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Shaping in Action: An 'Idol' Worth Worshipping
Post Date: Thursday, October 13, 2011 - Posted In: Shape What's To Come
The Shaping in Action series is where we get to know inspiring women who are pioneering and shaping what's to come.
Finishing as a semifinalist on "American Idol" would fulfill all sorts of bucket-list goals for many young talents, kick-starting a career as a glamorous rock star with all the trappings that come with fame. But when Erinn Furey wound up her run on the wildly popular TV show in the top 30 in 2005, it kick-started something else altogether.
"I never wanted to be a famous singer," she says now. "I would be removed from the people I always wanted to work with." So, while she still stayed connected to the entertainment industry -- performing musical theater and singing jazz and rock music -- she also pursued the master's degree in social work at Columbia University that she recently completed -- with a 3.8 GPA. Now, she's largely using music to make connections with young and disadvantaged people -- and helping them discover themselves.
Looking at the list of charitable projects that Erinn has taken on is so dizzying, it's a wonder she has enough time -- or energy -- to devote. She has created workshops incorporating art and social work, and organized and performed at benefits for a number of causes -- including ones for Haitian-earthquake relief and for terminally ill children.
Though Erinn has undeniable strength and energy now, finding it within herself was a long, difficult process. Erinn grew up in a dysfunctional home in Brentwood on Long Island, N.Y. Her father struggled with substance abuse, leaving her mother at times a single parent. The household chaos led to Erinn developing anorexia and bulimia in high school, which she wouldn't defeat until age 20. "At that point," she recalls, "I lost control of the little amount of control I had -- and people started to notice."
All of this, combined with her experience coming out as a lesbian, inspired within Erinn a genuine passion for the challenges of youth. She funnels that passion into her boundless energy for championing those undergoing tremendous hardships. And she still makes sure to leave time to help herself; she tries to maintain her own mental well-being through yoga and counseling. Erinn acknowledges that she has, at times, too much on her plate. "I'm very organized," she notes, "but I had to learn not to do everything at once."
Being bullied in school and overcoming the hardships she faced as a youngster helped steer her current career choices, allowing her to dedicate herself to the Long Island community where she was raised. "Where I grew up, it was very segregated," she recalls. "Seeing so many cultures, I learned not to judge early. But performing in community theater early in my life and getting 'mean-girled,' it was a challenge to be proud of where I came from." Returning to the Brentwood high school she attended, Erinn became an instant influence on the current student body. Her voice lights up when she discusses revisiting her alma mater, noting, "I'm proud to say to youth that they have coping mechanisms available to them and be able to direct them to help."
Erinn closes her emails with a quote from humorist Erma Bombeck: "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I have not a single bit of talent left and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.' " Thinking of what Erinn has already done with her life, there's no question that her plan extends far beyond just riding her "American Idol" fame. Her bucket list is more altruistic than that.
Photo credit: Chad Goodstein
Shaping in Action: Bullets over Broadway
Post Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - Posted In: Shape What's To Come
And few figures better symbolize the genre's burgeoning rebirth than Kait Kerrigan.
The Brooklyn-based lyricist/writer and her partner, composer Brian Lowdermilk, are forging a new frontier in an old-fashioned art form. By mixing social media savvy with top-notch songwriting skills, they've already got five musicals on their belt, and they're pioneering the way writers get paid and how writers can raise their own funds.
In another time, Kait -- a playwright and violin-playing former English major who fell in love with musical theater when she was asked to write a show in college -- might have focused only on writing plot and dialogue for dramas. "But plays don't hit that emotional chord that musicals do," she says. "Musicals have that silver bullet of music that swells and impacts you."
At age 30, Kait has already racked up impressive achievements. She and Lowdermilk have collaborated on a variety of shows and made their Off-Broadway debut with "Henry and Mudge," a musical based on the popular kids series, now on its fourth national tour. In 2009, their song "Say the Word" was performed by Miss New York at the Miss America pageant. That year, Kait won the Edward Kleban Award as the most promising musical book writer in the country. The duo are currently working on a new musical called "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown," a story about a high school valedictorian struggling to grow up.
Such achievements might not have been possible without the pair's trail-blazing efforts in creative production, through which artists and audience form a direct bond and the line blurs between artistic effort and artful entrepreneurship.
"Musical theater is about audiences," Kait explains. "All the social media that we participate in is also about connecting to audiences. In some ways, it is all one idea."
For starters, she and Lowdermilk launched the e-commerce site NewMusicalTheatre.com, which allows musicians and composers to self-publish and sell sheet music, connecting new music directly with aspiring performers.
