#WCW Rosha Brister

In honor of her birthday today, my #WCW goes to Rosha Brister.

@sheezylocsem

Rosha Brister is the owner and founder of The Style Hub, an online style directory where you will be able to locate all of your local stylists in one place. Basically Rosha is dope and can connect you with the people that you need for all things fashion and style related. In addition, Rosha has been a continuous supporter and Head stylist of CopyWrite over the years helping to bring our fashion spreads to life all while just being an amazing woman to see grow.

This boss lady is creative, kind, has amazing locs and the most beautiful soul. I’ve been  very lucky to know her and super excited to see her impact on the Fashion community of Milwaukee. One of the things I’m really excited for is an event called, 'The Battle of Salons & Style Expo.” It’s an opportunity for stylists in hair, beauty and fashion to brand, expand, and showcase their expertise in the beauty, fashion & style industries all under one roof.

Click the image above to learn more and buy a ticket! You won’t want to miss this. #ImThePlug #ItsADopeEvent

I’m also excited about her newest initiative "MPowerment In Style" where The Style Hub along with RW Enterprises and Copywrite has teamed together to create something new for the community.  The goals of this initiative are to provide young adults with expertise in event management, business to business relations and knowledge within the style industry, while building confidence and cultivating a sense of community. The kick off to this initiative will start as early as 2019. And not only is this an opportunity I wish I had growing up but it also is something that could help move Milwaukee to become a more fashionable city. YESSSSS for The Style Hub.

All in all, Thank you Rosha.

CopyWrite appreciates everything you do and everything you create to make Milwaukee a more fashion forward and BETTER place.

Follow Rosha for fashion inspiration on Instagram @sheezylocsem and keep up with her brand on Instagram @_thestylehub or on Facebook @thestylehubmke

#WCW Ebony Haynes - Double Dutch to Dreams

My #WCW was picked for multiple reasons. The first being that she’s been popping up on my timeline a lot because she’s on the countdown to get married and I’m definitely a sucker for Black Love coming thru and shining. #Goals #LiveLoveLewis #SorryForBeingACreeper But aren’t they adorable?

When she’s not making me extremely happy for her happiness, Ebony Haynes is just an overall beautiful soul to be around. By day she’s a Program Manager at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and by night, she founded and operates Double Dutch to Dreams. “A movement designed to inspire kids to be kids through the reinforcement of positive images, healthy fun activities and community building [with a] focus on life skills and personal values training.”

@amandaevans.photography

Ebony has “always been passionate about working with youth and over the past few years she realized the many disparities hindering their growth. She wanted to find a way to engage youth and young adults to help keep them active and growing to their best selves. Double Dutch was one of many ways she remembers having fun, being active and in the community growing and building with one another.”

I definitely was more of a turner but I definitely would step in the cords when I was feeling brave enough hahaa.

@amandaevans.photography

Overall, I can’t get enough of her positive energy, wisdom and the honest glow that radiates from this lady. She has a huge heart that literally shows by a simple conversation and we’re taking a second to appreciate it.  

Follow our #WCW on Instagram @ehayneslovely. 

Learn more about Double Dutch to Dreams and how to donate to the movement at doubledutchtodreams.com.

/Syn

#WCW Nicole Acosta

“You can’t be what you can’t see.” - Marian Wright Edelman

This quote often holds true when thinking of career paths for people of color. Often seeing people who look like you in the same types of jobs over and over again.

This was me as a creative in Milwaukee’s advertising community.  

For the company I worked for I had quickly became the only creative of color (female too) and throughout Milwaukee’s (WHOLE) creative ad community, I knew of one Black Interactive Art Director, one Asian copywriter and about five to six graphic designers that were of color (non-white folks). This left me feeling isolated and alone for most of the beginning of my career but very disappointed in the lack of diversity and inclusion in the region.

Leading to a lot of questions: Why? Why were there no people that looked like me? Was this just a Milwaukee problem? Why did I work at an agency of 250+ people and there was only four people of color? Why don’t more people of color know that they NEED to be in advertising/marketing? Just why?

