How Do You Want Me? - Nate Shafer

Visual Art
24 Photos, six full outfits, three makeup looks

Through DIY fashion and clown-inspired stage makeup, this project explores what it means to exist in both a casual and formal sense as an alternative community member.

shafer slides

up close photo of details of outfit. orange and blue stars in top left shirt corner, daisy and skull pins on right side pocket
detailed makeup shot of orange star eye, purple smile, blue star on cheek, yellow cheek, blue eyebrows half turning to look at camera.
torso and legs, arms resting on knees, hands loose in front, patches covering jeans, chest down
red and black makeup with teardrop on cheek laying on back, turning head to look at camera, arms folded behind head. sweater lying open, fish and "fuck" skeletal middle finger pins visible on sweater

Through this project, I aimed to explore what it means to be an alternative in both formal and casual. Oftentimes, alternative individuals are seen as weird, and different, and have been labeled as freaks. But that label also comes from seeing the “everyday” style choices of these subcultures. Not a formal sense of them. So, I used DIY fashion and clown-inspired stage makeup and curated specific looks geared toward the Punk, Grunge, and Gothic alternative subcultures to show how even “freaks” (or, in this case, clowns) can be formal without sacrificing the DIY nature of alternative clothing styles that are, and always have been a staple of alternative subcultures as well as informal outfits inspired by these subcultures everyday style of clothing which have been modified to fit the aesthetics of each subculture from a casual perspective.

Artist Talk