COOL PEOPLE: JOHN BRAMBLITT

THE BLIND YET VISUAL ARTIST

John Bramblitt is not who you would call ordinary. After going blind due to complications with epilepsy in 2001, John, whose dream was to become a creative writing teacher, was crushed. Feeling deeply depressed John discovered the world of painting and the results have been quite impressive:

John had never painted before going blind. Yet after about a year of practice and figuring his way through, John has mastered the concept.

Sold in over twenty countries his art has appeared in print, television, and radio. It’s also been showcased in the CBS Evening News, ABC, BBC Radio, and featured in The New York Times and Psychology Today.

John uses brailed tubes to identify colors and preconceived recipes for color combination. He also paints using his hands as a guide for the paintbrush. By doing this he states that it helps put down better lines on the canvas. John has also used different types of paint and can figure out which is which by their texture. 

Though he is self-taught, he has learned to use raised lines to help guide him through the canvas, giving him a haptic visualization of what the picture looks like.

John Bramblitt is not what you would call ordinary. No, he is in fact exceptional. In his first art show John refused to tell anyone he was blind because he “didn’t want it to affect the way [people] perceived the art.” He has also embraced his condition. This is evident in how he signs each of his pieces where you’ll see two circles with “X’s” painted over them. Absolutely fantastic.

Here is an awesome CBS interview about the man himself:

Bramblitt has demonstrated to all of us that a set back (whether minor or major) does not mean you should despair because we are much more capable than we know. Sometimes it takes setbacks to discover what those capabilities are.

By: Oliver R. Pernt

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COOL ICON: GRAFFITI ARTIST DONDI

The Color Of Unity

It’s impressive what one action is capable of achieving, isn’t it? The concept that an idea, no matter how small can make such a big impact has always been a point of inspiration for me. How creating something astounding can come from a seemingly innocent, and perhaps irrelevant act like painting a simple “name” on random structures found in a city.

That is why I fell in love with the world of graffiti. As a kid growing up in the concrete jungles of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro it was easy to get lost in the greyness of it all. But it was the murals, the creative and colorful writing, and uniqueness of each piece that molded my love for the artistic world. It was graffiti where I was initially exposed to the intricate being of art. Da Vinci, Monet, and Klimt came later.

That is why, in honor of Black History Month, I want to speak about a hugely influential African American man you’ve probably never heard of: Mr. Donald Joseph White A.K.A. Dondi. Considered one of the most influential graffiti artists in the history of the art form.  

Born in Brooklyn, on April 6^th 1961, Dondi was born into a difficult world. Brooklyn at the time was an unstable region due to racial tension and social conflicts, which was mostly brought out by gangs. Gangs ruled the streets to such a degree that he joined several of them in order to avoid any unwanted aggression.

It was in the mid 1970’s, his teen years, where graffiti started to be a big part of Donald’s life. Using the tag name (graffiti signature/artist name) “NACO” and “DONDI”, Donald progressed (much like Taki183 or Tracy168, the Godfathers of graffiti) from simple tagging to richer, more elaborate pieces. 

After being a part of the TOP (The Odd Partners) crew, he went out and started his own. With such noticeable artists as CRASH, DOC, and RASTA, the CIA (Crazy Inside Artists) crew changed the landscape and throughout the next 20 years Donald became well known as the standard for stylistic pieces, influencing countless young artists for years to come.

Throughout his career his “Children of the Grave” pieces (part 1, 2, and 3) were the most famous. Each piece covered the whole exterior of a subway car and the name was taken from a Black Sabbath song.

These pieces, along with many others helped change the perception that graffiti was a foul, criminal attempt at art, and allowed Donald to bring graffiti to the world, making him the first graffiti artist to have a one-man show in the Netherlands and Germany, and furthermore his work was collected by European museums.

Looking over this art form, what I love about graffiti is the irony of it all: How you make limitlessness from limits. Whether it is financial limits (not enough money to afford decent paint and canvas), educational limits (no proper training), or city limits (walls, buildings, bridges, trains, etc), graffiti doesn’t care. The world is your canvas. All that is stopping you is your imagination.

Another irony, and perhaps the most important part of the graffiti movement, is how this colorful movement doesn’t see color. Since its birth, graffiti was established by diversity. Race was never a limiting factor, and through its expansion, it could be considered one of the best race unifiers to date.

From New York, to São Paulo, to Rio, to Wynwood, what I’ve noticed above anything else is that creative expression in raw form is a platform for the ever-existential need to create, to show, to be. As people we continuously strive to make a mark in this world of ours, whether it be in a positive or negative light and through the expression of an idea we are able to not only make a statement, but change its perception as well. It opens our eyes to new ways of seeing, and as I sit here in Wynwood, I can’t help but feel that Dondi needs abundant acknowledgement because without his actions, the action of some before him and many after him, this beautiful part of Miami I feel blessed to work in simply wouldn’t exist.

