PEPPER Magazine / February 2023

PEPPER VOL. 1 / NO. 9

SA / TX / US

challenge the norm.

Fe b r ua r y 6 Editor’s Note : CHALLENGE THE NORM

arts.

11 The Alchemy & Ecstasy : Hannah Yata 18 Art is a Story : Iris Van Zanten 26 Visceral : Gianluca Lattuada 35 SAM SHO : Sambulo Shongwe

business.

43 NEMERS

fashion.

50 EWMA x KILN 59 Fractals : Andrey Lukovnikov 63 Fashion is Art : creative expressions by Anita Bilello, Kendra Lee & Kelly Sedivec-Ealy 80 Beauty Within : Alec Shpuntov Cosing 85 Style Diaries with Charity

habitat.

90 Elusive • with Becky Witte-Marsh 100 The High Life / Highlight

savor.

103 BEAN : a Coffee story from NOVEM

culture.

111 Basilio Romo

119 Actress Paulina Chávez 125 Aphelele : Sinenkosi Msomi 127 Transmutation : Gabriel Toapanta 132 Humans of New York : John Hendrick

passport.

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139 The Republic of Ingushetia : Liudmila Evstratova

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Rx.

147 Fit to a T.

psych.

150 A Modern Mystic 152 Positively Crystal 154 The Makeup Therapist : Amber White

PEPPER I S S U E

no.9 prodigy.

162 Uncharted Territory : Kapralov Matvey 167 Old Woods Walk

lit.

174 What Taylor Swift & Olive Garden Taught Me About Love & a Breakup 178 Scars 179 Tethered to Tension 180 Foxglove Fortissimo

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get involved.

183 Fashionable Adoptions

disquiet.

192 Social Clothing by Cooper Barrett 201 The Youth : Brittney Colantonio 207 Union of the Impossible : Premonition

directory.

209 ICON : Jean-Michel Basquiat 215 Cover Artist : Cody Freeman Acknowledgments Staff Bios

PEPPER Magazine Est. 2022 SA / TX / US arts • culture • business web directory msha.ke/peppermagazine website hellopepper.weebly.com email hello.pepper@outlook.com available on MagCloud Issuu copyright K. Day Gomez San Antonio, Texas 78209 PEPPER Magazine

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creating

LA • NY • MIA • LHR • SAT • ATX

PEPPER Magazine

EDITOR’S NOTE

CHALLENGE THE NORM.

Editor in Chief K. Day Gomez San Antonio, Texas

“Instead of thinking outside of the box, get rid of the box.”

- Deepak Chopra No is one of the most powerful words in the English language.

In this time of hustle culture, even I have coached people to say yes more often; yes to things they normally would not have tried. And though that’s a great practice and one that can evolve you, used as a default it can be a dangerous thing. I’m completely guilty of having said “yes” to too many projects at once, to people I didn’t know well enough, or to discounts on my talents and services thinking I was being kind—only to be taken advantage of, flop on results from being over-extended, or burn myself out to the point that I’m of no use to my family.

We’ve probably all done it. Challenging the norm isn’t just about bucking the system or pointedly going against the status quo. Albeit, it can very much be about sticking to your principles even when it’s not in line with popular thought. In this particular case, I’m stepping up to challenge what has become normal for me. And on that note, the ‘yes girl’ must die.

As you grow as an artist or entrepreneur or level up in your occupation or skill, there comes a point when you realize your time is less and less your own. When people start setting boundaries which begin to make them less and less accessible, it’s not because they’re being mean or no longer want friends or are giving off airs of self importance… It’s usually because the more we grow and our lives evolve, our

responsibilities increase or our job / life demands more of us than it once did. And hey, that’s a good thing. The downside can be the guilt trip that some of the folks in our life (well meaning though they may be) meet us with as a result.

I’m going to say this real loud for the kids in the back : other peoples’ codependency issues are not your responsibility.

You are not beholden to anyone but yourself. Your life is your own and you get to decide where to place your increasingly valuable time, focus and energy.

That’s where “no” comes in. Making friends with the word ‘no’ has saved me so many times. The problem is, as I move into new spaces I’m still learning to navigate, I become self conscious about using it, even to the detriment of my own health.

Take publishing for example, since this is my current life experience to pull from. Thus far, I’ve said yes to just about every meeting request, every discount (that mind you are pulled out of thin air and not yet within my power to divi out), every Photoshoot, every third and fourth editorial change while catering to egos… I’m not slamming the responsible parties here—in fact, the stress, the frustration, the all out mental and physical fatigue is actually my fault.

As a coach myself, I already know better. There’s a thing that happens when navigating new territory; imposter syndrome kicks in, our confidence is shaken and in the process we forget to self-govern 7

Whether it be leaning to say “no”, being brave enough to say “yes”, or work on other important issues you’ve put off way too long, I invite you to challenge your own norm along with me. Breaking out of our comfortable little molds often shows us how uncomfortable we actually were—we just hadn’t tried anything new in so long we didn’t realize that there are sometimes better ways to do things, ways that better suit our needs than the system we’ve had in place for the last five plus years.

Challenging our norm can pull us out of a rut we didn’t know we were stuck in (it’s often hard to see when you’re in it). It can alleviate a whole slew of self sabatoging practices we didn’t realize we were engaging in. It can surprise us as we begin to learn more about ourselves and our own needs. And it can quite literally incite change that can alter the course of our lives for the better.

We’re not talking a whole list of resolutions or goal-setting here.

Even just picking one thing—one small or in my case big thing that you know is an unhealthy part of what has become normal for you— and deciding to render it obsolete.

Look at it like triage. Come at it from an analytical place of curiosity if that makes it easier for you.

What you don’t want to happen is to have read this article the whole way through going, “yeah, that’s totally me,” and then go right back to doing the thing. Yeah, you know the thing I’m talking about. I’m breaking the fourth wall here— we’re making it uncomfortable on purpose. Because this is how we grow, how we evolve so that we can show up as the best version of ourselves. For what it’s worth, it’s going to take me a while to figure this all out and that’s ok. It’s also ok to take back my sovereignty.

Who is Seigar?

Find him on IG: @jseigar

Meet the pop and conceptual artist behind My Plastic People.

Corey Layne Photography Austin, TX coreylaynephotography.com • @coreylaynephoto

Alchemy

THE

& THE

Ecstasy

Resurrection Rose, 2023 Oil on canvas 48 x 48 inches

A R T I S T

H A N N A H journalist K. Day Gomez

Y A T A

The Dreamer at Dawn, 2023 Oil on canvas 36 x 54 inches

INTRODUCING ARTIST HANNAH YATA Before we get into the thick of it, I can’t help but completely geek out over the fact that one of my favorite artists of our time, Hanna Yata, is gracing the pages of PEPPER Magazine within our inaugural volume set, year one. The first time I interviewed Hannah was back in 2017 as a human interest piece for my then blog, The Alchemist + the Butterfly (having a fan girl moment at the similarly in the title for her newest exhibit). Let’s begin by sharing a bit of her history —you probably recognize her art style as her paintings have been published in notable magazines and online sources including Juxtapoz, Hi•Fructose, Beautiful Bizarre, and HEY! Magazine.

From her Artist’s Statement : Hannah Yata, 33, is of half Japanese descent and was born and raised in a small Georgia town. It was from there that she developed a strong love for nature and animals, which she inherited from the area’s The Abyss, 2023 Oil on canvas 48 x 72 inches

beautiful scenery and her mother.

During her early adulthood, Yata pursued studies in feminism, psychology, and art while in college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Georgia in 2012, she relocated to New York to focus on her artwork and how to express her ideas through paintings. In 2015, she received a commission to create several art pieces for musician B.o.B, which are now featured on his albums "Psycadelik Thoughtz" and his "Elements" series.

Yata is returning to Allouche Gallery following her 2021 exhibition “daughters at the edge of the garden.” Alongside Allouche Gallery, Yata’s work has been showcased in several esteemed galleries across the United States, including but not limited to Copro Gallery, AFA Gallery, Corey Helford Gallery, Modern Eden Gallery, Arch Enemy Art, and several others.

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And she’s in good hands. According to ARTSY, “Allouche Gallery was born after taking over the New York operations of a worldwide network of galleries.

The gallery concentrates its highly curated program on artists whose work directly challenges preconceived notions of visual culture.” [see allouchegallery.com ] Essentially, their mission is in line with ours. Of Yata’s work, Allouche says, “Hannah Yata focuses her work on celebrating the forces of life and varying cycles of death, decay and rebirth. Through painting female figures and psychedelic environments, Yata addresses the demonization of the feminine by patriarchal societies. Reaching back to nature-based religions originating in the Paleolithic Era, Yata's

The Divine Barbarian 2023 Oil on Canvas 78 x 108 inches

scenes intertwine animals, totems and archetypes steeped in archaic symbolism. The surreal, the grotesque, the romantic and nature interplay to create exhilarating and mind-bending dreamscapes.”

Due to the rigorous bustle of making ready for The Alchemy and The Ecstasy exhibit, which runs from March 23 to April 17, Hannah didn’t have time for a full Q&A yet. As it turns out, we’ll be saving her full interview when she comes back for a PEPPER takeover as one of our most iconic cover artists for Vol. 2, 2023. In the meantime, you can follow her on Instagram @hannahyata, view her website hannahyata.com and even catch the show at Allouche Gallery on 77 Mercer Street in New York, NY. 16

Metamorphosis, 2023 Oil on canvas 35 x 96 inches

The Enchantment of Light and Color, 2023 Oil on canvas 48 x 54 inches

ARTIST IRIS VAN ZANTEN Haarlem, the Netherlands journalist K. Day Gomez

ART STORY IS A

Artist’s Statement Iris van Zanten (1971) graduated in 1996 at the Academy of Visual Arts in Amsterdam and received her Masters in History of Art at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.

She’s most interested in Romanesque art, especially the naivety in depicting faces, linear perspective and decorative patterns. The quite humorous images from the Romanesque art era caught her interest while attending University.

It is a quest for finding the essence; looking for the most effective expressions, gestures and attributes to depict a story.

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To achieve some softness in her paintings, like a fresco, she developed a technique utilizing sand, bone glue and Van Dyck Brown prepared surfaces on which she paints with pigments, ink and acrylic.

She lives and works in Haarlem, the Netherlands.

About Iris Stumbling upon the playful visually vibrant works of Iris Van Zanten was a fortunate thing. The whimsical storytelling nature of her pieces immediately pulled me in. We’re happy to share her story. Taking it back to the beginning , “When I was a little child, I was always creating things: knitting, drawing and crocheting. I was raised up with all

sorts of art. My parents took me and my sisters to museums and concerts. My mother kept all my childhood drawings in a scrapbook.

She told me that I skipped a phase in the children's drawings stadium.

When I was a teenager, my dream was to become a police sketch artist. When I found out it was a totally digital business, my aspirations moved to the field of the education in Arts. In this way, the struggle to capture the essence of a face in a portrait, like a police sketch artist has to capture this in their portraits of suspects, is still visible in my portraits nowadays.

After High School, I went to the Amsterdam University of the Arts and learned more about graphic techniques and Art History. My parents supported me in my choice of an art academy, even if it didn't guarantee a well-paid job.” This is something in our time that more parents are beginning to get behind—the goal of their child being happy over making the highest paycheck.

As explained in her artist’s statement, Van Zanten has streamlined her own artistic process via composing a mixture of mediums to create her signature result. “The materials I use in the paintings are pure pigments, ink and metal-leaf (gold, copper and silver leaf). To give the pigments a certain hold, I prepare the surfaces with sand, bone glue and Van Dyck brown. I use only water as binder for the pigments.

So, you should treat most of my paintings like a chalk drawing. If you want to get rid of my paintings, put them under the shower. By using pigments, the colours are very bright, but it gives the paintings also a kind of softness like a velvet surface.

In the next step, I draw the first basic lines with ink. In the process of making, the paintings are always different from what I had in mind. The most important step is to keep a physical distance from the painting and look at it day by day. If it keeps its strength, I finish the painting to its final shape. If not, I put the painting a few weeks aside, and sometimes I paint it all over. I always work on two or three paintings at the same time.”

The amount of strategy and hours of labor that goes into each piece is intensive. “An important inspiration in my work are life drawing sessions. Since the coronavirus, there are a lot of life drawing sessions online via Zoom (I highly recommend these sessions) and one can draw models from all over the world. But most of the life drawings I use are made on Sunday mornings with a club of artists and artist's models. It's a great way to practice gestures, emotions—and nowadays, I focus more on hands.”

She elaborates on the art movement that has inspired her most. “I studied art history at the VU in Amsterdam and my major was medieval art. I was inspired by the Romanesque art, with the lack of perspective and decorative patterns. For a long time, the Virgin Mary was the subject of my paintings. That has changed over time. Nowadays, portraits of women predominate in my paintings.

I love the paintings of David Hockney, especially his portraits. The way he combines colours in a decorative way is so mind-blowing strong!

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Lately I discovered the paintings of Alice Neel. She absolutely knows how to capture the essence of the model’s emotions. I think her technique of leaving parts of the canvas blank or leaving the under sketch, is part of the fact why I like it so much.

For years, I’m a huge fan of Jasper Krabbé, a Dutch artist based in Amsterdam. He paints on the unprepared backs of canvasses, so the paint will be absorbed by the canvas. Krabbé achieved a beautiful softness in his paintings that I myself am looking for.”

Life has been well-rounded for Iris thus far. “I was born and raised in Amsterdam. Nowadays, I realize it was a very special place. In the middle of the big city of Amsterdam, I grew up in a huge green allotment where schoolkids were taught about nature. Between all the green, chickens, sheep, goats and rabbits I spent my childhood with mum, dad and my two sisters. No neighbours close by. Nature and culture were big issues when I grew up, and they still are.

At this moment, I live and work in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Besides making art, I teach art at a secondary school in Haarlem. Again, culture and nature are close by and hopefully in the future as well.” The whole thing sounds dreamy and it’s no wonder her art is like opening up a storybook, with such beautiful influences surrounding her.

To other artists out there, Iris imparts, “Never give up and keep trying. In this way, you can experiment, playing with new techniques and 24

also make mistakes. I believe this is the only way to keep moving and that it will upgrade your art. If the experiment is not working, you can embrace at least the experience.

Look around you, inspiration is everywhere, even in the little things you normally take for granted. Using social media as an exposing platform has brought me so much fun. As inspiration, but also in new collaborations, not to mention the wonderful useful comments.”

You can find artist Iris Van Zanten via her website Irisvanzanten.nl and connect with her on Instagram @iris_van_zanten .

the arts.

vis•cer•al VISUAL ARTIST GIANLUCA LATTUADA Milan, Italy / Madrid, Spain journalist K. Day Gomez photographer Ricardo Leon

MEET VISUAL ARTIST He believes that art should mostly talk about life, desires, subconscious, dreams, deep secrets and pain of those born on the margin of society. Faces are often not recognizable because everyone is metaphorically the same, regardless of the city or country, as well as their age, ethnicity and geographical origin. His work carries two goals: to give an overview of the issues of contemporary society and to create a new vision of the world that can help taking a step forward tomorrow.

He deals within the realm of the visceral— what can be felt through our mind’s eye, through memory, through deep emotional upheaval.

Naturally intrigued by his dark, moody themes, 28

GIANLUCA LATTUADA

Opening straight into the meat of it, we begin with Gianluca’s artist’s statement. The recurring themes in Lattuada’s work are the energy of bodies, eroticism, violence and the transience of life (as per the “memento mori” philosophy). The body therefore becomes the perfect tool to represent all of this in a universal way, to remind us that we are all human flesh, without any distinction.

we had to get to know the artist. “Since I was a child, I have always drawn and written. I think that eventually we all feel the need to express ourselves.

However, sometimes something magical happens, and someone who you do not know and who may live on the other side of the world, begins to identify with what you have produced. The work takes on its own life and generates emotions (positive or negative) in others. And that's when something can be considered art.

This happened for the first time with the publication of my first book "Cleopatra Kills Herself"—a collection of poems and micro stories about youth in troubled areas, and later with my drawings and paintings that have the advantage. Like all visual arts, of speaking a universal language, without the need for translations or reworking. This was the greatest obstacle I was able to overcome over the years: moving from an artistic language like writing that has great barriers (language and reading time) to painting that is accessible anywhere and at any time (also thanks to the potential of social media).”

Expression in various forms has always come

naturally for Lattuada, and his family recognized this early on. “I do not come from a family of artists. However, my parents have supported every personal and professional choice I have taken since I was young, allowing me to explore and choose my own path. I think I have been very lucky. For over a year now, I have left Italy to live in Madrid, Spain, where I currently have my art studio.”

Though the world is saturated with art and he’s blessed to live in the epicenter of much of the richest art history, Lattuada draws many of his ideas from the books. “I find inspiration mostly in literature. I am very fond of the authors of the beat generation (Ginsberg and Burroughs above all) for their courage to go against the established order and against the mainstream, supposedly radical, reaction against that order, creating their own vision of the world. For what concerns contemporary authors, I am interested in those who are able to delve into the depths of the human psyche, such as David Foster Wallace, Amy Hempel, or Tiffany McDaniel who describe in words the discomfort and human suffering. I would like my art to give those who look at it new keys and lenses to interpret the different forms that suffering and despair have in everyday normal life.”

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One of the first things I noticed in his work was his proclivity to draw or depict torsos (across genders).

This is important as a psychological or physiological bridge as it alludes to our “gut instincts“, gut reactions (or impulses), and denotes the most primal aspect of who we are. Our identity is first animal before ego—when we are in a state of bliss or pride, we stretch ourselves out. And when we are most hurt or fragile we recoil inward, often mirroring fetal position. The use of the torso as a subject in his works speaks to this, which is what makes Lattuada’s work so emotionally responsive.

“The subjects greatly depend on the project that I am working on. For example, one of the last projects I completed started with a series of drawings in the Prado Museum in Madrid, updating baroque works in a contemporary way. This series was followed by large-scale oil paintings on canvas, using only one first coat of black on canvas. The “technical” approach was to start from light (the white color of the canvas) and only paint shadows (the black darkness). The opposite of what Caravaggio did, who started by painting the black background and then highlighted the light in his characters. In general, the most recurring subject is the body that is placed at the center and used as a tool to represent beauty and at the same time the transience of life.”

As for the overall themes within his body of work, Gianluca explains, “the most recurring themes drawing from Greek mythology, are Eros and Thanatos—the two impulses that dominate human beings. On the one hand, life, eroticism, love and primal desires. And on the other, existential unease, dreams, the subconscious, neuroses and death. In my work, spectators are faced with a mirror and confronted with their own shadows. The faces are often unrecognizable, indicating that we are all equal regardless of time, geographic origin, age, and social status. I often make references to literature, cinema, music and underground culture to form a puzzle that the spectator, through their personal tools, can decipher and rebuild, finding a meaning to the work and the message it wants to convey, in a continuous journey of intimate and spiritual tension.”

Lattuada’s work serves a deeper mission by starting those harder conversations. “There are issues that touch us all closely and that are intergenerational and global—social inequalities, gender and race discrimination, and climate change, to name a few. Artists should never lack the courage and audacity to take a stand and produce works that challenge the status quo, highlighting the contradictions of contemporary society.”

These conversations are transcontinental, and as such deserve to be observed more closely in different parts of the world. “I would like to create projects and exhibitions outside of Europe, starting with the United States, a country that I love. I would like to find an American gallery that can support my work on an international level.” There are so many from New York to California, and I’d even stretch to say Washington state and our own home base in Texas, which has grown increasingly more inviting to introspective contemporary art.

However, at least for now he tells us, “I have several exhibitions scheduled in Italy and Spain. But my work continues in parallel with autonomous projects, especially in the field of urban and street art, which I would like to delve into more and more in the future, as a means of reaching people directly without intermediaries and at the same time creating new meanings in the public space where I intervene.”

In regard to street art and public spaces, Lattuada has a philosophical ethos. “Being anarchic means not conforming to the current fashion or what the market demands, and thereby finding your own unique expressive language. It is a way to always be true to yourself, which is the most important thing in art.”

