Weekly Highlights
Highlight from this weeks articles, conversation and creative inspirations from Rosie Lee and our community. Opening the lid on topics, news and inspirations that affect our thinking and our work.
It’s been a week full of inspiring brand calls and workshops. We’ve just wrapped up editing our chat with Algy Batten, talking career changes, collaborations, and of course, a bit of ping pong.
Keep an eye out for next week’s drop—kicking off a new Friends series where we’ll be shining a light on the people we’re lucky enough to know and work with. First up was Jammz, who’s also got a new album out this week!
In the meantime, keep pushing forward and have a great weekend.
Russell & Mark
Unorthodox Blend
Article
UBA066 - Bookspiration - Enya
Finding freedom in personal taste.
Russell returns with another Bookspiration post - Enya by Chilly Gonzales. On the surface maybe it seems like there may be some irony running through this book, but dig a little deeper and you’ll quickly find a heart-felt read that takes us through Gonzales’ love for the much-maligned artist Enya, and how he doesn't give a f*ck if you ridicule him for it.
Translate that life lesson into any other area of your life, and we could all do with a little more freedom and a lot less societal rules around what is and isn’t ok to like.
As Russell explains: “It’s a call to stop chasing trends and start reconnecting with what truly inspires you.”
Conversation: UBC020 - Jessie Zapo
Jessie Zapo is a Performance Running Coach leading adidas Runners in North America and founder of Girls Run NYC, a women’s running collective. With over 15 years as a Creative Arts Therapist in NYC, she empowers others through creativity and sport. Jessie enjoys ultramarathon training, weightlifting, and art-making, while helping people break barriers and achieve new goals.
In our conversation, Jessie reflects on her journey as a runner, coach, and advocate for women in sports. She discusses the cultural significance of running in NYC, the Bridge the Gap movement, and the evolving running community, emphasizing inclusivity, connection, and the joy of movement.
Friends
Jama Little
Professional Optimist
We first met Jama (aka Jammz) at Run Dem Crew. He used to come running with his dad and it was really enjoyable to see them interact, helping each other out. Jama made a big effort to network and step outside of his comfort zone, talking to everyone no matter what their background, age or running speed! He ended up working with us for a season supporting us on some of our projects, while we supported him in some of his. Our shared time was great and it has ben enjoyable watching him carving out his career in music.
Rosie Lee News
Experiment: The Refined Trail.
Against Time
Inspired by the natural beauty and moments of simplicity experienced on hikes and backpacking trips, this series transforms everyday objects into art, using materials typically reserved for outdoor adventures. Tents, technical fabrics and weather-resistant gear are reimagined to capture the essence of nature — wild, yet serene.
Inspirations
Milan to the Moon
At the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Axiom Space and Prada revealed the flight design for the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit, set to take NASA’s Artemis III mission to new heights. When these two giants collaborate, you know it’s going to be something special—a fusion of Prada’s iconic design and Axiom’s next-level engineering.
Grand Theft Hamlet
Grand Theft Hamlet takes one of literature’s most enduring works and reimagines it through the lens of gaming culture and digital art. The film explores Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a wholly unexpected way, using the open-world format of the iconic video game Grand Theft Auto V as its stage. The result is a fascinating blend of high culture and pop culture, where the classical meets the digital, and storytelling takes on a whole new dimension.
Faith Fanzine
Faith fanzine, brought to life by its creators Terry Farley, Stuart Patterson, and Dave Jarvis. It’s a free fanzine for those who live and breathe music, fashion, and culture pure vibes from the legends themselves.
If you have any inspirations that you’d like featured on UB, then please share them with us.
News from our friends
No Remorse an Ablum by Jammz
November 13th 2024
Available to pre-order exclusively via Bandcamp, alongside a limited edition of 100 copies of the album on USB. Physical copies also include acapellas, unreleased instrumentals and more.
Work with us
The work of Rosie Lee Digital spans many different scales and industries. They are just as happy collaborating with Rosie Lee Creative on a global brand as they are curating an artist’s portfolio website. They have some capacity in November and December so get in touch if you have any digital projects you’d like to talk about (tell them you came from Unorthodox Blend and we’ll sort you out extra support from Mark and Russell).