The Art of Conceptualizing by Fashion Stylist Tiffani Rae

I don’t know if I have ever tracked the processes of my artistic behaviors in word format. So when Crystal asked me to write for the Agency Blog, I found myself wondering how I may narrow down all of the ideas and inspirations that are jumbled up in my mind onto a screen. Then one night while researching trends for my new home, I realized that just as I train my assistants to follow strategic formulas for Fashion Styling, I as well follow formulas for conceptualizing trends. Whether styling a shoot or for my own home, I always start by laying out my concepts.

As an artist I am always looking for new and inventive means for design. I first begin with foundational concepts.  At present, my primary motivation is the colors of the world. I have always had a deep craving of the world. I feel as though we are extremely fortunate to live in an era that connects us to the worlds beyond our own not only through travel, but also as easily as peering into the Internet or books.

Last fall I traveled for work to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Morocco. Both were extremely beautiful and inspiring places that I had always dreamt of traveling to. I immediately knew that I would find new concepts for design in these classic locations. San Miguel is a well-preserved Spanish Colonial city full of color. No two buildings were alike and no two structures of the similar color stood near the other. And all of this beauty rested on narrow cobble stone streets. I took a million pictures of the colors knowing that I would want to bring these colors home to me.

Morocco was very different structurally. The cities I traveled to: Casablanca, Marrakech and Agadir were much more monochromatic in color than I had expected. Casablanca as may be expected is filled with mostly white buildings. Agadir, a beach city, appears to blend into the sand with its white hotels that line the shores. Marrakech, where we spent a great deal of time is known as the “Red City.”  Morocco’s exterior color pallets did not pop out at me the way that San Miguel’s did. What did catch my eye was the art. There are countless artistic trades from Morocco, but there is a specific colorful artistic movement in Moroccan art that reminds you that you are in Africa. I worked very hard in Morocco; we shot for three different resorts in five days. There wasn’t much time for tourism, but I did manage bring back a small piece of art from the Medina in Marrakech.

If you take a look at the pictures from San Miguel de Allende compared to the Moroccan piece, you will notice that although Mexico and Morocco are two very distant lands in both location and culture, the colors are in common here. This brings me full circle to my primary concept; the colors of the world. Next week I will explain how bringing in secondary and tertiary concepts will help relieve me from feeling like I’m living in a Crayon Box and more like I have come home to a Zen full place of creativity, imagination and also very importantly relaxation. CLICK HERE to view Tiffani Rae's work.