Because of this I, as well as everyone here at COOL want to thank the late, great Donald “Dondi” White. His “irrelevant” actions made a very relevant contribution by breaking the color barrier with color.  #CertifiedCOOL

 By: Oliver Pernt

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BRAND BUZZ: FAIRY TALES SELL CARS

Mercedes-Benz Recreates Fable for Super Bowl Ad

The Super Bowl is around the corner (this Sunday) and slowly companies are releasing their multi-million dollar ad campaigns. Thus, you have such ads like this one from Mercedes-Benz making a fresh new version to the well-known fairytale about the Tortoise and the Hare.

Now we all know the fairytale about the Tortoise and the Hare. How, even though the Hare was clearly faster, the Hare's cockiness is challenged by the humility of the Tortoise and in the end, the Hare loses. Pretty straightforward plot unless, that is, Mercedes decides to give it a “plot twist” as declared by the Tortoise.

Watch the clever recreation:

I have to say I much prefer this version of the story. 

Now the car advertised is the new Mercedes-AMG GT S, the smaller, perhaps baby version, to the awesome but sadly outgoing SLS. With a sumptuous design and a very charismatic 4-liter V8, the GT S will be sure to bring a smile to any one (be it human or tortoise) who gets in it.

I mean, look how #CertifiedCOOL this thing is:

Can’t say I’ve ever been jealous of a tortoise, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.

Well done, Mercedes-AMG. 

By: Oliver Pernt

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FASHION FEATURE: Creative Convo with Demestiks New York's, Ruben Reuel

Impeccable styling. Inspirational designs.

Reuben Reuel of Demestiks NewYork is the center of this month's #CertifiedCOOL Creative Convo. The setting was Cecconi's Miami Beach, one day after presenting his collection at the Guinness World Record Breaking 24 Hour Cotton Fashion Show. COOL Creative Curator and Creative Director, Johanne Wilson, had a creative conversation with Reuben Reuel over Sunday brunch. She learned more about the designer's background, design philosophy and business operation.  

The humble Bedstuy, Brooklyn based designer cuts his pieces made to order from his  gorgeous New York basement studio and ships them all over the world. Although a small operation, with only 3 seamstresses and a production assistant, Reuel's pieces are coveted by some of the most influential celebrities, bloggers and fashion editors across the globe. Beyonce recently posted pics of herself wearing Reuel’s clothing line, Demestiks New York, on her Instagram feed. “I’m still Reuben” responds Reuel when asked about the exposure from Beyonce.

Beyonce posted herself in Demestiks on instagram

The Virginia beach native began his fashion studies at Virginia Beach Tech Center where he learned the majority of his fashion and design skills. Reuel continued studying at Norfolk State University and then transferred to New York Institute of Fashion and Technology to further his education. Reuel moved on to work for a bedding company prior to starting his own line, Demestiks New York. After being fired, business took off. Bloggers and fashionistas have widely sought out his Ankara wax African print clothing through his e-commerce shop on etsy.

Ruben is very hands on with his business, traveling to Holland to understand the prints and fabric used in his line of classic silhouettes. His design philosophy is not to reinvent the wheel in his designs. Using stock styles and simply changing the fabric works well for him. “I know the basics so I build my designs from that”, he says.

Reuel’s early influences come from church. “God is a major influence”, says Reuel, “the bible is simple, design and fashion is simple to me, I’m simple”. Ruben grew up in the church. Both of his parents were children of pastors.  He would later pull from that influence when he began to freelance and make church clothes for women.  

"My collection is like a puzzle.”

He figured out that his pattern book from his training days had all the puzzle pieces for his designs.  He just had to mix, match and reconfigure the basic parts to make his own creation. He believes that clothes are for going to and from work, church and going out. Clothes should be interchangeable. 

The consistent message of “live to create and create to live” can be seen throughout his work ethic and production methods. He works hard because he knows what it is to not work. Freelancing became his salvation. Reuel’s sentimental connection with his work makes his pieces all the more desirable. He has no interest in producing wholesale garments.

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“I like that people get something directly from me, I don’t want to water it down, I like oneness with the designer, it’s a gift from me to you”

Although known widely for his African prints which he describes as African style elevated, we can look forward to more unisex designs using color schemes from NYC with black, white, neutral and army green palettes. He describes the future as the way it looks today, and how the future is now. Designing and sewing American made garments are important for Reuel.  He strongly supports Domestic commerce and the NYC garment district. 

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Reuben concluded the conversation with a cool thought.

"If people are mad at you for doing what you do that's their problem.”

Reuben’s pieces can be found on his online store. 
Tag us on Instagram at @CoolCreativeinc with you in your Demestiks New York pieces.
We look forward to his new work set to release some time next year.

By: Steven Francois

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