The "Inspired By" Contest Entries!!!!

Well, the "Inspired By" contest definitely didn't garner as many entries as I'd hoped (I love seeing people's creative sides and hearing playlists/mix cds so I guess I was being a little greedy and hoped to see a ton), but it got some absolutely amazing entries. I'm so glad that I put in the rules that the winner would be determined by votes on my blog because I could not choose between these kick-ass entries!

So here is how this is gonna work. I'm posting all the entries in both categories: Fan Art and Soundtracks. Voting will be open for two weeks. I will announce the winner on March 10th. You vote by simply leaving a blog comment. Choose one entry from the Fan Art category and one entry from the Soundtrack category. If you entered, of course you can vote for your own. If you are passionate about seeing a particular entry win (like maybe your own), feel free to send your friends over to vote as well. Even though I didn't get a ton of entries, I hope there will be a ton of voting because these people's hard work deserves to be seen by many! If you are one of those people who needs to see the rules/prizes for the contest before determining winners, you can find them here.

Okay, I am posting this in the order I received them, not the order I prefer them. I seriously couldn't choose. That's why I'm leaving the hardwork up to you, dear blog readers.

Fan Art Category:

Ritsuka's entry:

Close up on the letters (click here for an even closer look):
This is Ritsuka's Artist's Statement, explaining her photographs: There are four pieces of paper in the photo, and all of them say something different. One has Emily's song on it. Louder. Harder. Faster. Another has the lyrics to Sleater-Kinney's I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone scrawled on it.
And the last two . . . The last two are letters written by Emily and Louisa. 

I took the picture in my own musical haven, I wanted to give the impression that it was where Emily had be sitting so of course I chose that spot.

Jonathon's Entry:

Jonathon's Artist's Statement for his t-shirt logo design:  I was inspired by the significance of Emily's mother's records in the novel as well as the Sleater-Kinney song, hence the 45 adapters.

Paul's Entry:

Paul's is an alternate book cover for IWBYJR.

Liviania's entry:

Liviania's artist statement about her t-shirt logo design: As I read the book, I paid attention to the character of the band and the first thing that really hit me was how much Emily and Regan wanted to own their sexuality. They didn't always since that's how the world rolls, but they were fierce and wanted it. I was also thinking about functionality - a logo needs to be printed cheaply. Therefore, I started doodling feminine silhouettes as I read. But none of them really took control for me. They were just the same thing you could see as a window cling on some loser's car. As my silhouettes became more stylized I found a shape I liked: a dressmaker's form.

It reduces the female body completely to an object. But it's an object that's been used by women for women. Plus, some of the curves reminded me of the curves of a guitar. Then came the problem of lettering. I knew I wanted block letters but had trouble finding an orientation I liked. What I chose has the letters running out of the form - the personality of "She Laughs" is too big to stay within the lines.

I wanted bright colors and to limit myself to 4 since that's a standard printing number. I had a triangular highlighter perfect for the job. I imagine the design being as is on a black background or with the form filled in black on a white background. The final product is a bit more flat than I wanted (I may try again), but overall I think I got it pretty close to my concept.

Now onto the next category...

Soundtrack Category:

Kay's Soundtrack: Click on the link to see a YouTube video of the song if you are not familiar with it.

Civet - All I Want  This song reminds me of Emily and Regan's friendship.

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - Bad Reputation  Another Emily and Regan song; if there's ever an IWBYJR movie, they should TOTALLY do a montage of Emily and Regan strolling around Carlisle, with this song as a background.

The Runaways - Hollywood Dream  Yet again, Emily and Regan. Maybe not Hollywood dreams as much as rockstar dreams, but the lyrics kind of relate to that: "Daddy says I'm much too good for the neighbourhood."

New Found Glory - Truth of My Youth Kind of how I think Emily, Regan and Tom (and maybe every kid that ever went to River's Edge) felt about Carlisle.

HorrorPops - Freaks in Uniform  "A zombified closed community, a brainwashed breed of hypocrisy!" - another tribute to the town stuck in the past, lol.

Rancid - Unwritten Rules  To me, this song sums up the passion and NEED to play music, for She Laughs.

HorrorPops - Trapped  Kind of what I imagine Emily was thinking when she first met Johnny.

Rancid - Injury  And an Emily/Johnny break up song.

HorrorPops - Undefeated  "My band, my friends, my life, my pride, what keeps me undefeated" - Emily's rehab song after the travelling year.

Civet - You Don't Know Me  Emily and She Laughs vs. Johnny and My Gorgeous Letdown.

Garbage - Cherry Lips  A song for Michael and Louisa: "This life can turn a good girl bad - she was the sweetest thing you ever had."

Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire  This song makes me think of some of the things Louisa thought in her years of solitude: "And maybe I'll catch fire, something warm to hold me - something pure to burn away the darkness that hides inside my mind; all that evil shit's not hard to find."

Blondie - The Dream's Lost on Me  A survivor song for Emily.

Lucile's Soundtrack:

Justine's Soundtrack:

So there you have it. The nice thing is that due to the low number of entries, everyone who entered will get some sort of prize, but your votes will determine who gets what. 

Please comment and pick one in each category.

Fan Art: Ritsuka, Jonathon, Paul, or Liviania

Soundtrack: Kay, Lucile, or Justine