STUDIO SESSIONS: CREATIVE PLACEMAKING THROUGH MUSIC
Sofia Parazi is an LA based photographer, cinematographer and art director. Her juxtaposition between light and shadow punctuates her signature style. Sofia believes photos are metaphors, making the abstract concrete and mystifying the mundane.
STUDIO SESSIONS: CREATIVE PLACEMAKING THROUGH MUSIC
Sofia Parazi is an LA based photographer, cinematographer and art director. Her juxtaposition between light and shadow punctuates her signature style. Sofia believes photos are metaphors, making the abstract concrete and mystifying the mundane.
BACKGROUND
Future Is Color was founded based on the beleafe that art has the power to reshape socity. Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to use art and design to create accessible opportunity for conversation and empathy. Up until 2023 the main medium was soft goods like t shirts.
In 2020 I moved the Future Is Color operations into a studio space located in the Barrio Logan neighborhood of San Diego (which happened to also be the neighboord that introduced me to the vibrant arts community of SD). I would go into the space everyday to fulfill orders and since there was no AC we would open the garage door, people would walk by and see the message on the shirts and invite themselves in. Naturally we would engage in conversation and over time, what was planned to merly be the fulfillment and storage facility for the brand organically became a 3rd space of sorts where people would come and hang out as I was folding and shipping shirts. As each year passed I begin to curate and design the space to embrace the communal energy that was naturally building. Bringing in books, couches, chairs, records, and really doing everything to make the space feel like a living room. Of course you could buy shirts and we have the retail racks but that’s not the focus of the space. It was organically developing around the community. At the end of 2022 I started to look outside of my own space and into the neighborhood and city at large. Barrio Logan had taken a significant hit during the pandemic. What was a vibrant arts district had lost a lot of it’s small business and art galleries and while a few restaurants and bars were still open there was no communal space for young people to gather and engage with the arts in particularly after hrs. This trend of lack of space was not specific to Barrio Logan, in-fact the city of San Diego did not have many consistant open spaces for people to gather around art after hrs.
Photos are metaphors, making the abstract concrete and mystifying the mundane.
CHALLENGES
Before developing any type of solution, I sat down with other community members to outline some key challenges the city was facing.
The city’s hospatality had started to redound post pandemic but it’s art sceene had taken a huge hit due to lack of opportunity for young artist and the increased cost of living
I heard time and time again from young POC artist that they felt like the city did not believe in them or see them.
Lack of instational connection to groundlevel art’s and culture.
Disparate and unconnected communties.
Lack of accessable 3rd spaces for people to gather after hrs.
INTRODUCING STUDIO SESSIONS
At the top of 2023 we introduced STUDIO SESSIONS, a weekly music experience that creates opportunities for community members to engage in deeper dialogue with one another and their communities.
At the top of 2023 Erwin Hines was sitting inside his Barrio Logan studio space along with Rich Magale and ruben. Rich and Erwin who had many conversation on started tossing around ideas about having a music experience inside the studio and The trio started chatting about activating the studio with an evening experience that would act as a safe space to gather after hrs for all ages and in a serendipitous act of alignment Rubens girlfriend came in and said “ruben is a better drummer than designer” and preceded to play some of his recordings. With that Erwin challenged Ruben to put together a band. Over the next 3 weeks while Ruben found his band, Erwin began developing the brand and programming. Pulling from his travels over the past year he landed on the name of FUTURE IS COLOR® STUDIO SESSIONS because of its implied intimacy and rawness and began designing the flexible yet recognizable look and feel. He also knew that it would need to be a consistent experience in order to truly become a space people could gather and exchange ideas.
WHY MUSIC?
Music has the power to gather us, heal us, and connect us. Historically Sonic gathering spaces have been at the heart of revolutionary movements. They were spaces where individuals, particularly from marginalized communities could fully express, be seen, and where the artificial barriers between people could be broken down by a unifying rhythm
EXPERIENCE GOALS
Based on the outline challenges we set some base goals for the STUDIO SESSIONS platform which also have evolved over time.
COLLISION OF COMMUNITY
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
SAFE & ACCESSIBLE SPACE FOR ART & CULTURE
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
DEVELOPING AND PLATFORMING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TALENT
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
COMMUNITY STORYTELLING
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
CROSS PLATFORM EXPERIENCE ECOSYSTEM
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being developed.
At the top of 2023 Erwin Hines was sitting inside his Barrio Logan studio space along with Rich Magale and ruben. Rich and Erwin who had many conversation on started tossing around ideas about having a music experience inside the studio and The trio started chatting about activating the studio with an evening experience that would act as a safe space to gather after hrs for all ages and in a serendipitous act of alignment Rubens girlfriend
Photos are metaphors, making the abstract concrete and mystifying the mundane. Be clear, be confident, and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself.
LIVE SESSIONS
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
DANCE MUSIC SESSIONS
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
LISTENING ROOM SESSIONS
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
STUDIO TAPES
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
Photos are metaphors, making the abstract concrete and mystifying the mundane. Be clear, be confident, and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself.
RESULTS
GENERATED WEEKLY TRAFFIC TO BARRIO LOGAN AND NEARBY SMALL BUSINESS
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
PARTNERED WITH THE MCASD IN LA JOLLA TO BRING 630 PEOPLE TO THE MUSEUM
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
PARTNERED WITH THE OLD GLOBE TO BRING 700 PEOPLE TO THE HISTORIC OLD GLOBE
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
WORKED WITH SKATE JAZZ TO BUILD THEIR AUDIANCE AND BRAND
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being
HELPED REDUCE ATTRITION OF THE LOCAL MILLINAL AND GEN Z DEMOGRAPHIC
Since the founding of Future Is Color in 2020 the mission has been to create accessible space for conversation and while the main method to do that had been t shirts, the FIC studio / retail space had become a 3rd space of sorts for those who were seeking physical safe space to engage with others who often were made to feel like outsiders in the San Diego popular culture. Erwin Hines, Designer and founder of Future Is Color, had always wanted to fully program the space around the energy that was naturally being