Searching for More with Alli Marie

Honestly if you’re not a feminist get off this blog.

As much as I absolutely love all the boys and men who are artists, as well as just members of my life, I realized I haven't posted nearly enough about women who I admire. Adding to my last post & interview with singer Vivian, I’m continuing 2016 with another girl gang feature. After mutual internet stalking and meeting up a few weeks ago in Seattle, I’m happy to call Alli my friend, and am equally as impressed by her multiple talents (peep the photos she took of me in this piece) as I am by her kind soul. With the launch of her new website Bonafide Ruffian, I decide to ask her a few questions:

What are you hoping to accomplish with the relaunch of your blog?

I think being raised the way I was, and being in the environment of suburbia (as you know), talking about things that make people uncomfortable is not a thing whatsoever. Talking about like feminist issues, or issues about race is not an option. So as much as I want it to be a place for aesthetic value, I want it to be a space where I can talk about those things and a place where I can have hard conversations with people. Whether I post someone’s beef with me, or I post something and someone on the Internet agrees with me, I just want it to be a space that can be talked about. Oftentimes fashion blogs don’t have any substance, and I can’t justify that.

What do you think is the best part about your own personal style?

I think a lot of the time I like that’s its something that I cant just get at one store. Also with the transition before I was very eclectic/hippyish, and now I’m sort of narrowing it down to some of that, but mostly pretty minimalist and vintage punk. But if I had to narrow it down to one thing it would be that you cant just walk into Urban Outfitters and get everything that I have. Most of the time people can't tell where I get stuff, and I like that.

* Alli also wants to redo her closet like Andy Warhol’s and is obsessed with https://www.instagram.com/itsdorothysucka/

Do you think personally clothing has a value higher than just being a necessity?

Yes, the reason being that it’s an extension of your personality, whether you want to admit it or not. Like even people who dress in sweatpants, that’s an extension of the mood they’re in, or the place in life they’re in. Maybe not as many people are in tune with in intimately, but I totally think it’s an extension of your personality.

Moving on from style since you’re such a good writer yourself, do you think in this age of Twitter we’re missing reading and writing as an art form?

I think I experience that, not so much in writing and reading, but at least in for example analog photography. Like when we were walking around earlier looking for spots, you have to be ten times more intentional in what you’re doing because you cant take a bunch of snap shots on your phone and call it good. So I think we are losing it and people don’t care, which makes me sad because I love analog photography. It’s magical and people don’t think it is, which makes me sad.

And finally, what’s your favorite medium of art?

I really prefer making stuff with my hands. Photography is the most accessible and the most instantly gratifying, which is something I crave more than I used to as a kid because it’s our world now. But right now I do stuff with like mixing stuff you’re not supposed to. Like one time I had one of those micron pens and I didn’t like how it looked so I just decided to get some acrylic paint and paint over it, and it smudged blue, so the next thing I knew it was turning into this bluish/greenish color and so I just turned it into a leaf. So I just kind of go with the flow…

Read her blog here: http://bonafideruffian.com

And follow her on Instagram for more of her work & inspirations: https://www.instagram.com/allimmarie/