And I know I should go but I will probably stay

The holidays though chaotic, beautiful and everything in-between, crystalized in the form of 10 of my friends huddled under blankets in my living room listening the song "Polar Opposites" by Modest mouse.

"Polar opposites don't push away
It's the same on the weekends as the rest of the days
And I know I should go but I will probably stay
And that's all you can do about some things"

The break from my 9-5 went by far too quickly, but every moment of the past few weeks have been punctuated by something great, or terrible. This roller-coaster we ride has me strapped in on full speed into the future. One I cannot predict but have extremely high hopes for.

From funerals, to late night celebrations, children opening gifts and more heart warming then i have ever felt... i might as well start where i wanted to... where i left off.

I believe fully we are living in a critical time of change for our country and our city. I am reminded almost every day the struggles we are fighting will bring about a better tomorrow. I am inspired by the personalities around me.. their strength gives me the power to keep moving and pushing and stretching the boundaries of what i feel is possible.
The recent projects and conversations i have taken on are dealing with some very controversial and important issues upfront.

I can write explanations for everything but the only thing i will ever stand by or believe in are the photos, documented proof that these amazing things have and are happening.

I shot this photo in reaction to how i have been feeling about current womens issues.... Things that i thought were normal for me to deal with, i am realizing are more the product of societies expectations and preconceived notions of the female. Working on a project with the Michigan Womens FOundation and the Crofoot in Pontiac... i sat with 10 women discussing the things that had shapped our lives and had the revelation that i am not alone in these struggles. Feeling like you need to excel, never show emotion for fear of appearing weak, closing off other women, and not feeling safe walking around my nieghboorhood. I'm now interessted in delving into these ideas.. discecting what they mean to me... this is a rather vulgar image of a women more interested in drinking glass then doing the dishes....

This is a self portrait feeling frustrated about the same things....

and another


That being said i was privileged to be one of the few to watch singer Jessica Hernandez Play on a bridge covered in snow and christmas lights on the Cranbrook Campus. Her beautiful voice warmed up the area which was surrounded by woods and quacking geese.

lauren watching



On a warmer note, Cass Collective celebrated it's 25th happening. The monthly event has been carrying on for the past years under the leadership of muscians Andrew Davis and Andrew Beer. Many local performers have entertained in the corner of Cass Cafe. Currently Cass Collective happens every last sunday of the month. 8pm-2 am it is a place where i often meet friends like family... have celebrated 2 birthdays (24 and 25). Warming hugs, wild dance parties, cold drinks, cosy hearts.
Happy 25 Cass Collective!




Amy kahrl made an installation asking what issues are most important to detroiters?.... i sense another project in the works...


thats it for now. more to come.

Au Champs-Élysées

Something about the cold. It makes everything more difficult...It makes warm places and people so much more inviting. Walking around Noel Night all of my joints felt stiff (could have been because of the layers or the heels on my boots) All it took was a little of Detroits magic to ease the chill force me to clasp my frigid fingers around my camera.
After grabbing dinner (a delicious bbq veggie pizza) from Motor City Brewing Works i darted across the lot into two of my favorite stores, Urban Bureau and City Bird. I once walked in with a friend after a cold bike ride and he commented that a store like that is where you buy presents for a girl like me! It is so true. Both are filled to the brim with urban inspired and often locally made merchandise, from sleek home ware to kitschy cards. I purchased a wedding card from urban once that i liked so much i forced the couple to open it at thier reception (Disclaimer: a gallon of cheap vodka may have been involved in this decision). City Bird the newer of the two is owned by some of my friends, Andy and Emily Linn. Thier space is part gallery/vintage clothing store/boutique. I hope santa knows what items i have my eyes on... if not i will be making a trip back.

