Hello my lovely readers, I thought it was about time for me to introduce a male spotlight on my blog, and who better to showcase than Josh Adams, a multi-talented, stylish guy. I met him a few years back, and I have to admit, he's pretty awesome. Read my interview with him below! Hope you enjoy!
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Tell me about yourself.
I'm Josh Adams, 25, and a recent import to Santa Monica, California. I was born in Texas, went to high school in Iowa, and lived quite a few places in between. I counted it up once, and I've lived in 30 some houses already, so I've always been moving about and attribute my scattered attention and love for travel to that childhood. I consider myself a musician first and a jack of all trades second.
So, I know that you just did a hitchhike across America. Tell me about your experience!
I've wanted to hitchhike for years now, and I finally had the time and money to just take off for a little bit, so I decided why not? I bought a Canon 7D and a buddy of mine (Kevin Kelly) and I decided to Fly out to Boston and hitchhike the whole way back, filming the entire time. We got to experience our country and travel in a way most people never will and, I have to say, it's a very intimate way of doing it. You place a lot of trust in complete strangers and get to meet some amazing people, who you then have to say goodbye to almost immediately. It's a hard way to travel nowadays with all the movies out about crazy murderous hitchhikers, but it's worth the trouble you go through and the time spent waiting for someone kind enough to give you a ride. We got to see the Occupy protests, get in a car wreck, be featured on a TV show, and chase good weather across the country. Definitely an adventure I'll always remember.
What are your passions?
Music is my main passion and focus. I'm one to always pick up new things, try them out, and then move on to the next thing. Music is the only thing that's stayed constant over the years. I recently joined a band here in California, called The Deadlies, that I'll be doing vocals and guitar for. We're recording a quick demo this next month and then hitting the streets. My mom (Lori Nordstrom) is a professional photographer, and I've always been around that growing up. I just recently purchased my first nice camera and might start taking that more seriously. I attend an event called After Dark Education (most of my photos come from there) and it's really been great as far as modeling and shooting go. The other side to having a photographer mom is I've always had photoshop and do a bit of design work because of that exposure. Aside from those, I love learning new things so I'm constantly poking my nose wherever I can.
Tell me about your personal style.
I used to be the kid in the girl jeans and eyeliner with 2 inch orange platform shoes. While there's no way in hell I'd ever revisit that phase, it's one I'm glad I went through. I don't know what spurred it, but I wore whatever the heck I wanted and that brazenness helps me not be afraid to try out looks now. Even if they are more conservative. I'm pretty nostalgic about the days when guys wore suits every day, every where. We actually watched an old movie about hitchhiking and the guy was thumbing in a suit the whole way. It's crazy to see how we've progressed. Nowadays I'm much dressier than I was back then, but I can still appreciate jeans and a plain colored tee. You throw some accessories and some good shoes with those, maybe a jacket, and that's a look that'll never go out of style. I have my septum and both sides of my lip pierced, so I like that no matter how dressed up I get, you still see that side of me. It allows me experiment a lot more, cause that part of my look never changes and keeps me anchored.
Why do (or don’t) you think someone should dress and look their best everyday?
The way you dress is your first impression to everyone, and everything in life is about the connections you make. Whether that be business or personal, connections are what fuels every aspect of your life. Why ever close a door simply by the way you're dressed? Besides, the challenge of putting together a look for day is always something to look forward to.
Where are your favorite places to shop?
Ben Sherman, H&M, the Gap, and Goodwill are probably 95% of my clothing.
What do you do with your spare time?
Aside from playing guitar, I'm a huge video game nerd and spend a little too much time with those. Fortunately, I recently got this game called Rocksmith that allows you to plug any actual electric guitar in to your game system and play songs guitar hero style while actually learning it for real. It's great. And it even has mini games to increase your chops at scales and chords and the like. I love to cook as much as possible. I love the satisfaction of cooking a good meal. And Netflix. Of course.
What is your ideal outfit?
A button-up, tie, and jeans. It's dressy enough for a job interview, but casual enough to not be overdressed out and about.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I honestly don't remember what triggered the shift in to being more fashion oriented, but in all it's embarassing glory, being in Des Moines, IA, I turned to the internet. Askmen.com and GQ.com. And though I haven't been on askmen in ages, I still frequent GQ and have a subscription to their magazine. I think people watching is the best way to find great looks and, more importantly, what to steer clear of.
What do you think about the style in Des Moines?
Des Moines is an interesting style place because the "style" is that it's more function than fashion. Kids go to the mall in their gym clothes, mom's wear what's comfortable because their toting kids around, dad's are in overalls from working at the co-op. And I'm thinking more Winterset, where I went to high school, than Des Moines, but Iowa in general has that vibe. It certainly has it's stylish folk, but I would definitely say they are outnumbered.
How does the style in Des Moines compare to Santa Monica?
There's so much more of an emphasis to it here. In Iowa it was easy to do a few things and get complimented for your style. Here it's commonplace, and you have to work hard just stay on par. It's expected of you here and you don't have that pressure in Iowa.
Do you have any styling advice for men or women?
Just be observant. Find what you like and incorporate it. For guys specifically: know your body type. I think that comes more inherently to girls, but guys don't seem to get that a lot of times. A good rule of thumb is when you're shopping, start with a size or two too big and keep trying on smaller and smaller sizes. As soon as you get to the size that's too small, pick the one a size up from that and your set. Fit is everything, gentleman.
Top five favorite movies.
- American Psycho
- Bio-dome
- Fight Club
- Santa's Slay
- The People Under The Stairs
- My main guitar (2001 Les Paul Studio)
- My iPhone 4
- I have an old key I put on some string as a necklace and I wear it every day right now
- Food
- Water
To me life is all about searching for adventure and collaborating with new folks to do so. If you've got any crazy ideas, let's get in touch.
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