tumblr influences

Check out some of my favourite tumblr blogs, ranging from collage to photography to historical influences!

isallthereis - If you love collage art, you've got to follow this tumblr. This is my source for images meshed together in a way you would never imagine making sense until you see them combined in front of you: surprising, weird, cool, and colorful. The image above is not one the blogger created, but shows what the blog is visually all about.

daughterofhungryghosts - A tumblr icon, Ali is anything but ordinary. Her hair has ranged from red to blue to purple to pink to blonde to brown, and her taste in images is superb. You won't be able to click away from this blog that follows the life of this adventurous girl.

hottiesfromhistory - Exactly what the title states -- cool people from the past with great faces. The descriptions of the people themselves are extremely interesting, and add a historical flair that many vintage photo blogs do not incorporate.

jonyeston - A friend of mine, Jon, started this blog a while ago to his photography portfolio. His use of color is incredible, and the images themselves make you picture the world around you in a more beautiful light. His attention to detail charming and intriguing.

street style - Hungry for street fashion? This tumblr is clean, crisp, and reblogs images that are anything but plain. The choice of fashion photos is great, and it gives a lot of inspiration for outfit combinations. This is a site you won't want to skip over!

Bonnie Arbittier

INTERNET FRIENDS: COMMONCHANT TUMBLR

Julie Eckert is an audio and visual artist from Vancouver Island, BC. Her work is based in creating other dimensions in which to store memory and manipulate both image and sound. In her free time she is the curator of commonchant tumblr. She currently is living in Montreal, Quebec.

SARAH: Commonchant is a very interesting tumblr, it takes on a lot of topics (art, fashion, food, culture, craft, and time), what was your original inspiration for the project?

JULIE: My friend Mel (who had started her tumblr UUIUU a few months earlier) was encouraging me to start one as well. The direction of commonchant was formed within the idea of image hoarding. I wanted a place where I could collect images and then reflect upon them, like a sticker album. It became a good space to organize thought and express feeling without being weighed down by possession. It also became an effective way to unclutter my mind and transplant my thoughts into another space/dimension. Over the years commonchant has become a kind friend, my pet and passion. I like the idea of having it all catalogued, tucked away but still not quite tangible. It has grown a world in itself, like a polly pocket, a geode.

S: CC shows a lot of attention to detail and color, what kind of fashion do you graviatate towards in your day to day wardrobe?

J: Aesthetically I really enjoy experimenting with color, texture and pattern. My closet contains a pretty big mass of black and white print fabric, bright colors and pastels. I've grew up in Victoria BC and now live in Montreal QC, both climates require a lot of layering and I have fun playing off of that. I'm visually attracted to things that shouldn't go together but just feel right. Lately I've been wearing a lot sweatshirts/pants mixed into my wardrobe. There is something wonderful to me about wearing grey sweatpants and doc's together (it's self-satisfying to cringe at the distaste of it).

S: There are also a lot of references to childhood/domestic and "kid stuff", are you inspired by the objects you grew up with?

J: My mind runs in and out of a childlike/whimsical headspace, that is of course reflected on my tumblr. My personal experience as a child isn't something I am intentionally attempting to draw from. It is more embracing that head space and a continuance of thought. I have a tragic and delightful weakness for anthropomorphism. Often I experience a longing for certain color combinations, shapes or prints that were prominent in my childhood. I've been experiencing a similar longing for objects/images/sounds that have never been a physical part of my life. I think the internet has a lot to attribute to that, it is sort of a learned/implanted nostalgia.

S: What do you think about tumblr culture, its very social, but no one really knows anyone. Do you have any "tumblr crushes"?

J: I love tumblr culture and at the same time find it slightly problematic. As tumblr is an image based subculture in which people are creating image based archetypes, those archetypes can sometimes come off as shallow and juvenile. I'm sure my tumblr is vulnerable to that as well. Within the culture I find a certain respect for origin is being lost and that the context of an image can become warped. I also think that images being taken out of their original context can be really interesting. I am primarily drawn to tumblr blogs that allow me to read into the personality behind the blog. I think my blog has become its own entity. I have constructed it a life of it's own. <<<virtual reality>> The idea of communicating through images is second nature to me. It is an outlet in my life where I can express myself without the debilitating anxiety that the outside world causes for me. I think that is the same for a lot of people who have tumblrs. I love that it draws so many creative minds inside one space to converse. I have some met some lovely friends on tumblr, Shelbi who curates chromefoam and Ann who curates kwassakwassa (both who I have yet to meet irl). My close friend of years Mel curates UUIUU, now that we live at opposite sides of the country tumblr has become a place for us to share ideas and interact on a day to day basis. As for a tumblr crush, that would have to be my partner Jesse who is the mind behind eternalwinter. I find myself often wishing eternalwinter was my own blog, as is it is an accurate reflection of my other half (visually, my darker half).