For all of those interested in connecting or becoming a patron, “there’s an easy way to support my work: follow me on Instagram (@gianlucalattuada) and spread the word among your friends. One of the greatest satisfactions is to be able to reach a worldwide audience with one's art. You also can find my art on my website (www.gianlucalattuada.art), where anyone can reach out to me to share his or her thoughts and, if interested, to inquire about purchasing my artwork.”

The PEPPER Magazine team is also open to speaking with any of our American galleries who may be reading this and considering hosting Gianluca Lattuada for a solo or group exhibit in the future.

SH O

journalist K. Day Gomez

Manzini, Swaziland

Artist & Illustrator Sambulo Shongwe

SA M

Sambulo Shongwe is based in Manzini, Eswatini. At the age of 22 he resides with his mother and siblings and is a self taught artist who has entered into the space of digital art and graphics design. “I started drawing at a very tender age when I was doing my primary level at Zombodze National Primary School.

Unfortunately, we did not have art classes even in my high school.

Luckily, in September 2021 I was able to join graphics and digital art classes conducted by Scinzo Mdluli—one of the best digital artists in Eswatini. By September 2022, I managed to come up with my creative technique for digital art called ‘Scribble Art’ which is line themed. My first art exhibition was with Yebo Art Gallery (Eswatini) on the 1st of October 2022 under the title "UMOYA". I became interested in NFTs and started selling them in December 2022.”

Sam has an authentic love for what he does. “Art gives us the ability to express ourselves. Through that expression, we communicate by drawing on our own unique emotions, thoughts and experiences. When you see and study another's art, you're seeing the world through their eyes. In most cases, I use my artworks to convey messages around the world. My motivation for making and selling art is to illustrate my experience as a child growing up close to nature.

Mainly my projects are based on what is happening around me or around the world.

Most recently, my art features many topics related to love and culture. I really enjoy experimenting these subjects because I develop the skills to create the colours, shapes and marks we intend on the paper, digitally.

Unlike exploration, which is a much more rambling and uncharted process, experimenting is the starting point for developing as artists.”

In this article, Sam describes the context of the pieces shown. “The creative process involves inspiration, perculation, preparation, creation and reflection. Natural and constructed environment is where I get my inspiration. In most cases, it is inner feelings and imagination. Packing my social media with artists and galleries adds to my inspiration.

As I’m taking care of the art, I just hope it

will take care of me. I believe I'll be travelling the world through art and getting exhibitions globaly would be greatly appreciated .

As I'm also selling NFTs I'm looking forward to becoming part of the top NFTselling artists in the near future.”

It has been sheer self determination driving Sambulo to pursue art in an area that didn’t have much accessible to him. He never let that stop him. “I made sure I have a drawing book every year. It started as a hobby, but seeing improvement in my artworks is what kept me going.

My family has played a big role in my career as they always supported me financially and emotionally— they even buy my work. Special thanks to my mom for understanding me as an artist. Not forgetting my friends I used to draw with in High School—sharing ideas with them helped me to look at art with a different perspective.

As a pencil artist (graphite) my biggest inspiration came from Lwazi Tsela, our multi award winning artist.

Seeing his artworks made me believe I can do better in art. As I improve in art, I also got interested in digital art in which I was inspired by Kanya from South Africa.

Now, having had the opportunity to take those graphics and digital art classes conducted by Scinzo Mdluli has been a huge turning point.”

We asked about his style and the themes he approaches in his work. “For the past few years, my main themes were texture and color as I was only doing pencil art and cartoon art. I'm glad I also managed to do the line theme, as I started doing digital scribble art in September 2022.” Even as a relatively new medium for him, Shongwe has taken to the process quite naturally. “I'm also hopping to do a shape theme soon.”

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As he stated, culture makes up a big part of his focus. It’s likewise become part of what he seeks to build, empower and give back. “As an artist, I'm also keen in helping other artists. I usually give solid advice and tips to upcoming artists. Being able to connect with people in my community and show the diversity of ideas and cultures to visitors would be fulfilling and challenging, but I would greatly enjoy it.

My best advice for upcoming artists is that they should be patient with their work and make a habit of researching ways to improve, as doing so also helped me to grow as an artist.” And as for the future, Sam says, “I'm looking forward to opening an art gallery which will showcase all kinds of artworks and also guide and provide lessons for upcoming artists.”

Teaching is something he’s very interested in. He seeks to share his love of art with others who share the same passion for it.

Sambulo Shongwe (affectionately, Sam Sho) is always open to meeting new artists and making friends from around the world. He invites anyone to connect, engage and even become a patron online.

“My artworks are available in all my social media platforms—on Facebook at Sam Sho Art, Instagram @sam_sho_art1 and via Twitter @SamShoArt1. For NFTs, I'm using OpenSea—the links are available in the bio of all my social media accounts.”

In closing, an explanation of some of the works shown —to the right on this page : Wild Thoughts Size: A3 (32x 40cm) “It may begin sweet; a romantic date, a beautiful setting. As the night continues, excitement increases.

A kiss here, a little teasing over there, resulting in wild thoughts, too lit to dim down.”

On a previous page : Reach Out Size: A3 (30x 42cm ) “Sometimes reaching out and taking someone's hand is the begining of a journey.

At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.”

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San Antonio, Texas photojournalist K. Day Gomez

We are happy to introduce 34 year old Amber Nemer-Garcia, founder & curator of NEMERS Boutique, based in San Antonio, Texas.

“I’m supported by my wonderful husband and my two beautiful children. Our vision and dream is to empower women to feel beautiful and confident in their own skin through our clothing and accessories. I have a passion for helping my clients find unique pieces that make them feel empowered and confident to face their everyday lifestyle. It’s our way of making a difference in the world; one client at a time.

When you look and feel good the opportunities are limitless to what we, as women can accomplish.”

One important thing to know about NEMERS is it’s not just an online and pop-up boutique. She has a brick and mortar space where clients can book a private shopping experience. In this instance, Amber is on hand to help style, give advice on cuts, colors and fit to provide a beautiful overall outcome for every body type.

It’s something she’s been passionate about all her life. “For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved how clothing made me feel. I loved playing dress up and putting on my mother’s dresses and heels as a little girl. It wasn’t until high school when I really started getting pretty addicted to thrift store shopping and putting outfits together. I remember mix matching my outfits so that I never wore the same outfits to school. I remember in my senior yearbook getting “best dressed”.

It was just such a big deal to me to look and feel good at such a young age. It was my way of expressing myself, being an introverted person.

At the age of 18, I knew I wanted to have my own business in fashion, so I started selling my second hand clothing and built it to what it is now—selling new and trendy clothing.

Little did I know all the obstacles that would come my way. Having to learn how to register your business, taxes, having employees, 44

replenishing your product, having no product, theft, lack of support, your own self doubts, losing and finding yourself through the process... All because of a dream that only I could see; to have a brand—that means so much. Twelve years later, my story is still unfolding and all I can say it’s so worth it to see NEMERS growing.”

Not all of the obstacles Amber has faced have been strictly business related. Her formative years weren’t easy. “Loosing my Father at 16 played a big part in why I engulfed myself into work and always staying busy to erase the thought of not having my Father in my life. I isolated myself from others and felt very lonely. I know that pushed family and friends away. I felt like I had to do everything alone.

Even though I know my family was also hurting, my mother was always there to support my dreams and pushed me to be the best I could be and for that I’ll be forever grateful. My brother helping to create these beautiful spaces with me means the world. It’s like having my Father there with me helping me build the NEMERS brand. As the years have gone by I’ve realized that instead of trying to forget about the pain of my father’s passing, all along God was working through me to keep him alive. NEMER runs in my blood. It’s my fathers last name, and it’s my way of having my Dad with me at all, times which gives me purpose and saved my life.”

It’s clear that her dad was an important role model for Amber. “My Father was always an entrepreneur and unknowingly being around it as a kid, I picked up on it. I remember him building a little convenience store for my mother in our

neighborhood right outside our home so that she can work and take care of me. I grew up watching my very hardworking parents make ends meet with no excuses and loving what they did.

He was a taxi driver at night and a construction worker during the day. He had a crew and multiple projects going on at the same time.

Losing my father at such a young age, I could only go back to my vague memories of him. I remember him asking me to do certain projects like filing and organizing some of his things—he would call me his secretary.

So once I turned 18, I remember wanting to open my own store and do the same but with clothing. I remember loving how clothes made me feel. I would put on my mom’s heels and dresses playing dress up all the time. I would love thrift store shopping and going to yard sales with my mom and grandma. Over the years I accumulated lots of clothes. My mom was having to take me to the flea market to sell them. I would take that money and go buy more clothes. One day, we went to a flea market that was indoors and I told my mom I would love to open a booth here to sell my clothes on the weekends. And that’s how Amber’s shop came about back in 2011.”

Technically, NEMERS is the modern iteration of the original 2011 concept. “When I opened my first store called “Ambers shop” where I was reselling my used clothes, I had no clue to what I was getting into. I remember decorating my store and making it feel like a really nice boutique. Months later a lady approached me saying they were opening up a new indoor flea market called Pica Pica Plaza. She said she loved my setup and would love it if I would open up a location inside Pica Pica. Without hesitation I made the jump.

That jump made me have to register my business and get a tax ID to make it legitimate. At that time I decided to change the name to NEMERS in honor of my Father. I made a promise to myself that I would make him proud. As scared as I was, I never stopped to think of the ‘what if’s’ or ‘how am I going to do this’— I just went for it. I had no extra inventory, only what I had in my store at time. This is where God comes in.

A man approached me when I was getting all my things to move to the new location asking if I wanted to buy some things from his store. He was closing and wanted to get rid of everything. For $1,500 I was able to get a register, mannequins, new clothing, accessories, shelving, hangers and so much more. It was such perfect timing. I could only

thank God for that. It was so much inventory that it was perfect to open a new location.”

There would be other companies and people she’d meet and work with along the way who left an impact upon Amber’s journey.

“While I was opening NEMERS at Pica Pica Plaza, I was working full time at the Tower of the Americas as a hostess—I’m still currently there.

I remember having to change my work schedule to be able run my business.

Thankfully my bosses were very understanding and very happy for me.

They took time to develop me to gain knowledge in this business. As I was tested and put in situations where I was being challenged, I got to know so many other entrepreneurs and people in business. I worked my way up from being a hostess to Director of operations for Landry’s overseeing over 60 employees daily. I’ve opened different retail locations like Go Rio cruises on our famous River Walk. I’ve learned so much about business—I absolutely love what I do. I’ll forever be grateful for their mentorship along the way.”

Such an incredible life in business coupled with her upbringing has formed Amber‘s view of the world around her. It’s also made her value things that still lack in the system. “We as women have come a long way, but I feel there is still so much work to do for our rights. I hope that in some way my business can help women feel heard, accepted and that we are due the same fundamentals such as education, a life free of violence, and fair wages. Our aspiration is to one day offer scholarships and have a nonprofit organization to help women in these aspects.”

In the meantime, NEMERS is active in philanthropy. “We have partnered with a local nonprofit organization called “Dress For Success”. We do clothing drives throughout the year to support, and we donate a percentage of every purchase to this amazing organization. Dress for Success helps empower women to achieve economic independence by providing the tools, connections, and professional attire to thrive in work and in life.” I can attest it’s one of the first things that made me want to reach out to her for a story. She actively posts and encourages others to donate and volunteer. I had to know more.

All that wealth of experience and there is so much more to come.

“We’re so excited to be opening our new location inside The Brownstone on March 12th. We haven’t announced it to the public, but this is a perfect way to share our grand opening. [Located at 1203 Buenavista St. in San Antonio, Tx 78207] I hope my boutique one day will make an impact in the world that it’s known to be more than just a boutique. A place where women can come to be themselves, look and feel good, but also find purpose to go out there and make their own impact and change in the world—while wearing Nemers of course! Also to open multiple locations around the world is our dream.”

To others imagining opening their own business, Amber says, “You truly have to have a passion for the industry. If this is a dream you want to pursue, my advice is to go all in and don’t look back. Be patient, and don’t quit when you come across obstacles. That’s how you learn, grow and never forget why your doing it.”

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”I strongly believe what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. I stand here as a living testimony of my story; that is still being written.

I’m excited and determined to pursue my dream and want to be an inspiration to others to do the same.” *You can also email us at Nemersboutique@gmail.com, visit our website nemersboutique.com or find us on social media @nemersboutique on IG and FB.

miguelfloresphotography.com @miguelfloresphotography

EWMA E N T E R P R I S I N G A R T

W O M E N

M A K I N G

x KILN

Vancouver, British Columbia

EWMA This photo series aims to highlight the importance of blending art, community and social entrepreneurship.

EWMA works with emerging women artists and artisans in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to participate in a democratic and equitable social enterprise that coordinates the pooling of resources to produce and market women’s visual art and handmade products.

As well, it focuses on building women’s capacities and knowledge, and increasing their access to lucrative markets and sales.

Creative director Rainne Medina with photographer Yvonne Hanson capture Kiln Ceramic Jewelry on models in a Pat McGrath 1920’s goth inspired theme. [see full team credits inback directory.]

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FRACTALS photographer Andrey Lukovnikov with model Ekaterina Lukovnikova Alicante, Spain

F A S H I O N IS

ART

Anita Bilello portraits Palermo, Italy

1

Anita

FASHION IS ART REVIEW

Designer Kendra Lee with photographer Lindsay Taylor Edmonton, Canada

2 LILITH

FASHION IS ART REVIEW

Truly hand-woven art takes center stage here in the newest collection by Canadian designer Kendra Lee. ”My new collection is called "Lilith" and will be seen on the runway this season.

Inspiration for this line was drawn from the tale of Lilith, who according to Jewish lore was Adam’s first wife. Her story begins when she refused to lay beneath Adam during sex.

The story alleges she was created from the same earth (soil) and particles as Adam, and as such she expected to be equal. Adam however wanted her to be more submissive and do what he wanted. He banished Lilith from the garden of Eden and Eve was created in thereafter. Lilith willingly left to claim her independence...”

Designed & handmade by Kendra Lee Photographer Lindsay Taylor Hair by Viking's Edge Hair Design Makeup by Kelsey Moore Modeled by Jay Couling, Raylene Jay Ashley and Jane 70

FASHION IS ART REVIEW

3

KELSEA

Photographer Kelly Sedivec-Ealy captures model, Kelsea Eskew Nashville, Tennessee

BEAUTY W I T H I N

Photographer Alec Shpuntov Cosing Reston, Virginia

Charity STYLE DIARIES WITH

fashion.

Style Consultant Charity Stewart San Antonio, Texas

BEING NORMAL IS ABNORMAL The definition of normal is to conform to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.

Being normal or going with what's normal all the time can be a dangerous thing to do.

In honor of Black History, my question to you would be—Was slavery or discrimination against African Americans ‘normal’? No matter where you are from, we all have family traditions that we consider ‘normal’. And with that we've all said “ When I have my own family or life I won’t do this anymore”.

ERYKAH BADU

In my opinion, fashion is being normal but being fashionable or stylish is challenging the norm. Erykah Badu is the epitome of challenging the norm through her style, music, motherhood, and activism.

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AFRICAN QUEEN Erykah made wearing hair wraps so classy and cool. She wore them everywhere.

Which is why I chose to wear one with this look. As an African American woman, I have worn head wraps plenty of times, mainly to cover up a bad hair day. This time was different because I knew I was representing a culture that I am a part of.

traditions with a modern twist. This look was photographed in USA Beauty Outlet II, a store that has beauty products made for minorities and African American people.

MODERN BADU We are calling this look the Modern Badu.

Early in Erykah’s career, head wraps were the accessory she was known for, but now its hats.

This yellow Adidas beanie gives this neutral color outfit the pop it needed. Most of the time when Erykah wore TShirts, they had a message.

Which is why I chose to wear a shirt with my Grandpa who I never got to meet. When I wear this shirt, I’m reminded of where I come from and that one day when I'm gone there will be something my grandchildren will have that reminds them of me.

Oversized clothes have become the new sexy, which seems to be an oxymoron because it's more material and when one thinks ‘sexy’ they 86

SIDE NOTE

I paired my head wrap with a mini dress that had pops of green to beautifully tie it together. I chose to not wear the traditional or normal fishnet tights and go with more of a unique patterned fishnet tights. For my accessories, I chose a black string necklace [recently the black string necklaces have made a comeback from the Erykah Badu Era]. This outfit embodies culture and

Erykah Badu has roots in West Africa, and in West Africa they call head wraps “Duka”.

think less material.

When putting these jeans on I felt like it was too modest. So I cut slits in the jeans to give the cool girl look. To make the outfit for our classy girls out there I added a black trench coat and Steve Madden pointed toe heels. To finish off this look, I layered two belts to give me a shape.

STATEMENT WEAR This look was inspired by the famous shirt Erykah Badu wore on the cover of Trace Magazine. This shirt screams change, whether it's good or bad. When someone picks an outfit to wear, they pick pieces that best represent themselves—or they should.

Normally I wouldn't wear something like this because this doesn’t represent me personally. When I asked myself why this felt like a leap off a cliff, I came to the conclusion that I was worried how this would look to others and how they would perceive this message. But isn't that what we are here for—to challenge the norm?

When you have a statement piece such as this shirt, it's okay to keep the rest simple.

Which is why I picked low rise denim jeans with rhinestones sprinkled on them with a matching black rhinestone heel.

WRAP UP Challenging the norm can be uncomfortable but it's necessary for change to happen. When I think of fashion trends, I think of one person wearing something that no one else is wearing and all of a sudden you see everyone wearing it. When I think of new laws being made in our government, I think of one person that protested and voted to make change and all of a sudden we have new laws. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to go against the normal. I’m sure they had thoughts like “it's always been like this” or “people are going to talk about my outfit”, but I'm also sure that when those people look back and see the change happen because of them, they feel that it was worth the risk.

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EE LL U S I V E USIVE

sustainable fashion & decor

Sustainable fashion & lifestyle expert Becky Witte-Marsh on Caliente Hot Glass – Artist, Glen Andrews II – San Antonio, TX

Glen is a philosophical artist for sure. He describes the dance. “At the center of the turning world is where the dance is—where the answer is.”

Glen dances around his blown glass shop— Caliente Hot Glass—with a natural series of choregraphed moves that create some of the most beautiful pieces of art. His life and work partner, Ruth Bushman, is part of the dance as they work in tandem to create “moments of gratitude.”

Glen began blowing glass over 20 years ago, or as he likes to say “in the 1900’s!” He has spent that time learning to develop a relationship with the glass.

He explains, “You can’t control glass. You learn to understand what it wants.”

Learning to understand what Glen wants seems straight forward: To blow glass, to drink Irish whiskey, to smoke cigarettes, to ride his motorcycle, to pet his dog, to be with Ruth and to not be in the spotlight. The spotlight is where the work belongs. He’s a bit of an enigma, a behind the scenes kind of guy who happens to grab the spotlight just by being himself.

An elusive creature in love with glass.

I met Glen and Ruth when I wrote and styled my column entitled “Blown”. [See PEPPER Vol. 1, no.4] That article stemmed from a curiosity about how blown glass could inspire not only home décor, but also its translation into fashion. Touring the hot shop with Glen and Ruth that day created a strong connection to the glass, but also a strong curiosity about who the hell is Glen and why is he so CRAZY about glass? I wondered what their home was like and how they lived with the glass they create. Lucky for me, I was invited into the secret world that this creative duo call home, to get inside the head of this elusive artist.

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Upon entering this Victorian gem, a grand hall provides sight lines from the front of the home all the way to the back, creating a gallery like setting for an intriguing collection of art, including Glen’s work entitled “ Sonder.” [Wiktionary definition: “The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, has a life as complex as one’s own, which they are constantly living despite one’s personal lack of awareness of it.”]

As I queried Glen about his life and his art, I found myself reaching back to my childhood days growing up with an English professor / actor father, who constantly used words I didn’t know the meaning of and he would yell “Look it up!!!” Well, Glen certainly is not a yeller, as his composed demeanor will attest, but he is quite the wordsmith, with a vocabulary that transcends I am sure 99.9% of the population. With that said, Glen assures me that Glass is his language.

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Glen grew up in Leon Valley, when it was more of a suburb of San Antonio. The child of a single mother for a while—his biological father, not really in the picture. When he was little, his mother would bring home glass figurines. Glen was infatuated, but was encouraged to admire the figurines from afar.

