100 Gecs: The Face of Hyperpop

    100 Gecs is an American indie band, started in 2015, that has been stirring up the alternative, indie scene through their new and creative music. The band consists of only two members, Dylan Brady, and Laura Les, from St. Louis, and have released three albums and a self-titled EP since they began collaborating. Their music has a very chaotic yet creative sound and is unlike any music I’ve heard in the past by combining various styles and redefining popular pop tropes. 

The two’s creative process for creating and producing music is very collaborative between the two artists and they don’t often take themselves too seriously when working; they’ve been quoted saying “We started out doing the goofiest shit… and we’re still just two friends having fun” which I believe gives a lot of insight to the personalities behind the duo. How 100 Gecs makes their music is through a back-and-forth process, where Dylan and Laura will continuously send each other the audio files of a song until they believe it to be done, putting their own mark and impression each time. 

    Although the band is just two members, they will frequently collaborate with outside artists, such as Chalie XCX, Rico Nasty, and others, which takes them from a very high Q coefficient to medium Q. This helps them stay creative through the cycle of new ideas with new creators but also efficient through their history of working together. I also believe that their creative process follows the Geneplore Model, in which the two work both as divergent and convergent creative. They generate new ideas for music and send them back and forth with each other and analyze the output. The two have said that the process is like an improv mentality where they "try to have fun and write songs that we would want to listen to". 100 Gecs also is greatly influenced by the music scene and pop culture, taking inspiration from Breathe Carolina and I See Stars.

    As a whole, 100 Gecs is the conglomeration of several different music styles and genres, putting out never before heard music and redefining the hyperpop scene. I recommend checking out their first album, 1000 Gccs, and their most recent album, 10,000 Gecs. 

Sources:

https://www.kerrang.com/100-gecs-laura-les-dylan-brady-10000-gecs-album-hyperpop-mememe-interview-cover-story

https://www.gq.com/story/gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs-gecs

https://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/100-gecs-interview-new-album-10000-gecs/

Shadi Ghadirian: Blurring the Boundaries

    Shadi Ghadiran is a female Iranian photographer that uses her different identities to showcase her emotions and thoughts about being a woman in the contemporary world. 

    Born in Tehran in 1974, Ghadirian would continue to live in Tehran, eventually attending college there with a major in Photography. During her final years of college, Ghadirian's mentors pushed her to showcase her work in a group exhibition in 1998. 

    Ghadirian first photo series from this exhibition is one of her most recognizable projects to date. Ghadirian had access to the images of the Shah from the Qajar era when photography was first brought to Iran. In her work, she draws inspiration from the images, but infuses her own contemporary twist. She utilizes the clothing and makeup styles from the Qajar era, with painted backdrops that mimic the opulent nature of the period. However, Ghadirian has the women pose with a myriad of objects that one might connect with the capitalistic nature of the West. She uses Coke cans, boomboxes, USA tracksuits, bikes, and more to mess with the binary idea of life in the East versus the West. 

    While Qajar focused more on the plight of Western idealization of the East, some of her other projects use her identity of being a woman to show what it is like being a woman in Iran, but also in the world as a whole. Ghadirian's series entitled, Like Every Day, shows Iranian women in colorful, around-the-house chadors with everyday household items covering their faces. Ghadirian uses cleavers, brooms, kettles, pots, and more to act as the "face" for the women. One fun fact is that all the items used in this shoot were wedding gifts recently given to her, which planted the idea for this photo series in her head. 

    Both Qajar and Like Every Day utilize playing with space and time to form the ideas that Ghadirian is trying to showcase. While the emphasis on which identity Ghadirian showcases is different from series to series, Ghadirian always makes sure to put her whole personality into each photo. Qajar breaks the notion that the East is stuck in the past and is starkly different from the West with the use of "Western" products, but also plays into this notion with the adherence to Qajar Era style wardrobe. In the Like Every Day series, Ghadirian plays with the composition of space in her stylings of the women, as she has the household items replacing the women's faces. This series speaks to the way that women are seen in Iran, and all over the world, as feminity is viewed as being in the domestic sphere in most places. 

