Kayley: Labyrinth Reflections

"Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life."

—Bill Cunningham

Name	Kayley Kawana
Title of project	Fashion
Overview:	Through this pilgrimage I am going to explore my love of fashion. I researched fashion pieces from accomplished designers like Paolo Sebastian and Vera Wang. And then I moved on to look at street style clothing that I really loved. FKA Twigs and Jhene Aiko, who are both artists, have the most incredible street style. Some of my favorite stores to shop are free people and anthropologie, so I looked through their websites. I continued to upload pictures onto my website, and I made a fashion journal!
Website URL	http://kogarashibykayleykawana.weebly.com
What you saw/read: film/links:	https://www.nytimes.com/video/on-the-streethttp://www.vogue.com/13520803/fka-twigs-nike-campaign/http://video.vogue.com/watch/video-fashion-week-shaina-mote-spring-2017-video-fashion-week
Experiences:	I think a lot of my experience in fashion is in my head. I will look at websites and in magazines, but I have never gone beyond that. Until now, i’ve never had the opportunity to really explore what I might want to do with fashion.
What you will make:	I am also finishing up a website that I created with pictures of fashion pieces that I love. I also handmade a fashion journal.

Labyrinth Reflection 1

“Siddhartha listened. He was now nothing but a listener, completely concentrated on listening, completely empty, he felt, that he had now finished learning to listen. Often before, he had heard all this, these many voices in the river, today it sounded new. Already, he could no longer tell the many voices apart, not the happy ones from the weeping ones, not the ones of children from those of men, they all belonged together, the lamentation of yearning and the laughter of the knowledgeable one, the scream of rage and the moaning of the dying ones, everything was one, everything was intertwined and connected, entangled a thousand times. And everything together, all voices, all goals, all yearning, all suffering, all pleasure, all that was good and evil, all of this together was the world. All of it together was the flow of events, was the music of life. And when Siddhartha was listening attentively to this river, this song of a thousand voices, when he neither listened to the suffering nor the laughter, when he did not tie his soul to any particular voice and submerged his self into it, but when he heard them all, perceived the whole, the oneness, then the great song of the thousand voices consisted of a single word, which was Om: the perfection.”

Siddhartha’s journey to enlightenment reminds me much of the conversations our class has been having these past few weeks. Though it’s called a Chartres Labyrinth, our class has talked about the labyrinth representing more of a journey. Our class this year has revolved around the idea of journeys or more specifically pilgrimages. Through the various novels we unpacked, we realized that each pilgrimage is a journey to the center. I think that Siddhartha is a perfect example of a journey to the center. He spends his life searching for the answer never knowing that what he needed was enlightenment within. Life is not one experience, nor is it concentrated on the separation of good or evil. In every sinful man there is light and in every man who has reached Nirvana there is darkness. Life is not a journey to reach Nirvana when one is suffering. We are not just one thing. We contradict ourselves, but it is of no importance. And when we construct and walk the labyrinth, I am sure that we will find a similar peace. We will come to an understanding that we are not walking a maze, but a journey. Siddhartha realizes that we are the rushing river that constantly renews itself. And maybe we are. The world is not simply beautiful because the good outweighs the bad. Life is meaningful because we exist in need of each other. Life is an understanding that we are one. We are Om. 

Labyrinth Reflection 2

“The first commandment for every good explorer is that an expedition has two points: the point of departure and the point of arrival. If your intention is to make the second theoretical point coincide with the actual point of arrival, don't think about the means -- because the journey is a virtual space that finishes when it finishes, and there are as many means as there are different ways of 'finishing.' That is to say, the means are endless”

