On Monday, Rustin shared Tellason with you– a denim company that produces stylish, durable jeans that are sourced, cut, & sewn right here in the U.S. of A. In continuation of the “think global, act local” fashion theme, I’d like to share with you “Sidewalks.” We love when friends have new, creative, ideas– and we love to enrich your lives by passing them on!

Chelsey Ann is a Denver local and talented young fashion designer. Sometime late April she’ll be launching Sidewalks: a website that features the street-wear styles of everyday people. The idea is similar to LookBook in that it offers a resource for people to discover new trends in fashion. What differentiates Sidewalks, however, is the photos posted will not be taken of obscure occupants of a distant region. Instead, they’ll be candid shots of YOU, Denver! Chelsey Ann, the creative genius behind the site, is on a mission. She will be sacrificing sleep, privacy [and possibly her liver], to become your personal paparazzi. Chelsey will be taking it to the streets of Denver to catch all of you fashion-forward folks in your best-dress. Then, she’ll post photos of you for the world to see, judge, and impersonate.

That’s not all, though. The best part? After your leather jacket/sun dress/Chuck Taylors combo hits the world wide web, this fashionista will break down the outfit for readers. She’ll offer finely tuned art-school commentary on the styles and provide direct links to similar (if not the same) pieces online! You’ll be able to pick up new unique styles without spending your weekends hanging out in front of City O  City- waiting to stalk the hipster you just saw walk in wearing those ambiguously labeled “perfect jeans.”

Here’s an example of what’s to come:

The creative community in Denver continues to grow and thrive, and so do mustaches…

One example of this vibrant creative community is Westword‘s annual music and art festival known as Artopia. For the last four years, they have hired me to produce their fashion show performance. I try to be very careful and selective with the projects I say yes to… and Artopia has been one of those projects that has been very fun and rewarding. Starting last year, I invited the talented Abella Bala to co-produce the show, and together we helped turn the fashion show into a huge performance that has pulled in over 1,200 people each of the last two years. The venue chosen for this fashion experience is the three story City Hall, on 11th and Broadway in Denver. Below is a small photo recap of the evening….photos by Jessica Lambiase

Each year, we bring in a film crew to produce a video that tells the story of the shows theme and is used as the introduction into the fashion performance. This year, we joined forces with the talented Focus 4 Design team to bring you the DARK CITY GLOW video. I would also like to thank, NXT Modeling Agency, Floyd’s Barbershop, V.A.I.N Cosmetics, Jessica Lambiase, and the talented clothing brands/designers; Akomplice, Jiberish, Rae Marie, Trophy, and Denver Bespoke.
Enjoy the video below…

My writing process typically begins with 5-15 open tabs in my browser– the majority of which are completely unrelated to one another. I read a little of this one, I scan that one for a second. I will probably mosey on over to Facebook or my email at some point.

As I was thinking about the unorganized manner in which I approach my writing I started to wonder what habits stifle creativity, and what habits encourage it to flow freely into words on a page (so to speak).
I sat down to compose a post for you on a riveting topic (something to look forward to next week!). Poetically, however, my  creative process lead me to stumble upon this cool little video. The music is different… but the animations and ideas are rad.
Enjoy:

What is your creative process? What do you do to encourage creativity?

- Ches Sheridan Arms

“You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis. You’re the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. ”

Ok, so maybe Tyler Durden’s soap box is a bit too tall for me to stand on, but what he’s getting at here truly resonates with me– as I’m sure it does for many of you. The notion is: Don’t let your social status or your possessions dictate who you are.
However, Tyler’s last sentence here implies we cannot do this because we are no better than anyone else. I beg to differ. I strive to do better and be better every day. And in many instances, I believe we can be better by possessing less.

A while back I was geeking out on Mashable(a website that covers digital culture, social media, and technology news) and ran across an article titled 4 Big Trends for the Future of Sustainable Tech. The whole article is awesome and I highly recommend the quick read, but #3 on the list really caught my attention. The concept is “Micro-Living,” and the idea behind it is that we can reduce, or do away with, much of the material goods we accumulate in our lives.

