Bonjour!
My name is Jason Phill!p. I suppose I should tell you a little about myself and what the purpose of this blog entails...
Let's start with an introduction:
I grew up in Michigan. It's the state that looks like an oncoming b!tch slap. We're surrounded on all sides with water and once battled Ohio for some land back in the day (We ended up with the beautiful Upper Peninsula so we won anyways; See "Toledo War"). We were once the capital of the Auto Industry but now we're kind of the armpit of the United States (And not in the fun Molly Shannon kind of way).
I was raised by an amazing Aries mother who is absolutely gorgeous. She's strong, independent, and taught me mostly everything I know. She sacrificed a lot to raise my brother and I. I guess I realized I loved fashion when I would watch my Mother get around for work or when she was going out. She handles a curling iron like a warrior honed in battle, and her blonde hair always looks perfect. She's the kind of person who always has to be put together before going in public. I adopted this mentality. She instilled in me a drive to earn a better living than our family has experienced through several generations, to develop my talents, to think outside of the box, and be myself.
I was also raised by my Grandmother, Shirley Jean. She was a hairstylist way back then and was quite good at it. She was particularly popular when women were coming to get their hair "Set" for the week, platinum Dolly Parton color, and frosting. She inspired me and I loved her so much. Losing her to cancer was a very profound moment in my life. I wanted so much for her to see me graduate from a University (A first for our family). While she was going through chemo, we both buzzed our hair off. I did it to support her and I have yet to go back to having hair. It's also low maintenance which is handy.
I eventually went to Cosmetology school (Like she had) when I was floating and directionless. It was the best decision I ever made - I found myself finally. I excelled in Cosmetology and competed in a National Competition for students of trade schools called "
Skills USA." I never made it to nationals but I was VERY close. I received 3rd at the State level and that was enough to be proud of since I beat hundreds of others at districts, regionals, et cetera. The training and competition itself fueled a new sense of ambition that I had lacked for years.
I worked for a Salon for about a year and realized that I still wanted more. I wanted a degree. First attempt? Teaching. I love kids but hated the job after doing observations. I wanted to be an artist on some level because the first few memories I have as a kid is drawing on scratch paper. My Grandmother kept all of my sketches and crayon coloring books. I realized one day that I loved drawing outfits on my characters.
On a whim, I signed up for classes at School in its Apparel Design program. My introduction to sewing was a fantastic trip and I met a lot of friends. Turns out that the sewing gene in my family didn't skip me. Half-way through my beginning design classes, I declared a major in Apparel Design and Merchandising.
Then I got nervous about the future and almost abandoned it. I don't know what happened. I semi-choked I suppose. Then on a trip to Massachusetts to help a dear friend move there, I had a tarot reading that reinstalled my dreams. An elder Witch from Salem told me without knowing my background that I would pursue my dreams in clothing design. I almost felt like she was viewing my Facebook while she was telling me this information. She told me to incorporate a star and to have fabrics with drape. She also told me I would be living on the East coast and working happily.
I guess we'll see huh?
Now, the purpose of this blog is simple:
1.) I'm going to observe fashion/culture/music and make comments on things that interest/repulse me.
2.) I'm going to show my growth as a designer, and the progress I'm making towards establishing my design aesthetic. I'll show my triumphs, mistakes, and everything in-between.
3.) I'm going to share my personal journey.
Fashion is a brave 'lil test tube. It's a laboratory of ideas that I'm ready to play with.
Thanks for starting this journey with me, I appreciate it.
~Jason
