this is hysterical.

Harsh reality for our generation

"We must stop telling children 'You can be anything you want to be' or 'You should never give up on your dreams.' Why? Because both of these statements are patently untrue. Not everyone is good at what he would like to do, and even if he is, the profession might be very competitive and full of talented people. Adults cannot follow their dreams all the time, but must deal with the practical matters of getting a job that pays the well. It's fine to tell a kid to try to find a profession that they enjoy, but talk of 'dreams' and being 'anything you want' creates unrealistic expectations that are bound to disappoint. We're raising idealistic children who expect the world and can't even buy a condo, who believe that every job will be fulfilling and then can't even find a boring one. It's especially tempting to utter these aphorisms to smart and talented kids, but they especially need to realize that it will still take a lot of hard work and luck to make it--lots and lots of smart people don't get into the law school of their choice, or get their dream job. Yes, your talent will open up more possibilities, but it doesn't actually mean that you will be able to do anything you want to do. I have never met someone who was truly, objectively, good at everything."

"Instead children should learn that growing up is a gradual process of learning what you're good at and what you're not. Then they have to figure out how to apply that to a career. There are some talents that aren't going to lead to paying a job, and others that might. [...] These skills also need to be viewed through a realistic lens. Even the extremely skilled baseball player is unlikely to make it to the major leagues. The extremely talented actor probably won't become a movie star. Few people realize how difficult it is to get into med school or land a university teaching job. This doesn't mean that young people should be discouraged from pursuing these professions, but that they should be prepared for how difficult it might be."

From the book Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge.
I recommend this for anyone born in the 70's, 80's, and 90's.

The Unconventional (& Daring) Job Hunt

Jobless university graduate David Rowe wears a sandwich board advertising his search for employment as he walks along Fleet Street in central London.

"Rowe was facing a tough market even before the downturn. Britain has seen explosive growth in the number of university and college students, but there has not necessarily been a comparable rise in graduate-level jobs.
Twenty years ago about 17 percent of 18-30 year-olds were in tertiary education against a figure of 43 percent in 2008, according to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. The Higher Education Statistics Agency said about 220,000 graduates joined the job market in the 2007-2008 period."

Click here to read the full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090922/lf_nm_life/us_britain_jobseeker

making complete nonsense = mixed art/fashion

When I walked into the Anthropologie store at the Americana in Glendale, this piece of exhibit completely drew me in. As I passed all the racks of hot items for fall and the table of new accessories, I couldn’t help but wonder where I’ve seen such similar art before. This unique, irregular yet potent display in such a retail environment startled a powerful message that I, too, may not be able to conceptualize. Then it hit me.

DMF’s art website: mixedmediartist.com. If you don’t already know, Dawn Marie Forsyth is the Chairperson of Fashion Design at FIDM. I remember crossing through Ms. Forsyth’s website some months ago, but her overriding and racy images stayed with me.

DMF’s personal composition takes the audience into a whole new level of standard juxtaposition. For a topic that rarely discloses perceptibly, this artist dissects and presents her message through the deconstruction and comparison of material things.

In her words, “These processes of deconstruction and reconstruction allow me to create tactile environments that expose limitations, our own and those put upon us by others through social constructs.” Her interpretation for feminism and social freedom points the validity of how we can discover new meanings and lessons from reconstructing and revitalizing old constructed ideas.

Looking closely at the way tangible pieces display such complication symbolizes the restraints of real life’s struggle. Perhaps it would take relentless research, patience, and creativity to understand this unconventional way of accepting the existence of human limitations, but Ms. Dawn Marie’s work of art, in all its metaphoric complexity, is not at all short of inspiring.

I would be curious to see what she does next...

**artwork belong to Anthropologie (in the Urban Outfitters' family)

no one told you life was gonna be this way.

t h e f i d m l i f e F R I E N D S

spend, spend, spend...

Anna Wintour's way of saving our economy... FASHION'S NIGHT OUT.

Pictured: Zac Posen

city lights

"Find what you love. Do what you love.
Your dreams are your road map.
Follow them to the top of the mountain.
It's the most amazing view."

fashion awareness

"The smartest thing you can do once you're enrolled in a fashion college (or, ideally, even before you're enrolled) is to throw yourself wholeheartedly into your studies."
-- Fashion TV

So get in the books, go out to the shops, sit and people watch. Read, research, and observe. Know the history, the season, the tastemakers... Discover the it, the now, and the how...THIS IS IT.

TheFIDMLife

The September Issue

The truly behind-the-scenes, candid of all candid of the singularly most powerful and influencial woman in fashion, Anna Wintour. Along with her right hands, Creative Director Grace Cottington and Editor-at-Large Andre Leon Talley, this phenomenal documentary tackles a new perspective towards the fashion industry through the making of the BIGGEST issue in the history of American VOGUE. It's definitely worth the watch.

And the winner is...

A unique competition sponsored by Cotton Inc. allowed 15 talented FIDM students to showcase their skills in textile and fashion design. The challenge was to think outside the box and create an innovative gown made purely of cotton material. After months of textile research and fabric testing, the remaining 5 finalists made their stance for the final judging which took place on September 3rd at the LA campus.

The FIDM Life team would like to honor and congratulate Andres Alves, Textile Design Major, for winning to Grand Prize of $10,000!! What a scholarship! Thank you Cotton Inc.

A picture of the winning gown will be posted once I can get my hands on one...

Summer Days...

the people you SHOULD know...

Ken Downing, Senior Vice President and Fashion Director, Neiman Marcus

Linda Fargo, Senior Vice President, Fashion Office and Store Presentation, Bergdorf Goodman

Jeffrey Kalnisky, Executive Vice President and Director of Designer Merchandising, Nordstrom

Julie Gilhart, Senior Vice President and Fashion Director, Barneys New York

Coleen Sherin, Fashion Market Director, Saks Fifth Avenue

Sarah Rutson, Fashion Director, Lane Crawford

Ephesians 2:4-9

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

...you got any spare change?

Carlos and Michelle walks home after a long day in the studio...

Carlos: I'm starving.
Michelle: Me too.... But I can't afford food right now...
Carlos: Just drink your milk.
Michelle: God, why is everything so expensive?
Carlos: Why is FIDM so expensive.

They walk by a homeless man on the corner of Flower and Pico...

Homeless man: Excuse me, you got any spare change?
Michelle: No, but do YOU have any spare change for me?!?! I'm hungry too!

Homeless man walks away.

Carlos: I'm starving.

true story.