Celebrating
Since 1990
1990 - Grey Year
Here is the past 25 years of themes I have done. I included commentary for each year. Up until 2000, I let most of the negativity get to me, and I allowed people to hurt me easily. I included these in the descriptions to share the journey I was on. I came a long way. I hope that anyone who is struggling with acceptance can find hope. There is no reason to be oppressed from being who you truly are!
1990 - Grey Year - This theme was inspired by the "got milk" commercials where they had this cool gray backdrop. I originally wanted a silver year, but compromised on gray to attempt to make everyone happy. Soon, the hair became flattened, then straightened, but no one was happy with it commenting it was "too thick."
1991 - Black and White Year
1991 - Black and White Year - I followed up grey year with the colors that make gray. I compromised using brown hair with extensions, because a black and white hairstyle was "too extreme". I was introduced to hair weaves this year, and I did the best I can to keep it a "realistic" length to make people happy.
1992 - Graffiti Year
1992 - Graffiti Year - This year kind of morphed a lot. It wasn't until July it came together. I wanted all the colors, since I had such monochromatic years. I dreamed of having colorful hair, but compromised a frosted look, because it was considered a "natural" rainbow. This is the first year I took on painting clothes. This actual look only lasted from August to October. I was not able to handle the negative comments, and wanted to please people.
1993 - Skies And Trees Year
1993 - Skies and Trees Year - Inspired by blue mountain cards and illustrations, and the "outside" of Romper Room's decor, I attempted to put together a theme that had these fantasy like looks I liked. People were outraged that I wore silk vests and shorts and didn't use an anti frizz product.
1994 - Fluorescent Year
1994 - "Fluorescent" or 94escent Year - This year was a failed attempt at creating a "neon" year. There wasn't much neon stuff out there. Moreover, this is the year I was put on medications, and the weight skyrocketed to over 300 pounds. Most of the hair was shaved off from over processing it - attempting to staighten it chemically and have blonde to make it more acceptable was not a good combination.
1995 - Pink And Purple Year
1995 - Pink And Purple Year - I love this color combination. This year was inspired by Jane Child - which is where the braids and nose ring come from. Most people were dissatisfied with me, because "white people don't wear braids" and a nose ring was very shocking and considered gross. I did change the braid styles through the year, but most considered it unacceptable for a white guy to have braids.
1996 - Cream Dream Year
1996 - Cream Dream Year - inspired by a photo shoot in an art magazine, along with that girl in "so called life", plus a collection of Black Hair magazines, all of these inspirations made up the Cream Dream theme. This is when I started using more experimental "hair" for two reasons. 1 - i didn't want to bleach or process the hair that grew in and be able to have a "cream" colored hairstyle 2. by now I was bored of the extensions they had out there, being that I did most of the dark natural colors. Of course, no one liked these looks, and I modified them quite a few times, but never meeting anyone's acceptance.
1997 - Animal Print Year
1997- Animal Print Year - Inspired by a poster of Madonna in a leopard print outfit, i wanted to take it to the artistic level I can. I know it is easy to find animal prints now, but back in 1996 (when I was shopping for the clothes for the new year) it was impossible to find anything animal print. I really wanted to just paint the clothes, but my mom insisted it will be better to have the actual prints. She paid someone to take me to NYC to find these clothes. The hair was worn in twists all year in various styles. The complaints I got this year is "you aren't supposed to wear all prints...have a solid and a print" - and even when I did that, there was complaints anyway.
1998 - MetalIX8 Year
1998 - "MetalIX8 Year " - which WAS supposed to be a metallic year. I was desperate for acceptance, and I was also on a LOT of prozac. I didn't wear extensions, I wore basic "normal" clothes. I wanted to be accepted so badly. I was depressed and desperate. I took the piercings out, and I did whatever I saw everyone else doing. The "decoration you see in this picture is just a metallic curtain I had. I was told that if I wanted to be accepted, and if I wanted to make friends, I am going to have to dress appropriately. If I wanted to "be different" do it in the privacy of your room, but don't go out like that. I followed that, but for me, it was like living a double life, and way too confusing for me. I remained "normal" because it was too much for me to switch like that. During this year, and 1999, once a month, I did a "special different" look, but it was even more depressing for me, because it was too secretive for me. However, I wanted friends, and I wanted the family to love me, so "normal" I appeared to the world, and hidden in secret was who I really was.
