Maya and Mucha

In the video below I talk about a poster I created in response to black beauty and Maya Angelou. Though this video is about black beauty the overall theme is that all people need to love themselves for who they are.

Phenomenal Woman
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou
I completely understand and believe that confidence and beauty issues apply to all people regardless of gender, class, size, and race and I talk about beauty in general a bit.

This specific post talks about black beauty and my art. I will link to a blog post about why I think black beauty is important.

Phenomenal Woman Blog Post

Blog post about a controversial black reality in America

Decoration Day

The window just above the flag is my studio.

Thanks to all of you who have fought for what you believe in and are fighting for justice in your country and abroad today.

Here are a variety of ways to celebrate Memorial Day, originally Decoration Day.

1. Volunteer at the local soup kitchen (when I was in high school 70% of the homeless population was made up of veterans)
2. Donate used items to a shelter or other organization designed to help get people back on their feet (fight the war against poverty in your own backyard)
3. Spend time with a veteran with a disability today (or an elderly friend/neighbor.)  Talk to him or her about how America has changed in their lifetime.
4. Make a gift basket, bake cookies, or cook supper for families with a parent overseas

Proud American

5. Collect funds for Soldiers Angels, donate to Veterans for Peace, or choose another organization you support.
6. Make artwork dealing with the flag.  If you are critiquing American culture or values try to stay positive today.  The image in this post is another example of art you can create as well.  A poster honoring a soldier is another possibility as well.

7. Take an immigrant out for coffee. Learn his/her story. People who escaped hardship, brutality, or other negative aspects of their home country often have an extreme sense of pride in America.
8. Journal about how your family came to America.  Most of us were immigrants at some point in time.
9. Pray for world peace, freedom and justice for all and be thankful for all that we do have in our country.

Another Proud (Beautiful) American

Do you have any family traditions for Memorial Day? If you do add them to my list. If not which idea above sounds the most intriguing?

Wether you have a BBQ, place flowers on a tomb, hold a flag, or hold a protest, I would suggest taking the day off and spending some time outside.  I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend, however you choose to spend it!!!

God Bless America...

...and the rest of the world. 

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How to Make your Humanities Degree Stand Out

I share my experience with using my humanities degree to rock my resume. I talk about how I wrote about my humanities degree when applying for jobs and discuss some of the skills that people who study in the realm of the humanities fields possess.

Just as a reference I had an Art degree, a Humantities and Fine Arts degree (with areas of emphasis in Philosophy, Religious Studies, and African American Studies, and a Graphic Design minor. This combination was not only a ton of fun to complete but it offeres a wide variety of skill sets for what I want to so it is perfect.

After watching this video you will have a better understanding of one way that I used my Humanities degree to my advantage.


If you enjoy this video be sure to check out my other Art Jobs Videos:
Debt
Humanities Degrees and Resumes
Life After Art

I have two more that I have not posted yet. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see the last ones.

Grace is A Bit Queer Vlog

In this video I talk about my Grace is a Bit Queer graphic design poster series, a body of artwork dealing with the relationships between Christians and the LGBTQ community. As Christians we are called to show grace and even love to those who are different than us regardless of personal opinions.

What we do/who we are does not get us into heaven. It is something much deeper (though I don't really talk about that in this video haha).

The posters attempt to help  to help people understand Christianity, grace, and radical forgiveness a bit more.



If you like me or my art be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Life After an Art Degree

In this video I talk about my experience of being fresh out of college and some of the challenges that I am currently facing. I have two other videos from this Art Jobs series posted and at least two more to come. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see them all.

Also if you have any life or art vide requests please let me know. I currently check my YouTube account more than my blog so that is a better way to reach me.



Thanks for watching!

New Camera on The Way

GoPro Anticipation




In this Vlog I ramble about my GoPro* camera that is on the way. I am excited to use the camera for summer travels, backpacking and snowboarding. Be on the lookout for some fantastic videos (well I try and I'm learning). I also just downloaded iMovie 6 which is what I used on this video lol yep.

**I was not paid by GoPro

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see my unboxing video!

Batman Day! Dedicated to my Dad

 

Source: geektyrant.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

Did you know that today is Batman Day?! (I know the Interobang would have been the appropriate punctuation mark to use, but I didn't.)

Holy blog post Batman! This is in honor of my dad who has always been a rather large fan of The Bat. Growing up with him I have of course been a fairly knowledgable fan, or addict as some would say since I was young. I have seen ever movie and TV show every made. Including some terrible home made videos of a large Batman running around WallMart and other such places.

Source: madamnoire.blogspot.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

I really do love all things Batman from the political graphic novels to the psychological thrill of Arkham Asylum (the game and the comic book).  The goal of this post is to share some Batman inspiration and fan art with you. (And if my mom can track down the photo I am looking for I will also share some man who shall remain nameless running around in a Holy Bat Suit.)

First of all here is my Pinterest.com board that I created for my dad for his birthday. My parents were moving and did not want anything so I decided to create this board and filled it full of readings and history on Batman. If you scroll to the bottom you will see these original posts but since I did take after my pops in many ways I continued to add to this board.

Source: laughingsquid.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

You can also check out these links from mylikes.com

Marvel vs DC?


Can't wait for The Dark Knight Rises? You'll appreciate these memes.

Check out these fab superhero-inspired makeup looks! #5 is Batman.

Movie Facts

Be sure to follow me on YouTube to see more of my artwork and track my trip to India this summer. If you want any artwork or graphic design be sure to contact me. FeliciaFollum.com has all my contact information but feel free to use Youtube or Facebook.