According to Tafsiri, her illustrations—most of which portray unibrowed women positioned in a natural setting—are inspired by Qajar art, Persian miniature paintings, and Islamic designs. “My interest in Qajar art developed at an early age, taking inspiration from the unibrowed women who present a very different concept of beauty to that regularly portrayed in the West,” she further explained in an interview with Girlsclub Asia.

In terms of style, Tafsiri says that she’s open to experimentation with different techniques, exploring different creative voices. “I’ve really been focusing on experimenting with styles and techniques over the past year so I’d love to finally find ‘my style'”, she notes. “Once that settles down I’ll be able to focus more on the attention and detail that goes into my work.”

Still, she admits, she’s happiest when drawing people and portraits, with women portraits the main focus of her work. “My drawings had always been realistic portraits which would take me hours to do but moving towards illustration has allowed me to draw more often and more quickly in a variety of styles,” says Tafsiri. “I work full time in another job so I just love being able to have something to channel my creativity.”

A full-time economist, Tafsiri’s illustrations have gained attention on Instagram, allowing her more time to develop her style. Social media also had an added bonus for the young creative: introducing her to a community of artists. “I’ve found Instagram has been a wonderful way for me to discover other female artists, in particular, middle eastern artists whose work I can really relate to,” she reflects. “Their work really resonated with me and encouraged me to be a part of this community.”

We can’t wait to see where she’s headed to next!

The post Mariam Tafsiri’s Women Portraits Are Inspired by Persian Art appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

The idea was simple: sell “Phenomenal Woman” t-shirts on International Women’s Day, back in 2017, and donate the profit to women’s organizations like The United State of Women, a national organization dedicated to convening, connecting, and amplifying voices in the fight for full gender equity. Harris, then a San Francisco-based tech adviser and entrepreneur, expected to sell some 500 t-shirts, but ended up selling some 2,500 shirt on her very first day.

Now a full-blown movement for women’s rights (with 555k followers on Instagram alone), Harris’ t-shirts are proof that small steps can have a great impact. Her shirts are often sported by celebrities and prominent social figures, but also everyday women calling attention to the causes that matter to them most.

“It has really grown into what some call a movement, which makes me uncomfortable because I never really set out to do that,” admitted Harris, now the CEO of the philanthropic lifestyle brand, Phenomenal, in an interview with Complex. “I was thinking about how we continue to use our platform as a way to engage mass audiences around really critical issues, especially those that affect underrepresented communities.”

Three years later, and Phenomenal isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Their range of t-shirts now includes “Phenomenally Indigenous,” “Phenomenally Black,” and “Phenomenally Asian”, as the brand continues to partner with organizations, promoting discussion about major issues like voting, immigration, and female empowerment.

“I look at it as sort of this gateway drug,” explains Harris, “like an engagement ladder where one day I have you wearing the T-shirt, and then hopefully in a year, maybe you are knocking on doors or you’re doing more. I saw how people were engaging with it and in such a small but concrete way, and how it was really speaking to them. I started thinking about how to keep using that as a tool to raise awareness around different issues.”

Join the movement here, and follow them on Instagram for more updates:

The post Celebrate Female Empowerment by Wearing This T-shirt appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

“I believe everyone deserves equal opportunities in life, regardless of their gender,” relayed Molenaar in an interview with Form over Function. “But because I think we live in a world that favors men, I think it’s important to give women a voice or stage. That’s why I enjoy celebrating female qualities, such as softness and fluidity—which play an important part in my creative process.”

As such, her illustrations aren’t restricted to one seemingly ideal body type, but rather allow for a more inclusive discussion, inviting women of all shapes and sizes to take part. Her inclusive approach hasn’t gone unnoticed, with brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Chloé, and M.A.C. amongst her selected clients.

“As my personality developed over the years, so did my drawings,” says Molenaar. “I evolved as a woman, learning and caring more about themes like sustainability and feminism. That personal shift of focus is clearly noticeable in my drawings.”

The post Softness and Fluidity: The Feminine Illustrations of Sella Molenaar appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

“I’ve depicted the female figure since I started painting, even before school,” said Rupp in an interview with Art of Choice. “In school, I focused on figure painting and they were female, morphed or collaged or manipulated, but always female. I’ve never had the desire to paint anything else.”

The images themselves, a blend of collage art and painting, are collected by Rupp from fashion magazines, as well as the internet, then collaged, distorted rearranged carefully in order to give them a new or heightened identity. According to Rupp, their gazes embody an inward-looking trance-like reverie, frozen in time.

“I am always drawn to faces, and I am most captivated by the gaze,” she stresses. “I try to depict a strong female gaze very often in my work. There is a lot of mystery and vulnerability in the eyes, in the gaze. It creates a dialogue between the viewer and subject, even a connection, and that’s important to me.”

Follow her Instagram page for more.

