Saturday, September 26, 2009

Introducing Weekly Influence: Levi Maestro



Do you see him? He's the sexy ass white guy on the left. This is just a prelude to what I'm going to write tomorrow(well today). It's about 5:30 in the morning and I'm about to go back to sleep. I've been sick since yesterday and I feel like crap. My sleeping pattern has been jacked up because of this. I feel a little bit better but I'm going to take it easy for the next couple of days.

*Note: he's only in the 1st part of the video. This was the 1st time I had ever seen him in my life. I had to know his name and what he does. I'm very glad I did.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Bella's Lullaby



Remember this song? The song that Edward composed for Bella. *so dreamy* Well I read on this one girl's blog that she thought listening to Bach and Mozart while studying was bullshit but she tried it and loved it. So I thought why not give it a try. I picked "Bella's Lullaby because I remember it being one of the most beautiful contemporary classical songs that I've ever heard. I proceeded to download it and put it on my MP3 while I studied for my Psychology test because it's tomorrow. I put it on repeat so that would be the only song that would be playing. No lie it had me so much more focused on my studying. I was so surprised. I studied for about 2+ hours and I probably listened to that song about a couple hundred times. I never got tired of it. If I would've put a R&B song or something else, even if it was my favorite song, I would still get sick of it. If someone asked me what song I would want to play when I go to heaven I would pick this song. Why? Because it sounds like heaven on earth. It sounds like a masterpiece. Beautiful crafted. Whoever composed this in real life is a genius. When I was studying, I felt that sometimes I could equally concentrate on the task at hand and the song. It was good background noise when it had to be. I played it so many times that sometimes I felt as though the song was apart of my head, my thoughts. It felt so familiar.I no longer felt the headphones in my ears. That was such an amazing thing to experience. Even though I'm done studying for the test, I'm still playing it. It has me so calm right now,I'm so at peace. I love it.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

My mind is spinning....


For my psychology class we have to write a paper on an experience that's related to psychology. Whether it be watching a movie, research on the internet, or participating in a case study. I first had an idea to watch a movie, probably something like Fatal Attraction, never seen the movie but would love to. Then for the past couple days me and some of my friends from the production team have been talking about subliminal messages in Disney movies. This was the 1st time I had even heard about it and so I did a little research on YouTube. I know that this rumor has been going on for years about Jay-Z being a devil worshiper and being affiliated with the Freemasons. But now they're analyzing everything that everybody around him in doing and saying that they're in on it too. Rihanna, Beyonce, Kanye, Nas. My head is spinning because I would love to research this for my paper. But I want to do the other 2 as well. So I think I'm going to get the movie and see if I can find more information on the subliminal messages and write 2 papers and just save one for the next time one's due. The Freemason one is going to take awhile but I'm going to start ASAP. I love conspiracy's.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

"All black everything"


I was just reading through this one girl's blog, who I actually went to elementary school with,called _fashion.fetish!
(it's dope check it out!). She had a post about Jay-Z and how they have an 11 part series on Jay-Z and how he's related to the Freemason. Which seems like a cult. You know that sign that he throws up? It's similar to the Freemasonry symbol which is a ruler and a compass upside down. I haven't gone through all of the videos (I haven't even gone through a whole one yet) but when I do you should expect my opinion on the series. Go check it out. Type in "jay-z deception" and see for yourself.

Well Read..


Click the picture to view bigger.

So as I'm in my Intro to Literature class today I randomly flip to see this poem called "Swan" by John Hollanders. Never have I seen something so appealing in the form of words. Well I won't say never. But this is very appealing to the eye. Which is probably why the poet choose to do it in this format. What I love about my Intro to Lit Class is that the professor really challenges our minds in asking us questions of why the writer chose to do something a certain way and does it fit in with the story/theme of the piece. I can certainly say my critical thinking skills on poetry and just writing in general has grown. Every time I leave the room each week, my mind spins. In a good way.