Soon, Glen’s mother remarried a military Drill Sargent.

The family moved into military housing with its regimented taupe, stale sameness and his mother’s inclination for organization and presentation. The

table was set with napkin rings and flowers. The flowers were what differentiated his house from the next military house on the block. Military “training” combined with a Southern Baptist view on the world, created a highly structured environment that focused on rules and conformity.

Glen was on the “military train” along with all the other males in his family. He wasn’t striving to become an artist until his early twenties.

He went to visit his mother in Washington D.C. He saw an old man blowing glass. His epiphany ignited—“A human gets to do this and I could be that human.” He told his mother right then and there that he was going to be a glass artist. He knew before he even touched it that he wanted to give his life to it.

found glass earlier in his life so that he would have more time to explore it. He feels that glass is his only way to contribute grace to the world. Glen shares his passion for glass by what I call “teaching” what he calls “telescoping” into this esoteric world by sharing the experience. Glen wants people to understand the beautiful moment—the Zen experience.

Glass doesn’t have a point to prove; it has a lot to teach—but not forcefully. Glass teaches immediacy— you must live in the moment. Once you are fully present—dancing with the glass—you find a flow state. You can’t stop the hot glass until the end of the dance. Receiving the moment, the glass will speak through him. These two, Glen and the glass, are definitely in a give and take relationship.

The first piece of glass he produced was a marble.

It has pride of place right next to the front door.

Also displayed here are two small glass pieces that are over 2,000 years old. These are some of Glen’s most treasured possessions.

Glen’s structured upbringing in a military family, tinted his early career in glass. He tried to take a controlling stance with the glass and had trouble finding his “moment” with it. It took him a few years to realize that he was not the one in charge and a few more years to actuate it. He was simply a custodian of the glass, giving in to its beautiful, graceful nature. He realized he could spend his whole life learning about this elusive beauty and still never learn all there is to know.

When he stopped torturing himself, striving to be an artist, is when he became an artist. He left his religion, left behind ideas of life in the military and began to celebrate his weirdness.

When I asked Glen if he has any regrets, the only thing he notes is that he wishes he could have

His philosophical view point comes shining through in evenings at the shop called “Art in the Dark” that he and Ruth host together. With a live cellist playing in the background, Glen and Ruth blow in silence, connected to the moment, working perfectly in unison. Mailey, their dog and constant companion looks on.

Glen explains: “To dance with glass is to know failure. Failure is mandatory. Swinging the pendulum left until fail.

Swinging the pendulum right until fail. This is to know the edges. Those

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edges are the path to get to the next level. The journey into glass is a slow one that doesn’t always start out great. It takes about a decade to even begin to understand the artform.” Glen equates it to a juggernaut: a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force or institution.

This juggernaut moves at about half a mile per hour, but it makes progress. I equate it to a turtle, which coincidentally is one of Ruth’s favorite reptiles.

Early on in their relationship, Glen made Ruth a beautiful glass turtle helping to solidify a mutual respect and admiration for each other and each other’s strengths.

Ruth facilitates Glen’s ability to create, unencumbered by the distractions of running a business. She also has learned a lot about glass and is the perfect assistant in the hot shop. This long term relationship, at home and at work, has evolved much like the education of hot glass— slowly and gracefully over time.

Their home reflects that. Guests are invited in to share in the special moments the home and its collections have to offer. Blown glass glasses are 96

offered up to choose from, each speaking its own soft whisperings to the selector. Most of them say “Pour whiskey in me, please.” To which Glen replies, “I don’t mind if I do.”

Chairs, couches, loungers, daybeds, theater seats are but a sampling of the cozy spots to curl up in around the house and on the front porch. Blown glass lighting offers a special glow in every room and brings back memories—moments—in sharing Glen’s love of glass.

Flash back to 2018, an unveiling moment in Miss Baker’s house. Philip Glass’s song “Morning Passage” was playing in the back ground. Miss Baker had commissioned Glen to create a chandelier for her home. The moment unfurled – a touching, beautiful moment. A moment when all things were right with the glass. Miss Baker was overcome with joy and emotion. She and Glen laid down on the floor under the newly installed work of art to appreciate it in all of its glory. She grabbed his hand and they both started to cry. An affirming moment, by the grace of glass.

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I asked Glen when he will know that he has reached success in glass. He kindly replies, “When I don’t have to do these interviews.

When the work alone can speak for itself.”

HIGH LIFE/HIGHLIGHT THE

PEPPER

WITH LIFESTYLE CONTRIBUTOR JOE A. GOMEZ III Every now and then we all need a reason to get up and get away.

For me, it’s either sports or concerts.

FOLLOW THE

MUSIC

With Coldplay having extended their lengthy “Music of the Spheres World Tour” with a brief run of North American dates in Fall 2023, I’m using this month’s column space to catalog everything you’ll need and everywhere you’ll want to go to make the Los Angeles dates in September. It’ll be worth it too, as multi-time Grammy winner H.E.R. and 070 Shake will serve as openers.

THE GEAR The Band

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Anyone can thrift or run to academy for affordable luggage, but if you’re wanting state of the art, this is my recommendation. “Meet the future of luxurious rolling luggage. Imagined by Marc Newson, widely acknowledged as the most influential industrial designer of his generation, this lightweight 4-wheeled carry-on has a completely flat interior thanks to its large external cane. Every detail exudes innovation and lightness: from the discreet new TSA lock to the most comfortable wheels ever designed by Louis Vuitton.

Travel in style with your Horizon 55, which offers surprisingly large interior capacity for a cabin-friendly bag.”

THE STAY My favorite place to post up every time I’m in LA is The W Hotel, hands down.

“This boutique Hollywood hotel is located on the doorstep of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is 15 minutes’ walk from Dolby Theater.” With a rooftop pool and restaurants inside, it’s convenient and perfect for recouping after jet lag.

The W Hotel

habitat.

It’s 25 minutes from LAX, but what makes it worth it is the amenities. “A modern gym with cardiovascular equipment and a 24-hour business center are available...

The hotel also offers 24-hour Whatever/Whenever service for dinner reservations, transportation arrangements and more.

The

op ooft W r

pool

Delphine restaurant offers Contemporary American cuisine that is Californiainspired with a focus on fresh, organic ingredients. The Living Room offers Mediterranean dishes for breakfast and lunch. Enjoy signature cocktails and expansive views of downtown and Hollywood from the rooftop pool and WET Deck.” You really can’t beat that.

THE EATS Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills is at the top of my list for a quality dining experience with an exceptional menu.

“Mastro's embraces classic steakhouse traditions as warmly as it welcomes the moneyed clientele that frequent this bustling eatery. It's a celebrity favorite, too. A relatively sedate dining room occupies the ground floor, while a lively bar scene—downright boisterous by buttoned-down steakhouse standards— awaits upstairs. The Penthouse at Mastro's occupies the third floor, featuring a terrace, the Canon Room with a wall of wine bottles, and sushi in addition to Mastro's menu. The straightforward but pricey bill of fare features New York strip, porterhouse and rib-eye steaks, a very respectable rack of lamb and a smattering of options for non-carnivores.”

Mastro’s

”Travel changes you.

As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”

- Anthony Bordain 101

NOVEM Cuisine

GOURMET IN-HOME & EVENT DINING

NOVEMCUISINE.weebly.com

@novem.cuisine

(512)965-3383

BEAN A COFFEE STORY Entrepreneur & Chef Joe A. Gomez III San Antonio, Texas

NOVEM BEAN

photojournalist K. Day Gomez

very exciting to add NOVEM BEAN to the NOVEM Cuisine brand. It’s been a while in the making, and I’m just very excited to finally have it launched.” For chef Joe, it really has been a long time coming. Coffee is something that has always interested him. Not solely for the sake of the beverage itself, but also for its history, its fluidity across regions and the culture around it.

Joe has a very romanticized worldly view of coffee. He has Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in part to thank for that. His book “Pour Your Heart Into It” [1997] left a lasting impact on him as a young man working his way up in the retail industry around that time. In fact, I remember the story as he paraphrased it for me when we were just friends getting to know one another in 2019. His eyes lit up as he pontificated on the idea that, “it’s not about making a cup of coffee— anyone can do that. It’s about creating a romantic atmosphere, one that invites people to come and stay and meet and work—somewhere you want to be as an escape from the ordinary.”

Chef Joe A. Gomez III of NOVEM is one of those business people who never stop moving forward.

Since its founding in 2020, the private chef end of the business, NOVEM Cuisine has grown by leaps and bounds. He’s gone from the humble beginnings of flying solo (with my help in the clients’ kitchens, doing everything from prep work to washing dishes), to a full staff of six rotating servers, sous chefs and culinary assistants. And with this expansion, his clients keep him busy.

Joe’s reasonable enough to know that there’s only one of him, and as such, the model by itself isn’t scalable. That’s where NOVEM as a complete brand has a lot of opportunity and wiggle room. Back when he founded the company around three years ago, the idea was always to create add-ons. That is, goods and dry-store culinary offerings which could be easily added into the service he already offers, as well as be made available for purchase online. Think wine (which he’s already in the process of), signature spice blends and marinades.

Now, in February 2023, he has just actualized his first NOVEM brand offering—coffee. “It’s been

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In a way, through NOVEM, Joe creates a departure even inside of people’s homes by transforming their dining room into a full service upscale restaurant with five to nine courses, and their kitchen into a flurry of technical prep work to provide an entire experience. Having accomplished this, coffee is a perfect next step.

At the end of each meal service, he’d developed a habit of adding a cup of coffee along with their dessert. This is smart as typically the hosts serve wine and the coffee gives the guests a little pep and reboot before making their way home. It’s the perfect beverage for lounging and discussing the amazing dinner and other matters of the day. He had finally cultivated the very romantic setting that Schultz wrote about in his book. And he achieved it in his own unique way.

But something was missing for Joe. He needed it to be more of an extension of him, of his brand.

He knew at that point he had to develop his own coffee offering. Thus, NOVEM Bean was born as a spark of thought. He immediately went to the drawing board and began researching the process—starting with the roasters.

Coffee roasters are becoming a more common thing nowadays as folks seem to love the experience of hanging out at hip coffee shops that actually roast their own blends on premesis.

There’s a whole deeper level of authenticity about it.

One such establishment in SA is Shotgun House, located in the heart of downtown. It’s just a skip away from chef Joe’s townhouse and after reviewing the options, it turned out to be the perfect choice for a partnership.

“It’s been such a wonderful experience to work with Eddie and Shotgun Roasters here in San Antonio.

They’ve offered such great knowledge and expertise, and it has been absolutely a pleasure to work with them. They have really contributed greatly to the success of NOVEM Bean thus far.” Owner and coffee enthusiast Eddie Laughlin has developed a system of offering small batch blends to ensure freshness and flavor quality. He’s added the option of giving people the ability to create their own unique blends, which is the case for NOVEM Bean.

Chef Joe talks sourcing. “NOVEM bean is a great balance of coffee beans from El Salvador and Brazil. Both countries have a deep history and tradition in coffee.” With Eddie’s well-researched knowledge of his bean suppliers, as well as the flavor richness produced during his on-point roasting process, Joe gained the confidence and information needed to bring his dream into reality. Developing the recipe was the first step.

That part took Joe and Eddie a handful of weeks and several almost-perfect tries to hit the exact flavor mark he was aiming for. And once they got it, it went straight from the roaster to the dinner tables of chef Joe’s clients. The reception has been immediate with rave reviews and compliments all around. So much so that they can hardly make it fast enough!

And that’s not blowing smoke. The proof is in the numbers and the already repeat customers— including many of Joe’s good friends who live in our neighboring city of San Marcos. As of now, he’s been happy to make the drive himself to deliver bags in person. It’s given him the opportunity to garner real feedback from people who are long-time coffee drinkers.

So what makes NOVEM Bean special? It goes back to that particular recipe they worked so hard to finely tune. The resulting flavor as described by NOVEM is “cocoa, smokey, nutty, maple. It’s a medium-dark roasted blend of coffee, with aromatic flavor notes of deep chocolate, smooth smokey bourbon and maple.

Rich and decadent.” Now you see why it makes a great desert coffee after a fine gourmet meal shared with friends .

Joe couldn’t be more pleased. “NOVEM BEAN is the perfect way to end a great seven course meal, with its rich balance of chocolate and nutty flavors, and the aroma of maple and rich bourbon.” *chef’s kiss* As for me, I’m personally invested in seeing to the brand’s success as the in-house creative department, responsible for everything from photography to menus to web design to the ads (which aren’t too shabby if I do say so myself).

I’m pointing this out for a reason. What Joe creates is easy to romanticize because of the quality, the intensive hours he spends honing his skills and the meticulousness of his process.

It’s easy to make a pro look good.

[The two ad samples shown were created by K. Day Gomez utilizing images provided by Unsplash.]

The ultimate goal will be NOVEM becoming a household name in the US and eventually globally. He’s determined to curate and finely tailor an exceptional level of goods that are about more than just food—its a whole elevated way of living and enjoying, truly savoring, the things we bring into our home.

This can only happen in baby steps, and Joe is aware he’ll need to repeat the process in theory with each new hard item he adds to the brand’s list of offerings. As for now, the company is at its beginning and he is allowing himself to savor the adventure that is the process as he works toward getting there.

If you ask him if he ever saw himself building such a thing, he’ll tell you that he always knew he’d be the CEO of his own company even though he never held an exact view of what that would look like. He knew he loved to cook but never saw himself doing so for a living. He always found joy in curating experiences for gatherings

and it’s somethinghe’s known for, at least by all his friends and family. But he didn’t always know NOVEM was coming. He just held space for it and trusted the process that led him here.

—I’m sure he also didn’t plan to marry some crazy lady who’d somehow convince him to become CFO of an independent global magazine which led to him having to learn the ropes of publishing while building his own empire, either. The same crazy lady who convinced him to stop playing it safe in the corporate world and take a chance on his own talents doing the things he loves most.

But I can tell you firsthand he doesn’t regret a single step that led him to where he’s standing now—right in the middle of the life he designed for himself.

As for the coffee, you can currently order a bag (or bags) of NOVEM Bean by DMing chef Joe Gomez III on Instagram @novem.cuisine or via email at jagomezthree@icloud.com . And you should. It’s a decadent cup of coffee worth savoring with friends.

BASILIO SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

POP, LIFE AFTER LOSS & WHAT COMES NEXT.

photojournalist K. Day Gomez

Linklater’s latest Netflix Film “Apollo 10 1/2”, 2021. Most recently, Basilio Romo has also entered the world of Drag performing under the name “Anita” [see Instagram @anita_verga].

This is all tip of the iceberg, things most already know. We went in depth to ask Basilio to share his full story, in his words, no holds barred. “I started getting into entertainment when I was about 15 years old. I started with acting classes and quickly got into singing classes and music theory lessons with my late mentor, Shaun Royer. I have faced many obstacles on my way. I started making my own music back in 2011 and back then I was told that I could not be featured as a mainstream artist because I was openly gay.” (Let that sink in a moment because even now in 2023 we still have so much more work to do by way of equal rights and opportunity.)

B

asilio Romo is a Mexican American LGBTQ performance artist who creates music in the pop genre. Basilio’s training in the performing arts began at the young age of 16 with Shaun Royer [who developed Artist such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff and other legendary American pop sensations]. As a singer / songwriter, Basilio creates music which communicates life from a gay perspective.

A little history for our readers—Formerly Mr. Gay San Antonio America 2018 and Mr. Gay San Antonio USofA 2016, Basilio continues to act as a proud voice and creative producer for the LGBTQ community by participating in and hosting fundraisers Benefiting LGBTQ nonprofit organizations. He has performed his music live all over Texas for LGBTQ Festivals such as Pride SA 2015-2019, SPLASH South Padre, Out in The Park Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and was formally on the judging panel of the SA’s Got Talent show hosted by Ada Vox (American Idol finalist).

Basilio’s early music has played on San Antonio, Houston, and Austin radio stations. He made his feature length film debut as “hoodlum” in Oscar nominated director Richard 112

“Now today, artists like Lil Nas X, Sam Smith, and even the Drag Race phenomenon has broken the mold and boundaries, I now feel that there could be a place for me in the Pop Genre World. Being a Gay Artist, I’ve also faced a lot of obstacles getting jobs or sponsorship within my own community —because I won’t have sex with the show promotors or coordinators.” A brave statement about sexual harassment within the industry, even on a local level that most are afraid to come forward about, fearing being blacklisted or disbelieved. We at PEPPER, a publication run by and staffed in part by sexual abuse / assault survivors stand with Basilio and those like him who are unwilling to compromise themselves in light of fostering a culture of secrecy around abuse.

“I’ve had struggles throughout the years finding engineers and producers to work with because of my sexuality.

Most producers in San Antonio I’ve come across don’t want to be associated to a queer artist. Until recently when I started working with my producer Gabe Garces and Hip/Hop

engineer Stilo, I had never really been accepted by my heterosexual peers. I’ve also been scammed, which slowed me down the pass 2 years on releasing music.

During the pandemic in 2020, I received an Artist Grant from the City of San Antonio and I paid a producer (Reed Washington: CreditsMigos, Lil Xan…) who I have known for years and even worked with before successfully in the past [“Love Like That” and “Black Sheep”]. I paid him $2,000 to curate 2 new beats for me for an EP I was creating at the time. He stole my money and to this day I have not received a refund or any work. I think its worth mentioning so no one else gets scammed. (Reed is a Native San Antonian but currently resides in Los Angeles.)

So I’ve defiantly faced many obstacles. I still continue facing obstacles with just the fact that my social media following is close to non existent after being hacked during the pandemic in 2020.

However, I continue to make my work and to live my life as an open book. For me, if anyone can relate to my work and feels empowered to be themselves and live life, then I feel like I’m doing what I’m suppose to be doing in this world.”

The coming up stories you hear about life in the underbelly of the industry and systemic prejudice are all eerily similar. What Basilio has experienced is nothing new, and that‘s the problem.

As open and educated as the world is at this point, the culture in the business needs to change. Basilio continues moving forward playing his role as an artist in hopes of helping to engender some of that change. He’s been knocked down, but he’s never stopped moving.

Taking it back to family life before the music, Romo tells us, “I would say my parents are very supportive. When I was a teenager they took me to all my acting workshops, vocal lessons, photoshoots and runway shows I’d partake in.” That is, in fact,

how I came to know Basilio when he was only 16, as he came to my small apartment studio for a Photoshoot. I’ve beenrooting for him ever since.

“When I traveled to LA and NYC to work on my previous endeavors from 2016-2019, they were supportive as well. I’m very lucky for them.

Being adopted when I was a baby, and being outed by my high school administration made things growing up in a conservative Chicano Christian home a bit difficult. But when it came to my talents, they always believed one day I could achieve my goals, as long as I keep working.” And work he has.

my work. I want to be able to achieve the goals that he told me I was great enough to achieve. I just hope that, whatever the outcome is, I’ll be able to start moving forward. My main goal since his passing has been to not disrespect him by going down a spiral with drugs and alcohol. I want to honor him by being able to make all our dreams a reality, or at least giving it a real fair try.”

One of the first things you notice about Romo (even from his earlier years) is his unique curated style and keen fashion sense. “My personal style is inspired by anime characters, video games, cartoon characters (Final Fantasy, KingdomHearts, 7DeadlySins, Rocket Power, Looney Tunes…) and the early 2000s Pop era. I also love fashion like Mugler, Schiaparelli, McQueen, Dolce&Gabbana...but to be honest I think my late partner Jonathan really inspired my style. He really opened my mind and helped me discover a whole world of art, fashion, music and culture I never knew existed. I’ll always be grateful for all the things he showed me and taught me.”

We understand it’s a sensitive topic, but Basilio’s life was recently touched by tragedy in the loss of his partner. “This work I’m making right now has everything to do with my grieving process. When I first started working on this article with PEPPER Magazine, it was August 16, 2022. My partner had been missing for about four days. By that time, I had already called the city to make a welfare check and made a missing persons report with the police. Seven days after our initial shoot, I would find out that my late partner Jonathan Trevino passed away (August 22, 2022) in Los Angeles, California.” The death has been officially ruled as a suicide.

