michael,
we sang for u.
chanted with our hands and feet and spirits and voices
we poured ourselves into one another in a way we haven’t be able to in our generation
it took your departure for us to FULLY move through you on the floor
the room was heavy with adoration for you.
even the walls perspired for you.
we hope our voices traveled all the way to Heaven.
as you got comfy in your eternal room
can you feel it? can you feel it? CAN YOU FEEL IT?
It’s insane how things have been the past few days with MJ’s passing. But I’m more back on track now! You would think I was off personally making funeral arangements or something! INSANE! But it hit me like a ton of bricks.
As it did many of my peers.
But he’s onward and upward now.
I have been working on taking more photos of stuff since I didn’t realize just how behind I was in that. It’s difficult to get good natural light when it’s raining most of the time. But I got lucky and took a bunch of shots. I am not done even in the slightest but that’s alright. I’ll catch up by next week I am sure.
I have finally found the camera I need. So that will be purchased soon. And I’m super excited about that!
I also hope to have my photoshoot later this month as well!
I got this idea from a few sites that I RSS to about listing your monthly goals. I will list mine every first Monday of the month, starting next week Monday so look out for that. And if you are so inspired, feel free to share yours in the comment section below. It will have its own section and will be all detailed come Monday.
But today is Friday. And I have a foto Friday that’s a couple hours behind.
This past Saturday I participated in Curves in the City, the shopping soiree involved with Full Figured Fashion Week.
It was a good turn out and working with Ms. Tucker is always a wonderful experience.
The event was held in NYC and one of the special guests was the awesome Kim Coles.
Kim was not only there, but she ordered a custom made set of earrings from L’élephant Rose!
She is a delight and I look forward to working with her again in the future.
And here are close ups of some of the new jewelry I’ve been making! I just realized that I haven’t updated in quite a while with new pieces, but I’ve made a ton. So if I am fortunate to get good light, I’ll be photographing some others and these more professionally.
Thank you Johara and everyone involved for having me and I hope everyone who purchased on Saturday fully enjoys their new items!
x’s&o’s
today is really hard for me.
I know there are millions like me worldwide, but although I didn’t constantly speak of him, I really did LOVE him. I never believed anything that came out against him.
I heard as soon as I walked in the door yesterday from my brother. “Michael Jackson is dead.”
I didn’t know if I wanted to write today, or just put up a picture and leave it at that. I guess I’m writing.
I remember when I was in junior high, every single day we warmed up to “billie jean”, going way further than we needed. Even when we had to practice. Jeffrey would start on the drums, then our bass player would play and we’d go on and on. Every day it was a mini-michael jam session.
I can’t believe he’s gone. Yesterday someone on twitter said it felt like their ‘childhood just ended. forever.’ when I couldn’t place how I felt, those words fit perfectly. I feel hallow.
On the train ride in to work this morning, a man was sitting across from me with a certain ny paper, which I am totally over as a completely shit newspaper and will be writing them so this weekend. Every single headline was some snide remark about the darker parts of his past. Did they mourn pasty ass elvis like this? That wouldn’t have been if it weren’t for blacks?
I am sooooooooooooo disgusted with media. Every single time something devastating happens in black america, we’re not allowed to mourn with respect. They throw mud. They hold nothing back. And it’s because we allow them to. But this isn’t just about black america. This is about the world. mj was deeply loved by the world. I remember when he moonwalked on stage live. I remember watching that. I remember going downstairs to my cousins house with my church gloves and just wearing one, like mike. Then we’d either play his “bad” album or “thriller” or watch moonwalker. Oh god, the only man who could make a movie and have all his songs in it. I remember when his MUSIC VIDEOS would premiere on FOX after Married with Children. I remember watching his concerts and watching loads of people pass out from excitement or disbelief. I never understood that, but as I’m sitting here grief-stricken, I think I get it. I also think it’s different if you were growing up with him in the 60s or you were born in the early 80s. I think after the mid-80s there was a change in the adoration. But nevermind that.
I just wish we could celebrate his life and allow him to rest peacefully. I wish his past were laid to rest as well. I wish people would stop being such assholes, and remember how hearing his music made you feel. How it still makes you feel. Regardless of your opinion. I’m tired of people thinking it’s okay to disrespect, because of freedom of speech. There is a thing called decency.
I can’t say the same for any other artist personally. I didn’t listen to prince when I was little like I listened to michael because I didn’t like overtly suggestive music. But michael is someone my mom grew up listening to as a little girl. He’s someone I grew up listening to. We watched him. Everyone loved him.
I am going to dance my ass off tomorrow night. (by the way, I have a show tomorrow: Full Figured Fashion Week. I didn’t get a chance to announce it here and I’m really sorry about that. I will post a little bit later about that, though.)
I can only imagine the singing and dance offs going on in heaven right now.
fly away on outstretched wings. off to rest, ashe.
Today is a very important day.
On two fronts.
Not only is today National Pink Day (in America. I kid you not. Check the link)…
It is also the day of the album release for Ragen Fykes!!! That’s my homie from another set of parents on the other side of the country, but the love is all the way live and all the way there.
And how dope is it that she’s reppin’ the lovely color pink in the album cover too?!
This is why she’s hot. And I know I’ve spoken about her before.
Take a listen here.
You really ought to buy this album.
The album is on Record Breaking, the owner is a very cool dude and he has a radio show in Philly.
It’s limited edition to boot!
Now you have to get it!