S: You do a great job of maintaining flow, what is that stream of thought like? Is there a constant?

J: The flow is directed by whatever has peaked my interest at the moment. If there is a constant, it is sound. I think sound effects how I am feeling about shape and color, it makes it easy to sew images together. The idea of space/time/inter-dimensional travel is always weaving its way through my consciousness. I also have a great interest in botany, so the ideas of growth, change and evolution are always at the forefront of my mind. Somedays I feel I have little energy to direct to expressing myself online, other times it is almost compulsive. I easily become immersed in the act of orchestrating a picture plane, creating flux.

S: Who are some of your favorite designers? favorite blogs? and favorite films?

J: I have a never-ending love for fashion and film, but they escape me. I consume it and then it trickles through my fingers. Although a constant source of inspiration, I don't have set favourites. There is too many... too much. I suppose my taste in film runs anywhere through from science fiction to japanese animation. There is a lot of great content available on ubuweb. I draw most of my artistic vision from music. Sound is such a vast space that I will spare you endless listing and forward you to my last.fm profile. As for my winter soundscapes, I've been spending my days alongside ambient/electronic music, black metal and amiga/atari games soundtracks. For the past few years I've also curated a music blog that shares the commonchant namesake. Though I've lost interest in keeping up acquaintances with it during the past year, it's content still speaks considerably on my personal tastes.

S: Is there any "look" that you just can't stand?

J: For sure. I cannot understand why oh why there are still so many people who participate in cultural appropriation in the way that they express themselves. Indigenous appropriation in fashion is something that is so prominent in western culture and I find it so disturbing. The most recent trend that I find problematic and can't stand is the use of a bindi as a fashion adornment. Aesthetically I can appreciate it's beauty but I can't overlook how offensive it is. Sadly it has made me lose some respect for several other people on tumblr, who I've been a fan of in the past. **For more insight, this is great a piece on colonialism and popular culture by Ananya Mukherjea, which can be read (here).

S: What does commonchant mean?

J: In a general sense it is a reference to meeting of the minds, a celebration of the hive mind. It doesn't delve much deeper than that, the process of naming thecommonchant was really quite arbitrary. :3

FASHION FRIENDS: BOND HARDWARE

Dana Hurwitz and Vincent Barile were two fashion lovers with a penchant for the hard stuff. After they met and bonded over their love for deviance and high fashion they came together and founded Bond Hardware. BH is a line full of transformable and statement making jewelry that works in unique tandem with clothing. Read our interview with Dana and Vincent below, and SHOP MENS and WOMENS just in! 

SARAH: Hey Guys! Your stuff is really amazing and so versatile! Its unisex and can really suit a wide range of people. Another thing we love about your pieces is that they're totally bad ass but really polished, how do you straddle that line so effortlessly?

We try to balance the edgy-ness of our pieces with minimalism. This helps them maintain a refined quality that helps appeal to a broader market.

What kind of clothing do you see your hardware being worn with? What are your favorite designers? looks? or inspirations?

VINCENT: Ideally, our collection is to be worn with a collared shirt, but the great thing about it is that you are able to wear it however you prefer. Currently, my favorite fashion designers are Acne and Raun LaRose. Also, Gaspard Yurkievich has been an huge inspiration of mine.
DANA:  Some of the pieces look great as necklaces too. When I don’t feel like being buttoned up I’ll grab a Hitch ring, or the chain lock, the double clip and even the male window lock. My favorite designers currently are Haider Ackerman – Tilda Swinton looked amazing in his look at the Golden Globes, and always Iris Apfel is a flawless style icon of mine.

Is there anything that you can't stand as far as trends? Any pet peeves?

VINCENT: Well this is easy! Northface. Leggings. Uggs. Especially, Northface + Leggings + Uggs = Not cute.
DANA: I’ll just add that leggings aren’t a substitute for pants. No matter how amazing your legs are or if you just came from yoga.

Do you guys have any major fashion crushes? Who would be the dream person to wear BH?

VINCENT: Definitely, Jacob Coupe.
DANA: Lady Fag, or Obama, Mrs. or Mr..

Your tumblr is so great. Do you take a lot of fashion inspiration from the internet? Do you find it useful that way?

Yes, social networking is a huge part of our work. Tumblr is a great platform for collecting and curating our daily inspirations. It allows us to be inspired by people and places that we normally wouldn’t be able to be affected by and constantly share that with our creative network.

