Chapter 23 | Six Brands Whose Love-letter to Fashion is Handcrafting

Jan 31, 2024 | Fashion, Interlude

I don’t know if it’s the state of the world or the endless, visual onslaught of our digitally-driven lives; but I have had a deep sense of fatigue around my love for fashion. So, in thinking about the first chapter of Interlude for 2024 – I knew instinctively that the topic would need to be gentle and embody slowness as its sartorial compass. 

Handcrafting encompasses a wide variety of traditional, manual techniques. While it is a tradition of creating that has always formed part of fashion, it has become somewhat of a rare and precious feature. The machine age, with all its convenience, is generally the most efficient way for a brand (big or small) to do just about anything. While technological tools are incredible, embedding some form of handcrafting into one’s practice is a noble commitment to the preservation of makers as conduits of their own creative energy. This is not to say one can’t achieve a level of attentiveness with the use of tools – but that in a robust fashion future, handcrafting should always remain as an available pathway. 

As it turns out, and not to my surprise, handcrafting is for the girls. Chapter 23 looks at six brands across jewellery-making, leather-making, crocheting and embroidery – and asks, why does handcrafting matter and what do these techniques mean to these six creators?

TSHEPISO JEWELLERY 

To understand Tshepiso’s eponymous jewellery brand, is to note her background as a fine-art graduate. With a focus on form as a principle from where all else is possible, her fascination for crafting jewellery fuses her love for art and fashion; into profound talismanic objects for bodily adornment. I am a big fan – major – of Tshepiso’s work, which has been featured from Bubblegum Club to Vogue; as she breathes an etheric vision into the hardy, fire-born act of smithing. 

While Tshepiso’s brand is focused on silver and metal she explains that, “I consider myself a metalsmith, I am however by trade a goldsmith. However, I am deeply interested in silversmithing and blacksmithing as these do lean more into my fine art background.”  Forging, casting and forming metals is an ancient craft; Tshepiso explains the difference between goldsmithing, silversmithing and blacksmith, “goldsmithing is mainly jewellery and body oriented work. Silversmithing is more so object based, think silverware you only use on special occasions and that sort. Blacksmithing is also object based but the objects are made from harder materials such as iron, steel and are made to forge said jewellery and objects.” 

As a graduate of Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School in Florence, Italy, Tshepiso’s gift for wandering between form and the various techniques is matched only by her ceaseless, imaginative ways to breathe life into metals.  As she explains, “my designs are drawn from the ebbs and flows of life which in itself contains a lot of personal meaning. During my goldsmithing studies we had a particular task to complete, in the end I created a neck piece that was made of broken soldering bricks, acrylic shards and pieces of zinc strung by fishing line. This became a catalyst for my designs, broken shards, slurry drips and granular pieces to make something whole. I don’t abide by the seasonal drops. Every single piece of jewellery that I make is a dialog with what I’ve made before which allows me the freedom of consideration and care.”

Tshepiso Jewellery photographed by Armand Dicker

Tshepiso Jewellery photographed by Zhentago Er for Schön! Magazine

Tshepiso Jewellery photographed by Armand Dicker for Nataal Media

BY PANASHE

Panashe Ndhlovu graduated from Design Academy of Fashion in 2023 and her collection was a stand-out, sensory experience for CEC, who were in attendance at the DAF grad show. Though ‘quiet luxury’ and minimalism echo the discretion and isolation of the times that we live in; Panashe’s emerging brand, By Panashe, is an ode to the pure, unbridled joy of crafting techniques. As Panashe explains, “I believe that self-expression is collaborating with our inner child. My design style is based on a mixture of things like the essence of my childhood and culture as well as the influences of my personal style like Harajuku style and maximalism.”

With exceptionally executed techniques like embroidery, quilting and more; Panashe’s sartorial vision is so full of life; reminding me of the child-like wonder of the eyes through which I used to see fashion (and eyes I hope to return to). On her graduating collection, Panashe notes that “this collection is about capturing feelings of nostalgia and seeks for us to work with our inner child as adults to heal and transport us back to the moments we were most content as children. The brand is my fantasy world that I created using techniques like quilting, crochet, kanzashi flowers, knitting and ruffling to successfully elicit feelings of healing and nostalgia.” I am so excited to see how Panashe’s brand grows and continues to employ such detailed-oriented traditions into South Africa’s sartorial landscape.

Imagery by Tśele for By Panashe

NÜUMAGOO

Jelly Prest’s jewellery brand nüumagoo is the new kid on the local block – and it’s already a massive hit. Self-described as ‘shiny, wearable goop’ – nüumagoo is filling that corner of every creative person’s mind reserved for chromatic, globular, organic shapes and forms. One of the most beautiful aspects of metalsmithing is that it takes mineral treasures from deep in the earth and through an intricate process, it becomes something entirely new; it’s why the line between smithing and alchemy has historically been razor-thin. Jelly’s approach has injected South Africa’s jewellery and fashion scene with something inarticulable; from hair charms to drippy-style rings,  nüumagoo is perfect, dreamy and essential. 

For Jelly, nüumagoo has become a vessel for her creative expression – on finding this medium, Jelly says that “I don’t know if I would call myself a silversmith! I use the cire perdue method, which involves me sculpting into wax and casting those sculptures in silver. Growing up I loved to paint and draw and thought I would make a career of it. However, I always felt the pressure of perfection which in the end made me give up all creative pursuits for most of my adult life. For five years I hadn’t touched a paint brush, a tool, or anything to create with. After some self work and lifestyle changes I started dabbling in ceramics 3 years ago which led to me majorly accepting that my “perfect” was imperfection,  and that is OKAY! I guess that’s my ‘style’ – I seemed to overlook beforehand or rather, thought it wasn’t “good enough.”

Nüumagoo is the culmination of Jelly’s love for 3D mediums as both artful and functional. After being introduced to making jewellery by her partner Sam Maritz (whose brand is Ode), Jelly notes that “I like working with clay, it gave me the same satisfaction of taking an idea in my head, planning a working design, and then using my hands to mould, sculpt, and build a piece of art that I could create a purpose for. My background is in research and I can’t say I don’t love a little practicality, so I found that this medium allowed me to both use critical thinking as well as artistry.” 

On a practical and meaningful approach to building a brand, Jelly says that “as far as fashion and practicality not going hand in hand…well, Nüumagoo wants to be part of the world of brands that believe that doesn’t always have to be true. I want to create quality pieces of art people can use for function and fashion and recycle into different styling options. Working with this medium is new to me and every mistake I make leads me to learn and pushes me to be innovative. I’m excited to see where it takes me! At the end of the day I just wanted to make art I like and want to use. And it’s been really amazing to see other people enjoy it too.”

