Megan Jane Mitchell | Mr X Stitch

Megan Jane Mitchell I love this artist so I wanted to share her work. No she ain't a famous one just yet, however the collection she put together for her university portfolio has the diversity factor - it branches away from the norm, putting her in good place to be seen by the fashion world in the future. Through this post I will visually explore her work. Sadly due to the absence of a personal website, there is not a whole mass of information available on her work, yet we can gain a lot from her university introductory notes and the images themselves. Lets delve in! She makes the sore look special.....It's written in the scars...…or stitched? I am glad that the stitching isn't really stuck to her arm! This artist uses the theme of scars to adorn imagery and body items, such as arm scars. I love how she embroiders a positive from a negative. The edges on the piece look like they have been glued on - to my eye it looks like a gauze too - something looking pretty much like nylon tights material - maybe it is! She covers themes such as body image within her work, stitching over posters. Rather than look like twee, immature pieces which belong in a scrapbook or sketchbook, this artist makes the poster her own, I can really visualise how in the future it would be possible to merge the poster world of advertising with embroidery, maybe literally capturing the embroidery as a part of the image itself. The dark side of foundation Here are a few more poster examples.... We love the shading Megan creates around the nose area Yes, we have all had them at some point! Looking at these images, again we can visualise the connection embroidery could have on the beauty world as well as fashion - I wonder where she will take her work in the future? Could we potentially see it in advertising? Her sample pieces are really interesting to look at - they remind me of skin grafts - could they eventually become some sort of adornment? Not of the Halloween kind! Nylon tights we think? Lets celebrate our stretch marks! Above, we note her version of stretch marks. It is as if she hones in on the imperfections we all have, yet she makes them okay, more bearable. Instead of hiding them, she seems to embrace them with beads and a sense of embellishment. So there is definitely a message going on here, something deeper than just a surface project with no depth. Rather than me explaining her influences, I have added a little of her degree wording below, as I thought it was very prevalent and ripe for our society today! The fashion industry influences almost everyone in the world, directly or indirectly. I think that promoting a positive mental health is important. It’s a world where more and more people - young people especially - are suffering due to the pressures of society. The world is slowly becoming a place they can’t be happy. A place of inequality and insecurity. That's not a world I want to live in. All influencers should feel responsible for the content that they feed into the world. We should embrace and celebrate the joys of life instead of focusing energy onto the negative. This is about that moment when you remember your fondest memory and happiest place. When you wake up and see the world in colour rather than grey. It’s about spreading your positivity around to everyone you meet. Fashion can set us apart through individuality, but also bring us together in celebration. Life is wonderfully exuberant, fun, and full of second chances which many people don’t give themselves. Diversity should be celebrated without the pressure of feeling overly intense or focused on all the things which are ‘wrong’ with the industry. There’s nothing better than seeing someone immersed in their own enjoyment rather than seeking the approval of others. You should not design and make something just because you think people want to see it, you should design for excitement, passion and influencing people in the most positive way you can. So, has this artist inspired you? She has certainly given us some things to think about....what would your version of beauty x embroidery be? Nice or nasty? Would you use beads? We enjoyed this artists use of mixed media too - maybe that is something we could all try; we are all bound to have scrap book material on our shelves! Megan Jane Mitchell doesn't have a great online presence just yet, which is actually quite sad as she has so much potential! However if you want to visit her profile, it can be viewed here