“It then took 2 1/2 months to get the results of his passing, to claim his body and to bring him home.

I was not allowed to be present at his funeral service, I was not allowed to retrieve all my belongings from his home where I lived with him since 2019, upon the family’s request. It’s been a really tough grieving process.” A lack of closure has compounded the grief Basilio carries.

“Right now, the only thing keeping me going is

We shifted focus asking Romo how he chooses the the subjects of his songs. “In my earlier work I was very much focused on making feel good music, anything that makes you wanna dance and sing along to. Telling my own personal story was not a key factor at all. Right now I’m focused on telling my story, even if its just for myself. I’m just hoping I can learn and find myself through the process of making this new work.

I just want to be honest with myself so maybe then I can start to understand what I need to do to grow 115

and be better in this life. Hopefully that inspires other people as well. But right now, I’m most focused on keeping myself inspired.

When I Started working on my upcoming single “Miss You”, it was because I had been grieving the loss of my partner Jonathan Trevino. I couldn’t find any music to listen to that I could relate to or sob to. Just searching for new music was difficult.

So I decided to make my own song for myself that I could listen to while I grieve, that would make me think and hold myself accountable.

I hope that if there is someone out there looking for a song reading this, I hope that they can resonate with “Miss You”. But even if my song cant resinate with them, I hope this story can atleast inspire them or give them the courage they need to write their own song.

Ill give another example—my upcoming second follow up single “Star”. When I wrote “Star” during the pandemic, I was going through my contact list on my phone and I noticed I had some numbers in my phone since 2012. So with all the downtime I had locked up at home, I decided to clean out my contact list. When going through

my contacts and cleaning out my list, I came across so many old friends’ numbers. I realized in that moment that so many of my friends are either hooked on hard drugs, in jail, or dead. And I started to be very grateful to still be alive, healthy, and most of all, have my freedom.

I’d say right now my key elements are just being honest with myself, my story, and coping with my reality. My work right now is all about accountability, healing, moving forward, rebuilding and learning how to forgive onesself. In the future, I hope I can touch on being fearless, powerful and mostly share how to become fearless and powerful.”

That all goes back to Basilio’s underlying mission and renewed sense of purpose. “I hope people (myself included) can be more empathetic to one an other. I believe the new music I’m releasing this spring definitely ignites that change.” Through the vehicle of his music, he has big dreams for what he’s hoping could come, “I would hope to one day land on the MTV VMA Stage. But honestly I’m happy working anywhere in this industry.”

As for advice to those pursuing a legitimate career in music, he suggests “learn music theory, and Practice! Also, be kind to everyone—there’s no reason not to be.”

So what’s next? “I have two NEW singles coming out [the before mentioned “Miss You” & “Star”] on all streaming platforms this spring 2023.

“Miss You” will be released with a music video. I will be having a viewing party for the music video release, so please follow my social media for those details!

I also have web series out right now titled “Art Diary : Basilio Romo—Because I’m Clever”. The series follows me along my journey getting ready for this photoshoot / interview as well as the recording process for my new single “Miss You”, with some other personal confessionals that I’ve decided to share. You can watch “Art Diary : Basilio Romo— Because I’m Clever” on my Youtube, Instagram and my Facebook page.

You can also see me Basilio perform in Drag as “Anita” Feb 19, 2022 at Kuntsler Brewing.” Anita will continue to make appearances and be a voice tor the LGBTQ community, so follow her namesake page as well. [YouTube @basilioromo_ • Instagram @basilioromo • Facebook/basilioromo • TikTok @.Basilioromo ] 117

“I just want anyone out there reading to know that things in life are really hard and extremely unfair, but I’m here with you. You’re not alone—find that one thing that keeps you going and don’t stop. Keep going.

Even after you’ve come out of the dark and into the light, just keep going!”

*For inquiries / bookings, email basilioromo@icloud.com

PAULINA AMERICAN ACTRESS

PAULINA CHÁVEZ

photographer Miguel Flores

Actress Paulina Chávez [Fate : The Winx Saga on Netflix & other series & movies] celebrates her cultural roots in this breathtaking portrait series by photographer Miguel Flores.

With his creative team, Flores captured these beautiful ethical clothing designs from La Nativa Collection, Rosas y Mimbre and Temple of Offering.

On set making this magic come to life were hairstylist Dominic Alonzo and makeup artist Olivia Villa.

Aphelele SINENKOSI MSOMI Mbabane, Mpolonjeni

TRANSMUTATION Gabriel Toapanta • Quito, Ecuador

Books hold the power to ignite our imagination.

To engage, enrich and transform us.

Through highly imaginative creative direction, styling and curation, Gabriel Toapanta takes the viewer on a visual adventure not unlike the ones we’ve read about. Through this storytelling he becomes the characters of his wildest inventions.

HUMANS OF

NEW YORK

AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT A Unique Visual Essay as told by photographer John Hendrick.

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New York City According to John…

New York is the city that I love, mainly because it holds all my childhood memories.

I grew up in NYC from the mid-1980s through late 1990, skating all over the city. I left NYC in 1998 and would always go back to see my parents as often as possible. On each trip, I would notice the city I loved so much change ever so slightly.

You only see differences when you are away from something because when you’re around it all the time, you don’t notice the change. That’s how NYC was for me over the past 23 years; the more time I spent away, the more I saw the subtle differences.

May of 2022 would be the first time I would return to NY with a vast knowledge of my camera and a new photographic eye for a more extended period. NYC would again appear different to me, this time not because it had changed but because I had changed. Dropping in for a visit from time to time, I was more of a tourist in my city, needing more time to settle in and get back to my grassroots. This trip was to see my dad, who was not doing well and was hospitalized. While in the hospital, he tested positive for covid and I was told I could not see him. So now I was in NYC with nothing but time on my hands and time to think to myself.

A quote that stuck with me says, “each image reflects who you are and what you feel.”

This trip proved that quote more accurate than I could have ever imagined. I was trying to make images that showcased NYC the way I remembered it growing up, retracing my childhood footsteps. The photos reflect loneliness, parenthood, and independence—all my emotions.

The craziest part of this story is that I did not convert these images to black and white to heighten or add a dramatic effect. On this trip, it just so happened that I took my Leica monochrome (the only digital camera that shoots in black and white). The Leica Monochrome did not even provide the option to make color images, which is fortunate for me, as I feel this series of work is best seen in black and white.

—John

This series was presented most recently at the Photographic Nights of Selma, Alabama, photo festival.

DARK P H O T O G R A P H E R

M I C H A E L

A V I L A

C H R I S T M A N

@DARKHORSEPHOTOGRAPHYSA

PEPPER no. 9 | FEBRUARY 2023

PASSPORT

NORTH CAUCASUS PHOTOGRAPHER LIUDMILA EVSTRATOVA

TRAVEL This awe-inspiring land is located in the Northern Caucasus and according to the Encyclopedia Britanica, “the crest line of the Greater Caucasus range forms its southern boundary with Georgia; the Russian republic of Chechnya lies to the east, and that of North Ossetia–Alania (formerly North Ossetia) to the west and north.”

To this day, most of the population is Ingush, a particular tribe of indigenous Muslim mountain peoples in the Caucasus. This is a land of farming in the lowlands while cattle are raised in the mountainous regions. In modern times, tourism is becoming an increasingly common economic sector.

What is important to understand is that the Ingush people are autonomous, as many other mountain tribes in these regions. Despite the Russian government having abolished their pre-existing republic Checheno-Ingushetia during World War II. During this time, families were uprooted and scattered by the government to parts of Soviet Asia.

These cultural and political disputes continued on into 2009 when it came to a head.

Now, as a republic, it is one of the most scarcely populated regions within the Caucasus. They are a true republic, for all that means.

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passport. journalist K. Day Gomez

“Modern republics are founded on the idea that sovereignty rests with the people”.

As seen in these beautiful images, the local indigenous populous

continue to care for and preserve the magesty of the land. Its grandeur is something worth visiting and experiencing first hand.

“EARTH AND SKY, WOODS AND FIELDS, LAKES AND RIVERS, THE MOUNTAIN AND THE SEA, ARE EXCELLENT SCHOOLMASTERS, AND TEACH SOME OF US MORE THAN WHAT WE COULD LEARN FROM BOOKS.” -John Lubbock

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Tina Sena

Whole Heart Foods

TM

Have you heard?

Nutritionist & Fitness Expert Tina Sena has her own line of health snacks…

e r ’ y e h t d n a ! s u o i c i l e d

tinasena.org

Fit to a T. WITH NUTRITIONIST & FITNESS EXPERT TINA SENA

Expert Health Advice Nutrition at any age, the best foods for all bodies.

Lifestyle Tips & Resources Links, great products and places to try.

Fitness Techniques Things you can try at home or at the gym.

Fit to a T.

Exiting the

Comfort

ZONE Nutritionist & fitness expert Tina Sena

you, I promise it will give you the ability to experience life a little out of your comfort zone and start to make you physically and mentally stronger. I’m always here to help you get started.

Health and happiness,

We have all heard the term “comfort zone” and use it pretty loosely…but do we really know what that means exactly?

Tina works hands-on with clients in San Antonio, New Braunfels and surrounding areas.

a n i T

It means we are in a place where we feel safe, at ease and no stress. So now I ask you, why would you ever want to come out of your comfort zone? That’s something else we often hear—“Come out of your comfort zone” .

Here’s why: There is no growth in your comfort zone. In order to change we need challenge. Life is not a comfort zone and I think we all already know that. Life is hard sometimes so what better way to condition yourself not just physically but mentally.

This is the best way to battle through life’s most challenging moments.

Exercise and healthy food choices is available to all of us and yet we often make the choice to not take advantage of either.

My friends, if you can do something today, this week or this month that is totally out of the norm for

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Find Tina online at tinasenaofficial.org or Instagram at @tinasenaofficial

POUT MedSpa PA-C & Certified Injector • Bilingual Clinician “I help enhance your natural beauty.”

-Itxia Lee

@pout_itxialee

poutmedspa.com

Servicing San Antonio, TX

HEALING PRACTITIONER

Holding

ROMY NAVA

A MODERN MYSTIC

Space

The Importance of Holding Space for Ourselves & Others Healing Practitioner Romy Nava

As a society, we're often taught to be productive and efficient. We're encouraged to find solutions and move forward quickly, especially when things get tough. But what if the key to real change and healing isn't about finding quick fixes? What if it's about allowing ourselves and others the space to feel the unpleasant things, and processing those emotions in real time?

For many of us, this goes against everything we've been taught. We want to fix things and make everything better, especially when our loved ones are going through a tough time. But sometimes, what people really need is someone to hold space for them to feel whatever it is they're feeling. They need to be heard and understood, rather than just being given advice or solutions.

The same goes for ourselves. When we experience heartbreak, loss or other difficult emotions, we often try to avoid or suppress them.

But what if we gave ourselves permission to feel those emotions fully? What if we took the time and space to sit with our emotions and process them in real time?

This is the essence of holding space. It's about being present with ourselves and others, allowing for empathy and understanding, and giving ourselves the time and space we need to feel the things that aren't pleasant. It's not always easy, but it's essential for real change and healing.

When we allow ourselves to feel deeply and process our emotions in real time, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and our needs. This allows us to create strategies that are based on our actual needs, rather than just what we think we should do. We're also better able to connect with others on a deeper level, creating more meaningful relationships.

In short, holding space is about giving ourselves and others permission to feel, to process, and to heal. It's about valuing the journey as much as the destination, and recognizing that sometimes, the best thing we can do is just be present with ourselves and others.

So the next time you or someone you love is going through a tough time, remember the importance of holding space. It's not always easy, but it can make all the difference in the world.

POSITIVELY CRYSTAL

Motivational Mindset Coach Crystal Lopez-Crebs

S A B O T A G E When I hear the word “Sabotage” I immediately think of the song by the Beastie Boys playing in my head. How is it that we always have the best intentions and high expectations for ourselves, and something comes along that sabotages our goal. This “something” could be an internal or external thing. And once you are aware of the pattern or possibly the people, you can breakthrough and fly high.

It’s the second month of the year, and we all begin the new year with goals and resolutions that are exciting and start out with the bang. But, slowly we start to make a tiny excuse here and there as to why we can’t go to the gym or work on that idea we had to start a business, or the consistency we promised we were going to have at taking better care of ourselves. Week 1 is solid. Week 2, there is a little slowing down. Week 3 you start to justify it, and by the end of the month you are back in the same place you were when you decided to commit to change. But why? What happens to bring us back down to a place we don’t want to be?

The biggest sabotage we deal with is our own selfsabotage. So, let’s talk about the internal struggles and sabotages that we may not even realize are happening. Do you always expect the worst and then when it happens, you say “See, I knew this would happen”? Well, it’s because we want to be right! That little ego voice inside just loves to be right so it can justify whatever is holding you back.

You want to prove to yourself that you are right, so you manifest it into existence. Do you want to be right or do you want to breakthrough?

What you may fail to realize is that you keep repeating a story to yourself that probably came from something that happened when you were younger. And you are still living in your younger self’s life. Take a moment to see if anything comes up. Do you remember a time when someone said something, or a situation that you witnessed that left an imprint on you? This story that happened, or that you thought occurred, at such a young age, you may not have realized the impact it had and how you continue to live your life from that place. Once you recognize that moment, you can see the 152

reflection in your adult self, and you can confront it and release it because it no longer is serving you.

When you truly let it go, you have a clear space inside yourself where you can create something new, you can overcome the unconscious selfsabotage that has been a repeating pattern and no longer live with that limiting belief. Imagine what it will feel like when you have success over your struggles. What will your life look like when you can rise to your fullest potential and consistently reach your goals and aspirations? Remember why you wanted it in the first place. You are strong enough to move past your own self-sabotage.

Now, the other sabotage, unfortunately might be from the people around you. There are people who actually want to hold you back and bring you back down.

When they see you taking steps to better yourself (whether that is a health goal, maybe you want to start a small business, or you just see bigger things in your life) they impose themselves in your process, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, so that you stay on the same level as them. It’s sad to say that there are people out there like this, but there are. What you need to realize is that it’s their own insecurities at the core of why they are making the effort to hold you back.

You are taking the actions and doing the work to grow and better yourself and that triggers something deep inside them. They are actually jealous of the fact that you both started at the same place and because you are moving in that positive direction, they are still stuck in the same place. Just know that you are doing something right. Do not allow their insecurities to hold you back from your goals and dreams. Follow your path, and if they want to move in the same direction as you, beautiful. And, if they cannot respect what you are trying to do, then let them live their life in the fear and scarcity state, and release

psych.

them with love.

You have already made your declaration to move forward, and their attempt to sabotage you will not work.

As you continue this year with your goals and dreams, remember to also reflect on how far you have come when you decided to make a change.

Let that reveal your progress and motivate you to keep pushing through. God, the universe, whatever higher power you believe in planted a seed in your heart to strive for the things that you are in the process of creating. You are fully equipped to succeed, so just keep taking action one day at a time.

You got this!

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HER STORY THE

MAKEUP THERAPIST ESTHETICIAN AMBER TE WHITE SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

journalist K. Day Gomez

Esthetician Amber Te White is more than just a makeup artist (and an amazing one at that). She’s a mental health advocate and champion of kindness, encouraging strength in vulnerability—and she’s serious enough about it to have made it part of her mission statement.

“Creative Therapy is a makeup service that allows me to connect with my clients on a deeper level than just makeup. With all of the challenges we face in the past or present, it's important for me to relieve tension and stress that cause many illnesses, unhealthy skin, mental hardship and spiritual challenges.

Using a combination of ASMR (Autonomous

sensory meridian response) and healthy conversation, it comforts my clients during their service. As I get to know my clients and build a trusting relationship, I am also able to learn so much for myself. I allow my clients to be as open as they choose. You can trust me as your Makeup Therapist to give you an amazing result inside and out!”

Being mental health focused myself, Amber’s story is something I felt more people should hear. “I am 24 years old, a mother of one and I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. It's a very colorful and artistic city so art has been my passion for as long as I can remember. At 6, I started out with drawing and painting. But in high school, I started doing my own

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psych. makeup for fun and realized it was like doing art.

Makeup therapy became my passion because of the level of stress relief I felt in the process. I started to realize I could express myself through my looks, and do the same for others. I have always felt that part of my purpose has been to provide a service and help others see the beautiful side of themselves they don't normally see mentally or physically. My biggest obstacle was learning the skill set because it was important for me to give results that looked the part and pleased my clients.”

Amber had a good model for how to treat others and was given grace to be who she wanted to be. “Growing up, my parents always let me express myself freely. We are in the same industry so it's always been easy to get their support with my goals as an entrepreneur and artist.” The rest of the world around her, however, wasn’t very hip to that kind of early independence. “Because of that, I often felt like an outcast growing up and it caused me to hesitate on becoming who I am today. I learned one of the most important things when pursuing a dream or career is to have confidence and know that you have what it takes to accomplish and maintain your legacy no matter your struggles, or competition.”

These aren’t just words of encouragement—Amber has truly lived this mantra and continues to do so. “Becoming a Makeup Artist was something that came natural when I became old enough to wear makeup. Since I grew up in the industry and would go to hair shows and fashion shows, I was inspired at a young age to pursue a career in the beauty field. I always thought of what I could do to keep me motivated in this industry and make it more personable to me.

I am continuously inspired by artists like Celine Bernaerts, Tyme The Infamous, Lakia Star, and Nagualero. My mother and grandmother, Renee Allen and Rosie Allen have always taught me the legal work, discipline, and consistency it takes to be an entrepreneur. When I've slipped and gotten off focus they have always been there to encourage me and tell me the things I didn't want to hear.”

Even as young as she is, Amber carries a discernment and self understanding that gives her perspective and a unique edge. “I am still in my early years. Throughout the last 5 years it has been a journey of finding my niche in the industry and knowing what feels right. I also juggle mom life and at one point, wife-life. I took many breaks to focus on certain goals, but I started to realize how much I didnt feel fulfilled if I wasn't doing makeup or fashion.

When I got the opportunity to do makeup for a Hilton Magazine photoshoot, it reassured me to stay consistent. I thank one of San Antonio's best makeup artists named Ty Rashad. He is the CEO of Ty Rashad Studios and has taught me the ways of the industry and how many things I can do to take my business to the next level. I have now had opportunities to do makeup for many Fashion Shows like ‘Fashion for Life’ by Matthew Smith and ‘Interior Design

Meets fashion’ by Nichelle Hosley, along with many photoshoots, and weddings.”

Her clients have left as much of an impact on her as Amber has on them. “My business is continuing to grow as I get back into it full time.

A few years ago, a bridesmaid I served shared with me her story about the passing of her dad.

She explained it was so much anxiety when she thought of their past struggles but she hadn’t cried yet. She realized her physical health had been affected. The stress from the things she didn't fully understand began to make her neglect herself, and getting her makeup done was the first time she was able to relax.

As we began to talk about some of that past trauma, she began to cry. She explained how relieved she felt after our session and how much more understanding she had about herself and what she went through. I was able to relate to her in many ways as well and that started my work as The Makeup Therapist.”

As mental health is now at the forefront of what she does, Amber reflects on the kind of change she would like to help ignite in her own way. “The biggest impact I will play a role in is instilling the idea that as we enhance ourselves and show self love on the outside, we should continue the work on enhancing the inside. No matter what you look like, we all have a purpose that God assigned to us, and in search of that purpose there’s constant growth and healing we will have to face.

I plan to reach more people by getting my degree in psychology, mobilizing my business to be a service to people all around the world, and become a franchise. In 3-5 years I hope to see my business purchase its first sprinter van so I can travel further distances to my clients. In the meantime, I will be educating myself more about the mind and how we operate after trauma, then research solutions and resources I can supply my clients with so they can benefit more from their service. The Makeup industry is consistently evolving, so I plan to keep myself up to date and skilled in the latest makeup trends.”

It sounds like a lot to take on, as it surely is for most. But White’s determination is tied to her passion and something even more powerful—a belief in the resilience of the

human spirit to overcome grief and to make the world a beautiful place, one person at a time. Her wisdom is in her strong emotional intelligence.