Think of a goldfish in a bowl. If you put a tiny goldfish in a big bowl, it will fatten up and grow to the size of it’s environment.
If you put a perfectly content human in a big space, they find themselves yearning for “things.” They will seek to fill that space– unnecessarily.

Simplicity is sometime the most difficult thing to accomplish. Living a simple life, or building a simple structure….can be a lifetime exercise, but sometimes everything seems to flow together into a perfectly simple idea or creation.  Tonight I stumbled upon this bridge built in The Netherlands. It exemplifies mankind’s ability to create a simple and efficient structure that blends into its surroundings, yet still serves a purpose.

People often attempt the improbable of walking on water. We have often walked underwater in a pool or ocean, but to walk below water without getting wet or wearing a diving suit was nearly impossible until now. Designed by RO&AD Architects of the Netherlands and Belgium, this pedestrian bridge is an access route to the Fort de Roovere, part of the 17th century defense structures. The concept and execution is so unique that from afar, it is really non-existent. All that you see is a marked line in the landscape but it appears flat and it doesn’t interrupt the views of the area.

Only when looking and standing parallel to it, can you experience the depth and unique experience of walking under water, all without a drop of water on your clothing. uilt with Accsys Technology, Accoya wood undergoes a nontoxic proprietary modification process called acetylation that prevents fungal decay from the exposure of water and moisture while increasing its structural stability. While this water walkway is simple in concept, it is quite complex in its execution.

One of the most important marine and ecological issues facing our planet is the rapidly diminishing sea-life population.
This post is about a very important organization named PangeaSeed that raises money and awareness to fight these issues
PangeaSeed’s mission is to contribute to the protection of sharks and the preservation of our oceans by taking responsible action, increasing public awareness, and providing education that encourages environmental activism and sustainable consumption choices.

They have also done a series of incredible art shows, which soon will be coming to Denver…

PangeaSeed hosted its third annual not-for-profit art exhibition entitled Sink or Swim, taking place in Tokyo, July 16 — 22, 2011. The show offers viewers new perspectives on the widely misunderstood and demonized shark.  Tokyo Sink or Swim featured never-before-seen artwork from over 40 artists from Japan and around the globe, such as Dave Kinsey, Yoh Nagao, Brad Klausen, and Jim Phillips.

The series of events showcased the issues surrounding shark finning in Asia and other parts of the world, where the majority of these sharks are killed only for their fins to satisfy an unsustainable appetite for shark fin soup. In the cruel practice known as “finning,” the shark is hooked and brought aboard the boat where its fins are then cut off and the still alive but limbless animal is tossed back into the sea to drown.

With each minute that passes close to 200 sharks are killed, adding up to an astonishing 80 million deaths each year. In the spring of 2010, the Food and Agriculture of the United Nations reported that if we continue to consumer seafood at the current dangerous and unsustainable levels, our oceans’ fish will be gone by 2048.

Let’s face it: we are consumers. Whether we consciously attempt to reduce our consumption or not, if it wasn’t for Black Friday and arbitrary shopping sprees our economy would atrophie. It is what it is, whether we like it or not.
Last week I shared the concept of “dining mindfully” with you. On Monday, Rustin asked the question: “Can a Product Really be Sustainable?” Whilst considering these topics my mind drifted to wood… and NO, not the wood that normally “pops up” when sitting alone in front of one’s computer- the more sustainable kind. Ya know: the kind that remains useful for more than 5 or so minutes…

Before we make a purchase, many of us don’t consider what it took to create our shiny new object– Nor what happens to the materials in an item once we are through with it. However, to remedy this lack of concern, all we have to do is purchase from the brands that have already thought of this for us! Piece o’ cake!

Wood is one of [if not] the single most sustainable resource(s) on our beautiful planet. Trees are naturally renewable. With responsible manufacturing waste is virtually eliminated by creating products out of wood. There is far less energy and fossil fuels that go into their production. The durability of a finished wood product contributes to it’s longevity, not to mention the fact that wood stores carbon– thereby reducing the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. And finally, at the end of their initial life-cycle wood products are very easily recycled for other uses!

