Life naturally has an uncanny way of sharing illustrious surprises; a rose garden exists in a palazzo that is situated along the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. The palazzo and now-famous rose garden are owned by Countess Anna Barnabò, and her property has been described as a “sumptous antique-filled palace with verdant gardens spilling onto Venice’s Grand Canal.” When I first learned about this rose garden in the center of Venice, I could barely believe that it existed – the luxury to have the space and the opportunity to create a rose garden, it’s almost unbelievable! I hope to visit this garden someday.

The Countess has put much effort into tending her rose bushes along the salty waters of the lagoon and making sure that it stays well taken care of: this is a good lesson for us all. We must always bring a caring touch to what we care about most and remember that blooms come from love.

Article reference found here.

Michael Faudet, international best selling author of Dirty Pretty Things, Bitter Sweet Love, Smoke & Mirrors, and his newest book, Winter of Summers, which was released in Fall of 2018.  Michael, truly, is a magician of words and is a natural at expressing and putting a spotlight on how love plays a central role in the human experience.

His writing has captured the hearts of many around the world.  With over one million followers on social media, his books about love, emotion, and the human experience can touch us all.  He has undeniably inspired readers and his talent has generated much-deserved adoration for the mysterious writer.

Mr. Faudet generously answered a list of questions for me, and I am incredibly thrilled to share them here.  From his famous relationship with fellow best selling author, Lang Leav, to reflections on how his writing has spread across the Internet, to how New Zealand and his little house by the sea has been a source of inspiration for him, Michael has certainly brought fragrant roses to Rosy BVM, and I hope you all enjoy this interview as much as I do.

xx Bianca

Bianca: How long have you been writing and did you always want to be a writer?

Michael: I’ve always written in one way or another. Even as a child I had a habit of writing weird and wacky stories. I also enjoyed many years working in advertising as a creative director, creating campaigns for numerous international brands. So writing and playing with words has been an integral part of my life.

In 2008, I walked away from the hype and hustle of advertising and moved to New Zealand. It’s here that I wrote my first book, Dirty Pretty Things, and every book since. And I hope to write many more in this beautiful part of the world. (Including my first novel.) Of course, none of this would be possible without the wonderful support of my readers.  

Bianca: Much of your poetry comes in short bursts (short resonant bursts) and there’s a distinctly human quality to them – themes of love, erotica, and the human experience: do you think this resonates more intensely with readers today because our experiences have become so digitally based?

Michael: I believe it’s a blessing and a curse that so much of our lives have become digitally based.

The internet presents a world of information within reach of our fingertips, which in itself, is truly amazing. Social media allows us to connect in ways that previous generations could only dream about. However, on the flip side, it’s so easy to become sheltered from the real world. To lose touch with nature and relegate the human experience to a handful of clicked emojis.

I think the reason why my writing resonates with readers today is less about digital alienation, but perhaps more due to the fundamental truth that unites us all and never changes. The basic human desire to love and be loved in return.

As for brevity, there are times when just a few words can capture an emotion more succinctly than overwriting an idea to death. Other times, a couple of lines isn’t enough to do a particular piece justice. (Often far too many words to post up online.) Which is why I tend to keep the more lengthy examples of my poetry and prose contained to my books.

Bianca: Your poetry is so compelling and I think there is quite a bit of marketing genius in how your poetry appears across the Internet.  Do you think Internet lore has helped to build your following? Given your experience in the advertising industry, did this come naturally to you or did the spread of your work occur organically?

Michael: There is no doubt the internet can provide an author with exposure and a great opportunity for their work to find a much wider audience. But it’s certainly not any guarantee of success. The same rule applies to writing as for any other piece of posted content. If people like it, they will share it. If not, it goes nowhere.

Any following I have built has happened more organically rather than by intention or some ingenious masterplan. If my experience in advertising taught me anything, it’s that the real power always rests firmly with the customer. Books are no exception. Like I hinted at earlier, it is all thanks to my readers that my books sell and make it into bestseller charts. Something I am truly grateful for every single day.  

Bianca: You and Lang are certainly a literary power couple: do you consider your works to be symbiotic or in dialogue in some way?  I consider this as you write, “I write because you exist.”

Michael: There is no doubt that Lang and I inspire each other in many ways. And yes, a few of the pieces we have written are certainly dedicated to each other. Having said that, we tend to put our creative energy and focus into our own individual books. There are times we discuss ideas together, but on the whole, we prefer to operate as single entities. Lang likes to write at home in her studio. Whereas I prefer to write sitting in cafés with a coffee or a glass of wine. Having a bit of space between us seems to work well. Especially now that Lang is working on her second novel. The less distractions, the better.