Imagery by Luke Doman for nüumagoo

DAISIE JO

“Honesty over perfection  /  at DAISIE JO we embrace our imperfections and humanness  /  it surfaces in the fabrics we source and the textile development of our garments  /  Our studio is a space where our craft is passed on from generations  /  it is important for us to use fashion to create new opportunities & train new generations  /  skill transferring  /  investing in quality  / wearable & useful art”

From the Karoo, straight to the heart of effervescent beauty. It’s hard to put into words what Daisie Jo does – and has been doing for some years. I came across Daisie’s work when I first started writing about South African fashion (my interview with Daisie here is one of my favourites to date) and it has remained one of the most fascinating spaces in our sartorial landscape. Daisie creates wearable art; embroidery onto organza, cotton or raw silks – no two pieces are ever alike, and each piece builds upon a pretty profound life, led by Daisie – who remains in Karoo, emboldened by the land and its people to create beauty, colour and consciousness. 

As the brands manifesto notes, “we focus on EMBROIDERY and fabric manipulation. We use various techniques to have a no waste process in the studio, every garment is hand cut & each detail carefully considered. Mindful creation, mindful consumption.”

Imagery by Zander Opperman for Daisie Jo

PROJECT DYAD

Project Dyad is the brainchild of Jessika Balzer, for whom hand-crafting is expressed through leather-work and design. From Project Dyad’s Woodstock studio, the brand functions as a site for design-thinking (and execution), the preservation of tradition and nurturing of the Dyad community. As Jessika notes, “everything Dyad creates is informed by the principle of hand-crafting. Dyad started with a passion for creating things by hand and a passion for slow fashion.” 

Informed by lines, shapes and the tactical (and innate pride) in using leather for its durability, Project Dyad’s incredible and perennial collection across bags, wallets and even coasters is an ode to the power of crafting as a form of resistance against mass-production, with Jessika noting that “the goal has always been harnessing expertise in a very traditional craft while infusing it with a contemporary design aesthetic and out-of-the-box thinking. The design process is tightly woven with that craftsmanship, it informs what’s possible, which boundaries can be pushed and if something can be reproduced many times. So in that way, our studio is built around craftsmanship. We take a lot of pride in making almost everything in-house in our studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. Every piece that leaves our studio is infused with the passion of the hands that made them. This thought brings me immense joy—I believe it transcends.”

Imagery by Frances Marais for Project Dyad

ABRIELLA CROCHET

Gabriella Brown’s vision for crochet is kaleidoscopic; colours and shape, motivated by yarn, tell the tale of colour as one of most powerful sensory experiences. Gabriella’s brand, Abriella Crochet, is a handcrafting dream, as she says that “handcrafting is a special kind of art. Crocheting in particular allows me to do shapes and textures that machines can’t make. The thought that someone will be able to wear and appreciate an item that took me hours and days to complete is satisfying.”

Informed by Gabriella’s own longing for a colourful wardrobe that truly expresses her essence, Gabriella explains that “I started my crochet journey in 2021. I kept coming across beautiful crochet creations, I saw how people were able to express who they are through crocheting. The fact that not many shops made vibrant coloured clothing that speak for me, I saw it as an opportunity to create things I would like. At first I didn’t have enough money to buy crochet needles, so I carved my own out of a chopstick I had in the kitchen, and used my aunt’s old yarn to start practising. Thanks to my close friends who financially supported my business, I was able to grow and buy more materials and tools to continue exploring my creativity.” This idea of using her own carved needles out of chopsticks and the support of her community – well, I’m not sure if the ingenuity involved in handcrafting can better be explained than with this?

Imagery by Gabriella Brown for Abriella Crochet 

Written by: Holly Beaton
For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

How Maison Margiela’s SS24 Haute Couture Show Astounded Everyone

Jan 30, 2024 | News, Fashion

This year, John Galliano is celebrating ten years at the helm of Maison Margiela. To mark the occasion, Galliano showcased an astounding theatrical sartorial display; for the first time in years and years, a true narrative was on offer to the fashion landscape. The show wove together Galliano’s vision and penchant for referencing; a sublime feat that the designer has always been noted for. It was 1920s Parisian underworld in some instances, 19th century ‘Gilded’ in moments; still, it felt modern and relatable, particularly because it dosed us with something we have been missing. Fashion as true fantasy. You can listen to Galliano’s own thoughts on certain Maison Margiela collections, here, to understand what I mean.

In an underground part of the Pont Alexandre III in Paris, Maison Margiela’s 2024 ‘Artisanal’ (Haute Couture) toyed with form in a multiplicity of ways. With his long standing collaborator, make-up genius Pat McGrath; model’s faces were affixed with rich hues of colour, set in a mysterious substance that portrayed a glass-like, doll-like look; otherworldly, but not technological – etheric, but also ‘of this world’. These contrasts and dances with surrealism are where Galliano has always shone brightest; Galliano is arguably one of the greatest designers of our age; I implore you to read here to learn about this enigmatic emperor of couture.

Valentine Charrasse for Maison Margiela, Artisanal 2024, Make Up by Pat Mcgrath, from @patmcgrathreal IG

Naomi Apajok Lueth for Maison Margiela, Artisanal 2024, Make Up by Pat Mcgrath, from @patmcgrathreal IG

The garments worked as distinguishing features of the model’s own form; cinched waists, prosthetic manipulation, cascading, sheer fabrics made their way down the intimate space, as the models undulated and contorted themselves; as if this were really a performance and not simply a fashion show. This was all choreographer Pat Boguslawski’s doing, alongside legendary art director Lexy Roche. As Alexander Fury wrote for AnOther Magazine, “The models – or muses, as Galliano rightfully calls them these days – wound up melding with the clothes, literally in a sequence of body-smothering pieces inspired by the Fauvist artist Kees van Dongen, who saw bodies in blue and skies in pink and green, and painted a fantasy world unlike that we mere mortals see.”

As reported by Alexander, the techniques employed by Galliano and his team convey some of the most discreet and yet astounding ‘fashion trickery’ techniques; silicone treatments to make fabric appear soaking, or treated with glue to age – decoupaged lace and ‘porcelain’ necklaces. It was as if the Atelier had spent months simply playing and we were finally allowed to see the final thing. 