Now that you’re psyched on cedar and revved-up on rosewood, get out there and earn some style points!

• WeWOOD fashions the dopest wooden timepieces from mostly scrap-wood and uses state-of-the-art Miyota movements forthe guts, resulting in a unique watch that’s handsome, earth-friendly, and splash-proof.
• Shwood is a self-proclaimed experiment with nature. They make handcrafted wood eyewear created with the finest exotic woods.
• Omerica Organic designs and crafts wooden plugs and jewelry, to your specifications, from a single block of wood. Even better: they’re a young bunch of pierced and tattooed artists based in a workshop right here in Denver!

“Wood is Good.”

Merel Karhof is a London based company that has developed ingenious ways to use the world around us to create very close to zero-impact products.
Take for example their “Wind Knitting Factory”. This clever invention uses small windmills connected to a knitting machine to make custom scarves. Each scarf has its own label which tells you in how much time it has been knitted and on which date. The video below displays the beautiful, simple and intelligent creation.

***
Windmills were used in Persia (present-day Iran) as early as 200 B.C, and yet we still do not see them used in every day life… especially in urban areas.
I think the “Wind Knitting Factory” is a perfect example of taking ancient knowledge and showing new ways to apply it in a very self-sustaining, low-impact business.

- Rustin Coburn

WHEW! So it’s Wednesday now and the week is in mid-swing. Halloween is [finally? unfortunately? gratefully?] behind us. We continue, however, to re-live the debauchery through the posts and pictures of our online friends.

(On second thought… if they gave you Sharpie ink poisoning, pissed in your shoes, or screwed with you in any unacceptable manner while you were passed out, are they truly your friends? BUT, I digress…)

This week social media outlets have served as a fragmented storyboard– allowing us to reminisce about (or put the pieces together from) the weekend. Because this holiday is my single favorite of the year I wanted to take a couple moments to pay homage to another All Hallows Eve of epic proportions.

The first moment will be in silence… for all those lost in our inebriated states. Thank you, you sweet little brain cells. I would like to say you wont soon be forgotten– but in all honesty, I’m still using Facebook to piece together Saturday night. I can only assume you were once cordial contributors to my IQ.

The second moment will be to share the Halloween experience had by the crew over here at DVLP Life. Now, we’re not normally ones to brag, but let me tell you: we’re awesome. From epic costumes to awesome company, we did Halloween right. And now a look behind the scenes at the staff:

Rustin Coburn
Costume: Blackmail!
Props: Postage Stamp,
Photographic Memory (more dangerous than a camera)
Attended: Taxi Eurotrash Bash and
The DTC Haunted Hotel Party

Abella Balla
Costume: Dust Bunny
Props: Hot Pink Sunnies (found on floor),
Rabbit Ears,
The Keys to Every Guy Dressed as Mr. Clean’s Heart
Attended: Taxi Eurotrash Bash and
The DTC Haunted Hotel Party

Ches Arms
Costume: Tyler Durden
Props: Stunna Shades, Red Leather Jacket, Undeniable Swagger
Attended: Taxi Eurotrash Bash and
The DTC Haunted Hotel Party

Tyler Browning
Costume: Lucha Libre
(The Masked Wrestler)
Props: Leather Mask, ‘Shiver Me Timbers’ Chest Carpet, Smokin’ Blonde Sidekick
Attended: Hudson’s Wholesome Festivities and Skrillex

_________________________________________________________

Awesome?
Yeah… we know. And now I’ll open the comments section up to you!

- Tell us how you rocked the casbah this weekend!
- Vote for your favorite DVLP Life hoodrat!

Ready?! GO!

- Ches Sheridan Arms

… SHORT FILMS… anyone?

It’s like, 15 minutes, and you’re left with the same engaged/satisfied feeling as you are from a feature, you get to see the world from a different point of view, AND you just saved an hour… Brilliant!

If you have a few minutes, check out the awesome short film below to see a rad|creative approach at promoting positive and sustainable communities.
Because happy people = happy communities.

Enjoy!

XO
Abella