The VOCAL Times: B is for Blog

bläg/ noun – contraction of “web log”, a type of online diary

A recent and disturbing trend on the internet.  A blog lets people easily post comments onto a webpage. While blogs have many purposes, some of which can be useful, most people seem to use blogs as a way of having an online diary.  These people have such massive egos and are so narcissistic that they believe that other people would be interested in reading their pointless ramblings.  Even more disturbing is the fact that many people have such boring lives that they have nothing better to do than to read these stupid online diaries.  They just feed the egos of the bloggers and encourage them to continue posting nonsense.

Taken from UrbanDictionary.com – where ironically users post de nitions that they assume are accurate and articulated well enough to empower the reader. 

TVT2 CONTENTS:

• Forward
• B is for Blog
• Pawel Swanski
• Montalbetti Campbell
• Tricia Miranda
• London Kaye
• Tait Roelofs
• Athleisure & the Age of Fitness
• Stella Jean
• Nimrod Shapira
• Project Cobalt
• Pantone Cafe
• Everyone is a Photographer
• Everyone is a DJ
• Everyone is a Blogger
• Classifieds

The VOCAL Times: Issue No.2

This second issue of The VOCAL Times continues alphabetically on to B. With the sad realization that the inspirer has become an in uencer and the immense di erence that this presents as a reference for creativity, we embrace originality that achieves reach to spotlight those with integrity and true skill.

In our brave new world where the brilliant few strive to be heard above the banal many, a nger can be pointed at the digital soapbox that thinks itself the vocal equal of genuine authority. Commentary dressed as insight fuels inspired delusion, contributing to an entitled mass lacking experience – a hustle that generates an appreciation of process over prize.

But B ain’t for beef, and so we steer clear of the blog to take a look at a range of creatives that truly inspire and in uence. We explore various art forms and learn how passion can engage and converse with an unknown audience. If B were for brilliance, it would allow the perfect introduction to the artistic collaborator for this issue: Swanski. 

TVT2 CONTENTS:

Forward

B is for Blog

Pawel Swanski

Montalbetti Campbell

Tricia Miranda

London Kaye

Tait Roelofs

Athleisure & the Age of Fitness

Stella Jean

Nimrod Shapira

Project Cobalt

Pantone Cafe

Everyone is a Photographer

Everyone is a DJ 

Everyone is a Blogger

Classifieds

The VOCAL Times – People Footwear

From the masterminds behind Native Shoes comes the new and innovative footwear brand, People Footwear.

Headed by founders Damian Van Zyll de Jong and Matthew Penner, People Footwear will be launching this spring, backed by a mission to invent supremely comfortable high-performance shoes using leading “Dreamweave” technology. With styling done by Esme Smith and photography shot by Alana Paterson and Chris Brown, People Footwear is a vision- ary collection of vibrant colors and classic shapes re-imagined for the future.

Be one of the first people to put your feet first into the future with the official US launch this Spring. 

#peoplemeetpeople

The VOCAL Times – Aimé Leon Dore

Teddy Santis is the designer and founder of Aimé Leon Dore, a fashion and lifestyle brand based out of New York City.

Born and raised in Queens, Teddy Santis grew up admiring great style and architecture which he coupled with an interest in fashion, footwear and streetwear. Teddy eventually turned his passions into a fashion / lifestyle brand a little over a year ago.

Fueled by his own personal style, a creative eye and a strong work ethic, his brain child Aimé Leon Dore has made a worldwide impact since its release. With quality, comfort, and a minimal aesthetic at its core, Leon Dore has cemented itself as a brand with a uniquely refreshing take on product and presentation.

Following the release of three successful collections and concept shops in Manhattan, London and Amsterdam, Santis’ young brand heads into 2015 with a seemingly unstoppable momentum and rapidly growing intrigue.

Photos by Justin Chung shot throughout Harlem.

Justin Chung is an American photographer based in New York City. Originally from San Francisco, CA, Justin began pursuing a career in photography while finishing his graduate studies in public health. Self-taught, Justin’s approach to his photography is to keep things as natural and honest as possible, focusing on capturing a moment.

Aside from his commercial assignments, Justin began documenting creative people as a personal fulfillment. Faculty Department is a personal photography project and visual journey by Justin Chung that focuses on the lives, spaces and stories of creative individuals worldwide. 

The VOCAL Times – Women Entrepreneur Dinners

The Women Entrepreneur Dinners, hosted by Esther Garcia (founder of AQUA Studio), is an invite-only gathering of like-minded female entrepre- neurs to learn about wellness tools in order to live a more balanced lifestyle. It’s an opportunity for profes- sionals to network, share stories, and discover tips on how to overcome similar challenges on running a business over a healthy five-course dinner provided by Chef Daphne Cheng.