"Sheet music is being traded, no matter what," says Kait of their game-changing effort to get writers paid for their work. "So if you don't sell your sheet music online, people will get it, but not directly from you. Most people are really happy to support people who are writing music that they like."
For eight years starting in college, she and Lowdermilk have courted fans with a web site and Facebook page, getting more than a million hits on their YouTube channel for their homemade videos. Fans gushed over the emotional honesty of songs like "Run Away with Me" and clever, topical lyrics as in "Last Week's Alcohol": "Grinding to a German techno beat/Shots all around/I'm drafting you a text/I'm typing sorry."
But just how far would those fans go?
Kait and Lowdermilk put this to the test. Using Kickstarter, a funding platform in which users pledge money for artistic projects, they asked for help raising money for an album of their songs performed by other artists. The goal was to raise $10,000 in a month. Only if they hit that mark would they receive any money at all.
They raised that $10,000 - in the first 48 hours.
"We looked at each other and said, 'Now what do we do?'" recalls Kait. "We had 28 days left in our campaign."
The answer: Keep going.
The pair eventually raised $35,000 for their self-produced "Our First Mistake" (available through www.kerrigan-lowdermilk.com) and for a live concert album to be released later. "It blew us away," she recalls. "I have never been more humbled and shocked."
At a time when theaters struggle to attract younger audiences, Kait has connected with young admirers who, she believes, will carry their musical tastes forward into adulthood. Seventy percent of those who watch Kerrigan/Lowdermilk videos, she claims, are between the age of 13 and 24.
"I know that my entire career is based on the Internet and our fans," says Kait. "We completely rely on them. The reason that people are interested in working with us is because we have a large fan base and because there are people who want to hear what we have written."
Not that this is easy. Kait says she alternates between waves of "stressing about money all the time" and the satisfaction of making a living doing what she loves. Most of her friends, she concedes, have "weird jobs" that support them while they pursue their artistic passions.
"The thing that musical theater has going for it is that you can't replicate it online," she says. "It's never going to be better on a recording. People want to see the 'The Book of Mormon' because it is the thing to do. The recording is great, but it's not as good as being in the room with it. The fact that we're a little bit old school and antiquated is actually to our benefit."
Shaping in Action: Erica Domesek inspires women to forget Fifth Avenue and grab a glue gun
Post Date: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 - Posted In: Shape What's To Come
The Shaping in Action series is where we get to know inspiring women who are pioneering and shaping what's to come.
"I see it. I like it. I make it." That's the personal mantra of author and stylist Erica Domesek, an effervescent New Yorker with a flair for creating virtually anything she comes across.
But this sensei of self-made fashion and crafts stumbled into a second career by way of a "happy accident." A friend asked Erica if she should purchase a feather necklace she'd been eyeing. Shocked by the $600 tag, Erica persuaded her friend to keep her purse closed and instead come over for a craft night. Together, they created a similar piece for a fraction of the cost -- and triple the thrill.
Soon after, while Erica was wearing the freshly created feathered finery backstage at a fashion show, someone complimented her on the piece. Her response -- "Thanks! P.S. I made this!" -- triggered the launch of her new business enterprise.
Having worked in the jaded fashion industry for more than 10 years, Erica suddenly found a renewed spirit once she was designing and making her own creations. She channeled her "Aha!" moment into a blog, appropriately titled "P.S. I Made This."
Another way to put Erica's philosophy: elation through creation. "The end purpose of P.S. I Made This," she says, "is to always help people make their lives more beautiful and fun by making things."
Erica's passion for DIY fashion proved contagious. Her blog -- dedicated to teaching others how to craft everything from dripping chandeliers to modified sun hats -- took off. P.S. I Made This garnered attention from craft novices and experts alike, and earned her appearances on "The Martha Stewart Show" and coverage in major fashion magazines. In the fall of 2010, she published a D.I.Y. book, also titled "P.S. I Made This" (now in its fourth printing).
"Ever since I was a kid, I was making things," says Erica, recalling one of her first DIY projects, in which she transformed an oversized T-shirt into a ruched bubble-skirt dress. "I've been excited about showing people how to make things for a long time and it's exciting that now it's not just my friends or friends of friends, but a global thing."
Erica's zest for creating -- and for life -- has become her brand. Daily, she inspires women (her site attracts half a million visitors each month, and she has more than 17,000 followers onTwitter) to take control of their fashion by grabbing a glue gun and a pair of scissors and to make -- instead of buy -- the things they wear.
"I'm always snapping pictures wherever I go, capturing inspiration," she explains. "That's what my world is about -- getting inspired by things. Whether it's a pair of shoes or a jacket that I'm drawn to, all of a sudden something goes off in my brain and I say, 'Wait. I can make this.' It's a natural progression of seeing something and liking it and feeling like you can make it."