1999 - L19ht99 Year
I was dreaming of having actual lights on clothes and in hair. By now, I was too afraid to be bold or daring and do such creative looks. I did the "private" thing, and I also did computer graphic images over the pictures I had to what I wished I can look like. Hair this year was basically gelled into what I saw others doing. I just wanted to be accepted and loved. It was not worth it. Truth is no one is ever happy with what I do. It is impossible to please people, or at least the people I was surrounded by.
1999 " L19ht99 Year" which is supposed to be "Light 99" year. I was on heavy doses of lithium through this year. The prozac went past the limit and was not effective. I was basically a zombie this year. For "L19ht99" I used "light colored clothes" by Abercrombie and Fitch to satisfy the norm. Meanwhile,
2000 - Black Year
2000 - Black Year - the new millennium has come. It was time to come off the medications once and for all. It was time to let go of this whole normal be accepted thing. I spent 1998 and 1999 "normal" looking, and denying who I truly was. I really had to accept me and love me, and not worry about anyone else. I did just that. I was never more happy. It took a lot of time for me to love me and be a best friend to me, but i did it. I still wanted a friend, but those who truly love me as me will do, or else I am better off alone, and at this point I was. I accepted that no one was going to fully accept me and I was ok with it. I really wanted friends, or at least a close friend, but not at the cost of being who I am.
2001 - White One Year
2001 - WhiteOne Year - World White Willie is the obvious follow up to Black Year. I loved the instant dramatic difference from going a whole year wearing black to a whole year of being white. It was hard to get a white hairstyle, so for the first half of the year, i used various wigs and sprays, but mid year, i cut it off and bleached it white. At this point, color mattered to me. I did start using more alternative "hair" extensions, because short hair really does bore me.
2002 - Rainb02 Year
2002 - Rainb02 Year - The "original" rainbow year, where I really had real hair dyed into a rainbow for the year. I really needed that after an all black year, and an all white year. Sounds familiar? Yes, but now I am doing what I truly wanted to do. This year was a dream come true for me
2003 - R3dY3llow Year
2003 - R3dY3llow Year - Red and yellow year was inspired by gift wrapping. Do you know when you see a gift wrapped in clip art or in advertisements, they are usually red and yellow? Well, this is the 30th birthday year for me, and I wanted to represent a present. I did have fun with different textures and lengths, but the main hair cut was I had one side shaved off, and the other side long. The inspiration for this was from the 1985 Cyndi Lauper - a look I wanted for quite a long time up until now.
2004 - Skin Year
2004 - Skin - " FleshFour Year " - I thought for years, the very thing we live in, skin, needed a theme for a year. Skin is an interesting color to me, because it comes in many colors. I hope this image does not offend anyone, but this is when I ended vegan vegetarianism. In fact, this was after a four week fast of only water. It also was a part of the anorexia i was dealing with. I wanted to be more literal for these photo shoots. The actual clothes I wore this year were skin tight, and in the skin colors. The hair is a mohawk, another hair cut I always wanted, but was always afraid to do
2005 - Fire5 Year
2005 - "Fire5" Year - and yes, fire is the theme, and the first in four series of the element years. 2005 was a big changing and important year for me. This is when I started to paint the shirts. There was no fire clothes yet, but they were starting to become popular. In fact, later that year, I was a little miffed they didn't have more a year earlier. It didn't matter. I kind of like the shirts I was making better. The middle of the year, i shaved the hair into a flame style reverse mohawk. FireFlameFive was burning up. This is also the year the daily celebrations were being born. Up to now, I did have a motif for each month, (you know, hearts for February, etc...) but in September, from a compliment I got came fourth the introduction to color. Color meaning, why only stick to the colors of the year all year. There can be blue flames, green flames, and what- rainbow flames! This revelation of celebration came in time for me to enjoy each day just before my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Each day really had a reason to be celebrated.
