New Year...

I've survived the first decade of 2000! And I'm about to be 19, my last teen year. =]

I'm back home. For how long, I have no idea. I have to get used to being back here, I adored the freedom and solitude down in Columbus. Here there's rules and restrictions that I have to adhere to. I have to get a job, I need an internship this summer. I have to put myself in the position to be seen as a canidate for them with some credentials. Fashion blog and fashion column at my new school. Since Cleveland is not really big on fashion, like knowing designers, I have to spin it differently, and having the fashion blog will give me a chance to talk and just mush over fashion, post some of my outfits and inspirations and just give me a platform if I want a fashion internship this summer.

Yes, I have a lot of drive and so many ambitions. But I have no fun. This year I wanna do things differently. I don't really have New Years Resolutions but I have an idea of some of the things that I want to do.

1. Learn how to cook
2. Bake more
3. Learn how to skateboard
4. Write more
5. Photograph more
6. Revamp my look; I wanna dress how I want to
7. Live and live with no regrett

There's more but I've forgotten. This list seems doable. Life is really about creating your own oppurtunities and make the most of the ones placed before you. I really have none to waste if I wanna get where I want to be.

Influence: Gordon Parks

I've been so busy with school that I've been neglecting showcasing my influences and replays of the week. So whenever I have time to do so, that's when I'll do it.

Gordon Park was something like a Renaissance man. Photographer, director, composer, writer of fiction and non fiction; he's certainly lived a rich and colorful life.

I just read one of his memoirs(you know you've lived a great life if you're writing multiple memiors!) named A Hungry Heart and it's one amazing book. You travel with him and see the world and different events through his eyes. He meets and shoots some incredible people including sdxf Malcolm X, Muhammed Ali, and directing the classic movie Shaft.

He will be very influencial for me in my future and even now. He moved from job to job and had artistic integrity, something I wish to keep with me throughout my whole life. He worked extra hard to get where he was and didn't waste one oppurtunity. He depicted and went after assignments that other people thought could only be said with words. He pushed boundaries. I really admire him for that.


I wish he was alive because it would be amazing to meet and talk with him, have him tell me stories, give me tips and give bits of wisdom.

I wanna be a Renaissance woman.

Black & White

l(Click images to view larger.)
Black and White photography is so interesting to me. It's captivating, taking the color out but adding so much more. Don't get me wrong, I love color photos as well, they really give life and energy to the picture. Black and White photography is more classic to me, it requires the audience to think more, feel more. I feel that even though it takes the color out, it adds depth, emotion, feeling to the picture. To me with certain shots black and white is breathtaking. During the few times I've went and shot with my camera, I'm beginning to learn the power of black and white and it's my favorite setting to shoot in.

Ramblings # 1

I love to read but my absolute favorite thing to read are historical novels. It's so interesting to see how a author can weave a whole story with little or no facts on something that happened in history. I've always loved the Victorian period, and mythology the best. I've read many books on the Boleyn sisters and Helen of Troy, they fascinate me so much. Just knowing that it happened or may have happened makes it all the more real to me. Or the author could be way off and have nothing right, but it's still a story. A story to enjoy.

The "Dark" Side of things...

I believe that every thing has two sides to it. "Every story has two sides, the good and bad." Just like that I think that every relationship, situation, person, even religion has two sides. Nothing is at all perfect or pure anymore.

So Rihanna recently came out with her new single Russian Roulette from her highly anticipated new album Rated R. The song as a whole is beautiful, Ne-yo has done it again with his touching words. The words, the music and effects captured how Rihanna feels/felt after all what's going on in her life. But it's just so depressing, I'm afraid it won't get that much radio play because of it's content. The gunshots, the subject of the song.

No doubt this song has got people talking. Surprisingly famous musical artists are talking as well and are speaking out. ConcreteLoop first posted the story that Tiffany Evans spoke out about it you can read about it here.

"Russian Roulette = Suicidal Rate gon sky rocket!

You gotta watch what u say. Because there are a lot of weak people in the world. They are susceptible to anything so anything you say or do some people actually do listen. So make sure its nothing bad. Its okay to be deep,but not murder deep."