“I often find that I need advice myself! But my best advice to others seeking a career in the beauty industry is to master your craft. If you mess up, it's okay! Perfection is not possible—but watch a lot of videos and practice over and over until it becomes easy. Remember that your personality is memorable and can be a key factor in repeat clients and good reviews. And always have fun.”

Coming up next, The Makeup Therapist plans to do more social media content for potential clients and supporters to give an inside look at makeup sessions, tutorials, and beauty inspiration! You can find The Makeup Therapist at The Purple Feather Loft Salon, The Bella29 Lounge and with Ty Rashad Studios in San Antonio, Texas. “On instagram and TikTok I can be found @yourmakeuptherapist. On Facebook at The Makeup Therapist.”

And being the compassionate humanitarian she is, Amber Te White has gone an extra mile by releasing a special offer to anyone who’d like to support. “I would love to offer a discount in honor of PEPPER Magazine to give every person that books with me 25% off when they purchase anything from Pepper Magazine.” That’s a pretty sweet deal from a true angel out there doing her part to spread love and reassurance to those who need it most. One face at a time.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY p h o t o g r a p h e r

В л а д и с л а в

K u r s k ,

Х о л о д к о в

R u s s i a

child model Капралов Матвей with a poem by K. Day Gomez

What are we building?

Where are we going, and what parts of ourselves do we leave behind?

In the wake of so much change and calamity, innocence is threatened, wills are tested and hearts are forged in steel and falling brick.

This is the part of our legacy we would sweep under mat…

But the children will not forget.

The youth will not turn a blind eye to what is done.

This new collective memory, pandemic and war and alienation— it is uncharted territory.

They are building the maps that will lead us back to ourselves.

Someday.

s o m e d a y .

prodigy.

old woods walk photographer Jason Bartling Calgary, Canada

Creative director Rainne Medina styled this sustainable children’s fashion concept.

“Took a trip to a thrift store and bought $64.98 worth of used clothing, to create this old time shoot.” child models from the ODRI Models Agency

HELP A YOUNG NEURODIVERGENT ARTIST LINK : peppermagazine.myshopify.com/collections/art-prints

• ART FOR ENGINEERING •

Autistic child artist Aiden Gamez is raising money for STEM learning toys, equipment, art supplies and other tools he needs as he pursues engineering sciences and art.

Please consider supporting his endeavor by purchasing his original artwork, signed prints or postcards.

What Taylor Swift & Olive Garden taught me about love and a breakup.

An introspective essay by journalist Robert Dean

Your first real girlfriend after divorce is a lot. (For three and a half years, my standard reply was Uh… no," when asked if I wanted to get serious. I had a vision about what I wanted—I just wasn't aware of the shape it came in.) But that first girlfriend came into my life shouting, with a mouth like a sailor, not only a blue streak off her tongue but also the blue one in her hair. I had no idea I'd be thinking about a pop singer by the end of it. Taylor Swift. Of all people.

Taylor Swift gave me a fast pass into my girlfriend's heart from a direction I didn't know I could take. I also didn't expect to fall in love with someone who loved Starbucks, Christmas socks, and Target, but more importantly, who'd wreck me. Self-reflection makes you analyze the heart, even while trying to piece it back together with song lyrics, a memory, or family-style faux Italian food. Whatever vehicle, I'm a mess.

This a poetic way of saying I've developed a weird obsession with being self-reflective about my recent breakup at Olive Garden.

I sit at the bar, far from anyone willing to make small talk. I order the Unlimited Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks.

(When you're self-reflective, you get hungry). It's my medicine. Something about isolation — and lots of sodium — after heartbreak is a part of healing: Y'all can celebrate Nana's birthday all you want; just don't sit near me as I shovel iceberg lettuce and house dressing into my face. This is my process.

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Breakups tend to make you weird. Like, ‘noticethings-you-totally-otherwise-wouldn't’ weird. I couldn't help but notice a kid, maybe 17, explaining the idea of a "never-ending pasta bowl" to a guy who probably fought in the Korean War. The old timer humored the youngster, but as he slapped his gigantic belly and mentioned gout and "bad blood" to this young boy, I saw the kid's eyes glaze over, ready to die by throwing himself into the Garden's massive plate washer, sad he didn't make that extra $1.90 on soliciting the hearty alfredo. I'm not saying I enjoyed his defeat on making a buck on the promotion, but, sorry, Broski, I'm a miserable husk.

When I met my ex, it was like a shotgun exploding in my heart. I have never been through a relationship so intense, personal and fast from the first clink of glass at the bar, just after the "nice to meet you." My life was stitched together by her texts, phone calls and proclamations of lust. When I lost that, it felt like the biggest betrayal. And I've been divorced—that pain didn't feel like this. I sat slurping soup that cost less than a dollar to make while this guy who's a first down into the grave, with his gut pushing the table back seven inches, has a stunner of a wife, looking ready to audition for The Real Housewives of AARP and I was still alone. Noticeably so.

As I fork in the godless, moderately priced meal before me, I realize: I have never paid attention to dinner service music. Breakups tend to make you care about stuff that seemed dumb years ago.

I am not Taylor Swift's demographic. I'm a 6'4 punk rocker covered in tattoos and wearing cowboy boots.

Ask me about The Ramones or Misfits; I'm your guy. Ask me about anything Taylor Swift did outside of knowing she's super popular, and Ryan Adams covered her 1989 album, and I didn't have much for you. When I fell in love with a die-hard, the much-maligned singer (at least, in my circles) became something I know more about than the average dude with a Social Distortion tattoo. And ironically, as I sat in this pleasure tide, guess who came on the fucking in-house radio?

On her new album, Midnights, everyone is losing their minds about the lush beats and technicolor synth pop Swift croons over, challenging the public narrative of who we think she is, which for some can be savior and villain. This new record is something of a jab at the world, daring people to see inside the circus in her head, even by declaring herself, "hi, it's me, I'm the problem," which, for some, this proclamation is all too realistic and perfectly plausible as a battle cry. I’m still working my way through a soundtrack that sounds like the universe is giving me an ironic middle finger.

When I split with my ex-wife, part of the deal was that I get the kids for a month every summer. My hometown is Chicago, but I've lived in Austin for almost a decade. Because my lifelong friends are married with good jobs and small children, I knew I'd have a lot of free time. I set my Hinge to Chicago and was explicit that I could use a drinking buddy. I'd matched with some cute girls. One of them being this quirky chick with different colored hair in every photo. Immediately, I thought she was a knockout. Like, a "how the hell did I match with her?"

We exchanged numbers and texted on and off, but nothing serious. And then we stopped. I figured it was a wrap. That's how online dating goes: one minute, you're chatting about The Sopranos, and the next, dead and eerie silence. But, out of nowhere, as we were driving up in a rainstorm somewhere in southern Illinois, her name popped up, asking me if I was in town yet.

Tomorrow, I said.

she fell asleep.

And I also discovered that my girlfriend was a die-hard Swiftie. I now know the story behind "Taylor's Version," where she re-recorded her songs to spite mega-tool Scooter Braun. I've watched the ten-minute-long video of "All too Well"; man, that song's context is deep. When she wanted to give the finger to Jake Gyllenhaal, she did it with guns blazing because how can you not ache for the words etched into the ether like this, "And maybe we got lost in translation Maybe I asked for too much But maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'til you tore it all up Running scared, I was there I remember it all too well" Taylor doesn't deserve all the shit she gets, especially not for songs about breakups. Love is hard, and there are no paved roads. We all have things we're not proud of, we all have secrets, and sometimes, it takes a lifetime to open your mouth and let one of them out. If you're going to detail devastation, she did it with style and grace, never leaving the viewer in the dark about how her heart felt in her hands as she cradled it, broken.

Midnights has a way of leading you inward, asking the listener, does love just “happen” to me? or is it something we can entirely never grasp, despite our best efforts? More on this later.

When she came to town, we took my boys to Olive Garden, and as they argued about Plants vs. Zombies on those table-side touch screens, I'll never forget her in a worn-out T-shirt, no makeup, but telling me, "This is what I've always wanted. I'm drinking cheap wine, in love, and I'm in short-shorts. All of this is perfect." And I couldn't have been more taken. I guess that meal is why subconsciously, this place has become a sort of communion with my heartbreak.

"You know I adore you,

When I got to my mom's, I shot my shot. I asked this knockout if she wanted to get a beer. She rolled in an hour late (she wasn't great at time management), dressed in combat boots with a hacked-up Reverend Horton Heat shirt and black leggings; I was spellbound.

The chemistry was tremendous. That first night, we drove around, bouncing from spot to spot, holding hands, listening to classic country, and singing along to "Amarillo by Morning."

For 26 of my 33 days in Chicago, I was with her.

We agreed this was worth crossing state lines, and two weeks later, we were in Galveston, Texas, slow dancing drunk to "Neon Moon" when she told me she loved me. We were together for a month. It was like a relationship set to hyperspeed. I felt like a teenager, sneaking looks at her, making sure she was really there.

We talked on the phone for hours, texted about nothing, shared stories. I'd read her The Notebook ‘til

I'm crazier for you Than I was at sixteen, lost in a film scene Waving homecoming queens, marching band

I'm lost in the lights American glory faded before me Now I'm feeling hopeless, ripped up my prom dress Running through rose thorns, I saw the scoreboard And ran for my life" [From Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince, off Lover] There were growing pains. But there were also red flags. I got used to hearing "bet", and I was texted TikToks, even though I didn't get her 29-year-old internet humor. But I didn’t take anything for granted.

It took scars to get here and mistakes and some failures, too. This was the first person I opened up to after the divorce. She told me about her tumultuous past, about the things that when you heard them, they made you want to hug harder, love stronger, and never stop showing up. Her scars made you want never to let her down. I overlooked the things that bothered me, comments about what she'd been through, boyfriends, and secrets. If I could love so hard, so much, her past sins would be forgiven. Those moments of darkness that lurked inside, even if the mask was pulled for a second, I'd be the salve for any pain. Her potential chaos was something I kept in my pocket for safekeeping.

She’d ask me if I’d screwed my female friends. Get jealous over them texting me, but she had to tell me that she’d definitely had sex and enjoyed it. I should have asked why her last name wasn’t on her Facebook profile. Instead, it was a cute variation of a first and middle name. When people do that, it means someone’s looking for them. I let go of the comments about people not sticking around, that family rarely got to meet partners, or that she had some dark years. Or that she was weird about making it “Facebook official.”

I didn’t judge because her personality blinded me. She asked me why I’d turn my phone off when I was with her. Was I hiding something? No. Everyone could go to voicemail. I ignored her early admission about selfsabotaging situations or that she can be petty. Or that she’s been told she could be selfish and mean.

I told her I didn’t want to see the photos from her mid20’s cocaine era, the same time when she was in a wildly abusive relationship, the one she said I was the exact opposite, that I was the nicest, most thoughtful boyfriend. I loved the version of her that existed, right here, that didn’t need to see a pink-haired selfie of someone lost in the personal miasma. I never gave it a second thought why she would always change her hairstyle, or the color, telling me that I’d never see her natural tone. I never considered why she could change clothes to a moment or a place - to an identity.

Taylor’s lyrics stick to the moments of tragedy, but there’s no admission of being the villain.

"They told me all of my cages were mental So I got wasted like all my potential And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad I have a lot of regrets about that" [This is me Trying]

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When she visited Texas for two weeks, my serotonin raged. I couldn’t have been on a cloud closer to God. Have you ever loved someone so much that it shook the teeth in your skull? That when their name popped up on your phone, you felt like you were about to die from a joy attack? When she left, I crashed. I went straight to the bar. I had to learn to live without this person who was like a human heroin. I had to go back to therapy to understand healthy coping mechanisms for missing someone so much. I had become a lyric in one of Taylor’s songs about heartache, and I hated it. I was also losing myself and didn’t understand why.

I have anxiety, and I have depression. They manifest in motley ways. I get sad easily. I felt things like daggers because my heart was wide open for the first time in years.

Everything affects me. I watch videos of people reuniting on YouTube, which makes me cry. I watch the pain because when I last saw her, I nearly tackled her at the airport, so beside myself that she was there, not a song lyric I was researching, not a text or a FaceTime, but that girl who stole my heart. I know Taylor’s probably got a riff about that somewhere.

I made all the plans. I sent Starbucks gift cards and candy for her diabetes. I bought plane tickets. Random vapes in the mail, Halloween socks; I gave her money when "something happened." When she didn't eat due to a busy work day, I sent her Chili's chicken crispers from Uber Eats.

When she returned to Texas for a work trip, I showed up with her coffee order and breakfast tacos. My life was put on hold to be her assistant for the day.

We had two weeks planned. I was coming to Chicago. Two weeks of fall stuff, matching pajamas from Target, family parties, haunted houses, and fall festivals. When she was with me I'm Texas, we had "game night," where I whooped her at Jeopardy, and she smoked me at Wheel of Fortune.

And then, we watched Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? And it was one of the best nights of my life. I wanted to recreate that moment for a lifetime. Now, I'm sopping my fourth breadstick into remnants of my soup base.

When we broke up, it was sudden. She told me I love you at least twenty times the day it ended. When it was over, I was the worst human on Earth. Going from waking up to “I fucking love you so much”, to deleting that number from your phone within a week does something to the psyche. I like to be around my partner a lot. I like to check-in. I like to know when my significant other is safe. If you're out throwing back the vodka sodas, please give me a simple, "baby, I'm home and in bed." While I see this as a simple gesture of communication and accountability, she saw it as tying her down. This was “unhealthy” and “putting my mental health on her was too much of a burden." A red flag had been raised that I couldn’t understand. This same person would text me all day, call me to sit on the phone, Airpods in, to hear her go to buy tortillas - just to know I was there.

She also oversexualized everything. If we date, I'm good not knowing what wild stuff you've done. That's no one's business. She liked to drop in random factoids about past

experiences, even though they made me uncomfortable, that I was a better lover in graphic detail. While that's great to hear for the man ego, it was information I didn't want, and when I'd say I didn't like it, she'd blame the patriarchy on women not being able to talk about sex. Me, I don't think that's how it works.

And one night, a comment about my sexual past, asking if I'd slept with a first date who needed a jacket, made me get off the phone, disgusted. I worked my way through it, letting another red flag go. She told me she was out with a girlfriend, but she'd been drinking all day, and despite her letting me know she needed to be home at midnight to work in the morning, I knew it was pointless. She was going to shut the bars down.

And when I texted for her to go home, she told me she was at the club. I threw my hands in the air.

Did I get snarky and say some shitty things because I was mad and drunk? Absolutely. I own that. I asked her to let me know that she got home safe, and when that text didn't come, I got mad the following day, having no idea what my beloved was up to. Was she dead? No idea. Did she actually do anything on this night? No idea. The argument went from zero to one hundred at the speed of thumbs. And when I said I was having second thoughts about coming up to Chicago, the relationship imploded via short texts. And when I pleaded over the next few days to talk, she refused. No massive bouquets, strawberry milkshakes from Uber Eats, or texts mattered. Because I betrayed her position of abandonment, the person I was in love with morphed overnight into someone who hated me. I had become one of the men in a Taylor song.

Midnights pulls back the teeth on what's expected of the singer, but it also challenges what her fans could think of her - she's a flawed person, but not without her scars. Using these harmonies, the song sounds like they're made for late-night car rides alone, to beg the question of is loving someone is worth the wounds it lays on hearts sometimes. For every beat that sounds like a drugged out moment in the nightclub, reality has a funny way of inflicting fantasy.

There are always two sides to the story, and she's got hers. (If she reads this, she'll probably make a super hateful TikTok about me.) But no matter how hard I tried to just talk - to have a phone call, there was nothing. I was cut off. Only texts and I was to blame. I had fucked this up. And I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I’d done all the work but no amount of asking for coffee mattered. And it broke my heart. I couldn’t understand that even though I’d just dodged a lot of emotional and psychological bullets, I couldn’t shake what happened, I couldn’t let it go after a night of Jameson and sad country songs. Instead, I dwelled despite being a logical person. This was not a normal breakup. This was different.

When I showed up in Chicago, ready to sit down, she refused. (Remember, I was supposed to stay with her for two weeks.) I couldn’t get her to see me in person, or over the phone. I snapped a photo of myself at Midway airport, ready to talk. Instead, I got, “There’s

nothing worse than a self-proclaimed nice guy who isn’t nice at all. Go to therapy.” That message was like someone raking the shattered glass of an iPhone down my wrists.

After sitting in my mom’s basement for a few days, I was gone by mid-week.

I still don’t understand what happened, just best guesses. Thanks to speaking with my therapist and some people who work with people with similar stories, they say I experienced patterned behavior, and our ending was a textbook example for people with unresolved truamas.

Whatever the definition they’ve given me, I refuse to put on blast here, even though it still leaves me with so many questions, ones I know will never be answered. I do know the comments I chose to overlook were breadcrumbs toward the illusion of a person I was so in love with. She told me I loved a "version" of her—that I didn't know who she was. The thing is, I don't think she does, either. She said I’ll never truly know the real her. That was haunting.

I don't hate her. What's going on inside is something I'll never understand. I can't be someone's caretaker when they can't take care of themselves. What should have been a conversation about boundaries went toxic. I even reached out to YouTube psychotherapist (and total sweetheart) Lise Leblanc, who specializes in this stuff.

"These breakups are much worse than "normal" breakups because the person with a Cluster B personality disorder hijacks your natural bonding system and reward pathways, putting you in a neurobiological state similar to drug addiction." The last night she was in town, she lay in bed, grabbing me with both arms around her, tight as possible, whispering just before twilight, "please don't ruin my life. I love you so much."

She is not a monster. She’s someone I loved. I can cite Taylor's riffs all day because they were hers, my exgirlfriend's. They mean everything to her. Me, it's a diagnosis of misery and mental health. She's likely somewhere in the "Don't Blame Me" while I'm stuck between Bayside's "Devotion and Desire" or The Smoking Pope's "Pretty Pathetic." And now, Chicago is a coffin.

They say the emotional aftermath of a breakup like this is like standing in the middle of tornado wreckage; everything is chaos. Just when you think you're able to rebuild, a new piece of the past is found, reminding you repeatedly of how loss can sting continually, despite your best efforts to clean up.

I return the idea of who Taylor Swift is in the public eye.

She's viewed as this musically gifted pariah who can do no wrong to her fans but can't find love that lasts for everyone else. We're all looking for that magical concoction; Taylor Swift is better at explaining it, one broken truth at a time. If there's anything I got out of love again, it's that sometimes, even though I know all the words to blues standards talking about holding your guts when they've been ripped out, Taylor's been there, too. Reminding me human comes in many styles of song. I have clarity now. I’ve met great people putting myself back out there. I had to remember that I’m not a monster, either. Our love didn’t work. But it does make me wonder what songs my ex has been listening to? I know I don't deserve "All Too Well." Who knows what song it is on Midnights. All I know is I am not the problem.

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lit.

S C A R S

AUTHOR NJABULO NKAMBULE / SWAZILAND, SOUTH AFRICA X PHOTOGRAPHER LUIS VILLASMIL / CERRO SAN CRISTOBAL, CHILE I love my scars.

They are not like facades.

They don’t break easily like jars.

Just like beautiful stars, I look up to them.

They are my superstars.

I mean the tattoos, They are my czars.

Take a look at my arms, I wrote meanings of Psalms.

An eye for an eye isn’t good, It leaves the whole world blind.

It leaves a lot of people with mixed emotions, Heartbreaks, sad memories, Painful wounds, ugly cicatrices.

Fools laugh at someone’s scars, Lacking knowledge of its roots.

I love my scars.

They represent where I come from, They symbolize the wins and losses I’ve passed through.

My scars are not just scars, They are my soul and mind, Without them I am nothing.

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TETHERED TO TENSION POET LAUREATE ANDREA ’VOCAB' SANDERSON / SAN ANTONIO TX PHOTOGRAPHER FLORIAN OLIVIO / GRENOBLE, FRANCE

ACT 1: Resistance is never futile although it feels exhausting. The stance we take to break the status quo, floats into the void of the cosmos like stardust. We stand, deliberate. We speak, vehemently.

At times, it feels as if sound is suctioned out of our body and we might go beyond the bounds of ballistic, battling to stay sane when we remain amongst them in a world seemingly chaotic.