The show featured many incredible threads, but nothing quite held people’s attention than the fanciful and brilliant mind of Pat McGrath, fashion’s legendary make-up artist. Beauty fanatics on social media furiously sought out the trick; with WWD reporting that the product might be revealed by McGrath, as part of her own iconic beauty brand. 

It appears that in the midst of luxury fashion’s ill-fated relationship with excess and overconsumption – true artistry still exists to inspire us all. Thank you Galliano, for seeing your work through.

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Fashion designer Robyn Agulhas on experimenting with trust through her brand, SinCHUI

Jan 30, 2024 | Interviews, Fashion

I first spoke to Robyn Agulhas in 2021, having been introduced to her work through Lemkus. Robyn’s brand SinCHUI (pronounced ‘sin-chewy’) was only two years old; born out of her graduating collection at CPUT (Cape Peninsula University of Technology): an institution that arguably boasts one of the best fashion departments in the country. In our conversation back in 2021, Robyn was one of the first designers hopping onto a sartorial wave most commonly defined as ‘tech-utility’. A branch of streetwear with a scrupulous focus on construction and functionality, SinCHUI’s ‘tech-utility’ approach has grown from strength to strength – and Robyn has come to be one of the most important contemporary designers in South Africa. So much so that Robyn was recently awarded the SA Fashion Weeks Mr Price ‘Scouting Menswear’ competition. The prize, aside from its immense industry recognition, includes mentorship, cash and a collaborative collection between SinCHUI and Mr Price, launching in 2024. After four years of building SinCHUI, this recognition is hard-won and symbolises a kind of grit in Robyn that I hope many aspiring designers will attempt to embody. 

For someone who has overcome many doubts and a self-professed ‘late start as a designer,’ Robyn described the win, “I didn’t go with any expectation to win. My goal was to just showcase at SA Fashion Week because as a platform alone, they’re just incredible. It was a dream come true just to have SinCHUI as a runway show. Regarding the win, I’m really proud of myself – especially as a creative, it’s a win over my doubts and my fears. Going into the unknown and designing collections for a fashion week was an immense challenge and it proved to me that I really love what I do. I am getting more involved with loving the process.” This was the second collection that Robyn produced last year for a runway show, having shown for African Fashion Spaces in September. I’ve spoken before about the importance of seeing streetwear on the runway; it brings brands directly to an audience for whom tactically remains paramount. Asking Robyn how winning the award at SA Fashion Week felt, she says, “when I got back from SA Fashion Week, I had to jump straight into another project. I’m not sure I even had time to process it! I’m still processing it and when I got back, I needed to rest. Winning this award has shown me how much I’ve grown. I’ve been working on this brand since I graduated and I have taken every single opportunity that has come my way; so I look at this moment to affirm that pushing and not giving up really, really does pay off.”

SAFW AW24 SinCHUI

Robyn created this collection in her own studio, something she had been working on for quite some time to have; a space of her own and home for SinCHUI to evolve, “a win for me is also just knowing that for the past for months, I have this space, I can pay the rent – I could buy a machine. I want to encourage younger brands to aim for those small milestones, because they make all the difference. Being able to build something from the ground up is a slow, steady process”

Robyn’s story forms part of a thread of synchronistic conversations that we have been having on CEC; namely, pursuing your creative vision, no matter what or especially, no matter when. Robyn says, “The last time we spoke, I had just started to focus fully on SinCHUI. I started in politics, then I worked in the fashion industry as a stylist; all throughout my twenties, I didn’t have any idea that I would become a designer or have my own brand. I was just trying to find my feet in fashion. I thought that because I couldn’t draw or sketch, that being a designer couldn’t be part of my journey. So, SinCHUI was born from my determination to overcome the obstacle of wanting to be a designer and the doubts I had in my mind about my ability to do so.” 

Success is a blend of talent and determination. In this world, original ideas exist in everyone’s minds; but whoever is able to integrate these ideas from the ether and anchor them into the world, are those that will see fruition in the work. Robyn describes her initial worry of going back to study fashion in her late twenties, and explains how her perspective has changed – “actually, graduating at 29 was really good for me. I knew who I was, I knew what I liked – that I was a streetwear designer. Sometimes things that happen later for you in life are exactly the way it’s meant to be; with that confidence of knowing, of having developed a point of view from life experience.”

SinCHUI’s winning collection last year at SA Fashion Week was a love-letter to her childhood; specifically, how it was informed by her father and his soccer lineage, arising out of Heideveld. Extremely well styled and constructed, the collection speaks to a current phenomenon (by designers like Grace Wales Bonner, Martine Rose etc) of women designer’s innovative approach to menswear. Robyn explains that, “the brief was from ‘sport to street’ and I knew instinctively that I would focus on soccer. Growing up, my dad played soccer in the community that he’s from and he ended up playing at a professional level, provincially. Back in the day, Coloured people had a league of their own. I grew up with soccer as a huge part of our lives and I grew up on the soccer field. I took the elements of the goal-keeper, the jersey – the warm-up tracksuit – I even created a formal suit that teams wear when arriving for matches. There was so much to reference from soccer along with my personal connection to it; seeing firsthand what an impact soccer has had in my family and broader community.” This distinct and personal point of view is precisely why Robyn finds herself in this moment. Robyn explains that in designing this collection, she had realised that her sartorial influences had always involved a sporting aesthetic – and with her mom having worked in the fashion industry, it was clear that blending sporting and fashion sensibilities could come naturally. Robyn says, “sport really encompasses a mental toughness that is so powerful. Although I grew up in Goodwood, my parents would take us back to Heideveld – to where they come from – so we always retained that connection to our family roots. We did this through soccer and I saw kids growing up who might have been affected by gangsterism and have the odds stacked against them, but when they came onto the soccer field; they could just be and find some kind of freedom. This collection is my love-letter to this part of my life and aspects of life across the Coloured community.” 

As a designer and creative, Robyn’s focus is to ‘tell exactly what I’ve lived’; this earnestness and authenticity is a precious addition to South Africa’s broader sartorial identity. With 2023 having been a whirlwind year, one only knows what 2024 will bring for SinCHUI; we wait and witness with bated breath.

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Southern Guild present Solo Shows by Rich Mnisi and Justine Mahoney

Jan 29, 2024 | News, Art

Rich Mnisi: Dzuvula (Shedding Skin)
8 February – 18 April 2024 

Southern Guild Cape Town presents Dzuvula (Shedding Skin), a solo exhibition of collectible design by Rich Mnisi, from 8 February to 18 April 2024. Comprising sculptural bronze furniture and lighting, as well as a hand-woven limited-edition rug, Dzuvula is an expansion on the cosmology of duality that emerged with the designer’s debut collection, Nyoka (2021). The body of work complicates the interplay of the mundane and the magical, the matriarchal and magisterial – themes that have emanated from the artist’s embrace of fluidity as a guiding philosophy and aesthetic approach.  

