#9: Ben Norval
This week we are joined by emerging fine artist, Ben Tiran Norval, who tells us more about the importance of a powerful dress shirt, the colour yellow, supporting those around you, and more.
Ben Tiran Norval, aka ‘Nate Yellow’, is a young creative from Cape Town trying to understand and navigate the Cape Town art scene through a positive, but anti-ordinary lens. He started painting years ago and hasn’t been able to put the brush down ever since.
We welcome him to The FRM Newsletter to share what he’s been into recently!
👔👍🏾 A powerful dress shirt
There is nothing more inspiring than seeing somebody with a collared shirt straight out of a Martin Scorsese film – this SCREAMS “I’ve got things to do and people to see” and if I'm trying to give off any vibe it is exactly that. I think the part of these collars I like the most is that you barely see them any more, so you are always going to stand out no matter who you are around. GO BUY YOURSELF A VINTAGE DRESS SHIRT YOU WON'T REGRET IT. There are few things that compare to the feeling of wearing a well-fitting dress shirt and I think that is a feeling we should all feel from time to time.
💯> Quality over quantity
In today's fashion it is so easy to get caught up in buying cheap quality at a cheap price without really thinking about how long it is actually going to last you. For example: I can buy a pair of boots that are made cheaply and that are going to cost me next to nothing (and last me maybe months), or I can buy a pair of Solovair boots that will realistically last me the rest of my life, at a price that's a little steep. I have tried to use this thought process to make informed purchases with regards to anything I buy – whether that's boots, jeans, jackets or accessories. There is also an argument to be made about the way you feel wearing quality anything.
🫂💛 Supporting those around you
We live in a time where celebrities are idolized so much that we forget about the pursuits of our own peoples. We support large creators who already have success while our brasse are working and we don't support them. A lot of us feel like it’s “you against the world” but we should all be working to change that. Show your people some love, praise them, tell them they're gonna make it, believe in those around you, because if we all believe in each other then we are all destined for something great.
🟡🤩 The colour yellow
Yellow is what inspires me to do more. Yellow is vibrant, it's powerful, it's happy, there's a reason yellow is used to describe so much beauty. And this all rubs off on people when they wear it. Something as simple as incorporating a little bit of yellow, or any bright colours, into your wardrobe can make such a difference to the way you feel in your clothes.
♻️🆘 Not all vintage stores are thrift stores
I think there's a huge need for curated vintage stores, as well as the dig in the drums thrift stores, but there is a big distinction between the two. A vintage store has curated beautiful vintage pieces so everytime you go there you know you are gonna find something awesome. But a thrift store isn't as curated – it is normally piles of clothing you gotta dig through and it is usually hit or miss on whether you find anything of value. I personally prefer the real dirty thrifts because nothing beats that feeling of finding the perfect vintage piece after searching for hours.
Music can inspire somebody to do a beautiful selection of things. Whether that be painting, dancing or crying, we feel different things when we listen to different music. When I'm looking to really get inspired I listen to opera; there's something about it that inspires me like nothing else. Don't get me wrong, I listen to everything from amapiano to jazz but the way the singers project themselves and join with the instruments makes me feel like I'm in a movie and the plan is falling apart. That key scene of the movie when the main character has to make a huge decision. I want every decision in the future to be a key decision. Find the music that inspires you most and listen to it.
🙇🏾🌎 Do anything
When I find myself feeling down, sad, or depressed, I notice it usually comes when I'm not really doing anything and I think the most important way to get out of a rut is by doing. Go out and do – whether it be going for a run or shooting a short film – go out and do it because sometimes we need to just be in our own world.
👖🧎🏾 DENIM
I LOVE DENIM. Denim is my favourite fabric because of its inability to be versatile; denim is just denim and that's the best part about it. I have a pseudo-scientific theory that wearing denim is good for your health and some may say its bullsh*t but I think its the reason I'm healthy right now. Whenever I think about denim, I just think of all the things that have been done in denim, that had no business being done in denim. Like people climbing Mount Everest in denim cut-offs. Denim is the best.