Though Erica appreciates all things DIY, she also enjoys fueling women's desires to pursue their passions -- whatever those passions may be.
"No matter what you do," she notes, "whether it's film, fashion, photography or architecture, making an effort to challenge yourself -- and your mind -- can make life fun."
When it comes to crafting and finding your next idea, Erica offers a three-part strategy: "Look for a beginning, a middle and a neverending." So, whether you're wandering around a department store, down a graffiti-covered alley or along the streets in a foreign country, soak up your environment and let what you see spark your creative gene.
Then, allow your imagination to evolve into reality via a crafty invention. It may be a necklace or a bag or a shoe embellishment. Whatever it is, the creation will remind you -- and show the world -- where you've been and who you are. And after your first project, what do you do for an encore? See more. Like more. Make more.
Photo credit: abramsbooks, YouTube.com
Shaping in Action: Miss Fashion, Inspired by Misfortune
Post Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - Posted In: Shape What's To Come
The Shaping in Action series is where we get to know inspiring women who are pioneering and shaping what's to come.
Verneda, the 27-year-old founder and creative director of the unisex apparel line Human Intonation, began designing T-shirts in response to Hurricane Katrina. Before the flood, her extended family called New Orleans home (her parents and older brother had moved from there to upstate New York shortly before Verneda was born) and she spent ample time visiting grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in the city, which she considers a second home.
"My family was blessed not to have lost any lives immediately to the storm," says Verneda, who had just moved to New York City with a degree in apparel and textile management. But seeing her grandmother's home in the 9th Ward submerged in water, and watching "people, elders and babies suffering under the blazing August sun in the aftermath, when help was not deployed quickly enough," filled Verneda with a sense of futility.
She wanted to help with the relief efforts, so she and designer Evina Scott began designing and hand-painting fundraising T-shirts for a nonprofit called Hands on New Orleans. In doing so, Verneda -- who considers herself a "social entrepreneur" more than a "designer" -- realized that fashion with a purpose might be her calling. She went back to school for an MBA, and officially launched Human Intonation in 2008.
Today, the company's major focus is on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention -- an arena in which, unfortunately, Verneda also has personal experience. In 2006, James Wesley White, Jr., Verneda's cousin and best friend, died of AIDS, just five months after being diagnosed with HIV.
"I took it really hard," says Verneda, whose initial reaction was to lash out and exhibit "risky" sexual behavior. "It was almost four years after he died before I started speaking out -- it definitely took time to see that his story and my grief could make a positive impact on others." But advocating for HIV/AIDS prevention, says Verneda, is now what motivates her to continue with the Human Intonation line.
"A person may not immediately see how he or she could turn a negative into a positive," she adds, "and that's okay. When tragedy strikes, you do not have to have all the answers, but what you can do is listen to your heart, and if it prompts you to positive action, do not be afraid to listen. You will be surprised how many people may be feeling the same way you do and who will benefit from your efforts."
Human Intonation's latest clothing campaign centers on the slogan "Protection Is the New Black."
"Being direct with our graphic messaging is what people like most -- and like least -- about our tees," admits Verneda. "But I don't worry much about people's reaction as long as people have a reaction. My goal is to use my line to give voice to these issues and get people to start the types of conversation that can change perceptions, change choices and change lives. My apparel products and my advocacy are never separated."
Shaping in Action: Ashley Falcon turns a struggle into an opportunity -- and looks fabulous doing it
Post Date: Monday, October 3, 2011 - Posted In: Shape What's To Come
The Shaping in Action series is where we get to know inspiring women who are pioneering and shaping what's to come.
While she works with all body types and sizes, she particularly promotes fashion styling for women with curves. And with her own body stats at 5-foot-2 and 210 pounds, she speaks from experience.
Terms like "plus-size" do not bother Ashley, who opts not to get bogged down in terminology. As she puts it, "I wouldn't mind if the rack said 'Skinny Girls, Regular Girls and Plus-Size Girls' -- as long as the rack had all of it on there."
Her column, "A Big Girl in a Skinny World," is a pretty pithy description of Ashley and her place on the fashion spectrum. She has succeeded in a business that promotes thin as perfection -- and her success is no accident. In high school, she began producing fashion layouts to build her portfolio. In college, at Florida International University, she was determined to get a summer internship in New York, which you don't have to read "The Devil Wears Prada" to know is no easy task. As Ashley recalls, "I knew nobody. I was just this Cuban girl from Florida."