My main answer came back to the quote “You can’t be what you can’t see.”  And though it’s not that simple; Learning about new career paths and seeing people who look like you and come from similar backgrounds like you, can often change your path in life.

Now enough with me, but into showcasing people that are doing their thing to change the game. **drum roll please**

Our #WCW this week is Nicole Acosta, a Chicana-first generation Mexican-American. Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI with indigenous roots in Mexico. Nicole has made it her life’s mission to preserve cultural practices and traditions and activate safe spaces in her hometown where people can connect to their cultural identities. Whether through dance, visual art or written word, most of Nicole’s work reflects movement, oral and visual storytelling and identity. A lover of travel, Nicole seeks to learn from the origins of where our cultural practices were birthed.

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Management from Alverno College with a minor in Elective Studies and is also a dedicated student of Puerto Rican Bomba dance at the AfriCaribe Cultural Center in Chicago, IL. She is a proud graduate of the Milwaukee High School of The Arts, and prior to her transfer to Alverno, spent years at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and Milwaukee Area Technical College studying photography.

As an intersectional artist, Nicole’s work has been exhibited throughout the city of Milwaukee, published locally and nationally; and she has performed spoken word and dance. In most recent years Nicole has devoted her life to art education for Milwaukee Public Theatre, Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, Latino Arts, providing hands-on teaching and creating original curriculum focused on the restoration and preservation of Latinx cultural experiences. Her next career move will be in the summer of 2018 were alongside her partner they launch Botaníca Creative, a marketing-branding-photography & design agency! I’m excited.

Campaign sample photos of Pascual and young girls: Creative Direction and Photography: Nicole Acosta, Graphic Design: Jazmin Delgado 

---

Also in honor of being a WOC in advertising I asked her to answer the following questions to get a different perspective of advertising life in Milwaukee.  

1. How does being a Latinx creative influence your work in advertising?

"Being a Latinx creative first and foremost automatically suggests that I will create from a place of culture or of my ethnic upbringing. Which is true to a certain point. This is where being a Latinx creative in the advertising/marketing industry becomes a challenge. When I was in my final year of college at Alverno where I earned my degree in Marketing Management, I researched agencies in Milwaukee specifically seeking POC in the industry. The results were not very surprising as you can imagine. This is where I saw an opportunity to pursue marketing and advertising, I had a niche. I could reach specific target audiences that a lot of these agencies could not. I am Latinx, bi-lingual, I stay relevant with socio-cultural trends and I take pride in being a Millennial. I consider myself a hyper-intersectional artist, meaning I have studied multiple art forms and have taught and worked hands on in some capacity throughout the years as this artist but never really knew how to make a career out of it. I binged watched MadMen for an entire month and fell in love with the idea that I would one day I would be the Latinx version of Don Draper because this is exactly how I could channel my creativity. So I befriended my partner Jazmin Delgado, a graphic designer and together we began to envision Botaníca Creative, an agency that specializes in assisting clients through the creative process resulting in visual dialogue aka visual communications. We were intentional about our branding, that we plan to launch this summer. We want to be taken seriously, as as women of color in the creative industry without our culture being at the forefront defining our work because this is not the expectation for non-woc. Although our Latinx culture is extremely important to us. We want our work to speak for itself. Being Latinx influences us creatively no doubt, and we see this in the authentic relationships we build with clients, and most importantly representing Latinx in the creative industry, we hope more young Latinx women/girls pursue careers in marketing, advertising and graphic design!"

Campaign sample photos of Pascual and young girls: Creative Direction and Photography: Nicole Acosta, Graphic Design: Jazmin Delgado

2. If you could change one troubling aspect you’ve experienced in the advertising community into a positive outcome, what would it be?