The snake – with its embodiment of fear and beauty – makes a reappearance in Dzuvula, the undulating arcs of its movement distorting and disrupting borders and edges. A hiss resounds through this collection, a sensuous whisper hinting at something deviant, rubbing against boundaries, smoothing hard gradients, holding within its resonant sound conflicting truths and contrasts. 

A polished bronze table, titled Mbhoni (Witness), bulges and swells outwards, held up on a serpentine limb that at once embraces and impales it. A pair of sculptural seats, Ripfumelo I and Ripfumelo II, combining bronze armatures and sheepskin seats, introduce a soft lushness to the collection, embodying fear/comfort dualities. 

 In Vutlhari II (Wisdom), a bronze chandelier, the serpent contorts over and into itself in a manner best described as swirling, consuming wisdom handed down by our forebears. In this edition of the chandelier – a collaboration between Rich Mnisi and designer Charles Haupt that debuted in Nyoka – the shades have been printed with an intricate snakeskin pattern.

Dzuvula also references Bumba, the Bushongo mythological god who created life by vomiting up elements of the natural world. Shiluva (Flower), a rug in Tibetan wool and silk, depicts the primordial soup of Bumba’s regurgitation of life. Nyoka II, a curved console which also first appeared in Mnisi’s 2021 solo, is punctuated by the winding form of a bronze snake, its storage cavity concealed by richly patterned beading inspired by Mnisi’s 2022 Mafamba Yexe fashion collection. Bursts of gleaming bronze are interwoven with insights from the past and the future.

Rich Mnisi’s ‘Mbhoni (Witness), 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

 

Collaborating closely with Southern Guild, Mnisi brought his visions to life by working with various artists and artisans including Charles Haupt of Bronze Age Studio, who was instrumental in Monkeybiz, Paco Rugs and. This aligns with both Southern Guild and the designer’s commitment to promoting craft and South African handwork.  

 Collaboration is an incredibly intimate praxis, requiring connection and closeness before it can reach for comprehension. Intimacy as a theme runs throughout Mnisi’s works, in the way their forms hug the body and require the viewer to move around, their silhouettes changing with every view. Nwa-Mulamula’s Embrace (2021) is named after his great grandmother and models its form on the curved shape of the late matriarch. Reworked in concrete for this collection, it is a powerful evocation of the transfer of knowledge between generations, here transmuted into a gesture of peace, reflected in its title, Rhulani (Peace).  

 Where Nyoka attempted to hold the frictions and tensions of creation and life, Dzuvula expands on this world to draw parallels between the snake’s duplexity and our own conflicting nature. Nyoka spoke to creation through regurgitation and the drawing together of things; Dzuvula speaks to the things that quietly encroach in between. This new body of work is the spark created by that friction: the animation of life. Reflective surfaces refract and manipulate light, creating many forms from the teasing apart of one.   

 “We are at once faithful and faithless, bound and free,” Mnisi notes. “Sustaining existence within life’s many tensions defines the human experience. Dzuvula turns the acceptance of this immutable truth into a sensory journey. Every piece reflects the result of growing into oneself – risk and vulnerability, strain and ease – through a vocabulary of forms, patinas, patterns and textures.” 

Born in Johannesburg in 1991, Rich Mnisi’s broad design vision embraces fashion and functional sculpture. His work flows according to the themes and motifs he returns to and continually pushes forward: the women in his life, queerness and the VaTsonga tribe. 

 Mnisi graduated from Johannesburg’s LISOF School of Fashion in 2014, following which he was named Africa Fashion International Young Designer of the Year at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa. He founded his eponymous label in 2015, creating genderless, seasonless collections infused with his own personal narrative and heritage. 

 His first solo exhibition of sculptural furniture, titled Nyoka (meaning snake in Xitsonga), was a bold exploration of shape and fluidity, brought to life through vivid contrasts of forms and materials, including bronze, wool, resin and glass. Mnisi’s work has been presented by Southern Guild at Design Miami and Investec Cape Town Art Fair.  

Rich Mnisi’s ‘Mbhoni (Witness), 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

 

Justine Mahoney: VIGIL
8 February – 18 April 2024 

Southern Guild Cape Town presents VIGIL, a solo exhibition of ceramic sculptures and paintings by South African artist Justine Mahoney, from 8 February – 18 April 2024. The artist reimagines the 12 Jungian archetypes in a series of sculpted figures and large-scale paintings on heavy-weight fabric. Rooted in a wealth of esoteric theory, Mahoney’s archetypes embody and mythologise facets of the collective human unconscious.  

Over an extended period of isolation during the pandemic, Mahoney began a daily practice of self-enquiry through Jungian meditation. Encountering what Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung referred to as “Mythopoetic Imagination” – the dark and fertile landscape of active imagination – the artist conjured vivid manifestations of each archetype. Jung believed these archetypal models underpinned man’s innate and universal personas, behaviours and motivations. They appeared to Mahoney as messengers, carriers from the invisible terrain, arriving as “giant psychic forces” from within. She crystallised their final forms after extensive research into Tarot, Plato’s theory of forms, and a close reading of Jung’s journals (The Black Books) and manuscripts (The Red Book: Liber Novus). She also drew heavily from esoteric knowledge systems that pre-date the advent of Judeo-Christianity. Treating imaginative thought and fantasy as vital creative functions, VIGIL surfaces from a subversive reality; one that belies rationality to ground itself more freely in the ancient, essential and human. 

Mahoney’s process of sculpting this body of work echoes the digital collages in her previous series. Shaping the clay into the desired form, each figure was then deconstructed – bisected, hollowed out, interchanged and reassembled to take their final expression. This act of disruption and reconfiguration extends throughout Mahoney’s three decades-long career, which has been characterised by a preference for transgressive, hybridised figuration. This hybridity is the result of a distinct self-awareness that has seen the artist remain active in and awake to both the making of her work and the larger examination of her own identity.