Being in that class is also very intimidating. They speak of books and authors how I speak of musical artists and their CD's or a fashion designer and their aesthetic. I've been reading since I was 3 but never like this. I've never had a teacher who really pushed us and challenged our thoughts. They've read more classics than I have. I went to a Cleveland Public School and my English teacher went through some of the classics like most of Shakespeare, some Camus, The Great Gatsby, things of that sort. Looking back, we didn't read that many classics. Even though I'm figuring out that a lot of my class is older than me(which I love), I feel that I need to catch up. So one of my many side projects is to write up a list of classic authors or books that I want to read or think I need to experience. I just recently just changed my major to Creative Writing and I really want to work hard at this. I LOVE words. I say this time and time again to my family and some of the people that I've run across,"If I could travel the world and just write, I would be happy." I have other loves such as fashion, music and just art and creation in general, but if you strip me of everything I am and will always be a writer.

Right now I'm on Catcher in the Rye and I love it. Holden has such a sarcastic manner about him but you can tell that he still has a heart. I'm hoping to find Lolita at the library. I want to read that next.

Off to my oasis, the library.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Proven Fact

I dress way better when my hair is done. I'm way more confident. I'ma have to change that. Cuz I got a bomb sense of style.

So I've got this whole list of ideas for upcoming posts for my blog. But with classes and my involvement with this production team, plus tryna keep up with certain websites and street brand blogs leaves no time for me to sit down and write. I got a lot to say. I hate it when my creativity is like that. It's either a drought or a flood. Never an in between. My next's posts will range from my late night all nighters(and it wasn't for studying), to my thoughts on the words "Fantasecret" and "Wanderlust". Yeah, it's going to be interesting.

For now I will be posting some of the songs me & some people from my production team made fun of or said great things when we were in the lab tonight. My production team is cool peoples. :)

Nastiest song ever. Had me cracking up!




My friend pointed out that this was probably one of the first songs where the background vocals were like this.


I could have sworn that this had some type of choreography. But nonetheless, a good song. I loved this mini movie.



This is so wrong but super funny. How does he look like all Chris Brown, Jay-Z and Kanye? & he does the Kanye dance but messes it up. But I'm sad that they have Rihanna's hair looking like that. Her hair always looks good.


& I was going to leave you with an episode of Maestro Knows, by Levi Maestro this guy from LA who tours all over the world with Anthony Hamilton and videotapes that and all the cool things he experiences from day to day but....it can wait. I've only watched a couple episodes but I love the show. He's so inspiring and has really made an impact on how I think that he will be the first person I will write on my Weekly Influence. :)

Well I got class at 8 in the morning and it's already 12 am so....Night night. :)

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Influences

No matter who you are, who you want to be, and where you want to go in life, you are complied by a mix of influences. Whether it be your favorite cartoon character, your favorite TV show host, your favorite athlete, or your favorite teacher, you're influenced by each and every one of them. You like each of them for some reason. Whether it be their determination, their drive, their generosity or just them being silly, you're somehow drawn to them and may even adapt or adopt that certain quality to your life. But just because you like them for their character doesn't mean that you should be just like them. That's why you may take just one quality and tailor it and make it fit into the lifestyle that you have or wish. That's how you stay true to yourself.
I've noticed that most of my influences, especially in the music and fashion worlds, are male. They have such a simplicity to how they live their life and how they go after what they want, sometimes without much internal struggle. I admire that and aspire to take more risks and be definite in the decisions I make. A guys mind (not the dirty parts), so dope to me. I'm drawn to guys who can carry on an intelligent conversation and challenge my mind. That's what I think the trick in life is; surrounding yourself and taking from people who are superior. Mentally superior. Not that their necessarily better than you, they just know a bit more. These people are in the places that you want to be, they have been where you want to be. Taking lessons, tips from them is the key to success. But experiencing it is even better.
All of my influences are either well known on the internet or just in the media in general. Which if you think about it makes it seem kind of corny. But they're where I want to be. Simple as that. So to keep up with my blogging more regularly I'm incorporating different things or segments to speak on each week. The first one that I've come up with is talking on an influence each week. Picking apart and breaking down on what really draws me to them and how I'm going to incorporate it into my life and how I want to live my life. I have so many influences from different worlds. From producer Pharrell Williams, to 19 yr old street brand entrepreneur/college student Phillip Annand, all of influences will be relevant to what I want to accomplish and achieve.

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I wish it could be something like this. Where I could meet all my influences and interview them and compile them into a book for safekeeping. But for now I will take what I'm learning from other people interviewing them, pictures, and video and use it for my own inspiration. Maybe you'll get inspired too.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Guess who's back!