The post Sarah Rupp Distorts Her Female Subjects Intentionally appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

According to Tafsiri, her illustrations—most of which portray unibrowed women positioned in a natural setting—are inspired by Qajar art, Persian miniature paintings, and Islamic designs. “My interest in Qajar art developed at an early age, taking inspiration from the unibrowed women who present a very different concept of beauty to that regularly portrayed in the West,” she further explained in an interview with Girlsclub Asia.

In terms of style, Tafsiri says that she’s open to experimentation with different techniques, exploring different creative voices. “I’ve really been focusing on experimenting with styles and techniques over the past year so I’d love to finally find ‘my style'”, she notes. “Once that settles down I’ll be able to focus more on the attention and detail that goes into my work.”

Still, she admits, she’s happiest when drawing people and portraits, with women portraits the main focus of her work. “My drawings had always been realistic portraits which would take me hours to do but moving towards illustration has allowed me to draw more often and more quickly in a variety of styles,” says Tafsiri. “I work full time in another job so I just love being able to have something to channel my creativity.”

A full-time economist, Tafsiri’s illustrations have gained attention on Instagram, allowing her more time to develop her style. Social media also had an added bonus for the young creative: introducing her to a community of artists. “I’ve found Instagram has been a wonderful way for me to discover other female artists, in particular, middle eastern artists whose work I can really relate to,” she reflects. “Their work really resonated with me and encouraged me to be a part of this community.”

We can’t wait to see where she’s headed to next!

The post Mariam Tafsiri’s Women Portraits Are Inspired by Persian Art appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

The idea was simple: sell “Phenomenal Woman” t-shirts on International Women’s Day, back in 2017, and donate the profit to women’s organizations like The United State of Women, a national organization dedicated to convening, connecting, and amplifying voices in the fight for full gender equity. Harris, then a San Francisco-based tech adviser and entrepreneur, expected to sell some 500 t-shirts, but ended up selling some 2,500 shirt on her very first day.

Now a full-blown movement for women’s rights (with 555k followers on Instagram alone), Harris’ t-shirts are proof that small steps can have a great impact. Her shirts are often sported by celebrities and prominent social figures, but also everyday women calling attention to the causes that matter to them most.

“It has really grown into what some call a movement, which makes me uncomfortable because I never really set out to do that,” admitted Harris, now the CEO of the philanthropic lifestyle brand, Phenomenal, in an interview with Complex. “I was thinking about how we continue to use our platform as a way to engage mass audiences around really critical issues, especially those that affect underrepresented communities.”

Three years later, and Phenomenal isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Their range of t-shirts now includes “Phenomenally Indigenous,” “Phenomenally Black,” and “Phenomenally Asian”, as the brand continues to partner with organizations, promoting discussion about major issues like voting, immigration, and female empowerment.

“I look at it as sort of this gateway drug,” explains Harris, “like an engagement ladder where one day I have you wearing the T-shirt, and then hopefully in a year, maybe you are knocking on doors or you’re doing more. I saw how people were engaging with it and in such a small but concrete way, and how it was really speaking to them. I started thinking about how to keep using that as a tool to raise awareness around different issues.”

Join the movement here, and follow them on Instagram for more updates:

The post Celebrate Female Empowerment by Wearing This T-shirt appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

“I believe everyone deserves equal opportunities in life, regardless of their gender,” relayed Molenaar in an interview with Form over Function. “But because I think we live in a world that favors men, I think it’s important to give women a voice or stage. That’s why I enjoy celebrating female qualities, such as softness and fluidity—which play an important part in my creative process.”

As such, her illustrations aren’t restricted to one seemingly ideal body type, but rather allow for a more inclusive discussion, inviting women of all shapes and sizes to take part. Her inclusive approach hasn’t gone unnoticed, with brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Chloé, and M.A.C. amongst her selected clients.

“As my personality developed over the years, so did my drawings,” says Molenaar. “I evolved as a woman, learning and caring more about themes like sustainability and feminism. That personal shift of focus is clearly noticeable in my drawings.”

The post Softness and Fluidity: The Feminine Illustrations of Sella Molenaar appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

“I’ve depicted the female figure since I started painting, even before school,” said Rupp in an interview with Art of Choice. “In school, I focused on figure painting and they were female, morphed or collaged or manipulated, but always female. I’ve never had the desire to paint anything else.”

The images themselves, a blend of collage art and painting, are collected by Rupp from fashion magazines, as well as the internet, then collaged, distorted rearranged carefully in order to give them a new or heightened identity. According to Rupp, their gazes embody an inward-looking trance-like reverie, frozen in time.

“I am always drawn to faces, and I am most captivated by the gaze,” she stresses. “I try to depict a strong female gaze very often in my work. There is a lot of mystery and vulnerability in the eyes, in the gaze. It creates a dialogue between the viewer and subject, even a connection, and that’s important to me.”

Follow her Instagram page for more.

The post Sarah Rupp Distorts Her Female Subjects Intentionally appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.