Justine Mahoney, Mother, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

Justine Mahoney, The Heroine, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

Justine Mahoney, The King, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

The works in VIGIL regard the figure as an amorphous vessel, transforming each body into irregular contortions. Mother arches backward, life-giving milk flowing from her breasts as 10 fingers reach through her stomach as if growing from within. She is the creator and destroyer, both the abundant life-force and the abyss. The Child looks skyward, mouth agape, holding up two large hands in what could be interpreted as either acquiescence or protest. The figure stands at the precipice of a new beginning, the cosmic infant of boundless possibility. The Wanderer, wearing a hooded cloak, eyes peering out from a painted face of red, holds the head of a wolf. They are the hungry seeker, returning with the spoils from the divine hunt. Some figures read as plant-like, with braided hair or limbs reaching downward to ground themselves in the earth. Mahoney considers these apparitions as the denizens of our inner worlds, encompassing the duality and rapture of our universal humanity.

The painted earthenware figures stand on ebonised plinths of indigenous cedar and pine, which Mahoney treated using the centuries-old Japanese wood-burning technique of Shou Sugi Ban. Each plinth has been torched with a flamethrower, blackening the wood before being sealed with an ebony stain. Returning to painting after years of working solely in bronze, clay and digital collage, the artist created a corresponding series of enamel paintings on large segments of fabric. The two-dimensional figures appear flattened, reducing the form of their sculptural likenesses to deliberate silhouettes of line and colour. The immense paintings – hanging almost from floor to ceiling – converse with the clay bodies, retaining each archetype’s energetic weight in a reimagined graphic figure.  

In a moment of epistemic restlessness and global upheaval, Mahoney’s VIGIL finds renewed meaning in ancient, inner knowing. The body of work elevates the primal and perhaps forgotten knowledge of our collective humanness and shared mythologies.  

VIGIL by Justine Mahoney runs concurrently with Dzuvula (Shedding Skin) by Rich Mnisi at Southern Guild Cape Town from 8 February – 18 April 2024.

Justine Mahoney, The Queen, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

Justine Mahoney, The Wanderer, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

COMING UP AT SOUTHERN GUILD 

Cape Town Gallery 
Justine Mahoney: VIGIL, 8 February – 18 April 2024 
Rich Mnisi: Dzuvula (Shedding Skin), 8 February – 18 April 2024 
 
Los Angeles Gallery 
Zizipho Poswa: Indyebo yakwaNtu (Black Bounty), 22 February – 18 April 2024 
Mother Tongues, Group Show, 22 February – 18 April 2024 
 
Fairs  
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, 15-18 February 2024 
Main Section 
Solo Section: Kamyar Bineshtarigh 
Generations: Terence Maluleke 
Expo Chicago, 8-14 April 2024 
 
 
ABOUT SOUTHERN GUILD
Established in 2008 by Trevyn and Julian McGowan, Southern Guild represents contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora. With a focus on Africa’s rich tradition of utilitarian and ritualistic art, the gallery’s programme furthers the continent’s contribution to global art movements. Southern Guild’s artists explore the preservation of culture, spirituality, identity, ancestral knowledge, and ecology within our current landscape. Their work has been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LACMA, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pérez Art Museum, Mint Museum, Harn Museum, Denver Art Museum, Vitra Museum, Design Museum Gent and National Gallery of Victoria. Since 2018, the gallery has collaborated with BMW South Africa on a year-round programme of meaningful activations that promote artist development and propel their careers. Located in Cape Town, Southern Guild will expand internationally with a 5,000 sqft space opening in Melrose Hill, Los Angeles in February 2024. 
 
Press release courtesy of Southern Guild  

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Alita Limona releases her debut Lofi Hip-Hop EP

Jan 26, 2024 | New Release, Music

Alita Limona makes her return to Stereofox with the comforting new EP Grandpa’s Closet – a project that takes inspiration from the Jazz Age of the 1920s. 

As the daughter of a jazz musician, German beatmaker, and multi-instrumentalist, Alita Limona grew up between the music studio and the stage, even penning her first songs at the age of 13. Her talent and dedication have led to her becoming a stand-out force in the beat scene as she consistently acquaints listeners with visceral feelings of nostalgia. 

“The idea for the EP started out as a side project while I was working on my debut album. I got lost in browsing through old jazz vinyls and absolutely fell in love with the sound and feeling they gave me. And I love Vinyl Crackles. Makes me want to cuddle up in a blanket and sit next to a fireplace with a good smelling book. Working on it made me nostalgic and think of my grandfather a lot. I imagined the life he might have had when he was young. I pictured him as an actor from those old movies dressed in handsome vintage clothes hanging out in underground jazz clubs. I improvised vocals on some of the tracks and intuitively felt like singing them in golden 20s style like Lana del Rey does. The songs are about love and the beauty of momentum before the speed and business of digital times.“ says Alita Limona

Alita Limon Grandpas Closet EP

From the vinyl crackles to the cosy and vintage-looking artwork, Alita’s adulation for yesteryears can be seen and heard all over Grandpa’s Closet EP. Thoughts of her grandpa stayed with her throughout the creation of this body of work, and served as the inspiration for the opener “Grandpa’s Video Projector” and the follow-up “Grandpa’s Old Leather Jacket”. On the lead single “I Can Watch the Seasons Change,” she goes one step further, adorning her smooth and nostalgic instrumental with a soulful vocal performance delivered as if she’s from the 1920s. Ushering you into an experience that feels reflective and romantic at the same time, this release marks the arrival of her debut EP and romanticises the beauty of momentum before the speed and business of digital times.

Listen to ‘Grandpa’s Closet’ HERE 

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Press release courtesy of Mike Kelly 

Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton unveils instrumental gem ‘Midnight Milan’

Jan 26, 2024 | New Release, Music

Co-founder of the influential group Thievery Corporation, Eric Hilton unveils instrumental gem ‘Midnight Milan’, the first single taken from his forthcoming album Sound Vagabond, a 14-track sonic travelogue created by one of the fathers of downtempo electronic music.

As co-founder of the influential group Thievery Corporation, Hilton has spent decades merging diverse global genres into a singular music vision. Sound Vagabond is perhaps the ultimate iteration of this ethos, each track an audio picture postcard of a place real or imagined. “Some memories of the places I’ve been are very clear; others are distant, nostalgic echoes,” says Hilton. “This record started modestly, with some basic ideas, but after writing the first 8 tracks I knew I had a travelogue.”

Hilton, who has used sampling in his music since the early days of Thievery Corporation, didn’t go digging into crates to create crunchy 12-bit vinyl samples for this record, but instead turned to public domain sample libraries. Saying, “This record is like a sound collage, with 60% samples and 40% live instruments. Sampling off old vinyl records is great, but there are obvious licensing and clearance headaches. Public sample libraries are a fantastic resource; you dig through a lot of hilarious garbage, but I’m astounded by the nuggets you can find. You can find specific instruments in any given key, and then the challenge is chopping them up, recontextualizing and integrating them with the track you’re making.” The end result is music where the samples don’t call attention to themselves or distract from the carefully curated mood in any way.