Did you guys meet in fashion school? Were you instant style soul-mates? How did you go about beginning to design together?

We met through mutual friends. We had an intimate moment in a taxi cab… and then started playing dress up together. Dana goes to Pratt for fashion Design and Vince goes to The Art Institute for graphic Design.

Where did the name Bond Hardware come from?

Our name is inspired by bondage wear, so we started playing with the words bond and bound. The name in that context also alludes to a bond between two people.

Okay time for a POP QUIZ! 
Coke or Pepsi? Torn, Interview or i-D Mag? i-D Mag, Mary Kate or Ashley? Mary Kate, Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga? Neither- but props to their creative teams., Ying-yang or Peace sign? Ying yang, Skulls or Flowers? Floral Skulls sound ideal, John Waters or David Lynch? Lynch.

INTERNET FRIENDS: MOLLY SODA

Molly Soda is an internet artist and an effective provocateur. Without writing anything, Molly's stream of tumblr images conjures up ideas of feminism, perversion, culture, and identity. She causes discussion. Her style and persona are hidden behind a veil of mystery, and that got us asking questions.


Sarah: So, Molly...photos of you seem to solicit a lot of commentary. People are super fascinated by your appearance (e.g. your comment chain video above). What do you think it is about your hair color, under arms, clothes, or whatever that has people so worked up? What is your favorite color for your hair to be?

Molly: I have no idea what gets people so worked up. People spend a lot of time worrying about others instead of improving their attitudes. I've enjoyed all of my hair colors. I think yellow and lime green were the most fun because they are a bit more unusual. I'm hoping to do a grey color maybe with some pastel pink or seafoam green soon.


S: Back to the topic of your videos. Several of the films on your vimeo function a lot like art. There is an aspect of duration and they are strangely disturbing. Can you speak a bit about your intentions with those?

M: I would say that any video I put on the internet functions as art. I don't have any particular intention that I am 100 percent aware of or that I would like to reveal at least. I think now that I've graduated art school I'd like to forget about having some grand intent with my work completely and just focus on making/putting out work.


S: Some guy decided to register the domain name Mollysoda.com. What the fuck is up with that? Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery? Who is that guy?

M: I was not aware of this until I read this question. I vaguely know him. I'm sure mollysoda.com gets a lot more hits than his blog would normally.

S: A lot of people in their 20's have come to feel a renewed love for a 90's raver aesthetic. The kind of technicolor/choker wearing/platform sneaker/glittering low-fi imagery that was big when we were kids. What is your contemporary connection to that world?

M: I think people generally like feeling nostalgic. The funny thing is, as much as I can feel nostalgic over 90s cartoon shows I had no real connection to raver/club kid/art culture that was going on in the 90s seeing as i was too young to be a part of that crowd. I think that interest comes from a want to be a part of an era you missed out on only by a few years.


S: Your style is constantly evolving, which I love. Do you get bored easily? What is your fashion constant?

M: Honestly, I don't have a fashion constant. My style changes from month to month. I'm the kind of person that gets really obsessed with wearing a certain item of clothing or a certain style for short periods of time and then I'll move on to whatever seems fun and new at the moment.


S: Who are your artistic/cinematic inspirations?

M: Movies...Clueless, She's all that, 10 things i hate about you, Wayne's world, Josie and the pussycats, Nowhere, The Craft… I could go on forever. For artists - Francesca Woodman, Ryan Trecartin, Ana Mendieta, and Nina hagen. With tv shows - Popular, Tim and Eric.


S: Is there any celebrity that you wish you could personally assassinate? Or any style?

M: No, I do not wish death upon anyone or anything, even ugg boots :)

INTERNET FRIENDS: 8 TUMBLRS TO BOOKMARK

Niki Takesh- This glitter filled tumblr documents an L.A. girl's life and amazing hair colors all the while providing us with an abundance of pictures and gifs representing the glorious 90's. You'll be entertained for hours, while wishing Niki was your new bff (if only to borrow her clothes).

Gaws- A style inclined Toronto native and tumblr men's fashion guru, Liam posts everything from fashion and great photography to music you need to download ASAP.

Scumptious- Describing this one won't do it justice, you really just have to see it for yourself. The only words we have to describe scumptious: spooky, crazy, and freaking awesome. Beware, your mind just might get blown.

The Classy Issue- As the name suggests, this blog contains some awesomely classy photos balanced with the perfect amount of asses and g-strings. From sneakers and watches to tattoos and hot girls, this tumblr has got it all.