Outside of writing, we naturally spend all of our time together. We live a pretty quiet life in a little house by the sea. Which we share with a crazy dog, two cats, and my son, Oliver. I often get to travel with Lang when she does her overseas signing events too. At the end of last year, we visited the United States. Where Lang did sold out events at Barnes & Noble bookstores in LA and New York. (I also got to do some stealth signings, including the legendary Strand Book Store.)

A real highlight of the trip for me was meeting some of my readers at Lang’s New York event. They were just so lovely and asked me plenty of interesting questions. I also got to chat with authors Amanda Lovelace, Cyrus Parker, and Yung Pueblo. Which was a lot of fun too!    

Bianca: Do you have a magnum opus among your works?  My personal favorite poems of yours are “Roses” and “The Gift.”

Michael: To be honest, that is a difficult question for me to answer. My personal favourites change with every book I write. I think I’ll leave that one to you and my readers to decide.  

Bianca: The artwork on your book covers and in your poetry is distinct.  Is there an era in time that inspired your style and aesthetic?

Michael: All the front covers, including my latest book, Winter of Summers, are created by the amazing Tinca Veerman. A brilliant artist based in Amsterdam. I consider myself very lucky that she allows me to use her collages for my books. There is something classical about her work, yet at the same time, the aesthetic is contemporary and highly distinctive. The first time I saw Tinca’s artwork online, I instantly fell in love with it.   

Thank you, Michael Faudet!

Hotel Zhero in Kappl, Austria of the Zhero Hotel Group is truly the ideal setting for the next James Bond film. The style of the property is modern and has a forward-thinking appeal with a monochromatic style. After a day of skiing the slopes, the perfect après ski is relaxing in the calming atmosphere that this 5-star property provides. Whether you have come for relaxation or all of the wondrous activities that Austria provides, you will certainly be given a world-class experience and a lifetime of memories. At the very least, Hotel Zhero provides bathtub goals…

“I think what’s very important today is to be extremely open minded. Talent doesn’t come only from big industries, talents come from everywhere.”  – Lapo Elkann

One of the heirs to the Fiat empire, Lapo Elkann has a unique background. Born in New York City, the heir to one of Italy’s most powerful empires, Lapo and his family’s stories have made news. The talent of Lapo Elkann stands as a shining beacon. His brother, John Elkann, is the Chairman and CEO of Exor, the holding company of Fiat. The family’s stories are gripping and have been tabloid fodder for many years.

Lapo himself has experienced the pain of personal battles being detailed extensively in the global media. I grew up so fascinated with the family that I used to save clippings from articles about the family in Vanity Fair magazine. The Agnelli family is an example of a truth that cannot be avoided in life: nobody’s life is perfect, no matter how much wealth a person has. Furthermore, wealth doesn’t change the fact that people suffer, but it’s also a fact that wealth can be used to alleviate suffering.

Beyond the pain caused by family matters publicly spread in the news through the years: one thing stands infallibly – Lapo is a design and marketing genius.  You may remember seeing the many “FIAT” zippered sweatshirts that people (especially Italians) wore in the early 2000’s. Lapo was the mastermind behind that design, and the sale of that sweater was the best kind of guerrilla marketing for Fiat.  He has had numerous accomplishments with this family’s company, and I think Lapo is an icon for Fiat.

Lapo went on to his create his own brand, ITALIA INDEPENDENT in 2007. This brand is an eye wear company, the line includes both sunglasses and optical glasses. ITALIA INDEPENDENT is everything that a fashion forward style fiend could ever desire, it’s bold and innovative in design, and the brand extends beyond the product. Wearing Lapo’s designs is like embodying an attitude about life. I love how he understands marketing and talent; Lapo puts himself into the customers shoes and he also wears the designs himself, as they are a part of his own persona, which is unique and makes the brand even more valuable. Perhaps this deep understanding of marketing stems from his early understanding of the versatility of cars combined with the opportunity to create incredibly sophisticated car designs – great design is form + function. Everything about that combination Lapo Elkann has mastered and surpassed.

One cannot deny that Lapo is living proof that life has style.

Perhaps California’s most unique getaway destination, The Madonna Inn of San Luis Obispo has historically provided guests with unparalleled experiences since 1958. A frequent wedding destination, weekend getaway adventure, and photography mecca, The Madonna Inn provides a unique flavor of California living. It’s especially fabulous for Valentine’s Day!

The style of the resort borders on comically gaudy, but it does provide guests with a comprehensive resort experience (this includes a spa). With San Luis Obispo being the backdrop for the resort, there is extensive opportunity for activity beyond the property. The Madonna Inn is California style at its finest, and here at Rosy BVM, the Inn’s appreciation for the color pink and copious amounts of roses throughout the property is exactly what we seek in lifestyle experiences.