How do we tolerate the intolerant?

How do we navigate the space with a lack of understanding, for the illogical box that others live in?

They act so oblivious to the consequences of their decisions, and legislation, as if we are the only nation that exists?

As if other people and countries were stripped from the planet, when we all have to be here simultaneously. Such a blindfolded privilege.

Ask yourself do others have the right to be?

Do all of our differences matter beyond your immediate pressing needs?

What is significant to all?

Can we live free?

Selfishness is the pollution of everything.

FOXGLOVE FORTISSIMO FLASH FICTION AUTHOR JONATHAN DARREN GARCIA SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS X ILLUSTRATION BY ARTIST S-MRRY

Under the great oak tree a fox dreams. Suroh asks what they desire.

“All 12 are born, all 12 will have their first dream in due time,” she says and shakes her branches explaining that the fruit she bears proves it.

“Tender souls. One day very soon then,” he says with his pearl white tail poking up into the grape sky.

“Then they will travel to you, and I can answer their dreams!” He says as his eyes open.

The tree is still, even against the holy wind howling through the leaves.

Silent was her voice, silent was his mind, the sky, the stars, the empty heaven, the dull earthy grass and penitent flowers he could see with his telescope eyes. The ground he treads upon with his paws could be nails for all he cared. The upwelling of love is greater. Though, even the paradise that surrounds him has lost its meaning.

What was the point? Suroh was disconnected from their voices. His purpose was put on hold. Every now and then there is whisper, a wish. A prayer he was eager to answer. The silence was maddening at times.

The tree listened.

Imaginary or not.

Fashionforlifesa.org • Facebook.com/fashionforlifesa • Instagram: @fashionforlifesa

L O V E

WILL ALWAYS BE IN STYLE Kindness is the Breath of Life

FASHIONABLE ADOPTIONS is helping dogs to find their forever home in the most fabulous way possible. journalist K. Day Gomez • photographer John Hendrick

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“I’VE MARRIED MY TWO PASSIONS, FASHION AND ANIMALS, TO INNOVATE A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON ANIMAL ADOPTION.” —Founder Crystal Lopez-Crebs One of the most important fashion show and events in San Antonio is one where you just might save a life…and look good doing it! Crystal Lopez-Crebs and cofounder Jared Crebs have created something extraordinarily special for the good will of dogs and humans alike.

“Fashionable Adoptions is a nonprofit that helps raise awareness about animal adoption and the beauty of adoptable animals, as well as fostering animals. We produce fashionable events and fashion shows that showcase animals, provided by local rescue pet

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partners, that are immediately available for adoption and have them walking down the runway with professional models. We incorporate local designers and retailers to clothe the models, and some that also clothe the animals.

I know that not everyone will go to a shelter to seek out a new four-legged family member, and even if they do, they may not see the best version of an animal that is scared in the unfamiliar environment. By bringing the community out to a fabulous, fun event, we hope to shift their outlook toward the positive impact of adopting these amazing sentient beings.”

According to the ASPCA, about 34% of dogs are purchased from breeders, while 23% or so are adopted from a shelter. That’s a terrible imbalance considering most dogs are actually euthanized after longer stints of awaiting adoption with no luck. And even in the instance PERRER MAGAZINE

get involved.

of no-kill shelters, the numbers of dogs who remain in captivity for many years or until natural death is depressingly high. What’s worse is these shelters are overcrowded to the point they have to turn dogs away, resulting in them being taken to death-row pounds. This makes what the Crebs have created something absolutely crucial for the dogs who become part of the program.

They’ve taken something important and given it an upbeat beautiful facelift. “Fashionable Adoptions main events feature animals striking a pose and strutting down the runway accompanied by models wearing designer outfits that accentuate their designer attitudes. Other events are fashion focused like the Doggies in the Window at Neiman Marcus, and the most recent Tea Party hybrid event. [pictured throughout this article.] Along with joining designers & local animal organizations, Fashionable Adoptions also features local shops and brands during their events.” They are strongly focused on empowering the local fashion community, forging a symbiotic relationship.

One of their last shows at Brick was titled “Adopt the Runway”. They were covered by My SA and Style Lush TV in the local media circuit. They also gained the attention of 71 Magazine. Now, we’re introducing their mission to our global readers in hopes of aiding FA in raising donations and garnering volunteers—as well as the potential of other caring folks in the world mirroring their model to create such events in their part of the globe. Anything that helps save animal lives and bring families together is a worthy pursuit in our book!

The official mission statement explains, “Fashionable Adoptions is a 501c3 nonprofit focused on assisting local animal shelters and humane societies help find homes for the animals in their facilities. Fashionable Adoption strives to highlight animals in a light that brings positivity and encourages rescuing versus shopping an animal.”

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"YOU CAN'T CHANGE A DOG'S PAST, BUT YOU CAN REWRITE THEIR FUTURE." —AGNES CARASS In 2018, Fashionable Adoptions partnered with Neiman Marcus benefitting SNIPSA. This impactful endeavor resulted as follows: • “Doggie in the Window” adoption event • SNIPSA Animals • 18 of 25 Adopted • Pet Holiday Photos as fundraiser • Woof Gang Bakery- special treats for animals adopted

This most recent iteration of Fashionable Adoptions was the first showcase in three years, as a result of halting caused by the pandemic. It was a fabulous hybrid event called “Tea and Tails” which began with an upscale high tea service at Tea Garden Lounge located inside of Craftiques Mall. VIP attendees enjoyed rotating tea service, petit fours and salad prior to the fashion show.

“All the looks came from Craftiques Mall—both locations,” Crystal shares. “I styled them with the assistance from Alyse Zagada.

You can shop the looks at both their locations and they also do a segment called “Retail to Go” on their Facebook page where they show what they have at the stores for people to purchase. They did a segment 188

of the whole show that day that people can watch a replay of.”

Partnered with SNIPSA and welcomed by the owners of Craftiques, Mike and Liz Sigg and mall director Sergio Garza, the event was DJ’d by the talented Kaia Dublin Music (Kaia is also part of the Texas Fashion Industry Initiative) alongside keyboardist Joe Luna. It was a sensational affair and well received by the community.

How can you get involved? “If someone wants to volunteer, there is a place on the landing page to subscribe and check off if they want to volunteer [see fashionableadoptions.org].

And there is also a button to donate on that page.” FA can also be found online at

Facebook via Fashionable Adoptions, Instagram @fashionableadoptions and on YouTube under Fashionable Adoptions.

“SAVING ONE DOG WILL NOT CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT SURELY FOR THAT ONE DOG, THE WORLD WILL CHANGE FOREVER.” —AGNES CARASS

I AM JANE.

For more information go to thisisjaneproject.com

C L O T H I N G ATLANTA, GA / NEW YORK, NY

Artist Cooper Barrett on the Politics to Fashion Pipeline.

journalist K. Day Gomez

SOCIAL Brand Statement — Social Clothing was created by Cooper Barrett in the wake of the 2016 election.

From ideation to creation, Social is run solely by Cooper. After working as an organizer during the presidential election, and wanting to find a creative outlet for his interests, Cooper saw an opportunity to create a sustainable clothing brand with meaning.

Recognizing the effects of oppression and injustice within the fashion industry, Social began as a chance to create a clothing company that actively learned to do better.

Through up-cycling, sourcing of fair trade and organic materials, and listening to and sharing the stories of those who have been and continue to be exploited in the pursuit of colonization, Social is meant to create conversations about social issues and support solutions.

HISTORY Founder Cooper Barrett has been involved in the political scene from a volunteer and working standpoint since 2012. He’s taken time to bullet point the highlights for the modern attention span (aka the ADHD kids like myself—we thank you, Coop). It’s important to understand as part of the foundational background that spawned the ideas that would later become Social Clothing.

According to Barrett : “I interned (Fall Fellow) for Obama's 2012 campaign in Tallahassee, FL. This was my first time campaigning, and I fell in love with organizing.

After the campaign I got an internship with Former Senator Bill Nelson (FL-D) at his Tallahassee field office.

In 2014, I interned for Gwen Graham's campaign to flip FL's 2nd Congressional seat blue.

In 2015, I joined FSU Dems, became the Secretary and Creative Director, making all the graphics for events and meetings more relevant via references to pop culture, memes, etc.

In 2016, I took a position as the first Organizer in Tallahassee for the Florida Democratic Party's Coordinated Campaign.”

THE STORY Now that we have some of the FAQs, we asked Cooper how his socio-political background has

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influenced his clothing brand. “I grew up in a very white conservative tourist town in the Florida Panhandle with liberal parents. It’s the kind of place where if people even knew my parents voted for Obama, they would lose a lot of customers at their business. So I became politically aware early on as I realized we were different.

The first time some adult told me “You’re gonna be President'', I was standing at my fourth grade teacher’s desk, arguing about the Iraq War. People would continue to say that to me throughout my childhood just because I was politically outspoken, which pushed me down a path to teach myself about politics, and later study political science and work on campaigns during college.

But my mom owned a local art gallery and frame shop, so I was also always around these beach town artists. My first job when I was 13 was working for one of those artists at his booth at a resort. That’s when I started painting. When I decided I didn’t want to work in politics anymore,

This hit a nerve for Cooper, enough to motivate him into formulating what active counter measures an artist like himself could take. Enter street wear; the category of fashion most known for making declarative statements in a relatable manner that is functional and can often times press a lot of buttons. “My interest in streetwear began in college. It felt completely inaccessible to me as a kid in Florida who had never even seen a Supreme box tee in person, but I loved the ideas behind the grassroots artistic movement of streetwear overall.” For better or for worse, that’s where Kanye comes in.

“Unfortunately, my realization

I knew that I wanted to start my own business and mix my interest in politics and art. That’s how Social was born.”

Being raised by socially aware and conscientious parents helped to empower Cooper early on, and we feel it’s important to exemplify how politically educating kids at a young age leads to well-rounded individuals who aren’t afraid to get active in their communities. “My parents were definitely supportive of me studying political science and working in politics. They knew I cared about it deeply and I think they saw it as a stable career path.

The truth is that it isn’t often stable at all. There was hesitation when I told them I wanted to stop working in politics to focus on Social. It wasn’t because they didn’t believe in me or my idea, but because they’ve been entrepreneurs for over 30 years and know how hard of a path it is to take.

For me, it’s the only path that makes sense. So now I jokingly blame them for that.”

Taking it back to Gwen Graham's campaign around the time he was working as Creative Director— “Around this time, I also took a course on Social Entrepreneurship, and did deep dives into the issues around fashion and clothing that are outsourced to factories largely in SE Asian countries with horrible labor practices.”

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that I could create with clothing began with Yeezus. It's 2013 and Old Kanye is rapping about fighting his way into the fashion industry on New Slaves. It was around this time that I discovered Hypebeast, and an article naming the designer behind that album cover, Virgil Abloh. I started following Virgil’s career and from there I found Samuel Ross, Tremaine Emory, Teddy Santis, Heron Preston, Daniel Arsham and others who have inspired me in various ways as I navigate this space. I know that’s a very *eye-roll* hypebeast answer, but that’s how it happened.” As for us at PEPPER, we appreciate the candor.

“The idea of a politically motivated sustainable clothing brand was coming together slowly in my head via my artistic background as a kid, my time at FSU as a political science major, and learning about ethical entrepreneurship and sustainability, I ideated on what the idea could become. One night in Tallahassee, I took a cheap denim button-down shirt, and hand painted the word SOCIAL across the back shoulders.

As a kid, I was always inspired by Jon Stewart’s monologues on The Daily Show, hip hop’s long history of speaking truth to power and creating something from nothing, and the ‘08 Obama campaign’s visual design. Since starting Social, I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from the growing progressive movement; Bernie, Elizabeth Warren, AOC, as well as Black Lives Matter and groups like Sunrise Movement and March For Our Lives.”

AFTERMATH So, Life after Politics, so to speak…

“After the election, I finished my last semester and then moved to LA, working in a vintage store on Melrose. I saw the potential for vintage clothing in the sustainable space.

In 2017, I was almost exclusively hand-painting custom vintage jackets with political messaging.

In 2019, I experimented with the model of attachable artworks.

In 2020, Social began being sold at Citizen Supply in Atlanta.

In Sept 2022, Social began being sold at The Canvas NYC.” That catches us up to now. We asked what are some of the biggest key topics Barrett would like to focus on with his current and upcoming line and why it’s important. “Environmental justice keeps coming up as a theme because it’s the intersection of so many issues. From climate change to systemic racism, wealth inequality to gentrification, environmental justice touches upon so many important topics. It’s at the core of what Social is about as a business. I can’t speak to any issues if my clothes are sourced in ways that hurt black and brown people or the environment.

This upcoming collection focused on

reproductive justice and the Supreme Court felt inevitable after the Dobbs decision was leaked last summer. The integrity of the Supreme Court is gone. Two Justices are credibly accused of sexual assault, one of which is married to someone who tried to overthrow the government. Two more Justices are in their seats solely thanks to Mitch McConnell and the Federalist Society. So, I felt like it was necessary to create something that would start conversations about how we can reform the Supreme Court.”

Pay attention to everything Barrett is saying here. For those who’ve been keeping up, these are the things weighing heavy on our minds, at least on our side of the pond here in the US anyway. Our other global friends are probably readying the popcorn and 3D glasses at this point. Truth be told, it’s kind of a shit show everywhere right now, but what a time to be alive to make a difference. And that’s what Social is doing.

In case it wasn’t already obvious, we asked about the ultimate goal for Social Clothing, or moreover, what sort of lasting impact Barrett is hoping to achieve. “Social was always going to be ethically and sustainably made, but it didn’t start with the idea to upcycle vintage clothing. That was a happy accident. I was working at a vintage

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store on Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles when I started seeing all of those jackets as big blank canvases. Hand painting those jackets allowed me to begin creating Social while I was barely paying rent.

I would love to create spaces for others to see the same potential in all of this clothing we already have at our disposal. Whether it’s creating for their own closets or for others, I want to share whatever knowledge I gain during this everevolving process. We can collectively force a positive shift in this industry that has created some of the richest people in history through their endless production of cheap clothing via the exploitation of black and brown people in developing countries.” A noble pursuit, and one we fully stand behind.

As for moving forward, Cooper explains, “This year I’m focusing on expanding product lines, starting with ethically made organic and recycled cotton shirts, mocknecks, and sweatshirts. I am also seeking more stockists around the country to carry Social. In the long term, I would love to open up a few stores that act as creative community spaces for people to come together and make things. A place where people can hang out, grab a coffee, shop Social, vintage, and other independent creators, as well as be able to rework clothing in a workshop room full of tools.” We know every maker out there is salivating at the thought of such a space.

A practical question since sustainability remains a key focus in his mission, we wanted to know how Social manages to create multiples and still incorporate sustainable materials? “I started out by hand painting each jacket, but it wasn’t scalable and it was never going to be a financially sustainable business model unless I charged crazy amounts for each piece. The simple system I’ve created allows me to take any quality vintage jacket and turn it into an endlessly customizable statement piece. The attachable artworks are made of organic cotton and printed with water-based inks, and they are easily interchangeable so you can always update the jacket you already have. Giving new life again and again to a piece of clothing that will hopefully stay in your closet for years to come.”

We get that what he’s building here is not for the faint of heart. And yet the daunting task ahead in changing the way the fashion industry operates hasn’t deterred Cooper Barrett in the

slightest. Rather, it’s given him nuggets of truth that are worth sharing. “So many of us, including myself, feel imposter syndrome. I don’t call myself a designer because I don’t feel like I’ve earned it. I didn’t go to fashion school. But the truth is, no one knows what they’re doing most of the time.

We’ve all walked out into the real world and realized we weren’t prepared for all that comes with it, no matter how much we paid attention in class. I may not have a background in clothing design, but I’ve found ways to express myself through the skills I have. Teach yourself as you go along, whether that's figuring out a new effect on Photoshop for an idea you have, or learning about PNLs. Just go for it.

You’ll make mistakes, but you’ll learn far more from your mistakes than your successes.

Understand what you want out of life; the kind of work / life balance you want to have, the kinds of relationships you hope to cultivate, what makes you happy, and work your way backwards from there. We all start somewhere.”

WHAT’S NEXT “No specific plans as of now, but I feel really good about this year.

This past December, The Canvas (@thecanvasnyc on Instagram) held a launch party for Social at The Oculus in NYC to celebrate Social being stocked in their incredible store. I’m excited to see how our partnership grows in the coming year.

I’m also incredibly excited to begin releasing more products outside of upcycled jackets, and finding partners to put Social in more stores across the country.”

We’d like to thank Yours Truly designer Peter Jensen for turning us on to Cooper Barrett and his socially conscious brand. And Manny Portillo for helping us to put this important story together.

We’d like to encourage our readers to check out Social Clothing for themselves. “You can follow us @social.clothing on Instagram, shop Social at socialclothing.co as well as at The Canvas WTC, located at The Oculus.”

THE

DETROIT BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER BRITTNEY COLANTONIO

youth Detroit, Michigan journalist K. Day Gomez

Every generation reaches a point where the realization of their own mortality sets in. Often coupled with this is the alienation from the youth who come after them.

“…young people scare the hell out of me.”

“fashion is one of the oldest forms of silent rebellion.”

“I think I have a big fear of things spiraling out of control. Out of control and dangerous and reckless and thoughtless scares me, because people get hurt.”

—Taylor Swift

We’ve got to take a hard look at what we’re teaching the youth. They’re learning to fear the police. There’s never been a time more appropriate to challenge the authority than now. Not because of race or orientation—but because of the impunity and blatant disregard shown toward the younger generations and marginalized communities.

We’re all busting at the seams and sooner or later, something’s got to give.

That’s basic physics, man.

“One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change.”

—Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

U N I O N

O F

T H E

2021, Oil on canvas 60 cm x 50 cm

IMPOSSIBLE

Premonition What is this?

Is it irony or an irresistible impulse towards beauty that gives rise to such cynical and, simultaneously, touching artefacts? This piece of

‘folklore creativity’ is a little bit punky or, in artistic terms, Dada, demonstrating the absence of aesthetics that is set off against the bourgeois beauty standards of the day. There will come a designer who will get inspired by this random narrative, alter it a little and — make another cute picture for us.

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About

Union of the Impossible The group of anonymous artists self-titled Union of the Impossible was established in 2020, amidst the raging pandemic and socio-political unrest. Its members are not fixed and their number keeps expanding. The artists’ staple is the traditional medium of painting on canvas. They poke fun at everyday life that has undergone a drastic change toward the bizarre. They come up with new means of protection, creating ‘visual shields’ against blandness, boredom, indifference, logic, and consistency.

resemble Polaroid shots. This is both a hint at exclusivity because Polaroids are one-of-a-kind and an act of opposition to the replicated Internet memes.

Not in our wildest dreams could we imagine that we would get to face a time of ‘great trials and tribulations’. The new normal (and, possibly, the irrevocable) has changed our lives, and we are slowly starting to grow used to it. Irony is an indispensable aid in situations such as this. This is how the Dada farce took root, first causing the viewer to go numb and begging the questions, ’What is this, exactly?’ and ‘Why this, precisely?’ and ‘What on earth?’ The outcome is the new generation of memes, occasionally dark and often straight to the point.

Memes have been dubbed ‘the virus of the mind’. When all is said and done, only something apt and incisive will not fail to grab one’s attention in the influx of information that is today’s life. In troubled times, people use different avenues to protect their sanity, with artists, predictably, resorting to art. Union of the Impossible was formed during the lockdown with the mission to create works that were uncharacteristic of each individual member, and the ‘new memes’ swiftly became one of their directions. At one point over a century ago, Dada sprang up as a response to WWI with its unjustified cruelties. In 2020, artists are bringing the Dada principles back to life, repurposing them for the new circumstances: the pandemic that has the entire world under siege.

Whilst Dadaists propelled anti-aesthetics, Union of the Impossible provokes and baffles the audience with its memes.

Most of these ‘new memes’ are presented in white frames that are part of each picture and 208

“The Union of the Impossible is an artistic association that arose in 2020 in the era of pandemic and sociopolitical shocks.” @union_of_impossible

ICON

J E A N - M I C H E L Jean-Michel Basquiat was always going to be a cover icon at some point or other for PEPPER. Placement was key and I knew right away there was no better figure to represent our soft theme “challenge the norm”.

