nHaus Magazine Sum 2023// Issue 03

Hairstylist:

DREAMS & POSSIBILITIE S

We are made of dreams and our possibilities are endless. As children we dream and fantasize of becoming top fashion models, dancers, actors/actresses, teachers, doctors, congressmen, lawyers, even president of the United States. With commitment, determination, dedication, preparation and consistence most things are possible. It’s often stated, “If we can dream it we can achieve it”.

I believe our dreams live in our conscious and subconscious mind and we are directed and guided by them. Our dreams give us hope of things that we have not yet physically seen or experienced. Ever have that thought or idea you cannot get away from? Do you ever have recurring dreams? They keep showing up as different opportunities. In the beginning, the dream may not be completely recognizable.

It may come in bits and pieces that we may not initially comprehend. We question ourselves and if we are not careful we will discredit our own abilities. Stay focused, pay close attention to your thoughts and what is taking place in your immediate surroundings. Occasionally, dreams have power too manifest with little or no effort on our part. It seems that in no time at all we are walking and operating in the vision.

We are excited how quickly it all happened. Yet some dreams take time to fully unfold. During the process of waiting, we feel lost and about to give up. Be careful not to lose hope during the season when nothing seems to be going as planned. You may get some no’s along the way. You may get discouragements from close friends and even family.

You may even find yourself shedding some tears. Sometimes we have to encourage ourselves. Keep believing in your dreams and hold on to your faith.

I want to share a few suggestions that I have found to be most helpful in making your dreams a reality. Do not quit. Have a plan and follow the dream. Be willing to start small. Despise not small beginnings. Be willing to come early and stay late. Keep a positive attitude. Speak well of those you encounter.

Study and learn from others who have achieved what we desire. Practiceand be consistent.

Have an, ‘I will not give up on my dream, attitude . Be prepared and ready to walk through doors of opportunity. Down through the years, we will find ourselvesoperating in some form of what we dreamed as a child.

All things are possible to those who believe.

“Visions and Dreams”

What do they mean

Where do they come from Seen-unseen-clear-cloudy-places-faces, they go and they come From childhood until now

Some still rest upon my brow Visions and dreams

Flow like streams

Giving hope and ways to cope Visions and dreams

Will unfold, life and reality destined to be told The world is waiting for dreams to take flight

As we walk in His divine light

Do not lose hope, do not stop Keep dreaming, keep praying, you will reach the top

It’s all in His time, not yours, theirs, nor mine Dreams do come true

Ultimately, it’s all up to God and you!

Write the vision, give it a name

Nurture it and step into your fame

There may be mountains, valleys, and even slopes

Don’t give up on your visions, dreams and hopes

There is a reason

It all happens in due season Visions and Dreams

Yes, there’s much more to them than it seems It may take time and appear impossible

There is one who makes all things possible

He holds revelations, and answers to Every situation, every vision and every dream

Visions and Dreams

Are they real?Absolutely!

“We question ourselves and if we are not careful we will discredit our own abilities.”

Model:RyanAllen

Photographer:AshleyPage

Artist Spotlight

ShewasborninNorthCarolina,travelled aroundalotgrowingupandcallsMyrtle Beachhome.But,whenengagedin animatedconversation,itquickly becomesapparentthatshelivesherlifein freestyleasahumanoftheworld.Thisis PerrinMarie;the2ndartist-in-residence atVantageArtFlatsinDanville,VA.

Fortwomonths,Perringetstopracticeheartforminthisnewfacilitylocatedinthe revitalizedareaoftheformertobaccodistrict.Herpreviousresidenciesincludeone inItaly,oneinEngland,andoneatTFruitinDurham,NC.However,her participationintheresidencyatVantageAFlatsshesaid“isstructuredsodifferently thananyoftheotherresidenciesI’vedone.”Perrinexplainsthat“this(programis muchmoreaboutyoubeinghere,workingandengagingwiththecommunity. Andthere’sateachingaspectittoo.”Thiswastheprimaryreasonthatattractedherto thisopportunity.She’spreparingamasterclassfortheartteachersoftheDanville PublicSchoolSystem;27artteachersinall.Thetopicofdiscussionwillfocuson debunkingandresuscitatingthepoweroftheselfie.Thispopularandtopicsubjectis provingtobeverypopular.Asaresult,thesessionwillbevideorecorded,uploadedto socialmediaandselectwebsitestobeviewedbythgeneralpublic.“I’mreallyintoself portraiture.(Iwanttodemonstrate)thedifferencebetweentakingtheselfieandmaking theselfportrait;takingamomentvs.makingamoment.”“Ifellinlovewith photographyandit’sstillmyfavoritethingintheentireworld.It’smymeditation.Ido it everyday.AndIeventuallyfoundselfportraiture.It’sagoodcombinationallofthe randomtalents(Ihave)together.”Fromthis“IstartedaseriescalledFashionFrom Trash.”ThreeofherselfportraitsfromthisseriesareondisplayatVantage.