Marine Tanguy, Founder, and CEO of MTArt Agency in London spent time speaking with me last week about everything from her art agency to discussing her new partnership with M&C Saatchi called “Visual Diet.”  Visual Diet highlights the detrimental impact on mental health that images of a certain kind can have.  As we exist in a world now that is fixated on an unreal perfection that is heavily edited with photo editors such as Facetune, we are forced to grapple as a society with the effects that this has more broadly.  

Furthermore, young women are particularly affected by this imagery that is consumed on a daily basis on platforms such as Instagram.  Influencers such as Kim Kardashian can become more cognizant of their social responsibility, and can use their platform in ways that generate positive social change in the world; women such as Malala should have every opportunity to have the same kind of influence as Kim Kardashian.  This topic was covered in Marine’s TEDxLausanne speech last year.

Marine is on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for 2018 in Arts & Culture; her art agency is a groundbreaking model that represents artists rather than the classic gallery model in the art industry that focuses on collecting art.  Each month, a committee selects 200 artists to be represented by her agency. The work that Marine does to keep art alive should be scaled globally in my opinion as her agency is on the pulse of our contemporary artistic experiences.  Our conversation spanned many topics, but a shared understanding was at its ethos: there is much work to be done with spreading awareness to the impact of images on the mind.

Bianca: I appreciate you chatting with me, when I saw a clip of you on France 24, I was incredibly impressed and think that your work is amazing. Thank you for speaking with me!

Marine: You’re very kind.  I’ve been in the industry for about 10 years and I was a young gallery director when I was 21 in London, then later founded my own gallery in Los Angeles at age 23. This is when I got introduced to all of the top Hollywood agencies.  Two-thirds of galleries are currently not profitable and many galleries were not seeing many people coming through their doors and on the other end, I just felt that the artists were not greatly supported through that system.  I think the Hollywood agency model was a lot more 360, and it was really behind the artist more. We are still a very conservative industry, and the art agency model is very unique for the art industry, but I’m hoping that more people will be following the lead after us.

Bianca: You have so many different avenues to enter into creating this social change.  The way that I perceived your Visual Diet partnership with Saatchi is being a part of a social movement that’s happening right now regarding how people perceive social media.

Marine: Yes, when I was in Hollywood, I was shocked by the Hollywood machines, like who is making people famous and that was really an eye-opener in terms of the influence that people have… I always pick on the example of Kim Kardashian, but it’s really the voices that we hear and there is such an opportunity for who people are giving a voice to that matters.  Fast forward to when we started talking about the art agency, and it’s become political in my head: it’s becoming a battle of content and what content are people consuming? If a young girl spends five hours on social media every day, her visit to a museum every three months is irrelevant, it won’t impact her brain.

Bianca: I think we are looking at a situation that is the Wild West of imagery right now, and I really appreciate how you’re thinking about these systems and systems change, because that’s actually a lot of the work that we do where I’m at, we think about how philanthropy can dramatically change populations and communities. I’ve always been very visual, making collages and taking art classes, and I’m very invested in what you’re doing because I think you can make a big change in the world.

Marine: I think initially it was a personal belief and passion for art and the interesting thing is now considering the mental health perspective, considering who is harmless and who is not on your mental health.  I think more and more people are seeing that it’s a lot more than me just being into art.

Bianca: Exactly.  For me, working in philanthropy is really inspiring for similar reasons.

Marine: One idea that might be interesting to you is what does it mean to be visually inspiring?  The idea that we had for Visual Diet with M&C Saatchi is if anyone takes on certain principles, they should be recognized, perhaps creating an award show for what is visually inspiring.  We are looking for partnerships across industries to identify what’s most visually inspiring… You should not lose anything in business, but you’re also doing something that’s very nice and making a difference that way. We want to show that visual artists are the voices we should listen more to.

Bianca: I think you already are, Marine!  I think it’s about spreading awareness and when people see that [inspiring visuals] can be rigorously applied across industries and how that goes past the art industry, I think many people will be behind you.

Marine: Thank you.  I think women feel particularly touched by this.  With the advertising world, we’ve been targeted much more than men.  I think to feel empowered visually is a big change. As women, I think we feel even more passionately about it.

