An Abundant Life - Royalty

I've written about the wonderful stylist and designer Hector Ramon Miranda in these pages before, in December of 2018. At the time I wrote that I had just met him, and I was so impressed by his work and who he is as a person that I called that post A Wonderful Man. As I wrote then, he has a way of seeing color and style and putting patterns and textures together that is extraordinary and gorgeous. In my work with Artists and Designers over the years I have always seen fashion as art,  but it is a rare feeling to meet someone like Hector whose work and creative vision are always so unique and new.

Hector's eyesight and the way he sees color are usually described as being color blind, but I prefer to say that he sees color differently. The combinations he puts together are striking and beautiful, and though when he began to describe to me recently how he sees certain colors I realized that at times he is not seeing what I am seeing at all, I began to understand that the way he sees color and what he is seeing makes it possible for him to feel and experience color and texture in a way that is part of his own unique and special vision. He is also a master of understanding what is stylish without conforming to the expected or ordinary. He has styled Cher, Robert Downey, Jr., Oprah, Michelle Obama, Bruce Cohen, Andre Charles (Ru Paul), Matthew Broderick, Philipp Kirkorov and Alessandra Ambrosio among others, always creating looks that are classic and timeless, contemporary and unique, with a focus on personal style that highlights and enhances the star quality of the wearer.

When I wrote about Hector before, several people left comments about what a wonderful and talented person he is, and though I had not seen him in a while, when he contacted me a few weeks ago to let me know he had some designs in a store in Jersey City, I wanted to go and visit with him right away. That's the kind of person he is, not only talented but someone who is full of such good and inspiring energy that it's a joy to be around him. He has not had an easy life and he has made a name for himself through hard work and personal integrity combined with his talent. He has grown as an Artist and Designer even in the few short years since I first met him because he is always seeking to learn and do more, and to be the best that he can be, pushing beyond what is ordinary into the realm of something new. His sense of joy and fun helps everyone who meets him to think about tradition and the boundaries of style as a place to explore and play in, to push through and beyond and create a style of our own that is unique.

He is very handsome and wears clothing in a way that makes each piece shine, and his designs are extraordinary, each one different and special in the way that an Artist creates works of art. In my years in and around the fashion industry I have met some people who are doing beautiful work, and when I meet someone like Hector who is able to create something so completely new I recognize that it is a very special gift that he is sharing with us all.

Hector's label is HRM Style, and his logo is handpainted in different ways on each piece. The initials are his own, and because they also have the wonderful play on words of the initials of His or Her Royal Majesty he will sometimes add a crown in the intricacy of his designs. I'm glad he's found this way of expressing the feeling of royalty that can be available to us all when we wear beautifully designed clothing, and I celebrate his finding his own way to claim the royal place that is his own.

Hector Ramon Miranda

HRM Style

https://www.hrmstyle.com

Photographs Courtesy Of The HRM Style Website

 

Photographs and Video

Courtesy of

Hector Ramon Miranda

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - A Walk In The Park

I've written in these pages before that Jersey City is a beautiful place to walk around and explore, and one of the things I enjoy is the combination of art and architecture and the lovely and interesting places and spaces I stumble upon when I'm walking from one neighborhood to another. There are sweet old parks and vibrant murals, cobblestones and stone walls, old brownstones and new high-rises and loft buildings created from warehouses. Different neighborhoods have their own special feeling, and as I walk down different streets I can almost feel the change in energy as I go from one side of a park to another and enter into another section of the city.

One day a few years ago I was meeting with the Artist John Fathom for a potential project, and afterward he suggested we go somewhere to sit and talk. He walked me a few blocks over from where we were to the Hamilton Inn, and we sat outside on that warm summer day and enjoyed a quiet late afternoon conversation. I had been wanting to return again since then, and recently when I was planning to have lunch with someone I decided to go there. The days are much colder now and so we sat inside, and with the holiday lights still glittering around the doors and windows it was lovely and cozy and festive.

The food, the service and the menu are excellent, as is the wine selection, and the mixology is definitely inviting and well crafted. It was hard to decide what to have because there were so many wonderful things on the menu. One of my favorite things is a Reuben, and when I saw their version uses corned beef that is smoked at Hamilton Pork next door I decided that was what my choice would be and it was a winner. I'm sure everything would be because that's the kind of place it is. It was lovely that afternoon and it made me wonder what it was like at other times of the day and the week and want to visit often.

Nearby is Hamilton Park and some other parts of Jersey City like Grove Street and Newport are an easy few minutes walk in different directions. If you're up for exploring you can take some time to look at murals on the way or just enjoy the lovely old buildings, trees and sky. As you walk through the Park you can enjoy the view of the gazebo, and as you continue on your journey you might just feel like you've gone a little bit back in time to remember the history of the place and the people who have lived there before. When food is fresh and made with care and the environment has a feeling of giving space and light, we can feel as if it's not just today we are enjoying but bringing the past to meet the present and make memories that will enrich our tomorrows.