2006 - Water H2O6 Year
2006 - Water "H206", "Fount" Year - the beginning of the year found me in mostly blues, but with other colored "fount" designs coming up on clothes. At first, i insisted on wearing swim wear, as seen in this picture, me wearing a "scandalous" swim trunks for men. By the middle of the year, I do another shaved style to make it look like I have water fountains shooting out the top of the head. Most importantly, I start painting all clothes. Now, my mom is encouraging it. I used the water fount design you see on the wall in back of me. I did it in different colors, and i did more celebrations matching hair with it to this. It wasn't quite every day, but it was a lot more varietous than what I usually did.
2007 - Heaven7 Year
2007 "A7r" Air. "Heaven7" Year - clouds and wings dominated as the symbols I used for this year. I had many, many colors, hairstyles, and celebrations. August 2007 was the beginning of daily celebrations. All clothes painted by me- with clouds in the front, and wings in the back with more clouds. I was in 2007th heaven for sure!
2008 - Earth8Year
2008 - "Earth8" Year - The first complete year of celebrations for every day. I used leaves as the symbol in the clothes, "hair", and mobiles. This is the year that my father died, and celebrating each day got even deeper, and I can honestly say, it got me through the tough of it. My mom started to slow down, and I started to pick up. I also finally defeated anorexia this year, but I still have to be careful of those thoughts coming.
2009 - Ne09Year
2009 "Ne09" "Neon" Finally! A neon year that I have wanted since 1984. This was a bright dream come true. Every day celebrated in full neon! A great and bright way to end the decade of the 0's.
2010 - TransparentenYear
2010 - "Transparenten", "TENSparent" Year - Transparent brought the 10's decade in. I always wanted to do a transparent year, but wasn't sure how I was going to go about it. I really did not want to walk around in fishnet clothes. During water year, I became very modest. I also didn't want to wake up the anorexia with the pressure of having a "perfect" body to be wearing transparent clothes. What I did do is I used X's. The year is 10, and 10 is an X in Roman Numerals. X became the dominant design in clothes, where I painted them on. I wrote the year as an X instead of 10, and I used X instead of 0 (zero). I also took on the X pose for most pictures.
2011 - Meta11icYear
2011 - "Meta11ic" Metallic11Year - ....and YES! Finally a metallic year I can be true and me all the way beyond what I dreamed of. I used an * for the main design/symbol on clothes and art work. I used a lot of glitter to accent mobiles. This is actually the final "full" themed/daily celebration year, because the next few years have traumatic events.
2012 - Paste12Year
2012 - Paste12, "Pastel12", Pastel Year - since 1987 I wanted to do a pastel themed year. My mom died May 8 this year. I continued to attempt to celebrate each day, but at the end of August, I took the colors out and gave up. I was hoping to make a friend. I was hoping to get through. I wanted to die each day. I did make attempts to make the most of each day, but I was hanging on a limb just to make it through each day. I did make a few friends, who brought joy to me, but unfortunately, people make empty promises- nothing anyone needs in the mourning of their mother.
2013 - Sunn13Year
2013- "Sunn13" Sunnie Year - well at least I made the attempt. I brought in the year with no color. I do have a large head of hair, and somehow, it's acceptable in 2013, where in 1993 it was frowned upon. Though I was colorless, it is interesting that even natural I can look kind of outrageous. This was, unfortunately, the worst year I lived. The colors did come back, but not for long. There were some relationships that were formed with me, only to be separated by outside influences. The first year without my mom, and barely any compassion. The up side, I met Miguel, and in the darkness of it all, he became the light. Still, the drama, and the experiences I went through were totally unnecessary, but really, it is interesting that while colorful, I met the person who is the greatest part of life I live.Take that all you people who said i had to look normal. I am glad i am who I am in full color.
2014 - "Butterf14", Butterfly Year - the metamorphosis of color. I started the year with no color, but ended with full color, and total freedom to be exactly who I needed to be all along. Miguel is loyal, supportive, loving, and the best thing that ever happened to me. The daily celebrations came back, and now with someone who wanted to be a part of them. It is great not having to set the timer, and use a tripod. I know all the pictures and videos are going to have more element of motion to them. Butterflying high!
2014 - Butterf14Year
2015 - F1ower5Year
2015 - "F1ower5" Flower Year - and now we have flower year, a year I blossom and bloom being the person I was meant to be. I have 365 plus days planned out, and Miguel and I are delivering them in total joy!