I found a moment

Life has been so crazy busy lately. In the last two months I've moved house, started working full time, and I still have to keep up all my after hours commitments, including keeping my label afloat, getting my freelance work done and keeping my French lessons on the go, while at the same time still having time for connecting with friends and getting some reading time in.

This week I added another crazy flavor to the plate of my life, I'm taking part in the NYC Midnight short story competition. So I have seven days to write a 2500 word story in the fantasy genre, with the subject mathematics and a pro athlete as a character. It's been chaos, and I am exhausted and loving it. I'm currently about 1300 words in and trying to pace myself. Hand in is on Saturday.

I realized recently that in all the chaos I have forgotten to draw. Drawing is my lifeblood. I literally can't remember the last time I sat down with pad and ink, focused on capturing the moment around me. I'm an artist and I live and breathe the visual, creating is food for my soul. This was a shocking revelation and my fingers started itching and aching immediately.

Problem is, I just don't have the time. How do you find the time when you don't have it? So I decided to keep a sketchbook on me always, and look for tiny moments. My moment ended up being Sunday morning, in church, sitting on the floor listening to Ross do an incredible teaching on the multidimensional presence of the kingdom. Breathtaking stuff. And then I realized there was a perfect picture right in front of me, and out came the notebook. And I drew. What an amazing feeling, the release of pent up creativity. It made me so happy.

So now my pledge to myself is to keep looking for moments, to keep my creative eyes open and to make art part of my life once again. I need to, it's the air I breathe.

Shar-Lee Jessica

P.S. Keep an eye on my blog for the official release of my currently unnamed short story

you are so lovely

So Cayly from Bloom Studio is working on this amazing project called Lattes and Love, where she shares women's stories. I was lucky enough to take part, and get to talk about a bit of my story, and how school bullying played a part in it. 
I regret not going in to a bit more detail in the interview, the path I walked in trying to redeem my fragile self-esteem while battling the minefield of adolescence and growing up took me to strange places, from a name change at thirteen to getting into an abusive relationship at seventeen, and battling a vicious bout of social phobia and depression in my early twenties. 
I am one of the lucky ones though, Jesus found me, and now my identity is wrapped up in His sacrifice. I only wish every child who has to endure the emotional torment of being bullied could have the same prize at the end. 
Now, there are things I'm grateful for. On the worst days at school, books were my refuge and friend. Now I'm a writer. I'm also a multi-award-winning artist, and heaped up ridiculous amounts of cash prizes for my creative work during my studies. 
I want the privilege to be able to share my story with those awkward kids who never quite worked out the formula for fitting in. I want to tell them it's okay. You have so much ahead of you, you are so, so lovely, you are so precious. I want to tell parents, build up your children's self-worth. Bullies are broken kids caught in a vicious cycle. Kids with a strong sense of self-worth lift up other kids around them. 

We can break the cycle. I hope one day I can get my story out there. For now, I have a blog, and I have Lattes and Love. Enjoy.

https://vimeo.com/81309145

Brittany, Chai & Reminiscence

Yesterday I had the pleasure of handing over an illustration to my beautiful friend Esther. We go back a long way, from high school shenanigans to varsity days where I had the privilege of this seeing beautiful lady model my graduate collection like a Vogue-goddess, and then to yesterday, where Esther adopted Brittany (number two of ten). What a great moment, handing over my very first reproduction sketch, and chatting about our plans, nerves, hopes and dreams for the future, the awareness of the nearness and reality of this next chapter palpable in the air around us. As she heads off to further her studies in a brand new city, I head back to my home town, to spend the first season of my life giving my art some real and focused attention. It's terrifying, but it only takes a moment like this to remind me that it's possible, and the sun is about to rise on something completely new.

Esther dear, I wish you the best for the future, and thank you for the chai and reminiscence. Breton looks good on you.

wednesday to-do list

It's a busy Wednesday! I have some commissions to get to, as well as a final round of wardrobe and set planning for the 48 hour film project this weekend. I love all the creative work coming my way lately. I'm also working on a ceramics design collaboration with Manna Epicure on Kloof Street. Haven't been there? Tell me, when is it not a good day for a slice of the most fabulous red velvet cake you've ever had the pleasure of munching on? Go have a look. They also have one of my very own paintings up on their wall.
I'm so excited about drawing on teacups! Hope you all have a gorgeous sunny Wednesday.

Within the Realm of Possibility

I've been gone for a while. I guess you could say it's been a time of metamorphosis in hiding, kind of like how a caterpillar disappears into a cocoon for a period of time, undergoes a private and painstaking makeover process, and breaks out into the world again a completely different creature, with a new angle from which to look at life. I hate how cliched that comparison is but it's the truest one I could find. Since I last posted I've moved to a new city, gone through a life-defining heartbreak and heart re-healing, changed my mind about what I want to do with my career, committed my life to faith, gone back to my natural hair colour and adopted my first name again, and basically, looking back it's slowly dawned on me that I'm a completely new person in so many ways. It's exciting and it's terrifying, but I guess that's something you have to love about life. It gives us many chances. And with my new dream of pursuing art and one day having the privilege of being able to do that full time, I'm devoting myself all over again to keep drawing, reminding myself that ink and paper are the bread and butter of my life, and that brushstrokes and paint fumes are the tools I have been given with which to process my emotions and learn who I really am, and where I really belong.

These are a few of the sketches I've done in recent months. The first one, Brittany, got me my very first order over Pinterest, which reminded me, my dreams are within the realm of possibility, and I do in fact, know exactly what I was born to do.

the first step

How do you start a clothing label? Don't ask me, I have no idea. My personal first step was putting together some mood/concept boards. Herewith, some mood boards for your visual pleasure. Let me know what you think. Anyone get the mood?

Jess

in black and white

A little sketch I did a while back. The challenge was to use one colour only. What do you think?

Jess

Adjusting to a new time zone

So, I just got home from Australia! What a wonderfully fashionable adventure that was. I love their style.

This is an illustration I just completed to accompany my winter style guide for Girlz Mag. Something pretty standard but I'm loving the colour palette and the bit of extra detail was fun to do.

 Comment if you like it

Jess

another beauty one

This time inspired by a backstage shot at the Marc Jacobs SS 10/11 show. She has a really odball clown-like look about her. And I'm loving the frizz ball pigtails.

Jessica

a little bit of whimsy...

Inspired by nothing in particular. This one is from a few days ago, because today I find myself somewhat unable to draw. Don't you hate those days?

Jessica

a beauty trend

I've been wanting to try my hand at illustrating beauty trends for a while. It's a bit of a challenge for me because i've been trying to find that drawing style that's somewhere between looking "illustrated" and looking naturalistic, which i think is a style that works wonderfully for beauty trend illustration. I was very inspired by the make-up on the Derek Lam S/S 2011 girls. Pink eyes are just so cute you could eat them up. Tell me what you think of this one, it's something different for me.

Jessica

a pretty little something

...inspired by a gorgeous  piece I spotted on Topshop.co.uk. Oh how i love a good dose of Topshop. And a good dose of pink. I hope you like!

Jessica

an homage to the stripe

So as fashion would have it the stripe is back for yet another summer. I'm loving the candy-floss feel that seems to have knocked breton off the boat. Here's an illustration inspired by the Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011 range.

Jessica

Welcome

...to Paper Wardrobe. This blog is dedicated to my love of all things fashion and illustration. Here is a recent illustration. I was feeling graphical.

Jessica