As i ducked out of the crowded stores i was, to my amazement. bombarded by a marching band... like real live musicians complete with flag girls and high stepping drum majors! They played in front of Traffic Jam/Snug for about 10 minutes before i followed them (way better then an ipod on a walk) towards Wayne State where we unfortunately parted ways. We snagged some free coffee on the street, it was then i located the zillionaire bike crew who had just watched scientists doing experiments. I could spend years describing all the cool stuff i saw on noel night let me leave it at this, if you missed it this year, you will not next. I strolled through old time dance parties, The Museum of Anthropology (Corktown Workers Row House exhibit), Detroit Public Library, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Science Center, Scarab Club and back again to my cosy home in Woodbridge. However, the night was young with no end in sight. Music reverberated on my humble block people were spilling out of the now green shack on the corner as some punk band played, huddled around whisky drinks and shuffled shoulder to shoulder at the pub, and gyrated frantically to the bands playing at the scrummage house. Feeling like the only place in the world, my phone blew up until the wee hours of the morn about parties happening all the way on the south side of the neighborhood. If you have never experienced Detroit like this you have not experienced it at all.

Not to mention the annual pancake breakfast i had attended that morning. In one of the more stunning victorian homes in central Woodbridge neighbors are treated to breakfast delights including steaming coffee and wonderful conversation about revitalization, hope, and recollecting memories. Each visitor writes their name and the number of years they have lived here. Connecting newbies to the quarter century club inviting discussion about tactics for surviving here (not that it is incredibly difficult, just trying at times).

It is not until i write it all down like this, that i realize how busy i really have been. I spent wednesday in the suburbs doing a shoot with RMS studios and Vintage King, then later that night discussing other shoots with the incredibly talented Stylist Erica Dubroy. Thursday i met with a program director for the Michigan Womens Foundation to discuss our partnership on an upcoming project and spent the entire evening discussing the changing role and reality for women all over the world. I was sick as a dog on friday until i attended a committee meeting for said event, and then Pancake breakfast, Noel night, a shoot on sunday followed by vegan potluck dinner. Oh me oh my. Where does the time go. okie i need to finish this up so i can edit photos and try to alleviate this recent batch of insomnia.

If this sounds like an advertisement for woodbridge i hope not. I've got sad songs stuck in my head and a bad taste in my mouth. sometimes it's better to think about good times then the harder ones.

also: any female artists. submitt to this!!!!

hooray snow.

Winter is on my doorstep. My roommate and i put plastic on our windows to try to keep the heating costs down. The first snow flurries are expected tonight... perfect timing for Detroits Noel Night (http://detroitmidtown.com/05/noelnight.php?msub=77), the only time when snow is nice... the past few years i remember slipping and sliding down woodward, ducking into establishments to warm my cheeks, building hearts at the Detroit Science Museum and slow dancing at Cass Cafe. Trudging around in snow boots, white washing friends, watching polish and Indian dancers at the International Institute. Noel night is great. It's Dally in the Alley during the winter, with the support of all of Detroits' cultural institutions. My friends and all of their family usually come. So you should too.

On another note, with winter setting in, this economy thing is starting to whittle away at my foundations... the holidays and insurance premiums... the frustration that has been building up, the feeling that your efforts are useless... it's time to be proactive and take some responsibility for ourselves. Cheers to things getting better. Finding strength within ourselves and the arms of others. if we stick together we will come out on top.

One last thing, why the hooray? I was asked the other day why Vanessahooray, i should have some of my clients and editors answer this question... i approach every assignment with a positive attitude, so often in correspondence i would say "hooray, this is going to be awesome", or "Hooray, i'm so pumped you liked them". People, especially in the electronic music scene... some only knew me as hooray. So Hooray for being a Hooray. It's a pretty great thing to be.
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Detroit, New Frontier

Detroit, New Frontier

Posted using ShareThis

sleepless in detroit

for some reason i had a flashback to doogie howser right now.... hmmm... too bad my screen isn't blue, and i don't have prodigy, or a doctorate... yet. anyways. i have been relaxing the past few weeks and had some amazing opportunities come my way. a few are still in the planning stages so stay tuned for them... however i was very fortunate to be included in a photo essay about Detroit as the new frontier by a website called Shareable. I was refereed by a good friend and amazing organizer Mike Medow. Jeremy Smith helped to pull it all together and Aaron M. Renn provided words. Thanks guys!

check out the whole thing here... http://shareable.net/blog/detroit-new-frontier

also posted some new pics on flickr www.flickr.com/photos/vanessamiller

 I've done everything but go for a long bike ride to fall asleep, my typos are happening more frequently, and i think it may be time to fall into the covers and try again. have a good night folks. promise i will be back sooner then later with exciting new plans!

