No matter how hard we to try to be original, all art is somewhat borrowed. We all have images of our icons stained in our memory. It may be subconscious to want to copy or imitate. But we all do it on some level. And if you’re reading this saying, “not me”, then think hard about that one entertainer that you always looked up to or even just a friend who you admire. Yup, you’re guilty too.
Fashion is fleeting but flattery is forever. Trends, like most things in life, come and go. I got to thinking about this after reading about Ms. Nicki Minaj in the Sunday Style section of The Times this week. Going over her timeline of success, I thought about who we are before we are our current selves. What brings us to that you of today? Does suffering drive out the artist in all us? Or maybe just pure hunger to be more of who we look at in the mirror. It always fascinates me when I discover the fuel behind the fire. It’s mentioned that Nicki imitated Lil Kim. Of course she was inspired by her! Nicki, like all of us, is striving for success. Being an artist she’s searching for her distinct voice. What defines her? And what helps us create this image more than our inspiration? So, big deal that she borrowed…a little! Kim should be honored that a young up and coming starlet is following in her footsteps. Not only did she follow, but she traveled beyond.
Now, Nicki is gracing the covers of magazines like W and possibly Vogue this year. She’s attending Carolina Herrera fashion shows as Anna Wintour’s plus one. I don’t’ know about anyone else, but THAT inspires me! There’s nothing like knowing entertainment’s “it girl” is just like you and me. She was just a regular girl from Queens, trying to be somebody. She was a New York born gal, just like Lady Gaga, who used her own backyard to make her dream come true. If we could all use our city of dreams to build our own little empires, this would be one sweet city.
“I’ve always had this female-empowerment thing in the back of my mind because I wanted my mother to be stronger, and she couldn’t be. I thought, ‘If I’m successful, I can change her life.’”
– Nicki Minaj
press play for a little dose of daily inspiration…
Thats real talk, dope article D! I too am inspired by some great artists that came before me, but I don’t let that define my work, so I can def feel this.
frank, em me, i have a question for you. dpass97@yahoo.com