This is just a piece of what she said. Reading this made me think. That there are artists out there that are out there using their power and fame for evil, they will do anything and everything to stay there, even if it means putting out material that may harm their listeners. If it was intentional or or not, it still happens.

Then Omarion speaks out as well. You can read it here.

"I don’t personally know Rihanna’s beliefs but I think there’s a very dark and very sinister part of the entertainment business and I think it’s very visible."

Don't you realize at after a while most artists who have grown up in the music business take a sharp turn towards sex when they're like 18 or 19? They start learning that sex sells. Britney, Christina, Justin Timberlake and now Rihanna. Yes with her last album that was truly her debut album I admit, when she really showed the world who she is. But now she's just talking a dark turn with her music. I know for a fact that she's not putting up a front because she's confident about her image and the direction her music is going. But does she really realize the material that she puts out doesn't only affect teenagers, but that little kids do too? They don't have the mental capabilities to understand the metaphor in that song.

Rihanna is also linked to illmatics and Freemasonry along with Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye West and Nas. Don't know if I believe in all that, but I do believe that these music artists have a responsibility and play a big role in their listeners lives and should use it wisely.

Waiting on my camera to come is like a kid waiting for their birthday. You feel that you’ve waited for forever and you’re just ready to experience it. I’m so ready to embark my journey as a photographer. Been many years in the making. I fell in love with photography and just art in general as a little child and being on Deviantart kind of helped fuel the spark and interest that I had with art with many inspirational artists and just the environment of the site was very welcoming. Wandering on the blogosphere and the internet in general, I’ve gotten to see and explore through many dope minds. Minds that have stimulated, sparked, and challenged something in me that I never knew that was possible, and I’m truly grateful.
I feel that with me doing photography it will help me in other areas of creativity and help stretch my mind and help me explore deeper. Writing poetry, stories, drawing, and just thinking. With a camera you feel more confident to explore and push boundaries, which I think will help a great deal.
I already have so many ideas that I want to do with this camera. Daily vlogs, a show I’m doing with one of my friends, nature photos; the possibilities are endless. No doubt I’ll carry it everywhere with me.
I just feel that with this camera I will see the world differently and hopefully help others see it differently and challenge and spark something in them, just like many have done for me.

Details. I pay attention to details. Detail is the thing that separates one thing from the next. Even though most of the time it seems as though I live in my own world, I notice these things. Studs. Lace. Sequins. The cut or shape of a garment. It’s architecture. Accessories. Color schemes. Color contrast. Stripes. Zebra. Cheetah. The list could go on forever. Just know that I love detail.

I can watch a show or a movie. Notice a belt, notice the shoes,or a pin in their hair and go, “Oooo love the (fill in the blank).” I just got finished watching Sex and the City and Carrie had this belt with studs that she practically wore all throughout the movie, but each time it looked different, it gave the outfit a different effect.

On Saturday I went and explored the town of Bexley. The scenery was amazing. Bright red, bright yellow, bright orange, ombre effects I love when it’s fall. Where I was the streets were alive with people and cars and it was just an amazing feeling to experience. Certain things caught my eye. The Speedway that’s smaller than the one that I live by in Cleveland. How the intersection was weirdly shaped. The flags blowing in the wind. Under the billboard the ledge. On the way back to my campus there was this shrub that covered up the fence but you could still see through to the tennis court. With all of these ordinary things that many people go by and see every day, I somehow saw them differently. I don’t have my digital camera yet(hopefully my money will come soon), but I was mentally snapping pictures of these and thinking to myself, If I did it from this angle, or did this..it would be amazing.

So yeah I see it as this. Detail is everything to me.

Weekly Influence: Lykke Li

I woke up a couple days ago and every morning before i do anything else I check my favorite street brand blogs. Award Tour, Married to the MOB, Hellz Bellz, etc. So I go on whatthehellz?!!! and see this video called Black Cab Sessions where famous recording artists and bands sing their songs in the back of this cab. Well in this video Lykke Li and her band sung,"I'm good, I'm gone"(old song I know) and I was amazed. She is an amazing singer, especially accoustic in the back of a cab. Here it is:



Yes I knew about Lykke Li but I never knew how talented she was. I first listened to "Little Bit" feat. Drake and I liked her but I didn't see what the big fuss was about the song or the collaboration. Now hearing the song without Drake I love it, its more simple. Simplicity is better to me.