Round up!

It has been a very insane few months here in Detroit. Probably the busiest time of my whole life, many good things have happened and i feel privileged to live this life. The most concerning issues have been Michigan cutting funding to students, and the growing distaste for out of town documenters and journalists... for self preservation i have stayed out of the debate. However, the argument is very valid. Talk about stimulating the local economy, these media outlets should be utilizing the people who live and work here. The amount of surface coverage of the city of Detroit, feels exploitative to many locals... to tell a uniquely Detroit story, they are looking in the wrong places.

The Detroit story, only as a notch in ones' belt makes us no more important then a one night stand. This is becoming more and more apparent as carbon copy stories of decay, and failure are reaching news stands. Even the stories of hope are being recycled... there is even now a drinking game about it... go here to play, http://dyspathy.com/?page_id=1106 i can promise it is a good time.

Aside from that we have accomplished much in this marathon, the shows started with the Post-apolptic Motor City at 323 East in royal oak curated by famed local art critic Robert DeValle

the outside of the gallery was transformed by cass corridor and international artist chris turner

i contributed this image of a tired worker at Lafeyette Coney Island

Up next was the second installation of the Analog Social Experiment at Dally in the Alley, the best festival in the mid-west, took place inbetween the apartment buildings of Cass Corridor, the Diverse festival drew over 8000 attendees, 30 bands and many vendors. People were dancing in the streets from 10 am untill about 2 am, and Recycle Detroit (ran by friend Sarah Kubick with the help of the recyclowns) turned 85% of the trash into gold.

The installation was a great success and many of the visitors contributed, creating a visual record of the event.

people dancing in the street

In the between we did some exploring

ate some delicious vegan brunch

had some labor day bbq's in woodbridge

saw the opening of the Taubmen center part of the ford educational system and College for Creative Studies. Promising 90 percent of freshman will graduate, and 90 percent will continue onto higher education (the graduation rate of freshman in Detroit Public Schools is 21 percent). CCS Design and Graduate programs, along with 300 residents are also housed in the building, which was General Motors old Headquarters.

as that renovated structure was re-opened, Detroit City Officials tore down the classic and beautiful Lafayette Building.

-see more photos of the inside here http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessamiller/sets/72157604132550295/

Between all of that... I shot a few Weddings, a few Oil Fires and began teaching a class at CCS.

Had a show at the Detroit League of Photographers studio in the Russell Industrial Center, as part of the Detroit Art now Weekend.... and am finally wrapping everything up with a custom Skate Deck show in Philadelphia. The Proceeds from the show will go to benefit the non-profit stay true... it is a group of internationally renowned artists, who will descend on love park for an evening of genuine ruckus. FInd out more about the event here----> http://awwsweet.blogspot.com/2009/09/good-wood-x-stay-true-x-philly.html

this is one of the test images for my deck.

so thats about it. going to relax for a little while now. edit months of backed up images. Pack for philly. Hopefully i will see you there. Over an out.

-vanezzy

the danger of the single story

This is sloppy, fast, but i feel powerful.

After watching the Ted Talk Titled, The danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, her message can be applied to the city of Detroit. She crystalized an idea and message that i have been grappling at for some time now. I would like to call out the journalists who have entrenched themselves in the home that Time Magazine purchased this summer and ask them to look beyond the mayors office and national headlines for thier topics of interest. http://detroit.blogs.time.com/ What they have been assigned to do will have serious effects to the image of city, and if they do not do it well, the people who live here will be the ones to suffer.

Adichie says "The media can create a single story

show a people as one thing, only one thing over and over again.. and that is what they become."

I would also like to implore that Time magazine and any other media establishments recognize, and levy the talents of the documenters, journalists, and photographers that have been living and working to show an honest and raw portrait of life in this very misunderstood place, and have been doing so long before the fall of our auto companies became an international dilemma. Long before the the decay, urban prairies, independent venues, and local gardens became tourist destinations.

Once again Adichie says " It is impossible to talk about the single story without talking about power... to be greater then another... stories are defined by power, when, how, by who and how many stories are told. power is not the abality to just tell the story single of a person, but to make it the definative story.

The single story creates sterotypes... which are incomplete.

The single story robs people of dignity"

See her complete talk here...