Sunday, April 29, 2012

Camera Ready

what a week! i so wanted to do a post on some sort of fashion diy, but i must now spend my sunday editing video for YouTube and write this post! i'm working out a system so everything is timed to the "T" and i have more than enough time to do my hearts desires. but for now i thought why not share some of the things i learned for creating a video with ME in front.

1) first you need a camera. i'm using my canon 7d. point and shoots work as well and i've used them for previous videos. even some built in phone cameras get the job done.

2) have a good mic!!! i forgot to bring my Rode mic for my last video but not this time around :) if you don't have the funds for a mic and happen to have an iphone they have a dope a$$ built in mic which you can definitely use.


3) do your makeup and hair and wear clothing that looks good on camera and represents you! if i'm gonna put my face out there for people to critique i might as well put some effort into getting camera ready. i don't usually wear powder makeup but i busted out my Rupaul kit to get even skin tone and color. i also chose fun colors cause i'm all about it :)


4) get used to being in front of a camera :) in my instance it's my friend so i can be myself, flaws and all.


5) pick an area that has nice day light and compliments yo face. i love both photography and filming with natural light. if it's day out, best believe i'll be filming by a window or outside.

6) edit your video! people get bored FAST! keep it short. i need to refine the art of 2 min videos. but it's a good idea to have different angles and locations when shooting. i edit using imovie. i have the new final cut but they totally revamped it, i kinda have to re-teach myself. i'm happy to be a mac user since it comes with so many fun and cool programs for free! but editing moving images? is a whole other beast. i imagine i'll get faster and better but for now, slow and steady wins the race. if you don't have editing software, YouTube gives you the ability to edit your footage.


Thursday, April 26, 2012

These Girls Are Inspiring!


i had the pleasure of speaking as a panelist for a networking event hosted by@ThoseGirlsRWild here in NYC with other amazingly talented women. well, let me just tell you...these women inspired me and reaffirmed why i'm doing this "shameless" campaign. for a cyber novice such as myself i learned a lot from these veterans. i'm not accustomed to promoting myself but i have to. we have to. even if we have agents or managers or not, we live in a day and age when we must do everything in our power to bring us closer to whatever our end goal is. my goal? i do know i want to create a fresh new alternative than what's out there presently. i love this tweet from @thecoolhunter "Instead of being better than everybody else, it's often more valuable to create a new market and totally dominate it...". YES!!! the wheels in my mind keep churning...m-u-s-t-d-o-m-i-n-a-t-e. anyways...
i love what one of the panelist from Around the Way Curls said "do something that scares you". YES! overcome obstacles with repetition! why i love this "shameless" campaign? cause i'm scared $h!tless! but whatever. cool peeps, good vibes, and goodie bags!

love, love, LOVE free stuff and it doesn't hurt that it's for curly hair.

thanks for putting this together @TGAW

The Power House Panelist:
Franchesca Ramsey is an actress, comedian and video blogger based out of New York City. With over 80k subscribers on her two YouTube channels, she and her videos have been featured on MTV, The New York Times, Essence.com and The BBC. Her recent viral hit “Sh*t White Girls Say...to Black Girls” was viewed over 5 million times in just 5 days, garnering coverage on MSNBC, ABC, Ebony Magazine, The Daily Mall and the Anderson Cooper talk show to name a few.

We are two best friends from Philadelphia who because of our own sisterhood and kinship, created a community for women to connect, encourage and inspire one another. Around the Way Curls is an online publication that infuses pop culture and issues of women's interest with an emphasis on the beauty, originality and spirit of naturally kinky, curly hair.

Brooke Slade graduated from Temple University. BA in Public Relations. As a model she has worked with clients from NFL to YSL, and has become a successful commercial, print & runway model. She moved to NYC in 2010 to further her professional achievements in public relations and modeling. She is currently an executive office manager at POKE New York (Digital Advertising Company), Public relations director for American Dreaming magazine and a professional, agency represented model.

Sakita Holley is the Founder and CEO of House of Success, a lifestyle brand relations firm where she provides counsel and creates strategic PR campaigns for organizations that represent one or more of the five key lifestyle zones: Live, Work, Play, Travel and Indulge. Her clients have been featured in CNN Money, Black Enterprise, NY Daily News, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, AOL Daily Finance, UPTOWN Magazine, Vibe and on some of the most influential blogs/digital publications on the web. In 2011, Sakita was chosen to be a lifestyle blogger for NIKE Women’s Make Yourself campaign. She tweets as @MissSuccess and is gearing up for the re-launch of SakitaHolley.com, a PR girls’ guide to lifestyle branding.