"I would say the lack of women of color in the industry. It’s such a disappointment. Most times it’s because women of color don’t have access to the same opportunities as non-woc. I feel like agencies should see this as an opportunity to recruit from local colleges such as Alverno (shameless plug) or at least offer internships. A little outreach and authentic community building goes a long way."

---

Nicole continually inspires me to keep working and developing my craft so that these conversations become a lesson from the past.

Follow our #WCW Nicole on Instagram @MOSSCROWNMUJER @BOTANICACREATIVE

And if you have a story you want to share about our #WCW or an experience in advertising; let me know in the comments.

Keep creating. /Syn

#WCW Aja Janay of Heal + Glow

“Close your eyes. Then breathe in; breathe out.

Take a moment for you.”

This is why I love yoga and meditation. It’s not about anyone else other than yourself. It’s a time to be selfish; to check in with yourself and to remind yourself of how you’re feeling at that moment.

---

This is why this month’s #WCW is Aja Janay; the creative director and founder of heal + glow. She “began making candles during my time as an undergraduate to relieve [her] … stress, anxiety and moments of deep depression. During those really dark moments of sadness, the flames of each [lit] candle reminded [her] that there's always a little bit of light in a space full of darkness. This light did not come easy. [She] had to fight for the light.  [She] was forced to journey into the crevasses of my being to find what was there.” 

Photo by FreakishNerd for Papyrus and Charms

heal + glow is a candle line but it’s also more than that. They use their online and social platforms to discuss and share self-love and self- care along with visual arts, literature, performing arts, and the latest in fashion and beauty.

But back to the candles, their packaging is beautiful. The scents are magical and their perfect “to add to your meditation practices, your alters for rituals, or to your relaxing baths.” A FreakishNerd favorite is the Egyptian Amber; because well, who doesn’t love Amber candles? And I'll be buying some new additions to my candle collection soon. :) 

Follow Aja at @ajajanay or heal+glow’s Instagram @healglow. Read their amazing blog for some motivation and Black girl magic then buy a candle so your practice, home and bath are on point here.                                                                

Thanks for being beautiful inside and out Aja. 
 

#WCW Marie Carter of "The Classic Shoppe"

Keep it classic with this month’s #WCW Marie Carter the owner of “The Classic Shoppe”.

She’s an educator, a soon-to-be mommy, a business owner and did we mention she’s full of #BlackGirlMagic.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Marie decided to go to Tennessee State University after her earlier education in the suburbs. Her experience in the the HBCU taught her how to embrace and appreciate her culture but also was where she first saw Black kids taking pride in their education and handling their business. It gave her a sense of pride and made her want to inspire others to gain the same new found strength.

Marie has her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and went on to earn her Master's in Curriculum and Instruction concentrating in Reading. She’s currently teaching middle school in the heart of Milwaukee. Yes, this is part of her #BlackGirlMagic.

She started her company after realizing there was a need for this in the market. “She did not want to wear something with a band she never listened to or a face of someone that she really did not have that much in common with, just because the colors matched what was needed to complete an outfit. And when she did find a rare gem with a person or a quote with whom she could identify, it seemed like it was the same person or quote, just served up different ways.”

We all can relate to that.

The Classic Shoppe is her way of appreciating and putting her culture in the clothing she loves. Because like they said on their site:

“It all boils down to this: if we don't honor and preserve our culture, who will?”

Shop The Classic Shoppe to support the culture. Find it on there site here or follow their social media to get the newest part of your wardrobe. FB: The Classic Shoppe IG: @theclassicshoppe

CW Featured Designer Dee.Denim // Darla Shanae

As CW Fashion Editor; Vato believes we need to know more about our Designers and other outlets for fashion in/out of Milwaukee.

I would love to represent the our 1st featured designer Darla Shanae of Deemolishment Denim. I've known Darla for about 3 years now and seen so much of her work. It is great! 

My first encounter with Darla was for a fashion show: she styled me in a white blazer trimmed in Denim. I loved it. 

I want you all to take a deeper look in to Deemolishment Denim.

Meet Darla Shanae.

