When I decided to feature Stacey Flygirrl as the next member of YouNation, I knew it would take perfect timing. Stacey redefines the term “career woman” and “busy.” Her career doesn’t come pre-packaged with a 401K, nor does it include a corporate 5 year plan for her to envision every step of her future. Instead she succeeds in the unknown and fulfills her destiny by discovering what her heart yearns and where her talents lie within the world that surrounds her.
We’ve all heard stories of successful entrepreneurs but it takes an exceptional artist like Stacey to continually make the right moves that inspire us. I got a chance to talk with Stacey about her art, Philly, Tastytreats running 10 years strong, music and future projects. It’s hard to appreciate the scope of the woman behind the art and her creative leaps in just an interview, and to explain who’s the woman behind the Flygirrl brand can’t simply be understood through her achievements. If you could combine the ease of a summer poetry reading, with the determination of a rally crowd, and the intelligence of a cultural leader synchronized perfectly into one soul, similar to sounds in your favorite Dilla record, you might discover what it takes to be the Flygirrl of Philadelphia.
YouNation: Peace Stacey. How did you discover your style?
Flygirrl: I think it was in College. I was a really bad student for some reason (laughing). My school had only two majors Grachic Design and Illustration. My Illustration teacher preferred traditional art as opposed to anything modern, and I was turned off by that. My boyfriend at the time was a graff-writer and was into anime so I think its safe to say that his taste slightly influenced me. I never thought that my drawings would be something I could pay rent with (smiles) until I did my first show at a gallery on 3rd and Market with some friends and sold 3 pieces! I realized then that this was something I could really pursue.
YouNation: Why do you always draw women?
Flygirrl: I don’t always draw women. Sometimes I’ll draw men. Its weird because I don’t really think about it, its not something that I determine before starting a piece. But I think I tend to use women as my subjects because there’s just more about them that I can play with when drawing them. Angles. Curves. Big hair. Big lips. There’s more character in the physical appearance of a woman, I guess.
YouNation: What makes you choose wood for your paintings over other materials?
Flygirrl: Well, my first piece that I ever sold was a wood piece so I just stuck with it. When using wood there’s always so much character already into it, like the crazy knots and cracks it comes with. And I don’t get any special type of wood from an art supply shop or anything, I usually hit up Home Depot and take time picking a good one (laughing). The surface of wood is also a lot easier for me to paint on.
YouNation: Tell us about the Flygirrl brand. How did that name come to life?
Flygirrl: I knew during college that I didn’t want a 9-to-5 job and even while in school I always dabbled in freelance projects. I liked working for myself. So I basically prayed that I didn’t need the 4 year degree and left school. Around ‘98 I started making flyers and business cards for friends and nightclub promoters throughout the Philadelphia nightlife scene, and that is when I met the Bynum Brothers, who own several staple venues in Philadelphia like Warmdaddys and Zanzibar Blue. I began managing a few of their nightclubs and really started to understand the promotional business side of things in Philadelphia. Then around ‘99 I met Questlove and began a regular party every Saturday night called Tastytreats, which is now Philadelphia’s longest running party of over 10 years and going strong! (smiling confidently) At the time I had the nickname of Flyjawn. (If you’re not familiar with the term jawn its just one of those Philly slang words that you would only understand unless you lived in Philly, but its basically a reference word while talking about something particular) Once we saw a consistent positive response to Tastytreats, I wanted to evolve the name and my persona so I began changing it to Flygirrl.
YouNation: Therefore does the Flygirrl brand represent graphic design, art, and events under one entity?
Flygirrl: yes.
YouNation: So what is in the near future for Flygirrl?
Flygirrl: For one, we’re bringing Tastytreats to Sutra in New York once a month. We also began a new series of events in Philadelphia called Inside The Studio. Where we take a music celebrity and sit them down for a intimate interview that connects them to their fans on a much more human level. Inside The Studio is held at Warmdaddys in Philadelphia but we’re looking to one day get the series on TV. So far we’ve brought in celebrities like Black Thought, Freeway, and Marsha Ambrosius. Its sort of like Inside the Actors Studio but with an urban twist. Our next guest will be Questlove. Other than that I’m also apart of Philly 360 which is ran by the Philadelphia Tourist Board, and whether its online or an event, Philly 360 showcases Philly’s diverse creative scene. You can check out their website at www.philly360.visitphilly.com. I had the honor of being labeled one of Philly’s Creative Embassadors by the Tourist Board when Philly 360 first launched (smiling with a charming tone).
YouNation: You must be pretty organized with all that’s on your plate at the moment. That’s dope though. So to wrap things up, YouNation always likes to come full circle with music and get to know each of our members from a music perspective. So the final question is… what does Stacey Flygirl have in steady rotation constantly?
Flygirrl: Prince. No matter what mood I’m in or what’s going on in my life I can always count on him to keep me sane. One of the greatest moments of my career and life was to be able to organize and host three of Prince’s concert after parties. I guess another would be James Brown, I can’t seem to get enough of him either (laughing).
(Source: younation.com)