A perfect way to ease into 2024, “Midnight Milan” brings to mind a late night assignation, breathy promises and a doomed kiss.

Listen to ‘Midnight Milan’ HERE 

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

DJ Lag & Mr Nation Thingz release viral TikTok song ‘Hade Boss’

Jan 26, 2024 | New Release, Music

Mr Nation Thingz originally teased ‘Hade Boss’ on TikTok in December – a collaboration he’d been working on with 2023 SAMA Best Gqom Album winner, DJ Lag. What they didn’t anticipate was how much the song would blow up on TikTok and champion its own dance challenge, long before it was finalised or had a release date pinned down. Thousands of fans will be pleased to know that ‘Hade Boss’ is now officially available on all streaming platforms.

According to Mr Nation Thingz, “‘Hade Boss’ is about talking to his boss, telling him that he wants his annual bonus now that it’s December because he wants to go party and have fun. He wants to experience the summertime, and play with the other kids.” Essentially an anthem for pens down and vibes up.
Mr Nation Thingz may sound unfamiliar to some, but he’s amassed nearly half a million followers on Instagram and regularly draws large crowds at his performances. He broke onto the South African music scene in 2021, but his first major hit ‘Tholakele’ became a national success in 2023. When he began working on ‘Hade Boss’ his first instinct was to send a direct message to DJLag on Instagram to collaborate on the track, and the rest is history.

DJ Lag x Mr Nation Thingz x Hade Boss Single Cover

Also featured on the track is KC Driller, a DJ, producer and songwriter who has previously collaborated with DJ Lag on their joint hit ‘Shululu’, featuring Loki.
 DJ Lag is no stranger to releasing national hits, with his most recent collaboration with Blxckie becoming a local sensation.Starting 2024 with a banger, ‘Hade Boss’ is set to become the anthem for this year’s summer.

Listen to ‘Hade Boss’ HERE

Connect with DJ Lag:
X (formerly Twitter): @RealDJLag
Instagram: @realdjlag
Facebook: @realdjlag
Tik Tok: @realdjlag
YouTube: @DJLAG

SA Producer MrMilkDee releases new single titled ‘2 Positions’ ft. Jill Rock Jones, Remixed by Sean McCabe

Jan 26, 2024 | New Release, Music

Foliage Records presents its first release for 2024 with a welcome return for US singer songwriter Jill Rock Jones, who has teamed up with upcoming South African producer MrMilkDee for the single ‘2 Positions’. Adding weight to the package is multi-talented UK producer and remixer Sean McCabe.

Atlanta native Jill Rock Jones keeps it raw & digs deep with another stirring demonstration of soulful flavour whilst Sean McCabe provides layers of deep synths & jazztronic piano over those rolling percussive afro beats. Matsobane Lucasta Teffo, aka MrMilkDee, hails from Polokwane and is one of the latest emerging deep house DJ/Producers to rise to prominence in South Africa. This is Jill’s third collaboration on Foliage after previous releases ‘Tell The Story’ with Daz-I-Kue and also ‘I Don’t Like It’ Jill with The Realm.

Having released his first tracks in 2003 at the tender age of 17, Bristol-based producer Sean McCabe has had plenty of time to develop & fine-tune his sound, a trademark sound that is effortlessly soulful. McCabe has remixed the likes of Dennis Ferrer, Evelyn ‘Champagne King and Blaze whilst amassing an impressive discography of nearly 100 releases for labels like Local Talk, Strictly Rhythm, Vega Records, King Street, Tribe Records, Quantize and Dave Lee’s Z Records.

MrMilkDee & Jill Rock Jones

Listen to ‘2 positions’ HERE

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

The Sanctuary of Amy Ayanda’s Music

Jan 25, 2024 | Interviews, Music

Though music has always been in Amy Ayanda’s experience, the life force within her artistry is indistinct from her journey of becoming a mother; at just twenty two years old. The creative energy required to call in a song or to grow life might seem far apart; yet, the feminine source of this principle remains the same. Amy is both an artist and a musician; with the former being her everyday and the latter – an uncomplicated, comforting companion that she shares with her husband Dean Berger and their band. I  spoke to Amy ahead of a rare and special performance for Danilo Querios’ theatre series titled ‘Quiet Live’. The next one, featuring Amy Ayanda and Kozo Zwane, takes place at The Avalon Theatre District Six Homecoming Centre on 2nd February 2024 – the site of the old Fugard Theater venue. A seated venue, it is expected to be an intimate and significant affair. 

Amy’s relationship to music tracks a sequence of sonic time-capsules; with her decade-long journey releasing music serving as cathartic conduits for growth and grief alike – and today, the garment of music that she wears is a more straightforward site of playfulness. Amy explains that, “I always loved making music, but it was more like in my bedroom. I went up to quite high grades in piano and flute in high school, but then I stopped – it was too intense for me. I painted instead and did art as a subject, which I then went to university for. My brother taught me my first guitar chords, but It was only in my fourth year at Michaelis that I released a song; I had played something I’d written a long time ago, for my friend Thor and we then developed it and put it out. The song was called ‘La Llorna’ and it did very well. It was so random – it was even picked up by Noisey Magazine.” This track captures a very specific moment in Cape Town’s music culture; with Amy’s soft vocals encompassed by poetic and pronounced lyrics – accompanied further by Thor Rixon’s signatured, textured production. It is indie-informed electro; poetic, robust and precise. As Amy notes, the music video was recorded in Thor’s room. Amy would go onto release an EP on SoundCloud that year (to have a pre-streaming age SoundCloud footprint should tell you something about Amy’s sonic path; a veteran.)

Then, something surreal would take place following this initial release and its success. Amy recalls, “I went overseas to Berlin after university, so I was around 22 years old – and I found out I was six weeks pregnant. It was a very big shock, but I had this feeling that ‘I was having this child.’ – I just knew it. Termination just did not arise as an option, even though I looked into it. Everything in me was telling me to have this baba.” As she reflects, now well into motherhood, there is a matter-of-factness that Amy expresses when sharing this part of her life. Though, one could imagine how difficult this moment might have been; as a young woman, at the beginning of their adulthood journey. At this time, Amy’s mom was very sick; so, when her mom found out via video call, Amy knew that destiny had made the decision for her. As Amy says,“My dad is an Anglican priest and I was terrified of getting in big trouble, being unmarried and pregnant. His response was just, ‘I can’t believe your mom got a picture of the scan first and I didn’t!’ He was just so happy that my mom was going to see her grandchild.” 

