Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

I'm Inspired By: The Oscars

Did you guys catch the Oscars? Usually I don’t watch awards shows because honestly, they’re quite boring.




But one thing that stood out was the “Legion of Extraordinary Dancers” performance. WOW! It was a breath taking performance that juxtaposed classical ballet with breaking and pop locking. It’s crazy to see that performance come to fruition. I remember going to school at Brentwood and I would get in trouble at the dances. I was told by the administration that I couldn’t bring anymore of my “outside” friends to the parties. Most of them were Hip Hop dancers, “housers” with backpacks, baggy clothes who performed crazy flips. The message I got was that Hip Hop was neither welcomed in the gym dances or in the “modern” ballet classes. But that was in 93. Even worse was citing rap lyrics on English term papers when comparing Shakespeare or Arthur Miller. My teachers had no frame of reference for the poetry and so they dismissed it. Actually they completely dissed it.

And then there it was…break dancing at the Oscars. It made me want to cry. Hip Hop is no longer the language of the edge-dwellers and has gone main stream for some time. But to see it in its infinite grace and beauty at the awards; I was floored. I think we take it for granted. But I remember when it was just something that “those kids” did, including me. But what would the world look like without Hip Hop? Would Obama be president? Think about that for a minute.

Shak
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Fresh Website...The Impossible Cool

My boy hit me with this link yesterday...the vintage pics are AMAZING!
It reminds me that COOL is being your most unique self. Not the self you want to be, or the self others think you are, but the self that just is.
This dude is one of the coolest...



In a word...Beautiful.




Tuesday, March 31, 2009

I'm Inspired By: Jay Z

Check out the link for Jay-Z'S 6 Points to living a successful life:


Jay said, “Whether you have zero money or a million dollars, it doesn’t change who you are. Keep yourself inspired.” I know a lot of people that look up to a person for all the wrong reasons…mainly money, chicks/dudes and their lifestyle even if that person is a complete LOSER. I look up to Jay because of his raw talent but more important than that I admire his tenacity. He won’t let you forget about it either, not for one second. He lets everyone know about his story…we all know it, from Marcy to Worldwide Baller. Storytelling has sooo much power in it. I think everyone should know their own story that defines who they are as a person: CEO’s, marketers, policeman, teachers…because it’s what connects you to other people. If your life has a boring story, I suggest living a more compelling life.

Sometimes we don’t want people to know how much we’ve been through to get to where we are, but that type of brutal honesty is SO RARE and it’s what sets a part your Jay’s, Kanye’s, Janelle Monet’s. They don’t give a damn about what people think…look at that dude T. Perry. Regardless of what people think of his movies, his personal story is undeniable and so are his pockets, HELLO! And then there’s that dude Obama…I wonder if people believed in him when he was on his campaign race to become a State Rep and lost…only to become Senator and then Pres. Everyone believes when you have the proof (once he became Senator) but would everyone on this thread believe in a young, hungry Obama, if he was just a dude with a story and passion for changing this country? Hmmm…

Unfortunately, 99% of people don’t believe you, until you’ve become what you say you are. You can be in the studio day and night, like Pharrell, more amazing then Pharrell and the world will say, “You need more People, I don’t believe you”. Lol And that’s such a tragedy because no one becomes anything without first believing in themselves. Damn, I think that’s Jay’s 1st point.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The Night the Cops Tried to Jack Me for Inspiration

photography: Jewel K. Estephanos

Today we had our first sit down to offically begin the launch of this site. Things have begun to get a bit strange with all of the coincidences. Whenever we're together it seems that every single thing we speak of comes into existence almost instantaneously or we’re somewhere where someone knows one of us…it’s very Celestine Prophecy-ish. I guess I’ll start at the end, I always like stories that start that way :)

We go to Starbucks for the second time today and see the same group of older gentlemen sitting at the table in the middle and Shak even remarks on it…”Kinda déjà vu-ish, right?” We order the same drinks as before we walk out I look across the street to see what new art Mr. Brainwash, a new-ish Pop Artist think Andy Warhol circa ’08 but in his (Mr. Brainwash’s) own right, has put up. It’s so right on, of course, I have to point it out. As we get to the car Shak asks if I brought a camera and I “just so happened” to have mine in my purse. We decide that I’ll take a picture and post it on the site. I get out of the car and try to find the best vantage point for the shot because it’s dark outside and I don’t want to get hit but I’ve gotta get the shot. As I’m positioning myself in the middle of the yellow lined area on the edge of the lane for traffic a police car pulls up next to me and the officer asks, rather nicely, “What are you talking a picture of?” I simply respond that I’m taking a picture of the art work because we’re starting a company and wanted to put it on our website. He asked what the website was about, and I said that it was about empowering people through inspiration to go after their passions and follow their dreams. And so, seeing the sign from across the street was like God (the universe) talking to us as we were just taking a break from our session. He wanted to know the name of the website and I told him that we hadn’t posted it yet and that’s what we were in the process of creating. He said ok and I told the officers to have a great evening. I took a couple more shots and as soon as I got back into the car the officer had turned around and pulled up right next to us and said he wanted to know if he could get the website info and Shak said that it wouldn’t be up for another two weeks. He said, “Well, how can I find it later,” and I asked if he had a business card. He said, “With my email address?” And we said, “Yep.” As he was writing his info on the card we introduced ourselves to him and the officer that was accompanying him. He gave Shak the card and asked how we met. I said that I was the “brains of the operation.” Lol Then I said that it actually started from an idea by Shak. She expounded that it was something she’d been thinking about for about 10 years. She then said that she picked me because I was one of her most artistic friends. We wished them well and they drove away. After words we looked at each other like “What the f*@k?! Did that really just happen? Did a police officer just come over and try to get that inspiration up outta us?” It was just further proof that what we’re peddling is like water, like air…it’s SOOOOO necessary. An officer of the LAW stopped me got a little bit of info, drove away and then TURNED AROUND! Are you serious?! Who does that happen to?...And on the DAY that we’re getting everything together for the launch no less. It was meant man, it was meant.

Everything that day happened in such a way that every experience seemed to just feed into one another. The premonitions have slowed down coming through my dreams by way of my subconscious. My conscious thought patterns and processes are bringing every person into my life now. Because I am experiencing this and recognizing what I’m experiencing makes me feel at once more powerful and at the same time more responsible because I AM bringing it all to me. So that previous wackness, yeah, I brought it in and the DOPEST, I’m definitely bringing it in. I have to be aware, at all times of my thought process and work constantly to eradicate any negativity by instantaneously replacing it with that positivity when crap wants to peek it’s little head in. I mean, before we left the house to go on that Starbucks run, Shak did her Tyrone Biggums impression, AGAIN lol, and this time it was Tyrone talking about wanting Obama to win, “Obama in ’08.” And she follows up with (in her own voice) “Uhhh, Obama was actually elected last month.” So when a real life Tyrone Biggums walks up on us in the parking lot of Starbucks saying, “Obama for President! And I bet that Michelle can cook, too.” We were a bit stunned because we knew Shak brought that experience into our lives. I just gave the dude a pound and responded, “Si se puede” (Yes we can), I mean what else can you say? Lol I further commented on the experience after we got into the car by simply stating “Shak… stop thinking about things or next chocolate is going to start raining from the sky.”

Sidebar: she has a MAJOR obsession with chocolate…for real. Check her profile pic.

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