ThefirstitemshecreatedintheseriesistheNEWSSKIRTmadefrom recyclednewspaper.Thiscolorportraitisetherealanddemonstratesthe twirlofaballerina.NextupisTHEGOOGLYSHOESmadefrom upcycledshoesandrecycledgooglyeyes.Thisblackandwhiteprint showsPerrinmodelingtheshoesatopastool,preparingtojump.She enjoyedhearingthesoundthattheeyesmadeupon landingonthefloor.Thethirdphotoon displayintheFlatsis anotherblackand whitephotographentitledCROWNOF CANSdepictingPerrinMariemodelinga crownmadeofrecycledcans,waterbottles andchickenwire.Allthreeoftheseself portraitswereexhibitedin September/October2022aspartofher DollHouseCollectionatHolyArtGallery inLondon.

Indescribingherartform,Perrinfondly states,“Iliketocontinuouslylearnand explore.Iuseallofthemediumsto ultimatelydoartactivismwhichisusing myartwork

torespondtosocialissues.Istartedasanartmodel;gottotraveltheworldasamusefor others;workedwithsomeincrediblephotographers,painters,anddrawers.”Bybeingan artmodel,Perrinhelpedtheseartistsbyallowingthemtostudythefemaleformand replicateitintheirownway.

Whenshereturnedtothestates,Perrinreadanarticleaboutthepolitical significanceofthehoopskirt.Fromthisshelearnedthat“thebiggerthehoopskirt, themoreinfluentialthewoman.Takingupphysicalspaceisverypowerfulina worldwithoutpoliticalspace.”Backintheheyday,“churchpewsandfurniture werebuilttoaccommodatethistypeoffashion.”Shecontinued,“hoopskirts technicallyhavenotgoneoutofstyle.Mostweddingdressesfitinthiscategory. Afterreadingthisarticle,I’monthisnew,coolvibe.Ireallywanttotakeupspace. AndIwanttoempowerwomentotakeupspace.I’llcontinuetoexperimentwith theFashionFromTrash conceptandthehoopskirt madefromrecycledmaterials thatmakesoundswhenthey move.And…theytakeup spaceandmakeHOOPLA, whichisthenameofthis project.”Onehoopskirtsheis workingoninthestudioisa skirtmadefromrecycledSmart Waterbottles.

Sheseesandcreatesbeautyinthereconfigureditemsshecollectsthatothers readilydiscard.TheartisticideasfromPerrinareaslimitlessastheartisticlifestyle shelives.DanvilleArtFlatshasbuiltaspaceinwhichtalentedartistslikePerrin Mariecantestthoselimits.Andperhaps,intheprocess,discovernewandexciting formsthatcanbeattributedtotheirresidencyinDanville.

TolearnmoreaboutPerrin,pleasevisitherwebsiteatwww.thePerrinMarie.com.To learnmoreaboutVantageArtFlatsandtheArtist-In-Residenceprogram,visit www.rickbarkerproperties.com.

KarenWilliamsonisawriter,storyteller,and documentaryfilmmakerfromCaswellCounty,NC. Shecanbereachedat caswellhistoryspeaks@gmail.com.

F A S H I O N W E E K S E A S O N 8

Danville Fashion Week is a network of fashion professionals who are inspired to cultivate and emerge a profound influential platform for local and national designers or retailers in the Dan River Region. As DFW outlines a full week of events and runway shows allowing creators in all industries to collaborate to create and elaborate styles showcasing their crafts, designs and emerging fashion trends. This is an opportunity to celebrate the communities' thriving retailers and individuals who want to drive fashion to a new height in revolutionizing Danville’s textile heritage. DFW will highlight creatives, entrepreneurial talents, models, fashion driven professionals and community engagement channeling it to be a memorable week of events increasing influential reach, sales, economic growth and becoming the most fashion enthusiastic event of the year.

Danville Fashion Week will be engineering the global fashion experience and attracting industry influences with a passport to arts, culture, fashion and entertainment. The destination is fashion with a journey through art and an encounter with style. Danville Fashion Week is bridging the gap and connecting continents through fashion!

nHAUS

Fashion is more than just the clothes on one's back. It's a movement, a feeling and an expression. Danville Fashion Week encourages established and up-and-coming designers through numerous industry and networking events.