If you’re familiar with his work, it makes perfect sense. His philosophy was formed around rebellion toward the status quo.

“I don’t listen to what art critics say.

I don’t know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is.”

—Basquiat 210

B A S Q U I A T

But it was more than that. Basquiat held a lot of ire over the extreme dichotomy between the wealthy and the poor, the empowered mainstream populous vs. the neglected marginalized communities—namely black culture.

His work has been categorized as contemporary neo-expressionism and primitivism.

He brazenly mixed graffiti and abstract figures to portray the likenesses of black heroes and historical icons as well as self portraiture that reflected his angst and often overwhelming dysphoria.

What most people know about Basquiat is that he is an icon representative of the contemporary art movement, that he was best friends with Andy Warhol and that he died of a heroin overdose in

journalist & illustrator K. Day Gomez with accompanying art by Ramona Nordal

his New York loft at only 27 years old. The artist, the human being was so much more than the bullet points of his life and death.

Those who continue to look to him for inspiration to this day are drawn to his ethos— Basquiat is a whole mood; his rebellion is a way of life.

Growing up, Jean-Michel wasn’t necessarily poor, per se. He lived with his family in a middle class home in Brooklyn.

When his parents separated around ‘74, he and his sisters moved in with their father in Puerto Rico for a couple of years. The decision came as a result of their mother’s battle with mental illness, which finally resulted in her institutionalization. It’s understandable why he would end up dropping out of school at the age of 17.

For the first few years thereafter, he lived on the streets of NYC with friends he would make along the way. As they were often resigned to posting up at abandoned buildings, he began a graffiti art campaign with Al Diaz and Shannon Dawson.

“They created the persona SAMO© (said to represent “same old shit”) and painted anonymous messages—“(SAMO©) A PIN DROPS LIKE A PUNGENT ODOR…” and “SAMO©…JUST IN CASE…”—on walls around SoHo and the East Village and on the D train of the New York City subway system.

In the late 1970s that work—together with the work of other graffitists—began to receive notice in the art world, and so did Basquiat.”

[Britanica]

By the age of 20, he came out as an emerging artist to watch with his first public exhibition ‘The Times Sqare Show’ in 1980. People didn’t know what to think of him—you either loved or hated Basquiat. Even from the beginning, both his work and personality were polarizing.

“I was trying to communicate an idea; I was trying to paint a very urban landscape. I was trying to make paintings different from the paintings that I saw a lot of at the time, which were mostly minimal, and they were highbrow and alienating, and I wanted to make very direct paintings that most people would feel the emotion behind when they saw them.”

—Basquiat

He developed a strong following in the art community in New York and Germany where his work was shown regularly in galleries. By 1983 he befriended Andy Warhol and so began their infamous enigmatic relationship.

“I like to have information rather than just have a brushstroke. Just to have these words to put in these feelings underneath.”

—Basquiat

W A R H O L

O N

“Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat's complex relationship captivated the art world then and now. At a time when Warhol was already world famous and the elder statesman of New York cool, Basquiat was a downtown talent rising rapidly from the graffiti scene. Together, they forged an

B A S Q U I A T

About the pair’s friendship, Michael Dayton Hermann (director of licensing for Warhol’s foundation) told Vanity Fair, “We’re in a moment of extreme tribalism, where shades of gray and nuance and complexity are viewed with skepticism. What I loved about this book is that it presents the relationship between two characters who ignored convention and just refused to fit neatly into any prescribed box.

They were highly individualistic, and it wasn’t just a brand, so to speak. It was truly in their thoughts and in their actions. They just refused to be put in a box. It’s incredibly refreshing.”

—In reference to the book ‘Warhol on Basquiat: The Iconic Relationship Told in Andy Warhol’s Words and Pictures’.

• One of Andy Warhol and JeanMichel Basquiat’s collaborative artworks.

electrifying personal and professional partnership.

As a prolific documentarian of his own world, Warhol extensively photographed and wrote of his friendship with Basquiat, all played against the backdrop of 1980s downtown New York City. It reveals not only the emotional depth of their relationship but also its ambiguities, extremities, and complexities.”

[Warhol on Basquiat; author Michael Dayton Hermann]

“I'm not a real person.

I'm a legend. I am not a black artist, I am an artist. The more I paint the more I like everything.

—Basquiat

Oil and ink painting of Jean-Michel Basquiat by Canadian artist Ramona Nordal

PEPPER Magazine

02

S

cover artist.

February 2023

CODY FREEMAN '23

cowboy boots and cactus keychains and Tex Mex cuisine because we know that’s what people expect.

As someone who lives here, I’m not afraid to say that’s not SA—it’s just one facet of its many personalities. This is a place rich in culture and

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an Antonio is one of those rare places that are difficult to put a finger on, be it in terms of cultural vs. regional identity to general characteristics outside of what tourists think they know. In their defense, we feed them the

“Hey, I have an idea for the magazine,” he told me back in the summer of ’22 when I first approached him for an article. “There’s this picture of JeanMichel Basquiat that always stuck with me. I want to recreate that for the article. It’s this really simple moment where he’s in the studio for a shoot, but he’s barefoot. There’s something honest about that.

It’s iconic.”

True to form, we nailed Cody’s tribute portrait which he was able to remake in his own way, very much infusing the heart and soul of his own work with the idealism of Basquiat’s bohemian rebellion. During that session as we spoke, he mentioned being interested in creating a cover. Now seeing the beautiful end result—a stunning portrait of the icon painted in Freeman’s own signature style—one can see it was simply “meant to be”.

superstition, where the lowest poverty exists right next door to high society, where art and modernity are in constant conflict with religion and traditionalism. We are as American as you can get. And yet we are Latin, we are indigenous, we are Euro and Ukranian and Indian and Asian all making up this military hub of the North American south.

Enter artist Cody Freeman, a product of this very melting pot and constant observer of the idiosyncrasies hereof. Cody’s art can best be described as contemporary neo-expressionism that is highly reflective of the environment he came from in juxtaposition to where he is now and where he dreams of going. Much like one of his artistic influences, the late Jean-Michel Basquiat, it’s the dichotomy of the extreme poverty vs. wealth that permeates through his body of work.

Freeman places a keen focus on the hardships of growing up poor amidst the richness of family love and closeness and life experiences that would mold him. This contemporary take on traditional storytelling for art is something that makes him an artist to watch. It’s also what made him the perfect candidate to capture Basquiat’s likeness for this month’s cover.

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Something that distinguishes Cody from most of the creative community here is that he’s now a full time artist. This is literally his livelihood. It’s a lifestyle he always wanted, enough to work hard for.

As such, he manages his own social media, runs his own website and handles his own bookings, clients and exhibits. Everything he does is intentional and yet the work is uncompromising in the topics he covers.

He stays true to the storytelling and his style gives the work continuity. Though he’s grown in his technique and incorporation of mixed materials and authentic photographs, you can look at a piece and tell it’s a CF work.

You can find artist Cody Freeman and his work at codyfreemanfineart .com and on FB and Instagram @codyfreemanfineart —we strongly encourage our readers to check him out and engage.

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Instagram @sam_sho_art1 / opensea.io/Sam_Sho_Art /

Credits, Locations & Contact 6

journalist K. Day Gomez

Introduction by editor in

chief K. Day Gomez / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @creative.consultant.kday / email hello.pepper@outlook.com / web directory

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msha.ke/kathleendaygomez / photographer Amado Ochoa

43 NEMERS : Amber Nemer-Garcia / San Antonio , Texas / Instagram @nemersboutique / nemersboutique.com / photojournalist K. Day Gomez with accompanied photos by Aby Romero • @takenbyaby

circa 2019 11

50 EWMA x KILN / Vancouver, British

The Alchemy & Ecstasy :

Columbia / Instagram @ewmastore & @kilnceramicjewelry /

Hannah Yata / New York, New York / Instagram @hannahyata / hannahyata.com / Exhibit

journalist K. Day Gomez

atiraarts.ca & kilnceramicjewelry.com / Team credits : Cr Dir: @miss_rainne_mua Photo: @yhanson_photography Model: @atheing.b

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Model: @lol_hayden MUA: @gemineye_mua

premiering Thursday, March 23rd at Allouche Gallery NYC : 77 Mercer Street New York, NY 10012 • Phone 212-966-6675 • info@allouchegallery.com /

Art is a Story : Iris Van

Zanten / Haarlem, the

Model: @ethan.donnelly MUA: @avery.yjc.makeup MUA: @joycastillo.makeupartist Stylist: @mekalm

Netherlands / Instagram @iris_van_zanten / directory linktr.ee/Irisvanzanten / journalist K. Day Gomez 26

Visceral : Gianluca Lattuada

/ Milan, Italy • Madrid, Spain /

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Instagram @gianlucalattuada / gianlucalattuada.art / photographer Ricardo Leon / journalist K. Day Gomez 35

SAM SHO : Sambulo

Shongwe / Manzini, Swaziland /

ON THE COVER Cody Freeman / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @codyfreemanfineart / linkr.bio/codyfreeman

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Access: @kilnceramicjewelry Model: @its_melody_li MUA: @truebeautymakeupartistr y Retoucher: @oliveraymundo Fashion: @sandi_bassett Fashion: @unsertenofficial 59 Fractals : Andrey Lukonikov / Alicante, Spain / Instagram @lukonikovphoto / lukovnikov-photo.com/price / model Ekaterina

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Google & Pinterest.

Lukonikova • @ne_rodis_hudozhnikom 63

90 Elusive : Sustainable fashion & lifestyle expert Becky Witte-Marsh / San Antonio , Texas / Instagram @beckywittemarsh / Interview subjects Glen Andrews & Ruth Bushman of Caliente Hot Glass / Instagram @calientehotglass / calientehotglass.com / 1411 N Hackberry St, San Antonio, TX 78208 / photographer K. Day Gomez [and specially featuring an original necklace designed by Amanda Alarcón-Hunter of Minx and Onyx @minxandonyx as worn by Ruth]

Fashion is Art : Spring

Review No. 1 : Anita Bilello / Palermo, Italy No. 2 : Lilith / designer Kendra Lee / Edmonton, Canada / Instagram @kendral333 / Team credits : Hair: @jmcouling Photo: @lindsaythompsonphoto Model: @fallenangel_modeling Model: @ray.j.ashley MUA: @glam_moore_artistry Model: @janemercerr No. 3 : Kelsea / photographer Kelly Sedivec-Ealy / Instagram @kellyjosedivec / portraitsbykelly.net / model

100 The High Life / Highlight with Joe A. Gomez III / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @jag.enterprises / Reference images sourced from Google

Kelsea Eskew • @kelsea.Eskew 80

Beauty Within : Alec

Shpuntov Cosing / Reston, Virginia / Instagram @alec_cosing_fashion / aleccosing.com / models Katt Priscilla • @kattpriscilla Imani David • @rosemani_gold Jewel Hunter • @iamjewelhunter Janelle Pace • @nelli_nellz 85

Style Diaries with

Charity : Charity Thomas / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @_nunnab / reference images sourced from public domain via

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103 BEAN : A Coffee Story / Joe A. Gomez III of NOVEM / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @novem.cuisine / novemcuisine.weebly.com / Shotgun House Roasters • @shotgunhouseroasters • shotgunhouseroasters.com • 1333 Buena Vista St, San Antonio, TX 78207 / photojournalist K. Day Gomez with accompanying images by photographer Nick Regalado • @nickregalado.photograph y

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@phaltair Fashion & Model & MUA: @by_emi.winkle Photo: @quin__tana Model & Photo & Retoucher: @paolamzphoto Photo: @roma.vstudio Model & MUA & Pub & Access: @tefissm

BASILIO : Basilio Romo

/ San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @basilioromo / Team credits : Hair/Makeup @Rebelhousesalon @Brad_RebelHair, @georgegover3_rebelhair PA 1 Jake Tribianni, PA 2 @Miss_Taint, PA 3 & studio facilitator @Acelvn / set

132 Humans of New York : photographer John Hendrick / New York, New York / Instagram @johnhendrick_photo / directory linktr.ee/johnhendrick_pho to

design, wardrobe styling & subject Basilio Romo / photojournalist K. Day Gomez 119

Actress Paulina Chávez

: photographer Miguel Flores / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @miguelfloresphotography /

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miguelfloresphotography.co m / Team credits actress

139 PASSPORT : The Republic of Ingushetia by Liudmilla Evstratova / Instagram @moremiha777

@paulinafchavez

147 Fit to a T. : Nutritionist & fitness expert Tina Sena / New Braunfels, Texas / tinasena.org / Instagram @tinasenaofficial

Hair @dmadivo Makeup @livbeautified Clothing @lanativacollection, @rosasymimbre.shop & @templeofoffering / journalist K. Day Gomez 125

Aphelele : Sinenkosi

Msomi / Mbabane,

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Mpolonjeni - Swaziland, Africa / Instagram @sinenkosi_msomii / web portfolio latitudes.online/artists/sinenk osi_msomi 127

Transmutation :

Gabriel Toapanta / Quito, Ecuador / Instagram @gabriel.toapanta.58 / Team credits : photographer

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150 A Modern Mystic : Healing Practitioner Romy Nava / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @romynava247 / website romynava.com / photographers Priscilla Du Preez • @priscilladupreez • Lakeland Region, Northern Alberta & Anthony Tran @anthony.fotography • Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam 152 Positively Crystal : Motivational mindset coach Crystal Lopez-Crebs

directory. barnesandnoble.com/w/exi stential-thirst-trap-robertdean/1142963685

San Antonio, Texas / web directory linktr.ee/crystalmagic777 / Instagram @crystalmagic777 154

178 Scars : author Njabulo Nkambule / Swaziland, South Africa / Instagram @dablue_kiddie / linktr.ee/dabluekiddie / photographer Luis Villasmil • @luisvillxsmil • Cerro San Cristobal, Chile

The Makeup Theraist :

Amber Te White / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @yourmakeuptherapist / thetyrashad.org / Team credits : photographers @ashleyballphotography, @leahthomasonphotography, @docshootstoo, @hollywood_hayes_photogra phy models Nora Powers, Jordan Zarahiah, Aja grizzard & Kylee Jamè / journalist K. Day Gomez 162

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179 Tethered to Tension : poet laureate Andrea Vocab Sanderson / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @vocabulous / directory linktr.ee/vocabulous / photographer Rxspawn • @rxspawn • Grenoble, France 180 Foxglove Fortissimo : Flash fiction author Jonathan Darren Garcia / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @jupiterjazz27 / artist S-Mrry • @bloodexer

Uncharted Territory :

photographer Владислав Холодков / Kursk, Russia / Instagram @mr.insulation / model @matvei_2014_ Модельная школа: @twiggy.models 167

Old Woods Walk :

photographer Jason Bartling / Calgary, Canada / Instagram

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@jaybarts08 / https://m.imdb.com/name/n m7620222 / creative director & styling Rainne Medina • @miss_rainne_mua 174

What Taylor Swift &

Olive Garden Taught Me About Love & a Breakup : author Robert Dean / Instagram @literallyrobertdean /

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183 Fashionable Adoptions / San Antonio, Texas / Founder Crystal Lopez-Crebs & Jared Crebs / Instagram @fashionableadoptions / directory linktr.ee/fashionableadopti ons / Garden Tea Lounge located inside Craftiques Mall • @gardentealounge • craftiquesmall.com • 2375 NW Military Hwy, San Antonio, TX 78231 / photographer John Hendrick / journalist K. Day Gomez / Team credits : Production Coordinator Alyse Deanda Zagada •

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@alyse_zagada

SEIGAR

Pet Partner: SNIPSA www.snipsa.org Fashionable Adoptions Photographers Lexi Trew & John Trew Models: Emily Treviño, Nicole Wisdom, Lana Rosado & Kymmylly Rainey

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Mua: Jocelyn Osteguin • @jozzy_12345 DJ: Kaia Dublin Music • @kaiadublinofficial Keyboard player: Joe Luna 192

Social Clothing : Cooper

10 Corey Layne Photography / Austin, Texas / Instagram @coreylaynephoto / web directory linktr.ee/Coreylaynephoto 42 Girl Flock Party by Melanie Allison Art Gallery / artist Melanie Allison / Austin, Texas / Instagram @melanieallisongallery / web directory msha.ke/melanieallisongall ery

Barrett / Atlanta, Georgia & New

49 Miguel Flores Photography

York, New York / Instagram @social.clothing / socialclothing.com / The Canvas at The Oculus • thecanvas.nyc •

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89

DX2 Models

185 Greenwich St, New York, NY

102 NOVEM Cuisine / chef Joe A. Gomez III / serving South Texas [available for national & international travel] / website novemcuisine.weebly.com / Instagram @novem.cuisine

10007 201

The Youth : Brittney

Colantonio / Detroit, Michigan / Instagram @detroitbird / 207

Union of the Impossible :

Good News / Instagram @union_of_impossible 209

ICON : Jean-Michel

Basquiat / journalist & illustrator K. Day Gomez / San Antonio, Texas / direct quotes from

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110 X Level Inc. Creative & Talent Agency / San Antonio, Texas / Instagram @xlevelinc / web directory linktr.ee/xlevelinc

Basquiat / featuring artist Ramona Nordal • @ramonanordal • Toronto, Canada / with additional reference images sourced from public domain via Google.

ADVERTISERS — 5

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138 Darkhorse Photography / Michael Avila Christman / Instagram @darkhorsephotographysa & @heliosmediatx / media portfolio vimeo.com/heliosmediatx

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volunteer or donate.

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organization, Afghanistan Instagram @srowzarchildren

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• We Care Wildlife Sanctuar, Lakehills, Texas Instagram @wecarewildlifesanctuary • Alora Farm nonprofit for Neurodivergent teens & adults on the Autism spectrum, Lakehills, Texas Instagram @alora_farm • Geofrey Foundation for Kids nonprofit organization, Uganda instagram @hope_up_for_kids

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201 Since our public launch in May of 2022, we’ve also proudly supported through GoFundMe (and other means): The MAC • Literacy • Ukrainian San Antonio • Autism Advocacy • Uvalde Families post tragedy…

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PEPPER STAFF K. DAY GOMEZ CEO & EDITOR IN CHIEF Hello, my name is Kathleen. I am a neurodivegent mother, wife and wearer of many hats.

I’m an internationally published artist, author, creative consultant and intuitive life coach. I also sit on the Advisory Board of the Alora Farm nonprofit for adult autists.

I’ve been a photojournalist, art illustrator and content writer for various publications and blogs for over two decades. I formerly held a modeling career for over 17 years that led to acting and directing, which I still may pursue in the future.

I always seek to be of the most help to our community and global humanitarian issues any way I can. It was with this intention that I founded PEPPER Magazine.

As a creative, and member of the LGBTQ community, it is also my intent that the publication be inclusive, diverse and support marginalized communities and those with varied abilities / disabilities by creating a safe space for all to be heard. Thank you for taking the time to learn about our mission. I anticipate great things for the future.

JOE A. GOMEZ III CFO & MARKETING DIRECTOR An all-American Texas boy born and raised in

San Antonio, Joe A. Gomez III has been a strong community leader, a humanitarian and a true lover of life. A former city councilman having served on the board of the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce for several years, he's also the founder of JAG Enterprises with over 23 years of management experience. He is now PEPPER Magazine's CFO & Key Lifestyle Contributor.

A chef to rival most, despite not having been classically trained, Joe's culinary expertise is impeccable. Enough so that over time he began to develop the ground work for what is now called NOVEM Cuisine. Since the founding of NOVEM, chef Joe's recipes have become more diverse and in turn, the public attention has grown.

This has led to multiple international publications, to include London and Manchester, UK. And if you have the luck of tasting his food you'll understand why. There is no detail that escapes him, and the care he puts into the preparation and plating of every meal is nothing shy of five-star dining.

The pièce de résistance is having him prepare it right from the comfort of the best restaurant in town; your own home.

ANGELA MICHELLE EMPOWERMENT MAVEN & INTIMACY ALCHEMIST Angela Michelle is a sexologist from The Sexology Institute. She specializes as an intimacy & body image coach and is also an

staff. empowerment photographer. Her portfolio is expansive covering almost two decades. As an inclusive yoga instructor, she also provides modified yoga lessons for those who need it.

