversity, Rada also reflected on the current situation of lockdown and social responsibility. I too, have touched upon this subject within a blog post of my own, talking about it on a more commercial point of view. However, it was also very engaging to see Rada discuss individuals social responsibility or the lack of. Within her blog you see her view on the responsibility creators have during this time, personally, I too prefer to see content that is not related to the social situation. It is nice to see brands such as Jacquemus still creating online content despite the pandemic and doing shoots via Facetime. It is inspiring to see how creatives have changed their way of working around the social climate and are still thriving in these conditions where normally, it would be difficult to produce work due to the lack of equiptment/models/garments etc. I think it is important for artists to create in order to distract but also create in order to enlighten people on the situation, and I think this depends on the artist themselves and what they feel is necessary to them and their consumers.

Lastly, Rada has shown that she has reflected on the Better Lives themes personally and has decided that “sustainability is something that is going to change [her] work in the future”. Like many others, she has used the pandemic to her advantage and pushed herself to create with things she already owns. This idea of recycling something and creating something new is something that I also inputted into my Better lives final outcome, and it is something I will also attempt to carry on in future works.

Overall, Rada has explored the themes of sustainability, social responsibility and diversity well within her blog. She has discussed all three themes and explored them in her own way, findings ways to connect them to her personal work and implement them into future work. 

I have reflected a lot throughout the Better Lives unit and through choosing “Makeup Breakdown” as my Better Lives theme I have realised further how relevant the topics of sustainability, social responsibility and diversity are in everything we do. 

I chose ‘Makeup Breakdown’ to enhance my skills in makeup, as a creative direction student who often uses photography, I wanted to be able to have the skill of makeup for times when I didn’t have a makeup artist for my models. I found exploring makeup to be interesting and useful in learning the basics of makeup application on a model, however I also learnt the art of ‘imperfection’, which is one of the themes we explored within our classes. This idea of ‘imperfection’ was my most valuable lesson that I had taken away from the whole experience in the makeup classes , as it reminded me that not everything had to be executed perfectly in order to have a successful outcome.

This idea links well to the theme of diversity, as within the workshop we spoke about enhancing what were considered ‘flaws’ or ‘imperfections’ and normalising these qualities in people and in makeup looks.

During the finalisation of our project we were asked to produce a final makeup look based off of the themes we have experimented with in class : colour theory, fashion mistake and imperfection. Unfortunately due to COVID 19 these looks had to be presented on ourselves and we had to use the materials that we had at home. Personally, I do not own a lot of makeup products so I think it was a good idea to curate the project to encourage the students to use non cosmetic and non traditional products on the face to create a look. I found this much more stimulating than using traditional makeup products and I found that it was a good way to challenge our creativity. 

Personally, as I resonated so much with the lecture by Kate Fletcher on ‘Nature’, I wanted to produce a final outcome that reflected our connection with nature within the look. During the time that we have been in lockdown I have been using the time to do gardening and to spend as much time outside as I can. There have been many flowers growing in my garden and I decided to use as the main material for my final makeup look. I liked the idea of a material that supposedly had no more use, and found that this was much more sustainable than ordering products or objects for this specific look. As one of the flowers had fallen, instead of binning it, I decided to re-use it and re-purpose it by using it within the look. Inspired by makeup artists such as Wendy Rowe and Anastasia Durasova, I attached the petals directly onto my face using Vaseline as the adhesive. I found that the petals began to wilt and break apart however I think this highlighted the fragility of nature and the beauty within the imperfection of the look itself. 

The Better lives theme have definitely encouraged me to think more about how I approach certain projects by thinking more sustainably and more mindfully in terms of what message I am portraying to my audience. I think my final outcome was successful; it portrayed the beauty in the imperfect and clearly presented how something previously dead, can once again come alive in another form. 

Upon reflection, the Better Lives Unit has definitely certified the importance of understanding the fashion industry and its impact on earth. The themes of sustainability, social responsibility and diversity are prevalent now more than ever. This unit has highlighted to me that the fashion industry should be directing its work and interests towards the earths environment and our social environment.

It is important as the new generation of creatives to use our power to find solutions to the problems we are facing both socially and environmentally. I do believe that, as a creative direction student, I do have the power to influence peoples thoughts within my work and create amazing outcomes whilst still being environmentally and socially aware. I think it is important that when producing work or doing a shoot in particular, it is taken into account the use of recycled clothing, fabrics or even just being conscious when shooting in a natural environment to leave as little waste as possible behind ; being as sustainable as possible in your work can make an impact and can also impact others who view it. I feel like within a creatives work there should be diversity, you should be able to see the use of different races, in order to have work that is relatable and accepting of your audience. However, although it is important to visually communicate diversity, it is also as important to work with a diverse group of people behind the camera and in the production of the work, which can in turn produce a more authentic and diverse outcome. 