The Hamilton Inn

708 Jersey Avenue

Jersey City, New Jersey

https://www.hamiltoninnjc.com  

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Letting Light Shine

Two years ago around this time a friend suggested that I write a post describing a bit about myself and why I write this blog. It came about because we had been talking about public relations and marketing and the fact that so many people who write blogs and post on social media are using these platforms to make money and while I don't in any way say that it's a bad thing to do what they are doing, the fact is I am not. At the time my friend suggested I write that post, I seriously thought about it, and actually began to plan a new way of writing this blog for that new year to include some of my own history in some of the posts and to begin to write more about some of the people and places and things that have been a part of my life from the past that might not still be around or air least not in the way they used to be. But then the world as we know it changed and for a time, though I kept writing this blog, with all the uncertainty my posts did begin to reflect the times that we were living in, and sometimes I couldn't write as much in depth as I'd wish because I couldn't visit with people in person, some of the people and places I'd written about in the past I began to do updates on, and I also began to include information about some of the projects I began working on that were part of this new world we were living in. But this week as I started to think about what to write about, this topic came into my mind again, I think in part because I have been having conversations with people about public relations and marketing, about media and advertising, and about how we can know the truth in a world where everyone has an opinion about something and they'll tell you they did their research, and some people will argue and get angry if you question their sources or try to say something even slightly different.

I grew up in a family where asking questions was normal, where critical thinking was encouraged, and where the only facts that we understood were concrete were found in books like a dictionary. My father was an engineer and a scientist, and he was always encouraging us to play word games and math games, to see how numbers and language could be moved around to mean and do new things. In school I belonged to debate clubs, and when I went to college we were encouraged to do work that was outside of the standard boxes and where standardized tests with yes and no and check a, b or c answers didn't really exist. To this day even when I have a very strong opinion about something I try to see someone else's point of view, and though it's sometimes difficult, I try not to judge someone else, or make a decision about something based on my own beliefs or way of living my life. I've come to understand that I can't possibly know everything, and I've also had so much experience with public relations and marketing over the years that I also know how easy it is sway people in a direction of thought. What works for me may not work for someone else, and what they believe may not make sense to me at all, and so to make a judgment without being able to stand in their shoes and live the life they've lived with the experiences they've had is shortsighted at best. Recently I found myself in a conversation with someone who was being very judgemental, and it bothered me so much that for days afterward I couldn't stop thinking about it. And I realized that at the core it's because I personally don't believe that our time should be spent looking at what other people do unless it's to celebrate them.

I write this blog for a number of reasons, which all have to do with encouraging people and helping people to see how important and special their place is in the world, and none of the posts I write are sponsored. I write from my heart, talking about people and places and things I discover or have known about for years. Sometimes people will introduce me to someone or something new or suggest I meet someone or go somewhere, and on occasion I have had people contact me to introduce themselves, but in every case I always make it clear that I'll only write about people, places and things that I genuinely think are doing something excellent. At one point early on someone told me that I should start writing about everyone and everything because they personally liked to read blogs that had information about places they shouldn't go or people who weren't doing great things, but to me that just doesn't make sense. My blog is a place where people can go to read about great people doing great things, and it's a place to read about them and know that what you're reading about is based in my personal experience of someone or something that I cared enough about and had such a high regard for that I chose to take my personal time to write about them.

When I think about the difference I feel when I write about the people and places I write about instead of having negative conversations like the one that bothered me so much lately, it's truly astounding that anyone would bother to take the time to talk about someone else unless they were saying something good. It's not to say that I'm a pollyanna, because I'm definitely not. I have my moments and there are many times that I've been hurt or disappointed or even betrayed. But there is a place and time to talk about our hurts and woes, and dwelling on them does not help us or heal them. If our eyes are looking for reasons to find fault, they will block the beauty and blessings there are and will keep us from receiving them. This blog is a place where the focus is on life and light and all the abundance that is available to us when we open ourselves up to see it.

Letting The Sun Shine In

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - A Vintage Dream

I've written about Sharon Florio and her beautiful store Sixth Street Vintage before, but it's been quite a while since that post and it felt like time for an update. I like to write updates from time to time, especially when the first post I wrote was several years ago, and even more especially these days when just seeing people and places I like is uplifting in a way that seems almost like a breath of new life. These days are such strange ones in so many way, with so much uncertainty and so many challenges and changes that doing things that are joyful and fun have become healing in a way that helps remind me of brighter days and give me the strength to believe that one day our world will be whole again.

Years ago when I first met Sharon, I always enjoyed visiting her store. It's lovely in the way that my favorite places are, and I love vintage shopping and browsing. Sixth Street Vintage has such a wonderful feel about it, and every piece is so carefully curated and arranged. I always see things that are so special there, sometimes reminders of things that I've seen or had or wanted in years past, sometimes something I've never even known existed, and sometimes, and things that become part of my own home now. Recently I've found myself visiting even more often, and in a turn of events that I wasn't expecting I had to have some work done in my apartment and everything got very topsy turvy. Instead of moving things back to where they were I've decided to overhaul everything and do some projects that I've been putting off. Finding more treasures that Sharon has discovered has worked in with my own time of home rearranging, and it's been a great adventure that that I'm enjoying so much, and one I didn't know how much I needed until I began it.

Truly creative people who make the world around them beautiful are inspiring. On any day it's always a wonderful experience to visit Sharon at her store, and she does Estate Sales too where wandering around and discovering things in homes and apartments and houses feels like a treasure hunt. It's always fun to see her signs and know that there's a home full of interesting and beautiful things to explore, but I think my favorite time to see Sharon is when she is at Sixth Street Vintage where there is always something new to find. Her taste is so excellent that even the flowers arranged in a vintage vase or planter bring a sense of beauty, calm, peace and joy, and the items in her store have so many stories to tell. She is knowledgable and has such a history of doing her work with excellence that she has a loyal following of fans and admirers and friends. She is also a woman of integrity, who is hard working without complaint, helpful to others and a loyal friend, a reminder of the woman described in Proverbs 31, "She is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

Treasures From

Sixth Street Vintage

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

https://www.instagram.com/6streetvintage

Blessings,

Jannie Susan