Nicole Loher- An 18 year old F.I.T student, Nicole is already working her way to the top. Her blog documents the daily outfits and musings of the self-titled style student. Need some outfit inspiration...or even some inspiration in general? Look no further. Making your way in the fashion world so young and so fast is no small feat.

Hobolux- Everyone needs their daily dose of Japanese street style, and what better place to get it than a blog dedicated to just that. Every picture will have you sighing. You might even get some butterflies in your stomach. Seriously, these pictures are that amazing.

Molly Soda- An internet video artist, Molly Soda fills her tumblr with everything from nudity and 90's memories to pictures of the blogger herself with purple, green, and sometimes blue hair. If the fact that she has a pet rat doesn't intrigue you, maybe the sparkling unicorns and naked chicks will.

Barkarmaa- Get cultured and let this art blog entertain and inspire you. This collection of incredible creations and photographs is not to be missed.

INTERNET FRIENDZ: Cara France of SAVAGE PROGRESS

SAVAGE PROGRESS is more than a Tumblr, its a collage, its hypnosis. Coming across SAVAGE PROGRESS was like finding a time portal. Cara France lives in the UK, graduated from university and makes art films. One scroll on her page and you can tell she is an artist. She graciously agreed to do an interview. Here is how it went:

SARAH: I found your Tumblr and was really amazed by both its movement and its images, as you scroll down its like watching a film. Each image brings something new but also references those before it. What is your thought process when composing SAVAGE PROGRESS. What do you look for in an image?

CARA: That’s such a tough question, it seems like quite a natural process, I just go for images that make me feel like, Woah! What the Hell! Images that you want to keep looking at and going back to. I’ve been amazed by some of the things I’ve found on here to reblog, some images, I just have to know where they are from and it's often lead me to watch movies or get into artists that I never would have heard of otherwise. The process itself is quite OCD, as sometimes I put a load of images up and if they don’t ‘feel’ right, I will just delete them all. Colour is really important to me also, and I noticed recently my tumblr is becoming increasingly lilac and lurid green.

S: So you live in the UK and you make films, What are your favorite films? Directors? Are there any artists that specifically inspire you?

C: There really are too many to list! A friend recently asked me for film recommendations and I ended up giving him and enormous list in chronological order. If I was forced to name favourite films Altered States, From Beyond, Society, Tetsou:Ironman, and Videodrome, would all be up there. Actually all early Cronenberg is amazing, and a french film called Possession from 1981 that I can’t believe I only saw this year that is one of the darkest most visceral films I’ve ever seen. When I was at uni I was really into Expanded Cinema, and experimental films from the 1960’s, those kinds of films that open your third eye like Tony Conrad's ‘Flicker’ and also Soviet Sci-Fi animation, post apocalyptic stuff that is bleak and brutal. But recently I’ve just been watching crappy cyberpunk and trashy cyborg movies like Death Machine, Hardware, Nemesis and the Trancers series, movies about virtual reality, cops from the future and getting sucked into the TV - i love crap like that, especially when it has proper old special FX and bad CGI. Art-wise at the moment I am totally into french comic book artists Philippe Druillet and Jean Giraud Moebius, and surrealists Zdzisław Beksiński and Hans Bellmer, their work always gives me goosebumps, they make those kind of eerie images that stay with you.

S: There is a lot of imagery that references sci-fi or mysticism. Also a lot of nostalgic images. Are you influenced by films or shows you saw as a child?

C: Oh yes, I think everyone is massively influenced by stuff they see when they are a kid. Kids toys and TV in the 80’s and 90’s is enough to warp anyone for life! Things like Mysterious Cities of Gold, Jayce And The Wheeled Warriors, Knightmare, Round The Twist. Also hiring out movies from the video-store on school holidays, I used to watch Flight Of The Navigator on a loop, that part when the kids head is full of star charts still makes me feel weird now. When I was 11 we got cable TV, so 90’s Nickelodeon shows, and MTV Oddities have definitely had a bearing on the stuff I am into now.

S: If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, fictional or real...Who would it be?

C: No question, Jack Deth. We could chat about sub-humanoids in a sleazy diner.

S: Why did you start working on this tumblr?

C: I always collected images, and before tumblr I used to use flickr for similar stuff. I use it as an online scrapbook, a reminder of all the things I’ve been looking at or movies I’ve been watching, its like a visual mind map so everyone can take a look inside my brain, and wander about in there.

S: Who are your fashion icons?

C: Clarissa Darling, Lydia Lunch, Jennifer Herrema, Liz Bougatsos, Kate Bush

(that's her!)