Within my chosen Better Lives subject, “Makeup Breakdown”, I discovered that these three themes can apply to this field too. Whether it be to have foundation shades to match a variety of skin tones or even to create makeup looks that embrace a persons imperfection rather than covering it up. The main themes within the ‘Makeup Breakdown’ project were Fashion mistake and Imperfection, which I found to be two very current topics that connect to the better lives themes very well. The themes mainly coincided with the theme of diversity, and the act of embracing imperfection even within makeup. I was taught that no makeup look had to be ‘perfect’. This way of thinking was useful to me as a creative direction student as often I think about how the models makeup looks in my images, however I am now reminded that it is the imperfection that may make the image even more unique, and add character to it. As a creative direction student I have the power to portray diversity and to challenge the idea of what beauty is within my work. Diversity manifests in so many ways and it is important for me to showcase diversity not only within race, but body type, gender, social class and more. 

Watching the Better Lives lectures encouraged me to realise that everyone has the power to make a difference, no matter how small. This is especially prevalent during these uncertain times of COVID 19, where social responsibility has really been put to the test. It is sad to see that fast fashion brands are still prevailing and some could argue at a higher rate than before due to huge sales. With factory workers in companies such as ASOS and PrettyLittleThing working much harder than ever and in unsafe environments due to the pandemic because the brands only care about profit. It is important to stop supporting such fast fashion as frequently, especially in times where it could be a danger, there should be more caution and increased social responsibility.

Better lives has taught me that we have to take responsibility of how the world functions, both as creators and consumers. The idea of saving our planet is not a new revelation, it has been mentioned for years, but it is important for us now to give it the upmost importance. 

After watching many of the lectures presented for this Better Lives unit, I found it difficult to choose which one to elaborate and discuss. I decided to focus on something that is very close to my heart ; Nature. Which is why I have chosen to reflect on ‘Nature’ by Kate Fletcher. I found this lecture to be very thought provoking, although I am already quite environmentally aware this lecture really enforced the thoughts I already had and made them more prevalent in my mind. Although I enjoyed listening to lecturers such as Teleica Kirkland, diversity and representation is already such an important topic in my life and something that I am passionate and have a strong viewpoint about already. It is something I already try to push forward in my work, especially being a person of colour. 

In my creative work I find that I tend to rely on nature, and use nature a lot within the photographs that I take, whether it be for a prop or as a background. It is something that can enhance the beauty of a photograph greatly, even if it is something as simple as a litter free backdrop. During Kate Fletchers lecture she provoked the thought that a common idea in the human mind is that nature only exists to meet human needs. However, humans are a part of this world and this world is for all. Humans have come to completely dominate the earth and use all of its resources for themselves, taking less consideration for the other living things that sit on this earth with us. Fletcher made a point that “wildness is associated with things that aren’t human”, this quote really stuck out to me as I personally enjoy nature and find it bizarre that this statement is true despite us originally being ‘wild’ ourselves. We have disassociated ourselves from nature and have associated as something apart from us that we can take and manipulate for our own use. 

I think it is so important to be aware of the environments well being especially when intending to enter the fashion industry as it is one of the worlds major polluting industries. I think it is important for the new generation of people working in fashion to take a step to be more mindful of the way we produce garments and have a more eco-friendly attitude towards fashion rather than seeing it as something that can be easily made and disposed of (fast fashion). 

This also links to the ideas presented in Julia Crew’s lecture on power, where she discussed the subject of power in relation to fashion and sustainability. It was brought to light that power driven by profit brings many ethical and environmental issues but power driven by morals can be positive. An example of this would be supporting eco-friendly brands or brands that do not support animal testing. The consumer has the power to influence brands ethical decisions by enforcing more interest in eco-friendly brands and approaches, therefore making a bigger change in the affect we have on the destruction of nature. The power that a new creator or a consumer has is the power to change how the industry functions by challenging the system that is already in place with many brands. 

After these Better Lives lectures I have been inspired to make more of an effort to be environmentally aware, especially as I often use and inform nature into many of my works. I also will exercise my power as a consumer and creator to be more aware of the actions I take when buying or producing, pushing forward the message of sustainability. All of these lectures have taught me to be more mindful in my actions and to understand the consequences of what I do, and will do in the future.