House of Aama

Just came across this new brand, House of Aama, everything they make is completely stunning.

Most of these picture are from their Instagram page, but a couple are from their website. The styling of their shoots is so great too, and I seriously want one of the fans they have throughout the images so badly! I really like fans as a tool that women have used over the centuries and I seriously think every woman needs a glorious fan (I'm still searching for my perfect one). I've seen fans in galleries that are exquisite artworks, and I love the idea of beauty in otherwise ordinary objects. Maybe I will write more about my love of fans in a later post, for now feast your eyes on this glorious clothing:

A post shared by House of Aama (@houseofaama) on Nov 27, 2017 at 7:45am PST

A post shared by House of Aama (@houseofaama) on Nov 27, 2017 at 5:30pm PST

A post shared by House of Aama (@houseofaama) on Jul 27, 2017 at 4:41pm PDT

A post shared by House of Aama (@houseofaama) on Sep 13, 2017 at 3:53pm PDT

Ogun Corduroy Military Pants

A post shared by House of Aama (@houseofaama) on Jul 7, 2017 at 3:02pm PDT

STORYTELLER V-NECK SILK TOP

A post shared by House of Aama (@houseofaama) on Jul 2, 2017 at 10:20am PDT

Also, take a read through their descriptions of and meanings in their clothes, the designers are a mother and daughter duo and they have a lot to say on the cultural and spiritual inspiration behind their pieces.

Thoughts Swirling Around In My Brain

This is a post I wrote a few months ago, but never published:

Just came off a really great film shoot for a music video. Got asked to do production design super last minute and then didn't get a proper description of what I would be doing exactly until the evening two days before the shoot. So basically had one full day of preparing, plus a few hours the evening before, and then a full day of shooting! (Full day meaning 12 hours, and for me pretty much no break besides stuffing a sandwich in my mouth at one point while I walked around different rooms assessing my next plan of action.) I've somehow made this sound not so good, but the truth is that it was a really fantastic shoot, and everyone working on it was so lovely and great to work alongside. I didn't know anyone there besides the DOP, and it wasn't an issue at all. Everyone was so easy to get on with. Which, when working in potentially stressful situations, is not always the case. Right now I'm adding up receipts and working out my hours to write my invoice. They offered me a token payment, which was so wonderful, but I just figured out that it comes to being paid roughly $3.70 an hour. This is just so, I don't know... eye opening. That I can feel so positive about a shoot, feel blessed that I'm getting paid, feel so glad about how well everything went, and how great working with that group of people was, and realise just how hard being a film maker is. I am not blaming the people I worked alongside, I agreed to come on for that amount, and they were so thankful and aware that it was not much money, but it was all they had (they're not getting much either). I guess I'm just thinking about the state of survival as an 'artist'.

✶ ✶ ✶

Having now worked on a few more sets with similar money / love set-ups, I'm still feeling these thoughts big time. I just want to make clear, I've loved these sets that I'm working on. I've met some of the best, most incredible and beautiful people; people that I want to collaborate with forever! These are people who are now so integral to my life. Friendship-wise, future plans wise, it's amazing to find people who you get on with, as well as work with so seamlessly, and who aspire to similar artistic expressions and ideas. Also, big kudos to the fact that all of these projects have actually paid people - not a for granted situation. So, I'm not at all down on film work right now, but I am pondering, where is my journey to go, what is it to be?

Just pops up in my head from time to time...

This clip, always makes me laugh. 

I love how his life is so much better, like he's so much happier in this dream than he is in real life, and yet the idea of being a 'loser' office worker who's content with being a 'loser' makes him totally horrified. Dreaming of being happy makes him terrified. At the same time... I get it... haha! All those weird, cynical feelings that we all have.

Laughed out loud remembering this today

Every time I'm watching something like a promo for Poldark and I listen to the words as if I'm coming to the show for the first time and I think about how wonderfully cliche the dialogue / scenarios in it are... this mini storyline from Gravity Falls always comes to mind. It's a different style of period drama to the ones I like to watch, but I super relate / love this SO MUCH!







I am so, so happy that Poldark is back! I love Demelza to bits, and am always hoping she'll have a scene where she sings. Also, how evil is Elizabeth these days? She's all, if I have to be unhappy and screwed over by the patriarchy then every other woman has to be as well! It's like, babe, you have the power to help people. I feel like it's eventually gonna click and then she'll swing into action, and I'll be watching going, 'no duuuuuuuuh Elizabeth'. I think this show never really knows what to do with Elizabeth. Like... Ross was completely horrible to her, so she's justifiably really angry with him, but she always seems really oblivious to things that everyone else cottons onto in a second. And I know part of that is because she's so isolated from the world as a gentlewoman, but I feel like the show just always puts her in this annoying role. It's so obvious how horrible George is, so like, she can be angry at Ross and that doesn't mean she has to be an ignorant baddie... At the end of the last episode she had this smug little smile on her face about making her cousin marry that huge pompous arse, and I'm like... why would she even have that emotion? It reads so false. I hate when they make women who have had shit handed to them into bitter, evil characters. C'mon Poldark, you can do better than a stereotype. But mostly I think it's that the show doesn't commit to Elizabeth's personality enough. She always does weird stuff without them giving proper context, or like, going into a better understanding of why a woman in her position would have to do the things she does. Please Poldark writers, give me a more sympathetic and realistic view into the world of Elizabeth!! I am so into how dramatic this show is, and I am really into melodrama, and melodramas and romances as female expression. Like, stories about women, dealing with their wants and desires, and mostly written by women. Maybe this is why Poldark is slightly off, source material was written by a man. Obviously women can write some truly sexist tripe too. But still, it's so good that woman still have a place to express their desires even if I don't agree with them. Also so many period dramas (my true love in life) are romance based, so it's a win-win!

I'm still so wrecked by life, but starting to pick my way through maybe

The birds they sang at the break of day
Start again I heard them say
Don’t dwell on what has passed away
or what is yet to be.

Ah the wars they will be fought again
The holy dove she will be caught again
bought and sold  and bought again
the dove is never free.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

We asked for signs the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed the marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood of every government –
signs for all to see.

I can’t run no more with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places say their prayers out loud.
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up a thundercloud
and they’re going to hear from me.

Ring the bells that still can ring …

You can add up the parts but you won’t have the sum
You can strike up the march, there is no drum
Every heart, every heart to love will come
but like a refugee.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.