Music was Amy’s catalyst for moving through the many threads of change, grief and love occuring all at once in her life. As she says, when she came home to Cape Town (very pregnant) she was asked to play mainstage at Rocking The Daisies. As Amy says, “I was seven months pregnant at the point. I had no band and no idea how to perform. My partner Dean was like, ‘I will make you a band!’ – and so he got his best friends involved, with Dean on drums, Jesse Gilles as our guitarist and Daniel  Breiter who is also a guitarist and producer, and Glein Stein, on bass. They digitised the songs, so it was this mixture of electronic sounds with live instruments. I was just pregnant; really pregnant, growing this baby and performing our hearts out, with me holding my back with one hand and the mic in the other. It wasn’t difficult, it was so much fun.”

The transformative act of giving birth signalled a new beginning; and Amy’s earlier work is completely tied to becoming a young mother, noting that she’s not sure many people realise just quite how personal her earlier work is. Amy says, “I had quite a spiritual way of looking at life when I was younger. I had an intrinsic pull towards nature and going to electronic festivals that took me to other realms. I think you can see that in my work to this day, but I’m not actually that way so much any more. One of the EP’s I named ‘Ab Ovo’, which means ‘from the egg’. I started writing it when I was sitting in the clinic in Berlin, seeing young parents with children – and realising that it was so normal to have children and to incorporate them into your life. The song is me kind of talking to Dean about us doing this. The EP started then, with that song, and was finished and released when our daughter Frankie was one. At the end of the EP, there’s an appraisal and if you listen very carefully, you can hear Frankie’s voice singing in the background.” Walking between the worlds of life and death is rarely so intensely experienced by most people, with Amy saying that “at the time that I put that song out, my mom was very ill; she had cancer for 22 years, and by the time I was pregnant with Frances, it had become extremely severe. Being between that boundary of life and death was profoundly beautiful and incredibly difficult. Back then, music was very much a way to process the grief that I was experiencing.”

I ask Amy whether being an artist and a musician requires a boundary between the two? When a concept arises – how is it sorted, visually from sonically? On how her expression emerges, Amy says that “I have always had a boundary between my music and art. In retrospect, my art is about loss – and belonging, letting go of things – and tender moments that you can’t otherwise hold onto. I think my art still speaks a lot about those things. Music, on the other hand, has remained something that works in and around my life, as it happens. I have kids – and a lot going on – so sometimes I’ll sit down and just write, and then the actual recording only happens a year later. Music is this feature of how I deal with stress, it’s an outlet for how I release stored up energy. With music, I don’t have a self-imposed direction around it and that has been very, very liberating.” 

While Amy doesn’t get to perform or make music as much as she’d like, music remains a portal that is precious and necessary for her. Ahead of her Quiet Life performance, Amy notes that this is a rare moment, saying that “we get asked to play shows often but it’s just not humanly possible for Dean and I – with childcare, rehearsals, preparation – so when we do perform, it’s very much the right space and context for us.” As for the performance itself and without giving too much away, Amy notes that the first song is especially picked by her and the band for Danilo, Quiet Life’s founder; “the set is going to start with one of my favourite songs from an EP called ‘Young’, from when I was pregnant with the twins. The song is called ‘Frank’ which is my daughter’s name, and it features an ad-lib; a sound that we stumbled onto by mistake, almost secretly encoded into the track. Dean had this really weird machine at the music school that we used to produce at – and it was broken, which made this terrible sound. We realised that if we could turn it lower and compress it a bit more, it would make this really beautiful hum. So the song starts with this long note, which adds so much length. It’s Danilo’s favourite song – so we are starting with that one. We will also be doing a lot of new songs, too.”

As for the future of Amy’s music? Well, it’s a constantly evolving space. Having transmuted seismic portions of grief, Amy’s next release is her self-described favourite style; “I love sad music. I just wanna write sad shit – it’s comforting.” With a decade-long discography and transient musical career, I am left feeling the rarity of Amy’s music – a very unique space in which her music works for her, as part of her whole life. Amy Ayanda is, beyond labels and job descriptions, an embodiment of how many strands there can be for an artist to weave. 

Listen to Amy Ayanda HERE

TICKETS ARE NOW SOLD OUT for ‘Quiet Live 003’ featuring Amy Ayanda and Kozo Zwane’
Friday, 2nd February 
19h00 to 23h00
The Avalon Theatre, Homecoming Centre

Portraiture photographed by Jesse Navarre Vos

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

‘New Year, New Me’ – A realistic guide on resolutions and what’s in and out for 2024

Jan 24, 2024 | Lifestyle

Somehow, we are already approaching the end of January; the start of 2024 is racing by at unprecedented speed. Schools are up and running and corporate cubicles have already drained their occupants of all the festive joy that they had clutched to, while gyms around the country are both overcrowded and simultaneously sneering at the sheer amount of people who will have to pay penalties for cancelling their memberships early. 

New Year’s resolutions rarely stick. A Time Magazine article claims that a staggering 80% of people fail to keep to their resolutions by February and only around 8% stick with them throughout the year. I am guilty of this myself, going from a dedicated two hours of studying Korean daily to a quick toilet lesson to keep my stupid little streak alive (oh, the shame). So, instead of hanging your head in shame, think of the new year as an opportunity to pick up some new things and rethink your routine. Let’s not try and completely reinvent ourselves when we can rather take more overarching steps that benefit us and those around us.

After Hours by Shauna Summers, via DTS

IN:

Therapy as a form of self-care: This is precisely what I mean when I refer to a more overarching approach because self-care will look different for every person. It’s not all about facemasks and candles and meditating or getting to the gym. You might be the most active person with their diet absolutely dialled in, but that has led to an unhealthy and unbalanced approach to daily life. Self-care can be as simple as getting out of the house, keeping active even if that activity level is minimal and prioritising activities and actions that bring a sense of fulfilment but the one bit of self-care I’d recommend to everyone is therapy. Fuck, get everyone you can on that. Friends, family and lovers alike . Learning to understand and manage our triggers is one of the most sane and valuable things we can do for ourselves. Let’s be honest; we have no chance to look at our own lives and experiences objectively. It’s important for every human, at some point, to speak to a professional about what they’re going through, have been through and to evaluate areas of self that need healing and addressing. It doesn’t always have to be a long dramatic endeavour, for some it might be simpler than for others but check in, evaluate and evolve. It will do wonders for your personal, professional and romantic lives.  I’d also like to include in this self-care segment, physical health; getting enough sleep (guys, we’re ageing) – or, even the most banal forms of self-care like getting that mole checked out or actually going for blood tests to see if you are in fact, gluten intolerant- hell, even start on some supplements. Why shouldn’t we feel our best?

