Living is purgatory

A plain existence without pleasure or pain must mean that its a state of purgatory and in between mode if pleasure brings you closer to god and pain closer to hell then in healthy mode we are in neither nor close to either. Happiness brings spiritual or mental pleasure and pain spiritual or mental turmoil and conflict yet both states help us validate our existence to step outside oneself is to live and to live is to experience new experiences or experience an experience that was an experience in itself again which either brings you pleasure or pain elevates or lowers you mood but in any sense allows you to think or feel. We are told that are actions on earth will be judged and on our death it will be decided to which realm we will eternally belong so in a sense even if not religious it reinforces the fact of purgatory.
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What Blackberry should do next...

I've had the pleasure of using a Blackberry Q10 and to be honest I was impressed its fluid, fast and functional there was perks and pros such as Blackberry Hub the impressive browser with the tab at the bottom the use of the screen as the track pad, the ease of multi tasking, dual cameras, internal and external data, etc etc I could go on with how its a massive leap from its predecessors and a step into the light from the dark. I actually did enjoy the phone and based on just the function and form give it an 8/10 with the main and major let down being app support. I learned that apps can be ported from android devices and that they work and run pretty smooth

• Work closely with creatives its all good to get Alicia Keys on board but prove that its not just a tech giant throwing money at an ambassador for kudos or coolness, I always thought the brand should have gone for someone more edgy like M.I.A or even Florence but its not about the star its about the engagement. Blackberry is known for its communication and essentially its social network app which rolls out on other platforms shortly. BBM should have content created and crafted to engage communities 
• BBM Channels its new network is the perfect opportunity to Enlist other creatives from fashion,music and art in which they create exclusive content and give peeks inside the world. Apple has its coolness and now Samsung is offering perks albums from heavyweights for free what if Blackberry went further did design workshops, created tracks made just for Blackberry or BBM users encourage and engage and show why being a user of Blackberry is different and most of all beneficial    
•   The lack of apps is the main drawback Blackberry needs to do more to work with the developers and not lag behind IOS in years but instead weeks or even better have the best next app first, if android apps are able to work well on Blackberry it should be promoted of course not officially but there's ways on the low Blackberry could support this whilst it works further on its relations with developers.  
• Become the cool corporate brand Blackberry should know its strengths and its main markets for now are still businesses and teens there's ways to entice both as mentioned above for teens its all about entertainment and adults what about deals with arts institutions, cheap tickets,live streaming, recorded theater shows etc
• Diversify but don't over saturate the last set of Blackberry there was too much choices its good to have the Z & Q 10 as they offer different experiences and the Q5 is a step in the right direction in all honesty all the brand needs is 3 tiers high end, mid end and a lower end two models on each tier per generation is enough to satisfy consumers on most levels when a new product or the new lines are launched they can be done so with a large trade show and press push rather than a subtle slip on to the market 

RE-BEL ISSUE SIX (FULL)

Ted Sterchi for RE-BEL 6

An image is a reflection of our selves and a self portrait captures a moment, a period, a place and a time. The rise of selfies making us all more aware of our image an image which in sense sells those it portrays from professionally on LinkedIn, privately on dating sites or publicly via various social media outlets.

Ted Sterchi is a young artist who's gained attention for borrowing images of individuals on the 'dating' app Grindr and turning them into watercolours. This led me to think where is the self portrait now?, now that its so easy to capture ourselves and we're caught in more and more of own snaps is the self portrait worth less?. I liked the original meaning of a portrait with an artist painting a sitter yet wanting to modernise that concept using creative individuals who are aware of their image and use it as a tool to express themselves, I wanted to give a selfie a more permanent and artistic element and I felt Ted would be perfect for that.

Super Stylists- Simon Foxton, Nicola Formichetti, Robbie Spencer (wrote this in 2009)

When it comes to styling, i see that the work the individual conjures can generally be put into the following movements, Minimalistic, Maximilisitic, Realist and Surrealist. All the goods & greats can cross and enter one movement & exit another with ease, but with each great artist they have their comfort zones & the signatures they are known for.

Simon Foxton- Signatures

- Street Casting,using non professional

models, using ethnic minorities since he first began over 20 years ago.

Simon's work

has a natural approach to it, just like the boys he uses. Never one to

succumb to trends he has always set his own rules. I believe Simon's work to fall perfectly in the realist category. The way he styles is so easy for the average style conscious man to adapt his work from the pages to their wardrobes.

Nicola Formichetti- Signatures- finding & using fashion's next big things from models(Ash & Luke), designers( Gareth Pugh, Cassette Playa, Kim Jones,Jaiden rva James,Romain Kremer, Gary Card,) photographers( Matt Irwin, Brett Lloyd), even stylists(Kim Howells, Sam Voltage, Anna Trevelyan)

Nicola prefers his models slight

but not too slight of frame. He doesn't follow trends but sets them where he goes others follow. whether it be his latest muse or the clothes on them or the person who shoots them, When he talks fashion

listens. Nicola's work is usually surrealist perfect for fashions eccentrics, very high & fashion forward.

Robbie Spencer-

Robbie's work is quite natural, calm & composed, his models are usually boyishly good looking and slim and toned. His work is very artistic and deep rooted in culture usually referencing some form of culture from arts, music and film. Robbie's work

fits perfectly in the minimalist movement, his hair & makeup is usually quite relaxed & often letting the cut & fit of the garment above all do the talking.

Galliano

I'm a little tired of the Galliano tirade and the media making moves to try and promote his rehabilitation. Yes Galliano is talented and has created some beautiful fantastical collections in his career but at the same time so what.

He said some awful things and was punished for the crime yet now there's been moves made probably by some powerful pr to help push and promote the man as a talented tortured artist. Every step has been carefully orchestrated from the De la renta designs to the vanity fair piece and the upcoming prime time Charlie Rose interview.

Galliano in his prime used models ranging from far and wide as were his inspirations from all over the nation and my main problem isn't Galliano but its the ugly side of beauty in an industry that's exclusive and elitist with a vision and view created by a selected few, fashion being a global industry it's yet to learn to speak a global language. The industry isn't diverse enough from those who create to the models who promote, its truly lacking ethnic and cultural diversity.

This isn't a cry of racism or anti semitism as that too is a thorny topic it's a cry for inclusivity it's a time to think about promoting artists and individuals from a range of backgrounds more widely selected than those currently employed before Galliano is accepted back with open arms ( inevitably he will) we should take a long look at where the industry is at today and why such remarks cut so deeply in the first place.