Meeeeee!!!! I'm so excited and determined to come back and make this a quality blog regardless of who reads this. I left this behind because after awhile I just talked about trends and I was stuck in the rut of just talking about just that. And me reading it back now, it doesn't really sound like me. I'm all over the place and this blog was beginning to turn into strictly a fashion blog when I said at the beginning that I didn't want that. I'm comprised and made up of so much more than my love of fashion. That's why I named this blog "Abstract Expressions." I went to Tumblr because to me it had more freedom. Video, quotes, text, audio, links, photos, and chat. Yes with Blogspot you can do all that too but with Tumblr I felt that the freedom was more organized. There was a button for each of these categories.
So why did I come back? I woke up yesterday with a mission. Make the best street/off beat brand that I can. So I read so many street brand blogs and high fashion blogs that my head is still spinning from so much inspiration. It's amazing. The two street brand blogs that caught my eye were Award Tour and MOB. The team, the blog and their brand were beyond dope. They were off to the left. They didn't do the normal "here's so& so's new single", or "here's the new collection from another fashion line." They also didn't promote themselves that much, to the point of annoyance, which I thought was refreshing. They personalized the blog to where you could actually get a feel of the personality of the person writing each post. You don't get that a lot on street wear brands. They talked about their life, their works, and experiences. That got me thinking about coming back to Blogspot and actually post and write about shit that matters, instead of talking about trends and things that probably won't matter to me in a couple years. At Tumblr, yes there was freedom but for me it wasn't the place to put my in depth feelings about things. To me it was a place to put my inspirations and post little blurbs about different things. But yes I'm back to blogging on here. I've missed being on here! It's like I'm coming home back from a long break at college. I will be going home on Friday too to get my hair done which is amazing. I've missed home. Getting back to this will take some getting used to but when I do no doubt this will be one of my favorite things to do.

* Oh yeah go and check out the blog that really inspired me to come back and blog. Go to www.theawardtour.com and be amazed by Phillip T. Annand's musings. He's dope.* The pic below is a preview of some of his amazing designs.

Girls

So yesterday I go down to the basement of my dorm to do laundry. It was the first time I had done since I got to college. So while I'm waiting on my clothes to get done, I chill on my computer and read nothing but street brand and fashion blogs. & occasionally listen to some music. The laundry room is on the guys floor so nothing but guys come in and out of the room to do laundry at this time. Out of about 5 of the guys I have conversations with 3 of them. They were genuinely friendly and not just joshing me. They really didn't have to talk to me. But it kinda made me feel better. Then I suddenly the age old question that I've been trying to answer for years popped up in my head. "Why are guys nicer to me than girls? Why do girls seem not to take to me as easily as guys?" They still have gone unanswered for years but it's getting to be annoying. In elementary school and high school it was fine. But for some odd reason I thought that just because I live with a floor full of girls, that I would at least bond with one of them, if not my roommate. I finally thought that I would interact with some girls that were like minded because all these girls have my major which is Music Technology (which I am about to drop!!..peep future posts for the explanation). But just because they have your major doesn't mean you'll automatically get along. All my life girls have just rubbed me the wrong way. So it's weird whenever I strike up a friendship with one. I try to keep my distance because they never last that long.
I raised this question and conversed over this topic with two of my guy friends and my sister. One of my guy friends said it might be because girls are jealous, and that's why the friendships never last that long. I relayed that to my sister and she said that most white girls( I'm the only black girl on the floor and maybe the whole dorm) don't get jealous over black girls. They really don't go out their way to reach out to us either. I won't go into depth on that subject, we'd be here all night. My other guy friend said it's because I'm gorgeous. Even though I was very flattered by that comment, me and my sister know for a fact that they don't feel threatened by black girls. They think they're superior anyway. Okay, okay lets get off the race subject. But even within my own race I never really had a long term female friend. Sometimes it came off as though I wasn't "black" enough to hang with the ghetto ass black girls. Which hurts. But I gotta keep it moving. I'm a cool ass black girl who really doesn't try to define herself because of her race. I am defined by my interests, my personality, my fashion sense, shit like that. Butwould you really get to know that if you never talk to me? Probably not .

* If you didn't realize I've been M.I.A. for awhile but I'm back!!! This blog got kinda boring. I've been blogging over at Tumblr. Jimmychoosandsupras.tumblr.com to be exact. Go check it out.The blog is getting revamped & in my next post I will tell you why!!!*