    Shadi Ghadiran is definitely a Pro-C creative for now, but I would even argue that she is a Big-C creative as well. Ghadirian was one of the first female photographers in Iran and crossed a multitude of boundaries that shook the people of Iran and the people of the world. Ghadirian uses her own personal experiences of being a woman in Iran and on Earth, and highlights the feelings and actions of women all around the world. Ghadirian's implementation of blurring the boundaries between space and time, East and West, or man and woman make her pieces one of a kind. I would say that this implementation is akin to collecting, as she is gathering all of her experiences and ideas to combine them into one coherent piece.

Sources

https://www.shadighadirian.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadi_Ghadirian

Tony Khan: The Mastermind Behind AEW

Almost everybody has probably heard of WWE, but a new wrestling brand has emerged in the United States in the last 5 years. Tony Khan is the founder of All Elite Wrestling, the United States' second-largest wrestling company. For most of professional wrestling history, it seemed like WWE was untouchable as the US’ most prominent wrestling company, but Khan is giving WWE a run for their money.

As many people know, professional wrestling is different from other sports because the matches are performances are planned beforehand. It still is an immense show of athleticism and showmanship, but the foundation of companies like AEW or WWE is the storytelling and planning behind the scenes. Tony Khan is the head creative at AEW, working with all of the wrestlers at AEW to create the shows for the multimillion-dollar company. His job is to get the best out of the wrestlers while creating an engaging and appealing show for the viewer. Weighing in at 160 pounds at 5 feet 5 inches, Khan himself is no wrestler, but he works with world-class athletes behind the scenes.

Even though Khan has no wrestling background, his creative process was shaped at a very young age. Khan has noted that he used to create his own wrestling matches on paper with his favorite WWF/WWE wrestlers. He would create his own storyline and matches, which is exactly what he does now for AEW. His passion really shines through as he notes that his main goal is to just have fun in making the shows. While there are certainly extrinsic motivations in the form of viewerships and pay-per-view subscriptions, intrinsic motivation drives Khan and his creativity. He enjoys working with all of his wrestlers and doing the same things he did as a kid, but this time for national television.

One key part of the creative process for Khan is collaboration. Yes, he is the head creative at AEW, but he has numerous wrestling experts at his disposal. He works with wrestlers who have worked in WWE, TNA, ROH, and other numerous wrestling brands. Many of them have years and years under their belts in the ring. Months in advance, he meets with all the wrestlers and they work as a group to maximize the wrestlers' skills within Khan’s overarching storylines. Many disgruntled WWE employees have moved to AEW because of the lack of creative freedom they had individually in WWE. Khan has installed that as essential to the creative process for the matches at AEW. As a result, several world-class professional wrestlers have achieved success from an individual standpoint, as well as a commercial standpoint at AEW. 

AEW is still in its infancy, which is the main reason that Khan has yet to reach Big C status. However, his creative directive has set the company on track for major success. Within the wrestling industry, he easily finds himself within the pro-C distinction and realistically, only needs more time as head creative to ascend to Big C status. The brainstorming Khan did as a youth has come a long way- so much so that it would not be a shock if AEW becomes the largest and most successful American professional wrestling company in the near future.

Sources:

https://uproxx.com/prowrestling/tony-khan-creative-process-aew/

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/tony-khan-describes-aews-creative-process-talent-who-contribute-ideas

Stan Mikita: Innovation in the Sport of Hockey

 Stan Mikita was hockey player who was born in Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia on May 20, 1940. He was originally born as Stanislav Guoth, but he was adopted by his aunt and uncle, Anna and Joe Mikita, when he was 8 as his parents believed that they would provide him with a better life in Canada as Czechoslovakia was then under a communist regime. Mikita would later go onto dominating the NHL as he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He would amass an impressive resume as a 2 time recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy for league MVP, a 4 time recipient of the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scoring, a 2 time recipient of the Lady Bing Trophy for sportsmanship coupled with elite play, and a 9 time All-Star player. He is also the only player to win the Hart, Art Ross, and Lady Bing doing so in consecutive seasons. 