“Being a woman entrepreneur can sometimes be a lonely road and I find that exchanging with other fel- low entrepreneurs can be so helpful. During my four years of entrepreneurship, I have been lucky to meet many inspiring women and I have been wanting to gather them together more often; when I find myself stuck in a situation, it’s by talking to other women that my situation developls clarity. I hope to be able to give back to other female entrepreneurs.”

Esther Gauthier, a 30-year-old French citizen, found- ed the first & only aqua cycling studio in New York – AQUA Studio. Born & raised in Paris, Esther grew up watching Woody Allen movies and all the episodes of Friends, obsessing over New York City thinking that one day she would conquer the city as Melanie Griffith did in ‘Working Girl’. After attending her first aqua cycling class at La Maison Popincourt, an innovative and highly effective workout that had revolutionized the fitness industry in Europe, Esther knew she had to bring it to the US. Combining her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for personal wellness, Esther introduced the workout with her own refined sense of style to New York and opened AQUA Studio in April 2013. 

The VOCAL Times – ‘SKILLSET

Based in Sullivan County in the foothills of the Catskills, ’Skilled is a one-stop shop for photographers and creative directors, offering location, production, casting and catering services to the creative industries. For last season’s Kate Spade Saturdays campaign shot by Cass Bird, ‘Skilled supported with finding them the perfect backdrop in upstate New York to create the perfect country living experience.

‘Skilled Productions was founded in 2013 by Ellen Jong, an artist, and Hali Friehling, a photo editor, producer and art buyer. Friehling is a local whose family owns a stable and ranch in Bethel, a stone’s throw from where the 1969 Woodstock festival was held. After working for more than a decade in the city, she returned to Bethel to start a family on the shore of Kauneunga (White) Lake. Jong purchased a house in Mongaup Valley along with her marketing genius husband. She divides her time between a Chinatown apartment and her upstate home / studio.

Jong and Friehling had worked as photo shoot pro- ducers at various times, and both had spent years on one or the other side of the camera. The two also had a deep appreciation for the beauty and diversity of the Catskills. A landscape of rivers (the noble Delaware delineates one of the county’s borders) and lakes, richly wooded and with a seemingly endless skyline of hill after rolling hill, Sullivan County is paradise for a photographer or creative director looking for a ru- ral setting. Only two hours from the city, it offers a mix of settings from deep woods to open fields, wide lakes to trout streams, farmland, hunter’s shacks to sprawling lakeside homes, a dramatic hydroelectric dam and an airport straight out of Mad Men. 

BOOK: Pees On Earth (Signed, powerHouse Books/Miss Rosen Edition 2006, Hardcover, 11.25 x 7.25 inches, 112 pages)

BOOK: Getting To Know My Husband's Cock (First Edition 100, Numbered/signed, Self-Published 2010, Paperback, 6.2 x 0.4 x 9 inches, 150 pages)

The VOCAL Times – Jenna Putnam

Jenna Putnam is an American photographer and writer based in New York City.  Her style has been described as raw and evocative, extracting a sensual yet confident vulnerability from her subjects.

Jenna has been taking photographs and writing from a young age.  Born in Hawaii and raised in Southern California, Jenna moved to Los Angeles in 2008 where she became an assistant editor for a local music magazine. She soon devel- oped an interest in photography and began teaching herself through the medium of film.

In 2011, she moved to New York City to further pursue a career in photography.  She has since been published in Oyster, The Fashionisto and many other publications. She shot her first advertising campaign in 2013 for Rag& Bone’s “DIY Project”.  Sh's also been featured as a guest writer and photographer for Leica Blog.

She is currently focused on shooting portraits and fashion, as well as writing poetry and short stories. 

The VOCAL Times – Infornographic / Able Archer Co.

Design consultancy infornographic was born in 2001 in New York City, working with clients from across the media spectrum.  At the early forefront of interactive design, infornographic helped brands mark their first digital presence from famed NYC skate brand Zoo York to NYC flagship Tribeca Issey Miyake.

Cultural mercenaries, infornographic has lent its services at various times to Nike, VICE, Doug Aitken, MTV, 3x1 Denim, XBOX and Staple Pigeon while playing key roles in the rebranding of digital music service Rhapsody and international fashion brand Evisu.

Last year, infornographic distilled its decade and a half of design experience into its first in-house brand Able Archer, a utility bag line mixing low-profile exteriors with high-design interiors, tailored to the needs of hardworking professionals.