This is part two of my last blog entry about Vogue Magazine and fashion photography as an art form. I saw an ad in this month’s Vogue that I thought was amazing to this effect. It says “Some people in this wired age question the fitness of the magazine business. They suspect it’s in tough shape, even failing health. A genre no longer in vogue. Well you might be surprised to discover that readers 18-34 actually read more issues than those 35 and older and that our overall readership is growing. In fact, nearly 300 million now spend their money on magazine subscriptions.”
I thought it was great because it’s a simple nod to the traditional forms of media, which continue to maintain their place in society despite the existence of the internet (blogging bastards like myself who could certainly never get published in the likes of Vogue.) LoL
This leads me back to the original point of this post: the validity of the statement that Fashion Design is in fact that last possible way to achieve real monetary success as a visual artist. I brought up the point about magazine readership and the traditional forms of media in order to dispel any suspect that I might be a modernist propagandist of the opinion that tradition is dead. However, my background in visual arts as a painter and print maker in my early University years afford me enough knowledge to truly say that living as a visual artist with no other form of income is impossible in the expensive world we live in. The 
term “starving artist” didn’t come from nowhere, let’s say. Upon my discovery of this fact at a reasonably young age, I decided the change my major and rethink the whole “ART” thing.
I
n 2007 when Meaghan and I started Petey the Troll Apparel, I came to the realisation that I could do my art though clothing, creating something functional and unique at the same time. Since then I’ve been of the opinion that fashion is the best way to be a visual artist, if only for the fact that clothing has the ability to change a person’s life in a real, tangible way. More recently, the most despicable, but plainly obvious truth about fashion as a thriving form of visual art is that it is indeed the only remaining form, which really provides a great possibility for monetary gain. Of course, as anything else, when in the starting stages of any artistic endeavour with the hopes of attracting public attention, the “starving artist” label applies. It’s rough out there boys and girls. But once you make it past that point of recognition, when you’ve got the job at the fashion house and you’re on your way to fortune and fame and riches and wealth and luxury and.......!!!!
*sigh*
And that’s the other thing I love about fashion. Fashion is honest. It doesn’t pretend to have artistic integrity and pride beyond the point of making loads and loads of cash for their creations. They say clearly and with attitude: “I want to be really fucking rich and fabulous.” And then they do it, and we're all jealous. Considering I currently live as the u
nfortunate stereotype of the “starving artist”, I could care less about maintaining any sort of fake integrity, pretending my ultimate goal is not major success both artistically and definitely financially. :D
Now if you'll excuse me, I’m gonna go put on my $539 Jimmy Choo shoes and my priceless vintage Versace sunglasses and we’ll catch the next jet to Paris baby.
Vive la Mode!!