Angela is a speaker, educator, mentor and advocate who raises awareness on a variety of topics she is passionate about.

known as: Artist Foundation of San Antonio).

In May of 2020 she was awarded Best Live Entertainment/Band Musician of the Year by the SEA Awards.

We are honored to have her unique and empowering insight on the PEPPER Magazine board of staff contributors.

TINA SENA

ANDREA ‘ VOCAB’ SANDERSON POET LAUREATE Poet Laureate 20202023, performs as “Vocab” in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas. ”Watching her perform, the word “hero” comes to mind. And not “hero” for the sake of just skill, but for her work in her community: Sanderson teaches poetry workshops, mentors, builds up and encourages artists to pursue their art, and gives them platforms to showcase their talent.

Sanderson’s interest in other people’s art and artistic development became a passion of hers, and she started curating her own shows and creating platforms for other artists to hone their craft by hosting open mics.”

-The San Antonio Current, Jan. 16, 2018 She received awards, Performer of the Year, Influencer of the Year, from Project Forward, and Dream Voice, from the Dream Week Commission. Sanderson is the winner of the 2019 People’s Choice Award, awarded by Luminaria Artist Foundation (formerly

NUTRITIONIST & FITNESS EXPERT Hi, my name is Tina Sena and it has been my passion to motivate, inspire and encourage others to achieve health and wellness physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

For 24 years now I have been doing personal training, nutrition consulting, kids programs, developing a protein line of sweet treats and running my own businesses. I am a spouse and also a real estate business partner with my husband Michael, and we have a beautiful 13 year old daughter named Mia. It is my desire to build a community where we can share with others all the knowledge we have accumulated over the years to help create total health and wellness in their lives.

I​ was an only child who grew up in a home with a mentally ill father and a mother who, although very strong, was also riddled with fear and anxiety while working all the time to provide for our family. We had very little so I was terribly ridiculed in school. ​ ​I saw my first therapist at the age of 10. My father passed away at 44 and as a very independent 20 year old I was on a mission to help others to not suffer in all the ways myself and my family did physically, mentally and emotionally.

staff.

Ibecame a personal trainer about 24 years ago while I was working as a model and living a completely unhealthy lifestyle. I wanted so much to have lean, sexy muscles which was a no no back then in that world.

So I hired my first personal trainer who taught me how to lift weights and eat properly. I never felt better! My body, mind and health completely changed and off I went. I began training for triathlons and fitness competitions with some of the best trainers and decided that was it - I wanted to do for others what they had all done for me.

So off to work I went. I am now an upscale fitness facility owner, protein treats line developer and I organize a nonprofit program changing the course for kids!

I believe that we all have the power within us to get past the pain we endure in life. We just need the proper guidance and resources to get us there!

It means everything to me to help my community to be encouraged and feel love and support through what might be their most challenging journey.....working on ourselves!!!”

ROBERT DEAN JOURNALIST & AUTHOR [In his own words...]

Robert Dean is a journalist, raconteur, and ‘enlightened dumbass’.

His work has been featured in places like MIC, Eater, Fatherly, Yahoo, Austin AmericanStatesman, Consequence of Sound, Ozy, USA Today, to name a few. He’s appeared on CNN and NPR. He also serves as features writer for Hussy Magazine and is editor in chief for Big Laugh Comedy, Texas’ biggest comedy production company. He lives in Austin and loves ice cream and koalas.

CRYSTAL LOPEZ-CREBS MOTIVATIONAL MINDSET COACH Crystal Lopez-Crebs received her degree in Fashion Design & Marketing from The International Academy of Design & Technology in Tampa, FL. She also interned with designer Tracy Reese in New York learning the ropes of New York Fashion Week (NYFW).

She owned an entertainment company in Tampa where she created costumes, did makeup, and stylized looks for her team.

After moving to Texas, she mastered her crafts in the makeup industry working for MAC Cosmetics. She has also done makeup for LA & San Antonio Fashion Week, worked on film sets as both talent and wardrobe & production design, and developed her fashion production skills at Neiman Marcus.

Crystal is now the talent coordinator for X Level Inc, a creative agency in San Antonio, TX, where she helps scout and develop talent. She is also the founder of the nonprofit, Fashionable Adoptions, that promotes animal adoption through fun fashion events, most notably her fashion shows that showcase adoptable animals walking the runway.

She’s helped many people (and animals) improve their lives with her health & wellness business alongside her husband, especially through her story overcoming a health challenge. She loves to talk about vision and mindset to her audience to empower them to live a bigger life. Her unique style and excitement for living a healthy life can be felt as she shares her passions on social media

staff. and in person. Crystal brings her bright light & energy to inspire everyone to live an abundantly beautiful & healthy life from the inside out.

BECKY WITTEMARSH SUSTAINABLE FASHION & LIFESTYLE EXPERT Becky found her passion for sustainable fashion and home furnishings at an early age when being sustainable was a necessity.

A lifetime of creating her own personal style through sustainable sources, got the attention of those around her.

Today her innovative creations using vintage, thrift and self-made items will inspire a new way to look at dressing and styling your home.

Becky will help you turn style sustainability from an inconvenience into an ADVENTURE!​

NJABULO NKAMBULE AUTHOR & POET Njabulo Nkambule also known as Njabulo N. is a writer, a poet hailing from the Kingdom of Swaziland.

“I'm also an author of the soon to be

published anthology, DEEP-ROOTEDWORDS which will include mainly my written poems. I’m a devoted,multipassionate, hardworking poet with a keen eye for detail and an insatiable interest in the use of the written word.

I'm one person who is so passionate about poetry having so many written poems under my name (not yet published). My writings (poems) include quite a number of poetic forms including rhymed poetry, narrative poetry, pastoral poetry, elegies poetry, limerick poetry, lyric and soliloquy poetry.”

PEPPER is enriched by the presence and liter contributions of this gifted writer and we are excited to see how he helps to shape the overall landscape of our publication over time.

NORMAN RENE AVILA ART HISTORIAN • SAN ANTONIO, TX Artist, painter, musician and writer, Norman Rene Avila wears many hats. Also a former teacher, he has taken on the staff position as our local art and cultural historian. One of the founding members of the SAMOMA nonprofit [San Antonio Museum of Modern Art], as influenced and aided by New York’s MOMA, he is great asset to PEPPER Magazine.

Norman has curated an extensive collection of memorabilia, artworks, film footage and photographs which document the SA art

staff. scene from the late 1960’s forward. Over time, we will be sharing these archives which range from obscure to iconic. We are grateful to have Norman as part of our team.

Currently, he is engaged in the development process as a key interview subject for our first documentary about the history of SAMOMA. In conjunction with our cinematographer Michael Avila Christman and editor in chief who is key interviewer for the independent filming project, Norman is providing priceless facts and contacts for the film’s creation.

MICHAEL AVILA CHRISTMAN DIRECTOR & CINEMATOGRAPHER Founder of Darkhorse Photography, as well as his media company Helios, San Antonio native creative professional Michael

Avila Christman is a fixture here.

His projects range from short film to documentary to commercials to editorial fashion photography. He’s worked with well known models, designers, makeup artists, musicians, local celebrities and other professionals throughout his expansive career.

Now, Michael is taking his passion for journalism and theatrical storytelling to new heights by collaborating with PEPPER Magazine and taking on a staff contributor role. He will be responsible for the majority of commercial video content for the

publication through his tenure to come.

STACEY RAE OLIVARESGARCIA PHOTOJOURNALIST Stacey is a San Antonio native, growing up down

the road from Karam's Mexican Restaurant and The Malt House.

While residing in Austin, Stacey began to grow her passion for photojournalism by capturing the heart of the person behind the lens. She wanted to bring this fresh outlook with her to San Antonio. Returning to her hometown allowed her to focus on the art in a person's story.

Stacey's work has been featured in several magazines such as; Entertainment Tonight Online, Voyage Houston, and S.A. Scene Magazine. She has captured photos for multiple businesses across various industries including Luzianne Tea and August Ink. ​ er creative eye and ability to capture her H subjects’ stories with grace and dignity makes Olivares-Garcia the perfect addition to the PEPPER team.

MELANIE ALLISON NETWORKING LIAISON One day, I decided to take life by the (long)horns and got back to my roots by modeling

staff. and painting again. I wanted to break the fashion industry standards and stigmas by creating a need for a petite and classic model. I started working with local photographers in the Austin area, building a new portfolio. Soon I discovered independent magazines and learned how to submit my work. I was finally published and on the cover of a magazine for the first time in October 2016. Soon after that, I was signed with TL Modeling Agency in Houston, Texas.

But things don’t always go as planned. After enduring occasional rejection from magazine editors, I founded my own art & fashion magazine called Bevie in November 2016. My mission with Bevie was to showcase emerging, local and international talent such as artists, models, photographers, designers, and other creatives.

By making a sophisticated publication more approachable, I was able to help my fellow colleagues get established or further along in their career. After two years of publishing my bimonthly mag, I decided to go back to work full-time and the last issue was released in December 2018. Bevie still has quite the following today!

Today, I am now focused on creating mixed media art, establishing my networking event, turned group called Girl Flock Party, and becoming a part of the local artist community. It has been an amazing journey and I am grateful for every experience along the way!”

Melanie is a great asset to the PEPPER team and provides valuable guidance, lead finding and creative / marketing advice from her home base in the Georgetown / Austin area.

ROMY NAVA HEALING PRACTITIONER Romy Nava has been actively developing his gift as a healer since the beginning of 2013.

As a Sound Healing and Reiki practitioner, he has formulated a signature holistic protocol.

His clients are comforted and claim to experience a relaxed calming sensation for days following each session he provides.

Also a media tech and podcast host, Romy aims to educate and hold space for enlightened thought by way of his platform.

He establishes a dialogue that is relatable with the intention of getting to the core of the human psyche, spirit and mind-body connection. He examines the choices we make vs. practical and functional resolution.

All of this expertise and experience makes him an incredible asset to PEPPER Magazine. Say hello to Romy and open yourself up to learning something new… maybe even about yourself.

ANDREW BARRAZA MEN’S GROOMING STYLE CONSULTANT Andrew is a graphic novel artist & comic book enthusiast who also happens to be a mustache connoisseur.

“Men are always just kinda left out when it comes to

staff. grooming topics. I had to learn all my tricks on the street. I’m and ambassador for a couple of stache grooming brands. It’s been a blast growing it, helping others with tips and making new friends.

I still draw when I have the chance. Love comics and art.”

He is here to lend PEPPER Magazine his expertise in mens grooming, the subcultural aspect that goes along with this niche and other great products, tips and resources for men.

“It’s really funny, without knowing when I got into it, there’s a giant mustache community out there of dudes that are happy to encourage, give tips, even help out with charities and events. One of the companies that I ambassador for donates part of every sale to first responders. Turns out there’s a lot of firemen that make and sell mustache wax also.

And seeing people randomly, I ALWAYS get compliments from people. And I’m happy they think it’s cool and get a kick outta it.

Even gotten some free beers in the bars.

That’s worth it right there alone.”

SINENKOSI MSOMI PHOTOJOURNALIST & CONCEPTUAL ARTIST Sinenkosi Msomi is an exceptional photographer born in Eswatini and currently residing in Mbabane, Mpolonjeni.

His work consists of staged and conceptual photography. The themes contained in his

work include addressing mental health issues, the importance of self-expressions and exploring the significance of one's childhood memories.

His upbringing plays a major role in how his work eventually plays out. He recollects the different sides of growing up in an African extended family and how that helped shape him. His pictures help him talk about things that he sometimes finds no words to fully express.

Msomi is an incredible asset to PEPPER Magazine and will continue to work remotely, bringing impactful documentary through the personal and unique storytelling of his imagery.

ALYSE DEANDA NETWORKING LIAISON & SPECIALIST Alyse Deanda is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Blooming Social, a social media marketing and management agency.

She assists small businesses as they navigate the complex world of Digital Marketing for the first time. She has also assisted multi-billion dollar businesses in accomplishing their marketing goals.

In 2022, she founded Wild Bloom Vintage, a women’s fashion e-boutique that is focused on sourcing sustainable women’s fashion and nicknacks. Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Alyse now resides in San Antonio, Texas. She is a proud alumna of St. Mary's University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications. She is a model and

staff. actress with representation in San Antonio, TX, Shreveport, LA and NYC, NY. Alyse has worked in the fashion industry both behind the scenes as well as in the spotlight for almost a decade. In addition, she is proud to serve on the Board of Directors of FerrariKid, a nonprofit organization that is focused on bringing joy to children battling cancer and chronic illness.

As a networking liaison for PEPPER Magazine, Alyse will be pulling from her wealth of experience and knowledge to guide networking, gather leads and connect nonprofits and businesses with our publishing firm.

COREY DAVENPORT

into something that I have excitedly worked on for the last 13+ years. Whether it be going to local venues, traveling for festivals, or touring with bands on and off over the years. My opportunity to capture the raw emotion of the artists is an experience that will never cease to fill me with joy.

With more doors opening, I plan to continue learning about, and expanding my craft, while striving for more new experiences throughout my ever growing life as a photographer.”

Corey will be covering various leads and events for PEPPER in Austin and surrounding areas. He’s also working on showcasing some intense and striking documentary imagery from his archives over time.

CHARITY STEWART

PHOTOJOURNALIST A Texas native, with a curiosity of the human experience.

“Having always been fascinated by the psychology / sociology of people, while also lacking the ability to focus my interests, and thoughts into words, I knew at a young age that photography was my outlet to show the world what I see. With inspiration from some of the classic greats like Elliot Erwitt, Gary Winogrand, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Weegee, my passion for street photography/photojournalism will continue to be the driving force behind what I do with a camera.

Living in Austin, TX for the majority of my life, has also given me the best environment to mix my love of music, and photography

STYLE CONSULTANT “My name is Charity Stewart. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I am a very family oriented person I grew up with two sisters and a brother. In high school is where I met my now husband, we have been together since 2015 and have been married since 2021. I went to Sam Houston State University to run track and I majored in business. I moved to San Antonio in 2021.

I am a licensed disability job coach. One of my passions is helping people and being certified allowed me the opportunity to help people with disabilities from the ages of 17-23 find a job and be equipped for the workforce.

Currently I work as a barista at Press Coffee

staff. and also at Mint Vintage. My husband and I are in the process of launching our brand called Team Faithful. We started this because we want to encourage young couples to stay committed and honor each other despite what the culture is saying today. We believe that life is about community and helping others which makes me so happy to be a part of PEPPER Magazine where helping people is in our DNA. Growing up, I have always had a passion for fashion. I remember getting up on Saturdays to put outfits together and giving my family a fashion show in the living room. Now as an adult I am able to make a fashion show for myself every day and also for PEPPER Magazine.”

Charity will be sharing her favorite fashion and beauty tips, hacks and trends (old and new) as well as the brands and entrepreneurs she recommends in her own column.

old (when I was published in an international magazine) and picked up photography over a decade ago, always pushing myself and my equipment as far as I could, developing my style to show people how vibrant, beautiful, and varied the world is. I have sold prints of my photography, as well as being published in periodicals.

Pepper will be the first publication where I will be contributing regularly as I've spent several years focusing on horse training and more recently, being a single mom to a very bright and busy toddler. I am so excited to be part of Pepper, and I hope we'll be seeing each other for a long time to come!"

JONATHAN DARREN GARCIA FLASH FICTION WRITER

SEFRA SCHWAB PHOTOJOURNALIST “I'm Sefra, and while I have a lot of interests that I feel deeply about, the most important things to me are my faith, my daughter, and my deep-seated love for animals and the people who love them (especially horses). As a recently diagnosed autistic following several years of misdiagnoses, I have an intense interest in philosophy and all the different ways that humans are.

I have been writing - mostly poetry, and short stories - since I was about 10 years

Jonathan Darren Garcia is a San Antonio based writer. He was a featured poet in That Gray Zine: San Antonio's Collective Carefest. He has been published in multiple literary magazines including Crepe & Penn (Now known as C&P Quarterly), Scum Gentry Alternative Arts, Beyond The Veil, From Whisper To Roars, Royal Rose, etc. Notable works include "You Both Need To Leave Right now!", "The Energy Of A Stone" and "Samson".

He dreams of a story worth telling. On his off time he enjoys a good cup of coffee from one of the many local spots in San Antonio. With his compelling handle on the flash fiction genre, Jonathan will maintain a gripping monthly column in PEPPER Magazine.

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SEIGAR

MANDY KADURA

PHOTOJOURNALIST & CONCEPTUAL ARTIST

PHOTOGRAPHER

Seigar is a passionate travel, street, socialdocumentary, conceptual, and pop visual artist based in Tenerife, Spain. He feels obsessed with the pop culture that he shows in his works. He has explored photography, video art, writing, and collage. He writes for some media. His main inspirations are traveling and people.

Seigar’s aim as an artist is to tell tales with his camera, creating a continuous storyline from his trips and encounters. He is a philologist and works as a secondary school teacher. He is a self-taught visual artist, though he has done a two years course in advanced photography and one in cinema and television.

He has participated in several international exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events. His works have been featured in numerous publications worldwide. His latest interests are documenting identity and spreading the message of the Latin phrase: Carpe Diem. Recently, he received the Rafael Ramos García International Photography Award. He shares art and culture in his blog: Pop Sonality.

Currently, Seigar is our travel columnist, heading out the section with his “Tales of” series. We look forward to learning about the world around us through his skillful and artful lens.

FOLLOW US on Instagram.

Hi, my name is Mandy Rose. Im a wife, mother, and entrepreneur—I own Infinite Photography SA. I believe in the power of art and media.

“Art is chaos taking shape” —Pablo Picasso My photography is an expression of who I am and what I stand for : love, life, and creativity. I’ve been a photographer for 10 years. Five years into the art, I created my business Infinite photography SA. After that, I never stopped my momentum. I now own 2 businesses and have become the entrepreneur I always wanted to be [with Dropyourlashes being my second business].

I have worked with many families along my career and recently broke my way into the fashion industry. It’s exciting to have an outlet to create more art. To me, being able to be a part of Pepper Magazine—a world wide publication—is an honor and I am so excited to provide quality images for a magazine that I myself have supported and continue to read and follow.

WINNER MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR

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JOHN HENDRICK PHOTOJOURNALIST & CONCEPTUAL ARTIST Born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Queens.

John’s artistic upbringing and his path to photography began shortly after his parent's separation when he was seven years old. He initially lived with his father, who would provide the foundation for his artistic eye, having John learn to play the piano, draw, and paint to stay off the streets.

vision, feeding off of the Bauhaus movement working in color and abstract compositions, making his name as one of the up-andcoming street photographers working in color; if you look hard enough, you can find hints of being raised by a single mom, his independence, and gestures of kindness.

He would then go on to live with his mother, where he would spend much of his youth raised by his mother, a single mom of two.

His mother worked nights, and his brother, who was four years older, was never home, leading John to become accustomed to independence.

John grew up skateboarding in the mid-’80s and into the late ’90s when NYC was the melting pot of pop culture. Without knowing it, this would start his photographic journey, always carrying a camera and taking pictures of his friends. He worked as a messenger, becoming familiar with every inch of the city. Soon after, he would work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, expanding his artistic vocabulary surrounded by the works of all the greats.

For the past 23 years, John has traveled worldwide and lived abroad in countries such as Italy, Spain, and Japan; each location is inspiring and influences his point of view.

Currently, he lives in San Antonio, where he teaches photography at the Southwest School of Art. After all these years of traveling and photographing the world, he has found his artistic voice and this creative

BECOME A PEPPER PARTNER PEPPER MAGAZINE IS GROWING OUR FIRST YEAR HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL! We continue to be a platform for ALL people, all ages, all cultures, religious affiliations (or not), orientations and all disabilities and abilities to tell their stories.

PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING US CONTINUE TO TELL THOSE STORIES. BECOME A PEPPER PARTNER & BE RECOGNIZED ON OUR PEPPER PARTNER PAGE EACH ISSUE. DONATE at gofund.me/1338dddf

Ai & digital illustration by artist K. Day Gomez

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