The Man Behind Lake Symphony

Editor's Note: All Photographs by Evan Duncan

Tell us about yourself.

Spencer Tuckerman, 20 years old, I'm "from" Cleveland, but I'm currently in Cincinnati attending school at The University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. I'm a full time student majoring in Electronic Media.

What aspect of your life defines you? What makes you you?
That's a pretty loaded question, and there's a few ways to answer it, I guess. But I think probably the most honest way to define yourself is by looking at your actions. I guess by definition, you are what you do. In that case, I'd probably have to just say that I'm an artist. That's a really loose term, and I don't really like it, but it's what I do. It's what I spend most of my time doing. Just creating.

How does it define you?
Like I said, it's what I spend most of my time doing. But I think it goes farther than that. It's how my brain is "wired", some people are wired to be scientists and doctors. They could go to college and take all these science and math classes and become a doctor, and they would be the happiest people alive. I guess God didn't make me that way, because that sounds terrible to me. If I don't take time every day to create SOMETHING, ANYTHING, I feel all out of whack. I feel like doctors don't have that. And that's what's awesome. It really speaks to how God made everyone different. We're all wired to glorify Him in our own ways, and it all works together. It's kind of a beautiful thing if you think about it like that.

What made do this for the first time? Why did you continue? 

I think the first time I ever willingly created anything I was in like 4th grade. I've always enjoyed writing in school, but I got an urge to write poetry. I can still remember most of that first poem I wrote, and it wasn't very good, but it gave me a ridiculous amount of satisfaction. The 9 year old version of me thought it was really cool that I could channel whatever it was that I was experiencing or thinking about at the time, write it on a piece of paper, and then literally see the physical manifestation of something that happened in my brain. And then I was able to let someone else read it, and they would understand whatever it was better than I was able to explain it in a conversation. And the coolest part was that it could convey emotions. Being able to make someone else actually FEEL something with your creation is still one of my favorite things about making any kind of art.
 

How does it impact your life? How would your life be different if you had never experienced this? I think at this point, creation is one of the most important parts of my life. It's like a runner going for their morning run. I need that release. If I don't get some kind of creative energy out every day, I get cranky, weird feeling.

Looking back is there anything about this that you would have avoided? 

I don't know if there's anything I necessarily would've avoided. But there are definitely drawbacks, if that's what you mean. I would love to be going to school here knowing that when I graduate, I'll step off the stage and someone will say: "Hey, good job! I'm gonna give you a million dollars a year until you retire. In return, go create new things every day. Have fun!" The fact of the matter is, the economy is terrible, and artists don't make very good money in the first place. It kind of sucks in some respects, but I know that I could be paid minimum wage, and as long as I'm where God wants me to be, I'll be good. I don't think he would've given me such a passion for music and art if I wasn't supposed to use it, so I'm hoping I get to do this kind of stuff for a while.

Tell us about your last album.
My last album, Lake Symphony, is probably my pride-and-joy as far as my "art" goes. I get inspired by a lot of things, and I think that's easy to pick up on just from listening to the album. There's like 4 or 5 different movie clips used throughout the music, just because movies are my inspiration a lot of the time. A lot of the album and the lyrics/poetry/writing/whatever that comes with it, was inspired by my trip to South Sudan this summer. One of the biggest inspirations was just summer in general. I love warm weather, and I LOVE LAKES. I don't know what it is, but I'm obsessed with lakes. One of my goals in life is to live in a little house on a lake. While I was making the album, I sort of started to notice that a lot of the music had a real "symphony" feel to it. Obviously, the perfect name was Lake Symphony.

What did you hope to accomplish with Lake Symphony?
At the end of last year, I wrote down a big list of things I wanted to accomplish in 2012, in addition to making this album, I also wanted to get a t-shirt made. It's something I've been meaning to do for a couple years, and when I asked Tom if it was a possibility, the perfect opportunity presented itself, and he tweaked one of my earlier album cover designs and made it t-shirt ready, since that's his forte, and definitely not mine.

Go buy a shirt! The 9 year old version of me would be super excited to see you walking around wearing the physical manifestation of something that happened in my brain.

(C) 2012, Predicate Attire

The Inspiration of the Lion

I want to take the time to write a post about one of our more recent releases. To most people, our "No Tamed Lion" tank top has little to no meaning. They might think "Wow. That looks cool", but it goes no further. I wanted to share with you the inspiration behind this article and what it really means to me. The main reason that we went with this is because of my uncle Robert.

