Before we move on to anything else...

Photo by Alexandra García

OK, before we get into any other details or posts, I guess I should talk a little about where I come from, what's my purpose and why I'm elaborating this blog. I was writing a post today about fashion illustration that will be making its way to this blog. I asked my boyfriend for some proofreading as he has excellent literary skills and he is THE person for a good, constructive critique. As he kept on reading, he told me something that was entirely true. 

When I write, I write...A LOT. So there were a bunch of different subjects masked into one blog entry and it kind of sent the reader into all kinds of different places. He gave me great pointers on how to fix it but one thing was key: I was writing about my point of view but I wasn't necessarily explaining to you readers where I was exactly coming from. True, I spoke vaguely about it on my first blog entry, but I suppose I didn't delve in deeper to talk about that and since I want this blog to be about the Skitch process, I didn't want to make a whole blog entry about myself. Seeing an external point of view does help and I guess I'll do a swift post about my exploration of this industry that I'm dying to get into. Let's go to the beginning.

I guess I always had a knack for creating things. Scavenging my grandmother's closets and sewing kits for bits and pieces of materials was always the best way to spend the day. My grandmother made beautiful gowns and intricate woven masterpieces, my aunt was a home economist and my mother an artist. My grandmother died when I was a little girl and I never learned to sew from her, but that didn't stop me from grabbing a sewing machine and learning to use it on my own years later. My aunt taught me different techniques with simple resources but my mom... oh, mom taught me the most. She's been my artistic mentor ever since I grabbed my first finger paints and jumbo crayons. Nothing was ever "Oh that's nice, sweetie.". She gave me critique and I learned early on how to take it. She taught me to see things differently, to appreciate them for their finer details. 

Anyways, I always knew I'd end up in the artistic industry. It was meant to be, really. But I always knew  I could take that artistic education further. Since I was twelve years old I said I wanted to be an architect. I was sure of it! When the time for university came I didn't get into architecture by barely a few points, so I started off college in Fine Arts and majoring in Drawing. I decided I'd try the architecture thing again so I took some courses on it and sadly, it didn't allow me the creative freedom I had with the arts with which I was so engulfed in. I decided to stick it and keep on studying art. I explored the possibilities of taking my drawings further by trying new techniques (for me) like printmaking, paper arts, artistic bookmaking, among other disciplines.

"Where does fashion kick off in all of this?", you may ask? Well, Fashion was actually my third career option. You could say I kind of went discarding everything as I went by. I finished a bachelor's in Fine Arts but that will to do more always tickled me. I don't know why fashion design never seemed that tangible to me until after graduation that I grew so much as a person and as a newly minted professional. It sometimes baffles me, really. I always sketched up my dreams and imagined sculptural garments. It was right in my face... and then it hit me hard. Of course! Why not? I had explored it in different ways: styling, makeup, trends, etc. Why couldn't I be a designer? It always lingered in my head anyways. Right now, I'm in the middle of the application process for Fashion Design at Parsons. Don't get me started on how nervous and excited I am for this. If it doesn't work out, I have plans B though Z thought out too.

Some of my DIY's

And thus, this is how I landed here. I've had the pleasure of meeting new people and friends throughout the art and fashion industry and I thought I could set some ground myself and put in my two cents in the business too. I also think this is a great way to sum up all of the things I love to do: fashion, art and DIY. What I'm trying to do with this blog could be broken down into a few pointers:

• I want to expand my knowledge and practice in the fashion industry. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication and I'm hoping this could help me out in that sense.
• I want to make a habit of archiving my thoughts, ideas and takes on everything that influences me. 
• Share the fun with you guys!

So yeah, there you have it. A little intake on my background. I've already given a taste of what I want The Fashion Skitch to be, so now we move forward!