Bratz Heaven Photography Project: "Plain Jade"

Kickin' It! On the SMOOTH tip!:

http://www.bratzheaven.com/bratzheaven/photos/photos-plainjade.html

YouTube Video Direct Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgMjAr6jbU

This project is NOT the new Jade Project that I have planned involving my Bratz Dance Crewz Jade doll. That new Jade Project is currently under construction, and it is expected to be of a much larger scale. Instead, this Jade Project was a minor or interim project, since it did not introduce any new features that have become standard with my Bratz Photography Projects.

Regardless, my "Plain Jade" project was still a LOT of work to do, especially when it came to constructing the video slideshow (which took two full weeks to work on!). The project overall took three months, but it was pushed to four because of the numerous winter storms that slammed in my area, affecting locations where I captured photos of my Bratz XPress It! Jade doll.

Speaking of Bratz XPress It! Jade, that's the doll I used for my "Plain Jade" project. It has certainly become one of my favorite Bratz dolls to play with! Filming and photographing this Bratz doll was really easy to do, and much of that was because of the doll's innovative braided hairstyle. It made capturing photos of my Bratz XPress It! Jade doll very simple, even in breezy weather conditions.

And talk about expressing your passion for fashion....does this Bratz doll ever EXPRESS a passion for fashion unlike no other! I don't know which mall the designers shopped at to create those fashions; however, for a basic Bratz collection, those fashions on Bratz XPress It! Jade are off tha hook slammin'!

Bratz XPress It! is the Bratz Funk Out! before Bratz Funk Out!. Doing my "Plain Jade" project took me back to a time when Bratz meant something full of attitude, expression, originality, and just being yourself — attributes that are true about the Bratz today. I mean, who needs jewelry or makeup? Who needs all that? For this project, my Bratz XPress It! Jade doll demonstrates that to look good and feel good, it's all about going back to the old school (something which MGA Entertainment learned when the company released the Fall 2008 Bratz collections....yes, I still have nightmares about those horrible Spring 2008 Bratz collections with the Neon Pop Crap and three versions of Fashion $#!+, er, Show).

The photos in my "Plain Jade" project are nothing special or spectacular. In fact, they're just "plain" boring. But I was not aiming to create something memorable — hence, the title of this project as "Plain Jade." Since this project was all about going old school, I wanted to take it back to the old school for this project, because Bratz XPress It! is an old school Bratz collection. And for a while at least, I wanted to turn the clock back and experience the joy and excitement of being a Bratz fan when the Bratz were first released in mid- to late 2001, four years before I would launch Bratz Heaven.

Despite that Bratz XPress it! was released in 2002, I wanted the photos of my Bratz XPress It! Jade doll to look as though they were captured in 1992 — or at least the early 1990s anyways. I'm not really sure why, but I guess it's because I'm from that generation, when things were simple and anything was possible, when life felt so carefree. It was a time when youth and innocence meant so much growing up, and where teenage angst represented a special turning point in the growth of being who I am today. When I watch the video slideshow for this project, I could see those same youthful indulgences I experienced growing up.

Looking back on my "Plain Jade" project, I'm happy that I had the opportunity to do it and happy that the project spoke to a lot of Bratz fans in describing what the Bratz were all about. My "Plain Jade" project reflected what I understood about the earlier Bratz collections such as Bratz XPress It!, Bratz Funk N' Glow, Bratz Strut It!, and even the 1st Edition Bratz from 2001. But it also reflected what I understood about myself growing up. I hope to do many more Bratz Photography Projects and just like this one in the future, because even though the Bratz franchise will be retired after 2009, there is still a lot of joy and excitement in the Bratz universe that I have yet to discover.