I’ve known Emie Otis, (shown above) owner of Beauty Mark Designs, for several years now and have been following her work with a watchful eye.

Emie who is a gifted and savvy designer is known for her range of talents including photo-styling, hair, make-up and fashion design.

Her recent creation Madame Bottle Fly (shown below) was modeled by the designer at Portland’s Junk to Funk Show where ‘trash is transformed into wearable works of art.’

Madame Bottle Fly was made with over 600 bottle caps attached to a delicate wire frame (made out of over 30 wire hangers) weighing in at 45 pounds, and demanding over nearly 450 hours of work.

I was curious about Emie’s dream, the obstacles she’s faced, and the evolution of her work. Here’s more from Emie:

CJ: What is your dream?

Emie: I want to be independently and artistically successful. That means continuing to have the freedom to create my art, and in return to receive financial support to pay my bills and live sustainably. I call myself a Beauty Dominator and am currently living my dream of photo-styling, designing clothing and working as a hair stylist. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

CJ: When did you first realize that art was your dream?

Emie: Well, I remember being 8 years old and my sister (who is a bit older) knew she was going to be doctor and I knew (without a doubt) that I was going to be an artist. We were joint-custody kids and I remember one day (in particular) when my dad took me for walk in the neighborhood. He lovingly told me that my sister (as a doctor) might have an easier time being respected by society and that I might find more challenges on my path as an artist, but he respected me for being an artist.

Every time I think about that time, it makes me cry. I remember thinking that someone understood what I felt, and it was very comforting. There were times when I felt second-fiddle but never with my dad. There was this sense (as I grew older) that what I felt on the inside was that I was just barely making it on the outside. My dad’s support was everything. For example, at one of my gallery showings, he bought more than half of my work.

I always knew I wanted to communicate myself artistically. For example, in middle school, I’d cut things up and staple and hot glitter them to shoes. I later took classes. There eventually was a  snowball-effect and all the work started to pay off. I often stayed up working until 3am, creating my own clothing line, entering in competitions and doing photo-styling projects.

CJ: What have been your biggest obstacles and how have you worked through them?

Emie: My biggest fear has been rejection. I’ve overcome it by NOT giving up. For example I’d hear things like, “Your finishing work sucks, you’re not professional enough, etc.” I would beat myself up for a week, let that process, and try again. It’s been a process of many life lessons, and mistakes are important. Perseverance is also important. As an artist without a degree in Art I’ve often considered myself an outsider. Yet the voice inside my head tells me things like, “Keep going Emie and don’t give up.”

I do my part and let the Universe decide. For example, if I don’t get chosen for a competition, I believe that wasn’t supposed to get in, and that’s probably giving me an opportunity for something better.

CJ: What advice would you give to others following the creative path?

Emie: Be as organized as possible. That has been a big challenge for me. Organization really helps because you are the only person taking care of yourself. A lot of being an entrepreneur is not creative, but is also very important. If you want to be financial successful, you have to have a business mind. Do a budget and assess everything.

CJ: What’s been your biggest victory?

Emie: I had a really good 2008. At this time in my life I feel very comfortable in my skin and am proud of my accomplishments. I won 4th place in Junk to Funk, I participated in Explode La Mode where 15 local fashion designer were highlighted. I showed 18 of my garments and The Oregonian featured 6 of my pieces. I also became Trillian Recycled Artisan, I set up an Etsy account, and photo-styling projects which all were very encouraging.

Although is has felt overwhelming at times, being accepted, acknowledged and maintaining that level has been exciting and scary.  I am optimistic.

For more info on Emie, visit her website, Beauty Mark Designs, www.beautymarkdesigns.net.

This watch, designed by Rolf Sachs, for Fortis makes me smile. It must be the delightful combination of chalkboard, chalk, hand written numbers and its child-like quality that make me want to go to Fortis’s website and add it to my shopping cart. Maybe it’s about tapping into the creative side of grown-ups.

Either way, I was curious about the inspiration behind the design and discovered that the concept emerged from a shop window the Rolf designed for London department store Selfridges, shown below.

Rolf shares, “I am always in search of the new.” Me too and I’m inspired.

There is the mechanical aspect of the inner workings of numbers mixed with human nature, while tapping into the creative side of a child. A nice recipe. As reported on Fortis’s news page, “Chalk is transitory, waking the childhood memories in everybody - leading from the sterile to the human.” Interesting.

A very cool watch. I’m tempted. There are a limited edition of 999; very auspicious indeed. That would be seriously good for my shui.

For purchase info, go here: www.fortis-watch.de

I had to stare for awhile in awe of the way the Japanese designers at Asahi Kasei created this modern home, (Plus Nyan) with their loving feline companions in mind. What a perfect way to blend aesthetics and function into one space. Every area is utilized to encourage exploration, exercise and the perfect view out the windows, without compromising beauty.

That potty solution (on the left) is one many of us are going to try to copy. There’s always that question, “Where do I put the litter box?”

On the left, an outdoor structure has been created to give cat access to the outdoors. Very clever.

For more information and if you can read Japanese, visit Asahi Kasei or for English speakers, visit Apartment Therapy (.com).

Now if I ever get stuck in an emergency situation, I hope to have one of these ‘off the hook’ fabulous inflatable emergency shelters designed by the WE Group collective, which are as sustainable as they are smart. The concept was recently introduced at the Alan Baxter gallery in London. I’m seriously impressed. Here are the details as explained by the WE Group:

The design consists of a double-walled tent, which is inflated and kept rigid by a solar-powered fan.

WAS tent is an inflatable structure for shelter, water storage, natural ventilation (air) and solar energy collector. The structure is easy to transport to the disaster site. A quiet fan keeps the tent inflated as long as needed. The structure is installed in less than five minutes and can be folded up in the accompanying bag when deflated.

Thin photovoltaic-cell film mounted to the inner layer of the surface provides electrical power. The double layer skin is the self supported structure and also provides excellent insulation at night. The geometry of the structure, informed by the principle of natural ventilation, helps to cool the internal space during the day.

And here’s my favorite part. The designers actually care about the experience of the survivors in the tent. As they say, “We want to make people feel like being inside an enormous bubble separated from the outside chaos and protected.” And protected they would be since the structure is self-contained with “integrated design considerations for solar power, ventilation and water supply.”

The idea behind the design is to send these to disaster relief areas around the globe and I completely support that, but if they ever go retail, I’m getting one for my emergency kit. I’ll keep you posted.

Kind of a weird photo, I know, but I get the meaning; it’s organic power in a purse. More specifically, it is a handbag for females that has a special place where you can charge your mobile phone, iPod or camera. Pretty cool. Here is another photo that explains the mechanics:

The man behind the bag, 29 year old mechanical engineering student Joe Hynek said, ‘It begins working every time the user steps outside. People are very excited because it expresses ecological and environmental themes in addition to the function provided of charging your phone and iPod.’

I love the idea. I’d also love to see some more variations. Can we make it happen in a soft bag? Anybody know? In the mean time, I’d like to see one of these in person and next Tuesday is my birthday. Hint, hint. For more information, visit www.solarjo.com.

Thank-you Philip.