I've been on her MySpace and read some of her blogs. How she writes is so abstract, so poetic, in a way that reminded me of me. =] She's an very interesting person.

So in saying all of this, she made me fall back in love with music this week. To pursue I don't know right now; but she's the kind of artist restores my faith in the music business. Where I am right now, I don't know if I can do music, it's something so stifling about this atmosphere. I can't explain it. But I do know that she's one of the reason's why I'm thinking it over, instead of closing that chapter of my life all together. How I want to tackle things, how I wish to create; it's all about the simplicity, it's all about classic things for me. Things that are timeless or innovative.

I will leave you with another one of my favorite songs of mine, she does this one accoustic as well, this performance is very moving and emotional.

Weekly Replays: Week of October 12th

Been negleting my weekly duties to do my influence of the week and my weekly replays.

My weekly replays of the last week(the week of October 12) really didn't corralate with each other or even how my life went. It was just one of those weeks for me.

I Can Transform ya-Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne
Chris Brown's 1st single from his upcoming album titled "Grafitti". At first I was not impressed. All summer I've been hearing songs from him talking about how sorry he is and how he's a changed man. I love Chris Brown and I understand he's human. I thought that this song was just to get people to play his songs again. But I just thought that he would come out with material like that on his album. It's a very catchy song, I really love this song. This was the song that woke me up every morning last week. Any time Chris and Lil Wayne collaborate it's magic. But I cannot understand Lil Wayne's line's, "No I can't dance but I can dance on ya." Huh?

A couple of days later I heard what I had been expecting from Chris.

So Cold-Chris Brown
The first time I heard this song I immediately loved the song. It was so heartfelt, you could tell that he wrote this song. To me it's dedicated to Rihanna(he's still in love with her) but qouting from a person who commented on this song, "Just because he does love songs about a girl interest doesn't mean he's talking about Rihanna." I read somewhere that when he said he and someone else wrote the song, they weren't thinking about Rihanna. Bullshit. But this song so good, I don't care who it's about. As long as an artist stays true to their material and sing from the heart, it's a sure way that the song will go to the top.

Keep Forgetting-JoJo
Now this song had to do with my life last one. My love and I are solid for now but last week I kept thinking about the many times that I've tried to get over him, all the countless boys that I used to get over him, and it always came back to him. Every single time. I "kept forgetting to forget about"him. I love him so much.

Break up to make up- Jeremih
Along the same lines of the last songs. We've been through a lot, it's like lets make it stick this time! But I really like the song because of how Jerimih flowed so easily lyrically on the beat. Flawless. I don't really listen to things that are on the radio but this is one of them.

Grown Simba-J.Cole
If you don't know about J.Cole than you need to look him up. As the first signee to Jay-Z's RocNation you can see why he got picked up. Lyrically he's one of the best out of the newcomers to come out this year. His energy on this track is amazing. But really what made me connect to this song was the whole theme to it. He's living his life, not knowing where he's gonna end up but keeps working hard to get to the top.

"Where you going nIgga?- Shit, there aint no telling

Ay, where you going nigga?- Ay, there aint no telling

Yea, they keep on saying where you going nigga, going nigga?-There aint no telling

Cant tell you where Im going, just know I wont stop

Goodbye to the bottom, hello to the top"

I L O V E these songs and they helped me through last week! Music can heal the soul.

But for how long?

GraffiCouture

Been in a bit of a rut. You know when you have so many ideas and inspirations running through your head, not that much time and you don't know where to start? That's me right now and it's just as bad as not having any inspiration. Every idea that I come up with won't be carried out which sucks.

To get going I wanted to show this dope spread in the Paris Vogue. It's called, "GraffiCouture", with graffiti artist KAWS who I like. I adore things that contrast each other that they practically balance each other. This has a street feel but with elegance and high fashion.

Click on pictures to enlarge.




Fashion and art is one good mix. Fashion is art.