Each pilgrimage is a journey to the center, yet in the Motorcycle Dairies, we are reminded how much of the journey we miss because we’re so focused on the arrival. After understanding the symbolism of the Chartres Labyrinth, it finally clicked for me. When we first looked at the layout of the Labyrinth, I was confused why there was so much walking space between the entrance and the destination. I was puzzled because it wasn’t formatted like it was a maze. It would make sense for there to be a lengthy “middle” if it were a maze, but there was only one path leading to the center. So I wondered why it had to be so long and winding. Surely it could be cut down to half the length and still retain it’s symbolism. And then after I reflected on the Motorcycle Diaries, it made sense. Often, we forget that the journey is supposed to be the most important part of the pilgrimage. The one path in the labyrinth is long to symbolizes the importance of the physical journey from beginning to end. The twists and turns are to remind us, that when we walk it, not to be so hung up on the destination. The start and the finish are of little importance overall. They provide no tangible means to the pilgrimage. Over the course of time it’s very easy to forget how valuable the pilgrimage becomes to our personal growth. As Che Guevara says, “the means are endless”. 

Labyrinth Reflection 3

I think one of the most important things about the symbolism of the labyrinth project that I have learned, is the emphasis on the actual journey between the start and finish. I used to believe that keeping my eyes on the goal was a way to prevent myself from loosing sight of what I was doing. But as I worked on my pilgrimage project, I realized how much fun I was having in the process. 

I think for a large part of the time, I was too focused imagining what my life would look like once I reached my goal. My dream job is to be a fashion designer, so I spent most of my time wondering what kinds of clothes I would make, and how my studio would look like. It’s a dream job, so I don’t really expect it to be real. But through this process, it was nice to explore my passion. I learned how important it is to enjoy the journey. 

I believe the authenticity of this course was the most meaningful. I felt comfortable and safe in our classroom. From this moment on, I feel true excitement for whatever comes next. And the most exciting thing, is that i’m not worried about where my pilgrimage will take me. The journey is good enough for me. One quote I love to keep in my head is a very simple one. It’s a quote from my sister. And it goes, “never believe that opportunities are greater tomorrow.”

Fashion: Final Reflection

Ever since I was young I loved fashion. I would spend countless hours in my grandmothers closet looking at her clothes and trying on her shoes that were clearly too big for my feet. I could spend a whole day inventing outfits in my head and pairing them with the right shoes. My mom now refuses to buy me any new clothes because, well, I spend most of my money on it. When I daydream, 80% of the time it’s about fashion. I like to think about what it would be like to have my ideas of fashion come to life. But fashion to me has always been more than that. It’s a part of my creative side that I have never really grown in any way. I can take dance classes and acting classes here at Poly to improve, but I have never taken any sort of fashion class. Looking back on it now, I wish I had the opportunity to let myself explore my love for fashion. It’s something that brings me so much happiness. 

To me, fashion is like another language. I speak through fashion. There’s a funny quote out there that goes something like, “she can be beat me in a lot of things, but she will never be able to beat my outfit.” To me, fashion has always been my source of confidence. If I love what I’m wearing, I am unbeatable for the day. I can be nervous for a college interview, but the moment I put on the right shoes and the right skirt, I walk with my head high. When I’m daydreaming I am creating 10 different dresses and 10 different shoes at once. I have a mental folder where I keep all my “outfits”. 

Our class this year has revolved around the idea of journeys or more specifically pilgrimages. Our multiple discussions and our project on the Chartres Labyrinth taught us the importance of the space between the entrance and the destination. I think about Siddhartha, who journey’s his whole life to reach Nirvana, and I think about Che Guevara who spent his time fighting for his people. I have come to realize that our pilgrimages are fueled by our passions. Our passions light a fire in us that keeps us moving towards our destinations, wherever they may be. A pilgrimage is not just any journey. A pilgrimage is the journey we take when we feel immense passion.

This pilgrimage has lit another fire inside of me. It made me even more passionate than I was before. Life is too short to wait for tomorrow. I want to do even more now because I will never know where it could take me. I also hope to reach a level of peace and balance in my life as I continue to take my passion to higher levels. Life is very much a balance , as our class has learned through our readings and labyrinth projects. I need to balance my academics with my arts. I need to balance my stress with a creative outlet. And this project was the answer. I can’t wait to do even more. 

"You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it." —Edith Head