Art as a Coping Mechanism for Mental Health

“She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”

For many people, art is simply something pretty to hang on a wall and fill space. But for those of us who create the art, the meaning is typically so much deeper.Art isn’t always pretty, and even when it is, the process in which it is made often is not. So dive with me into my creative mind for a bit and let me show you a whole new world that is art; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Life is hard. I can’t tell you how many times art has saved my mind. Creativity isn’t just a gift to give beauty back to the world. It’s an outlet for pain, hurt, grief, loss, confusion, anger, and so much more. For those of us with a history of mental health issues, turning to art can be extremely healing and self-balancing. It gives us a way to express what we feel internally without using words, because typically the words can’t be found even when we try.

I’ve battledADHD related dysfunction and depression for many years now, even before I knew what to call it.And it was the time in my life that I didn’t have a name for my symptoms that art saved me the most.And my favorite pieces of art from that period aren’t all pretty, and even the ones that are tell a deep and painful story.

Poor mental health can make you feel incredibly isolated. Depression sucks all of the life out of you. It makes it hard to find the motivation to do anything at all, even things you love. So sometimes, even if you’re using art to cope, the process is hard. Finding the motivation to start can be hard.The self-criticism is hard.Asking yourself “why even bother” is hard.

But here’s why it’s worth doing anyway: I read something online once that said “You’ve got to resurrect the deep pain within you and give it a place to live that’s not within your body. Let it live in art. Let it live in music. Let is be devoured by building brighter connections.Your body is not a coffin for pain to be buried in. Put it somewhere else.”And that is the epitome of the story I am trying to tell here.

If you are struggling, don’t bury it and don’t do it alone.Tell your story, even if you can’t find the words. Find an outlet.True power comes in telling your story… the real one, the ugly one. Because I promise, you aren’t as alone as you feel. And as one of my favorite mental health musicians, NF, wrote: “You aren’t the only person in the world that isn’t okay.There’s millions of us just like you”.

You don’t have to be the “best” artist in the world to create art. Create art for yourself. If you’re struggling to find your own voice, see if you can find it through an outlet that isn’t strictly based on words. Draw, write, paint, dance, sing, read, listen, or even just sit and observe the world around you. Draw close to the things that make you feel alive. And most importantly, find a way to keep living, because you’re worth it.

One thing is for sure, to know Keii is a journey within itself! Bet you didn’t know Kei and I are family , like blood family but that’s not where our journey began. Who knew fashion could take 2 people turn them into friends and then we realize. “Hey did you know we are related?!”

The rest is history! I love her strength and I love her idgaf attitude! She does what she wants, when she wants and says WHATEVER she wants, some could only dream of a life like that!

Who is Keii Pittrell?

Keii is… a very confident and self assured person. I was raised by two people completely opposite of one another, it’s funny. My mom is a working woman. She enjoys working and making money and using her money wisely and my dad was a free spirited DJ who was an artist and very much always lived in the

moment. Clearly I took more after my dad, but definitely have some of my moms ways about me. I wouldn’t call myself a nice person, but I’m definitely a kind person. I love to call people out on their BS, and confrontation is nothing to me. A friend once told me I would be great on reality TV. But, over the years I’ve learned to embrace my most authentic self and never let anyone dim my shine. As uncomfortable as that light is to some people, I honestly don’t care.

When was Hello Boogie birthed?

Hello Boogie, as a brand, was born in April of 2017, on a whim, actually. A friend at the time had shared a post about Danville Fashion Week looking for designers, I had barely learned to sew and she was like “You should do this!” and literally all I had was one T- Shirt design on a Redbubble account. So I signed up and spent fromApril to November learning to sew and coming up with the brand. It officially launched as a website on December 2017.

What’s next for Hello Boogie?

I think Hello Boogie is finding it’s stride. I think I’m out of the experimentation phase, seeing what sticks and what doesn’t and I’ve found it’s flow. I’m ready to take it to the next level. Do more shows, talk about it. I’ve always been proud of it but I’m ready to take it seriously. So we’ll see!!

What is a misconception of you?

Funny enough, a misconception of me is that people don’t think I’m a serious person. I joke a lot and I’d say I’m a fun person to be around but when I’m ready to do something, the jokes stop and I’m ready to get to work.

Fun Fact

Before I’m anything, I’m an illustrator and a nerd. I always wanted to design my own video game and I still want to, I’ll get there one day.

What do you want people to know about you?

Nothing! I want to become this mysterious vengeful goddess that people can’t seem to figure out. The goddess of talent and beauty. However if you’re a rich older gentleman, I’m an open book!

What is your favorite quote or a quote that you live by?

Easy! “This too shall pass”. Everything is temporary, emotions are always fleeting, nothing lasts forever, so experience it while it’s here. Neither the bad, nor good, moments in life ever indefinitely last. Live in it, embrace it, learn from it. That’s my motto in life.

Model: Keii Pittrell

Photography: Jameel Austin