And check for her as she wears some exclusive L’élephant Rose trinkets!
x’s&o’s
Aesthetically, I am almost always drawn to the same type of thing. I always look at anything that evokes this sense of romance and softness and delicacy and I’m pulled to the pale colors and blinding backgrounds. But something I am always made aware of is how noone ever uses women of color in anything I like.
It’s really annoying.
Especially when I know a gang of women personally that I get that exact feeling from.
So I am going to try my hardest to make certain that when I use a model for anything, that it isn’t stereotypically portrayed like I see it over and over again. Women of color have fine lines too. Women of color are just as delicate as their counterparts. I want that celebrated. And I don’t mean black women. I mean women of color: PERIOD. It just makes no sense to me. They will not be the token in anything I portray. They will be the lead.
I can’t wait to photograph or at the very least display things I’m working on. It will be a celebration when I do.
Join me!
x’s&o’s
foto. all shade of pink by nissanman2009 (via flickr)
I was just reading this very open and moving post over at apples for poppy anne, and she posed such a striking reflective question:
“Are we the last generation to know the traditional grandmother and mother?”
Sometimes, I seriously wonder if on a whole, we are. As I read her celebration of her grandmother’s life, it got me to thinking about myself. I was really very close to my own grandmother and as I get to much more defined stages of adulthood, one thing I always wish is that she were physically around to share in these moments and bear witness to them. She passed away when I was in middle school, but she was definitely around long enough to teach me so much and to shape me. The anniversary of her ascension was recently, so she has been on my mind a bit more than usual.
I just wish she could be there even more than seeing me graduate college, but to see me get married and see me have my first child. Those things are what really pull at me I guess. I see a lot of myself in what I remember of my grandma. And I see the different type of woman my mom is. And we’re so super close, it’s ridiculous. haha.
Now I may sound insane, but I am a believer in raising a family to the best of your ability. If that means not working, and it’s financially possible…I am all for that. There is definitely something to be said for the potential quality of life for that child. In the end, the kid doesn’t care about how much money was spent on fancy things. Not when they reflect on their past. What they remember best and most is usually a quiet moment of pure love or a really joyous event where money wasn’t the main factor. I can be quite old fashioned to some. But I am who I am. I would rather consider myself difficult to categorize because I also have a very strong entrepreneurial spirit. Then I guess that sort of pulls me towards being mainly self-sufficient. Which I am.
I will make a case that I feel there are many women who are college educated that would rather be a stay at home parent than a working one. There is nothing wrong with either in my opinion, but if I had my choice I may want to be a stay at home mom at least for the first few years. But I’d most likely be a stay-at-home, home-business mom.
What would you rather if you aren’t already a mother? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not by a very verrry long shot an anti-feminist, I’m just Sherisa 
Or if you are a stay-at-home mom or not because of choice, feel free to chime in.
Are our grandparents the end of an era? Is that a good or bad thing?
x’s&o’s
I figured I would start right away with this new direction.
Sometimes, all the inspiration you’re ever looking for is right before you. You just have to open your eyes. If you follow me on twitter, you see that at least 10% of the time, I’m annoyed that I either don’t feel inspired or just lost my inspiration. That’s mainly because I let things just build up around me and forget to step back sometimes. (I’m working on it, I PROMISE!)
I have an awesome RSS feed. It is chock full of some of the best blogs online and sometimes I don’t even need to read the content; just the title alone gets me thinking! But I am a very VERY visual person. I was told before that writers are usually hyper-visual, which makes sense. Did I ever tell you guys that I plan to pen children’s books? And creative non-fiction for adults. I’m still debating master’s programs.
I am going to turn to my inspiration pad from now on when I feel a block approaching for anything: blogging or creating. It helps to know that there’s so much going on outside and around us and all we have to do is take a step back to access it. I am also going to work on creating a physical inspiration pad/wall and I’ll take photos of the process and the final product to share.
*pregnant pause*
I just met[*] the person behind one of my favorite blogs, TTO. This is SO super trippy because for those who follow me, you know I’m getting married next year. I started following her blog a while back as she planned a wedding and set a budget of $10,000. Impossible sounding, but extremely ambitious. So the crazy wonderful beautiful thing is that I was e-stalking my favorite photographer online and I happened upon a new post he had up and forwarded it to my fiance post haste so he could hopefully fall in love with his style too. I took a short break from writing this blog post to look through my RSS feed only to find out that my selling point is the face behind my favorite blog!!
Does this sound real twisty? haha. Forgive me. I’m just still really high on the idea that I was using her romantic gorgeous day as my selling point to my own fiance. And I’ve been sitting here, reading her blog for months and having this one-ended full on friendship with her. She doesn’t know this, but that’s okay. That’s what blogs do to people.
I’m in heaven. She got married. Congratulations!
[*] and by met, I mean saw her updated blog post. haha. Who takes the internet seriously? Not I says the blind man…
/end pregnant pause. haha
Do you have an inspriational wall? What do you do to get your creativity flowing again?
Periodically, I go through a self-evaluation of where I am in the world and what I would like to see change (be it good or bad). Then I vanish. Upon my return, I usally have worked on most of the things I would like to see improvements/changes on and I proceed with life.
For some reason, I no longer seem to fully have this luxury anymore. But all is not lost. Indeed, it has probably helped me grow more in a shorter period of time than usual. “Where is this going?” you might ask?
I’ve decided that this blog will be changing course. I have been promised that my site will be launching no later than Wednesday of this week (YES I put that out there) and there are some other important things happening this month that I will keep you posted on. But I will be working (starting NOW) on the new journey we will all be on, together.
So hold tight.
I’m off to flesh out my thoughts some.
x’s&o’s