My mother's brother wanted to enlist in the military when he was 18, but you had to be 19 years old to serve. In order to fulfill my brother's wish, my grandfather lied and said he was 19. So in 1965 my uncle left to serve in Vietnam. The main reason he served was because he would receive a full ride through college. My uncle served his first term and stayed for a second. Robert was pronounced dead on the morning December 25, 1966. He passed away on Christmas Eve and the night before his twentieth birthday.

Robert is on the far left.

Before he passed he would send photos back to my mom who was 10 at the time. My favorite was a photo of him standing bare chested in front of a machine. On the back of the photo he wrote "See my tiger on my tank."

I had seen this photo growing up, but I just saw it again recently and thought "Hey, I should do a tiger on a tank top." So I got with my friend, Wesley, who does graphic design and said "What do you think of this concept? Could you design me something?" He liked the idea and asked me what I wanted it to look like. So I sent him a photo of a lion silhouette for reference. Well he interpreted it as me wanting a lion and he came up with this graphic. The design was so cool I just decided to keep the lion. In a way I think it is fitting, the Lion symbolizes "Courage" and "Honor". So even though it isn't a tiger, it's still in memory of my heroic uncle Robert Michael Klevenowski.

(C) 2012, Predicate Attire

By Grace I Have Been Saved Through Faith

Editor's Note: All Photographs by Grace Jones

Tell us a little about yourself! 

Katrina, adopted, 20, Barista & Seller-of-all-things electronic, addicted to tea and cuddling, living somewhere in between a cornfield and the backwoods of Ohio.  I own 10+ video game systems, and I enjoy everything from RPG's to extreme sports to first person shooters. I walk around our local Wal-Mart for fun and try to count how many people give me weird looks for my style and body mods. Sushi and Chipotle are two things I can devour at any time of day, oh, and bacon. I spend more money on books than most girls spend on makeup and hair products. I have four tattoos, various piercings that are visible until I get tired of them, and stretched lobes. Lastly, I am a hug addict, and I really really really love cats a lot.

What aspect of your life defines you? What makes you you? 

There are many things in my life that define me, but my faith in God and my desire to not conform to what is popular defines me more than anything. The things that make me who I am, are a love for video games, a desire to listen to and help those who are hurting, books that let me get lost in them, songs that make me want to sing with everything that is in me, my family that supports me no matter what happens, and a love of all things odd, morbid, and creepy. This love includes, but is not limited to, tattoos, piercings, graveyards, mummies, zombies, and serial killers.

How does it define you? 
My faith in God defines me the most because it gives me purpose. It makes me want to keep going when I can barely stand, and it pushes me to reach out to someone who needs help, even when I'm emotionally spent. It fulfills me in a way that I can't explain, and it leaves me satisfied and whole. It is the reason I am still alive, and it is the reason I haven't given up on myself.

Secondly, my desire to not conform to what this world considers popular, has kept me from making some pretty bad decisions. I'm still a virgin at the age of 20, and plan on staying that way until I am married. I don't drink, smoke, or do any kind of drug, and while most people my age may be in college partying or doing whatever suits their fancy, I work at least 50 hours a week between both of my jobs and still find time to do what I love the most. 

What made do this for the first time? Why did you continue? How does it impact your life? How would your life be different if you had never experienced this? I was originally adopted from Ukraine when I was 6 months old and was then basically raised in the church. I spent most of my time there because my father is a prison minister. I was homeschooled my entire life and I learned so much about life and the true sides of the people I would meet. Even though I was brought up in a church, I came to a point in my life when I was around 14, where I questioned everything. I was forever the odd girl out in my youth group because I didn't wear Hollister and I wasn't into pop and rap music. I had hair colors varying from bright pink to black to blue and blonde, and my wardrobe was dark, but attention-getting at the same time. There were kids who made fun of me simply because I wasn't anything like them on a bi-weekly basis, and it sucked. It gave me a small reason to shy away from my beliefs. I rebelled for several years and attempted to find out who I was and what I wanted to believe in or to not believe in. Around the age of 18, after making several mistakes and giving my parents plenty of problems, I finally broke down and became serious about my relationship with God. Questioning everything made me realize how real God is to me, and how much I am blessed. If I could take back the ridiculously stupid choices I made as a teenager, I would want to do that in a heartbeat. If I had never experienced them though, I think I would have just kept riding the fence, unsure of what God meant to me, and I probably would have been more of a wreck at this age than I was when I was 16.