Stan Mikita's impact on the game of hockey was not only defined by his impressive resume as he also was credited with the invention of the curved blade. He did this at first by accident as his stick blade got caught in the boards and was curved. Instead of retrieving a new stick, he continued to use the broken stick and found it improved shot velocity significantly and allowed him to shoot the puck from different angles. Upon this revelation, Mikita and Bobby Hull, a fellow Hockey Hall of Fame teammate, began experimenting with warping the blades of their wooden sticks. They began by soaking the sticks in warm water and letting them curve by placing them into a door jamb overnight. They continued to improve this process by soaking the sticks in water, using a blow torch to warp the blade, and cooling it in an ice bath. This innovation led the NHL to create a rule that limited the amount of curvature on the blade of a stick.

Stan Mikita can be seen following the Geneplore model. By first breaking his stick on accident, he unknowingly generated a preinventive structure. He and Bobby Hull would go on to explore and interpret the new possibilities created by the curved blade. During this process, they would find constraints in the process of creating the warped blade and would continue to improve the process until they found it satisfactory. The motivation for this innovation was both intrinsic and extrinsic. The intrinsic motivation came from Mikita's love and passion for the sport of hockey, but he also had the extrinsic motivation of increased scoring production due to the competitive edge he now held over other players.

Mikita would forever change the sport of hockey as now all players use a curved stick due to its increased efficiency compared to that of a stick with no curve. Sticks would go on to be constantly improved to help enhance the athlete's performance, and the start of this innovation came from Stan Mikita.

https://www.grunge.com/1183522/the-hockey-stick-rule-that-completely-changed-bobby-hulls-shooting-game/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Mikita

Gelsey Kirkland: Overcoming Adversity to Create Artistic Masterpieces

Gelsey Kirkland is a legendary ballet dancer and choreographer whose contributions to the art form are nothing short of revolutionary. Her remarkable talent and dedication to her craft have resulted in a body of work that is both breathtaking and inspiring. However, Kirkland's journey to the top was anything but easy, as she faced a number of mental health challenges that threatened to derail her career. Despite these obstacles, Kirkland persisted and continued to create art that has touched the hearts of audiences around the world.

Kirkland was born in 1952 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and began dancing at a young age. She trained with some of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world, including the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. Her talent was quickly recognized, and she was promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre at the age of just 19.

One of Kirkland's most notable works is the ballet adaptation of the classic story "The Nutcracker". In 1983, Kirkland and her partner, Mikhail Baryshnikov, premiered their version of the ballet, which was a critical and commercial success. Kirkland's interpretation of the role of Clara was particularly praised, and the ballet has become a holiday classic.

Kirkland's creative process was often described as intense and focused. She was known for her attention to detail and her dedication to perfecting every movement. Kirkland's choreography often explored complex emotions and themes, and she was unafraid to tackle difficult subject matter.

Kirkland's mental health struggles have been well-documented. She struggled with anorexia and drug addiction throughout much of her career, which led to a number of personal and professional setbacks. However, Kirkland was determined to overcome these challenges, and she sought treatment to help her manage her mental health issues. She has been open about her struggles and has used her platform to advocate for mental health awareness and treatment.

Despite these challenges, Kirkland continued to create art that touched the hearts of audiences around the world. Her legacy as one of the greatest ballet dancers and choreographers of all time is a testament to her resilience and perseverance.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/nov/20/gelsey-kirkland-rise-fall-ballet-star-memoir-review 

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/arts/dance/gelsey-kirkland-from-ballets-brink-to-recovery.html 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/ballet/gelsey-kirkland-nutcrackers-bittersweet-heroine/