ASTROLOGY COPY
When you think about a double Leo with a Cancer rising, you know things are going to be a bit spicy. With heightened emotions, you stop a crying session to make sure your eyeliner doesn’t smear. Be aware of the people that you allow close to you. How are they giving you the extra boost you need today? Are they giving you as much love as you give to them? And above all, how can you tap into your baddie energy without causing too much drama.
CALL TO ACTION
Armenia and Artsakh have been fighting for their ancestral indigenous lands since September 27th, 2020. The outcome is heartbreaking and they need help to rebuild. Since the beginning, I have been offering illustrations to raise funds and was able to complete over 90 illustrations and raised more than $3000 for ArmeniaFund, Civilnet, and matching fundraisers.
Alongside illustrations, I have decided to make sweatshirts as well with hand-carved, hand-printed illustrations of the Mamig Babig monuments, Ararat mountain, and "You're Not Alone" in Armenian. When I wear my sweatshirt, I feel connected to home.
Check out my website sarinehg.com if you would like to pre-order, get an illustration or just find more resources to help send aid to Armenia and Artsakh.
Alongside illustrations, I have decided to make sweatshirts as well with hand-carved, hand-printed illustrations of the Mamig Babig monuments, Ararat mountain, and "You're Not Alone" in Armenian. When I wear my sweatshirt, I feel connected to home.
Check out my website sarinehg.com if you would like to pre-order, get an illustration or just find more resources to help send aid to Armenia and Artsakh.
STORYTELLING
Knew the name, assumed a story, and imagined a polite conversation or two. It never happened, and he simply became a Facebook friend, never posting, collecting dust.
Then it happened, the thing, the inevitable, inescapable, the moment where my anxiety started to overflow and we came face to face. Jumping off a mechanical bull, messing with his hair. We greet and have an uncommon hug you only get between strangers. The conversation is polite and he sounds oddly Texan.
In the modern age of Instagram stories, a tag solidified this newborn friendship.
Days pass and nothing happens. I feel left in stillness, balancing my fears with upcoming changes, my anxiety with unproductivity.
But then, it happens, the thing, the inevitable, inescapable push of two people from different worlds, planets even. It’s polite, as always, and the conversation feels like it can go on forever and neither of us would mind.
I feel timid but open. It’s something new and exciting, jumping back and forth from one daydream to reality.
CAPTIONS
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BLISS FILMS ONE YEAR CELEBRATION PICS ARE IN!!! Buckle up, we got 5 disposable cameras and a whole bunch of favorites. Thank you to everyone who was part of this amazing night. We loved screening all three of the shorts we worked on last year.
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We couldn’t find a better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than spending time with all of the incredible ladies we have the honor to collaborate with. Ladies, thanks for constantly lifting us up.
We couldn’t find a better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than spending time with all of the incredible ladies we have the honor to collaborate with. Ladies, thanks for constantly lifting us up.
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Can’t believe how the world has shifted so quickly... some more pics of our party, remembering all these beautiful faces💓 Stay in, keep on working on whatever is on the back burner and wash your hands! Xoxo
ARTICLES
Beyond Goop: The rise of Esotericism as a consumer trend
With the rise of tarot readings on Youtube, WitchTok (a category in TikTok with spells and manifestation sayings), and a “wellness” category sprouting in most online shops, the rise and acceptance of esotericism. Esotericism is the scholarly term for the secret knowledge that studies Yoga, Magic, Spiritualism, Hypnosis, Astrology, Mysticism, Meditation, Alchemy, Occultism, etc. For many, this is their religion, their community, or their daily ritualistic practice.
For brands, it has become an opportunity. Wellness is an unregulated industry that targets people’s insecurities, offering remedies at high prices. Goop was one of the firsts to capitalize on “ancient modality”. Their infamous jade egg promised women healing through a crystal egg, a practice that Chinese queens would use to satisfy the emperors. Goop also added a hormonal balancing claim to the egg, without any medical backing. Goop was sued for false claims and had to take the jade egg off their shelves. What was once a running joke, is now an industry worth over $4.5 Trillion.
Covid-19 pushed the wellness industry to new heights. More and more brands started releasing collections targeted at “spirituality”. From horoscope underwear packs by Parade to the tarots-inspired collection by Dior Haute Couture. More and more crystal shops are opening up that sell jewelry, tote bags, candles, incense bundles, and tarot cards at extremely high prices, and on the weekends the line to enter is out the door. What used to be “hippy-dippy” or “weird”, has now become a trend that is likely to be more accepted than going to a place of worship.
There is nothing wrong with being open-minded as a brand and seeking inspiration, and it isn’t the first time designers have used esotericism in their collections, but how much is too much when spirituality becomes muddled in consumer culture? Esotericism has always been perceived as a secret knowledge reserved for the lucky few who are truly interested in exploring. Now that it is facing mainstream exploitation, what are the boundaries for brands to stop them from selling a $305 high-vibrational dress or $120 “Mystical AF” T-shirts?
Sarineh Garapetian