Entering into conversation with someone is inherently social, but it’s the content plus the nature of the conversation that can be revealing in its own way. I’ll be entering into conversation on Rosy BVM with individuals who I find to be inspiring and embody the “rosy life,” and are the people that we seek to be more like. It’s through finding common ground and genuine connection with others that we can work together in solving the world’s most challenging problems, and it’s also by supporting one another in our respective fields and our lives more broadly that we can live more enriching and happier lives. Our lives should be purpose driven and have direction for the rosier sides of life while acknowledging the need for more empathy in this world. Please join me in these conversations.

xx Bianca

Nathaniel Rathbun, otherwise known as his stage name, Audien, is a 27 year old DJ from Connecticut. There are thousands of DJs in the world who specialize in Electronic Dance Music (EDM), some of the more notable being like fireworks in the night sky: rest in peace Avicii. My passion for EDM music began in my first year in college when I came across a free download from Grammy Award winner, Pretty Lights, from Colorado. I will never forget the moment that I first heard “Hot Like Sauce,” and knew that this was a different kind of music that would change the electronic music industry, and it did. It was pure marketing genius for Pretty Lights (Derek Vincent Smith) to give away his music to download on his website. The exposure eventually brought him to a Grammy Award. I was intrigued by the politics of him giving away his music before he became famous; Pretty Lights set the stage for a very fluid industry in the EDM world.

EDM festivals like the now MTV owned SnowGlobe festival in Lake Tahoe, as well as the infamous Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Las Vegas have been unique culture carriers for electronic music. There is even an electronic music cruise called “Holy Ship!” that sails from Florida to the Bahamas. I personally think the most incredible festival would be the Electric Love Festival in Austria, where Steve Aoki stated that it was the “most beautiful” place he had ever performed. Hopefully Audien is invited to perform there next year, because I think he deserves to be on that stage.

All of these events have their tragic stories, but they also have brought millions of young people together to enjoy music together. With Audien’s emergence in the past couple of years, I think he brings a fresh air to the EDM genre, and furthermore, perhaps allows for this particular music genre to prove itself as more intersectional than music critics may see it as or have a tendency to pigeonhole. When I first heard “Hot Water,” which was a collaboration between Audien and 3Lau last year, I knew that the music industry had something special on their hands. Audien is continuing to prove himself, and I think his music is worth elevating; personally, while I enjoy Diplo to an extent, I think Audien is much better. It’s clear to me: the future of electronic music has arrived.

Haute Couture is evolving: from designers like Teuta Matoshi Duriqi and Valdrin Sahiti, and now, Mak Tumang, these designers are proof that you no longer need to be apart of the largest fashion houses in the world to produce exceptional couture. While ateliers have particular craftsmanship, it’s the name brand that no longer needs to stand as a signal for quality: designers who are not affiliated with a large design house can make it. Filipino designer, Mak Tumang, is a testament to this. He designed the winning gown at Miss Universe this year.

Catriona Gray, representing the Philippines, wore her gown with great pride for her country, but beyond the opportunity to give recognition to the gorgeous designs of her country, this also allowed for her to be more confident by wearing Mak’s lava gown while she made her now famous “lava walk” down the runway at Miss Universe! Catriona showed the world that great couture doesn’t need to come from a famous design house, great couture is designed by designers with talent, and not always a famous design house behind them (yet!).

You can search far and wide for astonishing couture, and Mak Tumang, after designing the winning gown for Miss Universe is surely going to have an incredible career ahead of him. Fellow Filipino-American designer, Monique Lhuillier, was on the selection committee for this year’s Miss Universe competition, which I hope helps him expand his reach: I hope to see these designs on the red carpet at the Oscars this year. Congrats to Mak and a what a wonderful way to highlight the designs of the Philippines!

The stone of sincerity and purity, pearls have long been associated with classic style, but I think pearls are timeless in any context. Its powers are supposed to enhance peace of mind and concentration, which given my love of pearls, I would say is quite accurate.

Pearls have been worn for centuries and I think they are arguably better than diamonds. Elizabeth Taylor and Rita Hayworth wore pearls by Imperial Pearl from Rhode Island, and Miss Universe is crowned each year with a crown of pearls by MIKIMOTO of Japan. The pearls on the crown are so precious and valuable that a security detail is required wherever it’s worn. The crown is valued at approximately $250,000.

Pearls are stylish for every occasion, from casual to formal. It’s also my personal opinion that pearls are ideal to complete bridal looks: whether it be with statement earrings or a beautiful necklace, pearls are the best choice for a bride on her special day.

Beyond the classic choice of pearls (I’ve included a chart with pearl sizes below). I think that pearls can also be used in more modern pieces, such as this piece by Olga van Doorn from The Netherlands, where a double ring holds up a mother of pearl oyester with a pearl, I love that piece! Pearls have endless size and color combinations, and to me, they are more versatile and beautiful than diamonds.