About Dee.Denim

THE MOST FASHIONABLE WAY TO RECREATE YOUR WARDROBE! 

Deemolishment Denim™ was created by Darla Shanae in 2010. It started out as taking old, unattractive denim and turning it into GLAM, FASHIONABLE denim apparel! The initial goal was to have clients provide their old clothing for "deemolishing", but through displayed quality and professionalism, clients have been known to provide brand new and cherished items for custom design. This was beyond flattery! Whether clients provide new or old denim items ... once it has been deemolished, it has been blessed by the Heavens of Denim Fashion :) 

Over a short time span, Deemolishment has grown into providing custom clothing to customers in the Midwest area. Through our online Etsy store, Deemolishment has also grown to provide these beautiful pieces to people across the United States and also Worldwide! 

At this time in their career, DeeMolishment Denim is offering DIY Workshops (Universal Denim) around the nation to teach at-home ways to destroy and recreate denim. So far, the workshops have been provided to middle/high schoolers in hopes of inspiring them to become entrepreneurs of their own someday. Inquire with the shop members about this opportunity! 

All images provided by Dee.Denim // Etsy

#WCW Tasha Rae Jewelry

For most stylish individuals, a good piece of jewelry can change the whole look to your outfit.

So have you seen Tasha Rae's jewelry?

Located in BayView, Tasha Rae Jewelry offers handmade and modern accessories. All made with love from our new #WCW Tasha Rae herself. This lady boss is a "jewelry designer, blacksmith and fabricator." She is "inspired by old world traditions mixed with contemporary themes and [has] a persistent desire to create timeless accessories that convey confidence, uniqueness and style." 

You can see this all in the quality and craft of her products. We love it.

Check out her work below and visit tasharae.com to shop or take a class at there studio to make your own jewelry. #SupportTheLocal

All images provided and owned by Tasha Rae Jewelry.

( facebook.com/TashaRaeJewelry/ and tasharae.com )

#WCW Kelsey Lawson

A Weekend Native, singer (have you listened to 'Not Quite Vegas?'), killer photographer and amazing graphic designer, say what up to our #WCW Kelsey Lawson. 

However since we don't know too much about this beauty other then her crazy talent with the lens; we'll just leave some of her work here and let it explain for itself. 

Like her facebook page for more updates and tell us who our next #WCW should be.

#WCW Daneisha Kay

Say what's up to our #WCW Daneisha Kay.

As a Milwaukee based illustrator and pattern designer, Daneisha Kay has been reinventing the way cultures and traditional mediums relate to one another.

From her expressive portraits to her intricate patterns, Daneisha brings to life different pieces by incorporating rich and bold colors with decorative arrangements that you can see in nature.

So what are you waiting for?

Check out some of her work below, e-mail her at www.daneishakay@gmail.com for any inquiries and let us know who our next WCW should be. 

Artwork provided by DanieshaKay.com.

#WCW Yessica Jimenez (Xerione Illustration)

If you haven't heard of this #WCW in 2015, you may need to relearn your alphabet.

In 2015, her "Milwaukee Hip-Hop Alphabet," not only represented MKE's ever growing musical talent but also showcased her skills with a pencil. The alphabet (shown below) introduced some of Milwaukee's artists to the public and even brought together the arts community and the hip-hop community to collaborate more often, and you know we love that!

Yessica aka Xeroine is an illustrator as well as an extremely talented photographer. In her work you can see a mixture of influences from her Mexican roots, urban background, as well as her love for traditional anime and line drawing.

She's always creating and we can't wait to see what she has next for us.

Maybe a mural on the side of a building dedicated to Milwaukee's hip-hop scene? Or a whole gallery of Xeroine Illustrations? Or maybe she will finally be able to finish her alphabet with the final missing letter? Know any hip-hop artist with a 'U' in their name?

Anyhow, see her work below and if you can't wait to work with her, feel free to reach out at yessicajimenezmke@gmail.com or like her facebook page for more updates.