Sort of digital detoxes: Now, hold up, don’t go on that digital detox just yet. I need you to read this article for me to get paid. However, this is an important issue that I think we often hear about without truly internalising its reality. Most of us are utterly addicted to the very device you’re reading this on. We are wasting away our lives on pure screen time alone. South Africans actually average the most screen time per day globally (around 9h 27m); not that I’m surprised – I see way too many people literally scrolling through TikTok while driving on the highway. Being online is an essential aspect of modern society. It is a treasure trove of information, but once again, if you’re consuming TikTok on the highway or spending more of your day on Instagram than you are in real life, you’re getting robbed of reality. Get outdoors, give yourself a buffer in the morning before doom scrolling and set up times that devices aren’t allowed so that you can be present and, I mean, fully present for those important people around you.

All things adulting: This is most certainly the hardest of all of the in’s because, well, even at the best of times, adulting is a fucking nightmare. Taxes, rent, saving for holidays, being able to save at all in a crippling cost of living crisis while my disdain for my medical aid provider grows by the second as they increase my monthly payment every three months? All of it is too much, but unfortunately, we have to do it.. I’m trying to save up for my wedding in Korea, all while feeling like I’m in an inescapable chokehold of monthly expenses when my debit orders do catastrophic damage to my bank balance. Frankly, I’m failing, but fortunately, that is all also part of the ebb and flow of adulting. I’d like to recommend a book by Sam Beckbessinger, ‘How to Manage Your Money like a Fucking Grownup: The Best Money Advice You Never Got’. Also, do your taxes. 

Being Politically Active as a South African: This is not the time and place for an at-length discussion about politics and certainly not with regards to the complexities thereof on a global and domestic scale, but given that it is an election year and given that this election plays a significant role in determining the trajectory of our country for at least a 5-year cycle I can no longer sit by as people complain about shortcomings in SA all while silently observing from the outside. The global geopolitical chaos of 2023 illuminated the need for political participation on both a global and particularly local level. Let’s not forget that decades of oppression and discrimination were fought against for a chance at democracy, for the right for all South Africans over 18 of all races and gender identities to choose who they want to represent them. I get that we feel let down, that it feels somewhat hopeless, that it feels like nothing much will change. That is certainly true when the youth’s fate is predominantly left to those who don’t represent our interests. Around 63.3% of South Africa’s population are people in the 15 to 34 age category, according to Statistics South Africa in 2020, but we have always been vastly outnumbered at the polls. There are, however, promising signs as 78.31% (445 089) of newly registered voters from November last year formed part of this demographic. So, this is more of a call to action. I know it can be depressing and overwhelming to be constantly bombarded with just how fragile our world is. Still, whether you participate privately or publicly, we simply have to participate. See you at the polls.

Photographed by Sora Shimazaki, via Pexels

Photographed by Sarah Chai, via Pexels

OUT:

Self-doubt: We can all be our best selves all the time. Creeping doubts are a normal part of day-to-day life. Channelled correctly, these doubts can be impactful precursors to immense growth as they tend to be reflective periods in which we can really hunker down and see what we want to keep and what we’d like to scrap. I am, however, referring more to the absolutely debilitating levels of self-doubt that feel paralysing—imposter syndrome on a professional and personal level. Let’s get this straight absolutely no one has it all figured out. No one knows what the fuck their doing, and that’s sort of the beauty of it all. There’s no need to feel left behind or embarrassed and certainly no reason to be inauthentic because, frankly, we’re all just moths flying endlessly from light to light, trying to figure shit out.

Self-destruction: I more than most often advocate for some level of hedonism, often adopting a “why the hell not” attitude and seeing where the chips fall. Unfortunately for me, that usually means a spiral into a deep depressive episode that takes weeks, if not months, to get out of, so in 2024, we are leaving all that shit behind. Look, I’m not saying don’t enjoy yourself. I, for one, am still going to indulge in my hedonistic tendencies, but the keyword here has to be balance. No more binges, body banging off the wall benders or breaking yourself down in self-pity. 

Over time/thinking/consumption: We are leaving many “overs”  this year. First and foremost is overtime. Granted, sometimes it has to be done, whether you’re an employee or self employed but once again guys, balance is key. You’re not good professionally if you’re burnt out.. Secondly, this year, we really need to leave overthinking behind. Imagine we are playing out whole scenarios before they even happen based on what assumptions, at best fucking miss me with that. I feel like I already have a million things to think of on a day-to-day basis, and simply put, I will try not to allow myself to spend a lot of that time fixated on fantasy. Last but not least, overconsumption. There simply is too much of a good thing, and wastage across the board is insane. We throw away an absolutely ridiculous amount of food, trends die, and items end up in landfills. The sheer demand for things means we are burning through crucial resources faster than they would ever be able to be replenished. So, this is a call to be more mindful. Buy smaller shopping carts and make sure you use everything, eat your leftovers, curate small but functional wardrobes, buy quality over quantity, and, most of all, be conscious of every consumer action you take. 

Not being present for yourself and others: I may have touched on this in the digital detox segment, but I mean it differently within this context. At the core of it, life is fundamentally one big game of time management. It’s finite and inevitably ends for all of us, so your job, above all else, is to choose how you will spend it. This brings me to my point: spend it wisely. Drop the “I’ll do it tomorrow” attitude because you’re only stealing your time and consuming that invaluable resource. Similarly, this also extends to respecting other people’s time. Fuck fashionably late, be there when you agreed on and be present. Time is the most valuable asset, so don’t neglect it.

Photographed by Ron Lach, via Pexels

Let me level with you. I’m not surprised that the failure rate of New Year’s resolutions is that high. Frankly, I don’t think people are all that desperate to change. We are a collection of flaws and frailties of self-loathing and doubt. We are acutely aware of all our shortcomings, but at the end of the day, they make us who we are. I don’t expect anyone ever to completely turn their life around and become a gym freak, a raw vegan health nut who never does anything wrong. Hopefully this is a guide on how you and I can be even more likeable to ourselves and those around us.

Written by: Casey Delport

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za