Looking back is there anything about this that you would have avoided? 
As I think about what I did in those few years, I see the areas I could have changed earlier on in my teenage years. Things at my house were rough for awhile, and I didn't have anyone to go to, so I stupidly decided to take matters into my hands, and that put me in some bad situations. However, I am thankful for them because, in a way I learned earlier than most kids about what things to completely stay away from, and what not to do with my time. It also taught me how forgiving my parents are, and how they would do whatever it takes to make sure I was making the right choices in life.

Looking ahead how will you use this to further defining your life? 

I view my past mistakes as things that hurt me then, but taught me so much as time went on. Those experiences have turned into examples that I can use when giving others advice about the stress or hardships they're dealing with, or the decisions they are making. While I wished I had learned all of this without doing things that hurt myself and my family, it showed me that I can help other people going through these same things, and that I'm smart enough to never go back to my old ways. Mind you, I didn't beat any of my emotional issues, my old habits, or my desire to rebel on my own. There were people around me who truly cared for me, prayed for me and talked with me. They didn't force anything on me, they loved me through my stupidity. God is the main reason I haven't put a razor to my skin in nearly four years. He is the force that helped me beat depression and taught me how to survive. I just want to be able to help other people going through depression and self-abuse because I know that situation all too well.

Anything else you’d like to say regarding this aspect of your life? 

My life in general is full of weirdness, craziness, and the most random things, and I'm thankful for all of it. I've been through some crazy things, but I'm still alive and slightly sane for the most part. What I've been through has also kept me from judging people harshly. It's taught me to love others, no matter who they are and what they are doing or have done. One of my favorite song lyrics says, "Hey Unfaithful, Hey Ungraceful, Hey Unloving, I will love you" and I want to live and breathe those words every day of my life, because that is what God has done for me.

(C) 2012, Predicate Attire 

Where Are We Going? : A Look Into the Future

I have spent a great deal of time pondering the question of "Where are we going?" I wasn't too sure on where this blog should head. My posting has become irregular and my schedule is filling quickly. I know I could blame my posting being so inconsistent on work or school or some other excuse, but I really think the reason is because there was never an established purpose. Everything needs to being accomplishing something or it wouldn't exist.

Define Yourself! This has been our motto since day one. The original thought was "Don't be defined by what you wear." and Predicate, being non-genre specific, would help you brake out of a stereotype. This is still true, but not only are you defined by what you wear, you are also defined by your actions.

The next step! This blog will now not only be fashion based. From now on it will be about people who define themselves through music, food, fashion, tattoos, writing, anything! There will be posts interviewing people about how they define themselves, posts on new hobbies/activities you can try, and of course there will be more fashion tips and advice posts.

Falling for Predicate Attire: Fall Fashion from our Fashionista

Editor's Note: Post Written by Meg Kraft of Fashionably Meg

“Nothing left behind is better than what is to come.” It’s finally time to lay Summer 2012 to rest. After a good couple of months filled with sunshine, high waist denim, pastel color-blocking, and peplum waistlines, the time must come for us to wave goodbye. As heartbroken as you may be, a whirlwind of trends is waiting for you right around the corner. Pre-fall collections are unveiling piece by piece as New York Fashion Week is well on its way. A common theme is the ever intriguing underground glamour. Grungy kicks mixed with sequin bandeaus and leather leggings makes for a daring combination, just the type of look to follow up summer’s sweet shapes and prissy colors. A familiar fad will be the graphic crossover; dangerously clashing patterns and uber opposite pieces thrown together for a high fashion finish. To return to campus looking chic, pick up some Predicate Attire and make the walk to class your runway.

^{Men, start off with the fall staples; Polo zip-ups, suede Nikes and Armani accessories. Who says you can’t rock white after Labor Day? Kick that legend to the curb with a pair of slim fit bottoms to round out your style.}

Ladies, it’s time to channel your inner badass. Pick up a pair of skin tight liquid leggings to pair with your highest wedge heels and the No Tamed Lion limited edition tank! Limited accessories will keep the focus on your edgy ensemble.

The secret to perfecting underground glamour is styling an equal amount of girly and unkempt. Take your traditional high-low silk skirt and layer it over Predicate’s Lake Symphony tee. For added flavor, glitter Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots and a preppy necklace complete the chic.

Predicate App!

Predicate is proud to release our new iPad & iPhone app. You can now view all of our posts just by opening our app. To download just open your browser on your mobile device and go to http://touch.predicateattire.com/. Your browser will guide you through downloading the app!