But Internet research and determination paid off. She wrote personal emails to staffers at myriad magazines, and her cold-calling strategy landed her eight interviews and eight internship offers. She chose Women's Wear Daily, followed the next summer with an internship at Marie Claire.
One day, in a casual conversation with her boss, Ashley mentioned the problem that plus-size women have with finding fashionable clothes. "Every outfit is a struggle," Ashley recalls saying. The subject got the editor's interest. Ashley was told, "You're pitching this tomorrow to the editor-in-chief." In a matter of weeks, Ashley went from intern to columnist. She says now, with a laugh, "It was ironic that my weight -- which was something I had struggled with my entire life -- was my meal ticket."
News of the column went viral in the industry. Cheers went out to Marie Claire for the editorial decision and to Ashley for her fresh perspective. After college graduation, she moved to the Big Apple. But while the Marie Claire column provided some income, it was not enough. She had to supplement her fashion dreams with income from a baby-sitting gig. Soon, though, her perserverance rewarded her with a number of fashion jobs. She now partners with Talbots as a consultant on plus-size fashions, styles for Macys.com and has several personal clients.
She is quick to credit her relatives for her success. "My family always told me if I worked hard, I could do anything," says Ashley. And self-doubt is simply not part of her DNA. "I've never doubted my capabilities," she notes. "I work really hard, and I'm not trying to be a model. I want to be behind the scenes, so what does it matter what I weigh?"
Ashley's advice to young women who are interested in a fashion career could apply to just about any field: Learn all you can about your craft and go after the internships. When you get the job, be professional, avoid office gossip and be nice to everyone. And never stop networking.
When it comes to creating, Ashley explains, "I can tell you that nothing under the sun is original -- nothing. You immerse yourself in beautiful things or interesting things. Then the process is figuring out how to make that your own."
Today, Ashley has two main motivations: "I want fashion to be inclusive, not exclusive to small sizes. And I'd also like for girls to see me succeed, so they know they could."
Shaping in Action: West Africa to the West Coast
Post Date: Friday, September 30, 2011 - Posted In: Shape What's To Come
The Shaping in Action series is where we get to know inspiring women who are pioneering and shaping what's to come.
The film "Ije: The Journey" chronicles the story of a young woman from rural Nigeria who immigrates to the rocket-paced, star-crazed world of Los Angeles. And while the personal stories of the director of that film, Chineze Anyaene, and her protagonist are not exactly identical -- the latter ends up on trial for the murder of three men -- there are distinct similarities between the two women who changed their addresses and perspectives from West Africa to the American West.
Chineze's journey has not been free of obstacles and challenges. She attributes many of the troubles to race and gender. The film industries in Nigeria and in the United States are both dominated by men. In the United States, she had to deal with the fact that she was a double minority in an industry where those two groups are underrepresented. Chineze credits her diligence to a strong work ethic. "I'm the type of person that, once I hear the word 'no,' it makes me want what I'm being denied even more."
Those difficulties began even as she initially tried to gain support for "Ijé," which is the Nigerian tribal language Igbo word for "the journey." She was told that her vision was "too big for her to handle." "I used to refer to being a woman and a minority in the film industry as a disaster," she recalls. "I experienced so many hindrances, from executives not taking my credentials seriously, to my crew members complaining that they couldn't understand me because of my accent."
Though the road to completion for "Ijé" was not easy, Chineze never gave up. Now her persistence has paid off, as her film was the highest-grossing movie in Nigeria in 2010 and still leads the box office today, a year later. To put this achievement in perspective, remember that Nigeria's film industry -- dubbed "Nollywood" -- is the planet's second-largest (after India and ahead of the U.S.). "Ije" has also been showered with accolades, receiving 14 awards, including, most notably, the Canada International Film Festival honor for excellence in filmmaking. Chineze attributes her success to hard work, persistence and support from her family.
Chineze was at first hesitant to disclose her career choice to her parents, who were skeptical of the film world's stability. Her love of storytelling through film was cultivated during her study of theater at Nigeria's University of Abuja. Although Chineze had a deep respect for theater, she took the opportunity to explore film during her years at the school, and she knew immediately that she had found her true calling. After she broke the news to her parents, they responded with open arms and unconditional support. "My father called me shortly after I had told my parents of my desire to make films," she recalls. "My father said, 'If this is truly what you want to do, Chineze, we will support you all the way.' I have the upmost respect for my parents because, although they were uncertain of the opportunities in film, they still offered me 100 percent encouragement and support."
Chineze believes that hard work is the main ingredient anyone should apply in order to turn a dream into reality. "You must have passion, perseverance and patience in order to make any dream come true. It will be an uphill battle without a solid victory if you do not possess these three key elements."
