Vivianne Lapointe - Friend of the Week
Viv’s What — “I’ve got Zihuatanejo, Mexico on my radar. My good friend Madison moved down there a few months ago and her Instagram Photos have got me feeling all warm and fuzzy. Going to meet her there next week with a group of lovely creative ladies for our next #babesontour feature, sponsored by a local concept store called Loot. Some days we will be on top of the bay, sipping margaritas and swimming in private pools; other days we will be riding horses through the jungle and drinking beers in thatch roofed huts. Just my kind of adventure!
Amy and I first met Vivianne when she was a budding editor in her mid-twenties. We hired her for a few writing gigs and then watched her ascent from freelancer to founding editor-in-chief of her own magazine. She's an entrepreneur I mentor on occasion but her intelligence, charisma, creativity, and chutzpah inspire me more than I could ever reciprocate.
Friend Of The Week: 11 Questions
1. Nickname(s) Ladyshark - duh! Gina and Amy are largely responsible for popularizing my nickname when they gave me a fabulous platform to share my twenty-something, just-moved-to-NYC, random thoughts on life on Splendora. I was always crazy ambitious and although I don’t consider myself the most dominating woman - I actually am quite nurturing - I do identify to the world’s *sexiest* apex predator and I do have sharp teeth should you try to fuck with me. So I guess now ten years into it, being a Ladyshark really is about cultivating that appetite for success in business and in life, while still honing in on the power of your femininity. When I tell my friends, mentees or employees to “Ladyshark That Shit” it means that it’s time to take matters into their own hands (or jaws, that is) ‘when the desire to get what you want and get shit done, overpowers your desire to be nice.’ I actually need to add this to the Urban Dictionary.
2. Where do you live? Los Angeles, CA. It is no secret that this city has been undergoing an artistic renaissance, with creatives from all over the world flocking here with the desire to be a part of the movement. LA doesn’t make you soft anymore… I believe it has turned into a place that’s maybe now just as competitive as New York, yet somehow breeds collaboration over cutting throats. It seems to be a hub for whomever wants to be independent and get things moving on their own terms.
3. What are you working on or how do you spend your days? I am a maniac. I have too many projects to name here, but essentially I run an immersive media company called Live FAST. FAST is an acronym for Fashion, Art, Sex and Travel, the four main themes of my online magazine. We create content and also act as a consultancy for brands and artists looking for creative direction, marketing, content, media management, production, etc. We are launching a new e-commerce platform focused on Lingerie for Valentine’s Day. That same weekend, I’ll be working the LA Art Book Fair, which I’m producing about 8 books for (PRINT IS NOT DEAD!) as well as co-curating Natalie Krim’s solo show at Elliott Levenglick Gallery.
4. What do you do for fun? Karaoke is a huge release for me! I love singing so much and I am always down for getting tipsy on sake! Wine nights with my girlfriends. Netlix and chill with the hubby. Skype with fam. Posting on my dog’s Instagram.
5. What do you wonder about? If I could go through life and have a chance to slip back into my 30 year-old body when I’m 80, would I do it? What if I had the wisdom and experience of a centennial combined with the energy that I have now? I know it’s not that far off with scientific advances… Is it cheating death or simply going with the times?
6. If you could wake up with any superpower, what would it be? Kind of in line with my previous answer… if I could be a little witchy I’d pick the power to heal, regenerate (myself and other people).
7. What qualities do your favorite people have in common? Loving, generous, creative with a great sense of humor.
8. What's the most awkward accidental text or email you've ever sent or received? OH. MY. GOD. From PR peeps to aspiring contributors with questionable taste, you should see the submissions, nudes and weird editorials that make their way into the Live FAST email box. At first I would answer every single inquiry, but it’s gotten out of hand. I think the most awkward ever though is when I get a publicist assistant’s email who doesn’t know how to use Bcc and unveils the company’s whole entire mailing list. Just cause I’ve done it in a very, very distant past and know just how shitty it feels.
9. What is too serious to be joked about? As long as you are educated, you can tap into any subject, no matter how controversial, serious or politically incorrect it is. Ignorant jokes, though, I can totally live without.
10. What is the most inspiring thing you've seen, watched, or read recently? I’m obsessed with the work of Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel, known for his large scale mural work around the world done in rich tapestries of vibrant colors and geometric shapes. In early 2015, he began his work in the church of Santa Barbara in Llanera, Asturias, covering nearly every flat surface. He dubbed the the space Kaos Temple, a place for art lovers and skateboarders to dwell and appreciate and reimagine. He says about the masterpiece, “I think it will be the most important of my career, mainly because it is the most classic stand within art history, who have done all the great artists. It is like my personal Sistine Chapel.”
11. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Somewhere between Cali and my hometown of Montreal, where all of my family still resides. With my husband and ideally a cute lil babyshark by my side sooner than later. Hopefully healthy and still in shape! I would obviously love to see my vision through and bring this company to fruition, gaining readership to a level where I am able to really make an impact in this world and live comfortably ever after.
Photo credit: Tamy Emma Pepin