Aeshia De Vore Branch is living her dream. The talented TV producer, writer, model, and mother of three daughters helps teenage girls develop into adulthood through her lifestyle website TeenDiariesOnline.com. The void of entertaining yet positive media for young urban women, ages 13-22, led to the conception and rapid growth of the Founder/CEO’s passionate venture. As the instrumental force behind the brand’s creative vision and marketing concepts, Aeshia has used her astute business acumen and enthusiasm for her cause to spearhead collaborations with companies aiming to reach the Teen Diaries demographic.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

what brand is this?

my life is already slightly chaotic and then i go ahead and do this "shameless" challenge. well good thing i did a public declaration so if i did quit, which i won't, i'd be such a lame-O. at least i can still live life as per usual with the exception of putting time aside here and there to "promote" me...right? if i didn't already need it before i definitely need to master time management NOW... and the big question, what will my next video be? i'm toying around with ideas but i do want to stick with my whole "do-it-yourself", "tips", "tricks"...in any event it should be fairly interesting.
i've had lots of inspiration for this project from friends, random conversations with strangers, and documentaries, namely The Greatest Movie Ever Sold by Morgan Spurlock a "documentary about branding, advertising and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement". The documentary reveals that Morgan Spurlock had to define himself, his brand and then sell this brand aka "himself" to viewers and investors. this is when i had an aha moment. "who am i and what's my brand?" like that scene in Zoolander when Derek looks at his reflection in the water...HA! well it got me thinking...
not only am i a frugal artist, i'm an unknown artist. what i do is fairly broad to most, but to me i look at things as "do it yo damn self" projects. observing things, studying things then going a head and applying what i just learned by revamping, transforming, and creating things in my life.
well i've been observing those instagram, tumblr, and twitter celebrities and there seems to be a reoccurring theme. i'll be sharing this along with how you can apply it to your own "shameless" self-promotion campaign.
but yeah, this whole online thing is so fascinating! Andy Warhol was correct in saying "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." he made this statement in 1968. i have no idea how he knew that but that just proves how genius he is. this is possible with the internet. anyways...go watch The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, figure out your brand, then celebrate it with the world.

oh and just so we have the numbers somewhere, prior to this youtube video i had the following follwer numbers:
twitter--->212
instagram--->524
youtube--->11
blogspot--->78
facebook--->708 which i don't really want to promote so i may just create a fanpage...let's see what happens

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

shameless

i've been pretty sporadic with my online presence. i bounce back and fourth...sometimes i prefer that no one know me or what i do...then i realize i need to build a bridge and get over it...i'm hoping i'll be able to finally work on this MAJOR weakness, which is essentially celebrating SELF aka shameless self-promotion. what would happen if you shamelessly self-promoted yourself? i've been asking myself that question for a month or so...and finally decided to make a youtube video with guidelines on what i would need to do to shamelessly promote myself. for someone such as me this is more difficult than it looks...any who, join me!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Simply Happy

The road to happiness is a simple one.  Do what makes you happy. If you enjoy biking, bike. If you enjoy singing sing. We must find happiness from within and stop expecting and/or demanding it from others.  It’s not your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, mom, dad or besties fault for your unhappiness. Take responsibility.  Keep in mind however, that you are not responsible for another's happiness. As much as we want to please others, if they're unhappy it is not your responsibility to make them happy. I'm not saying you should be insensitive, but know that despite your efforts of trying to "save" someone, only they can.

Act on the things within your control. If no one wants to go to the movies with you then go by yourself. If your boyfriend didn’t buy you a Christmas present, that’s wack and you should probably tell him how much you’d appreciate a gift, then move on. You hate your job? Before you quit try changing your perspective and how you interact with others. Whenever those tendencies to criticize someone else creep in, redirect and focus on YOU and what you need to do to reach your goals. And since I’m on the topic, create goals! Doable goals, then work towards them and accomplish them.  Progress and accomplishment, for me at least, makes me happy. Not achieving my goals make me feel inferior, inadequate, and lame. Start setting small goals building your confidence so you can later on achieve bigger goals. Life and happiness isn’t complicated yet we, myself included, make it out to be.
SIMPLIFY your life! Try not to analysis, assume, judge, criticize...these are all signs that you’re not taking responsibility and are in fact blaming someone else for your unhappiness. And in the same token you're not responsible for someone else's unhappiness so stop blaming yourself if you are. We all go through highs and lows. But it's important to act responsibly and not dish out our emotions on others.
Do that which makes you happy! Simple :)

Speaking of misery, I dragged myself to the beach on Monday spreading my pink eyes with the world. I had to escape the confines of my apartment and have some happy time.
taking photos on instagram make me happy :)
relaxing doing nothing on a beach feels odd...i can never sit still so this was a good change...notice how i'm still taking pictures, doing something :)
hanging out with cool peeps makes me happy :)
i'm happy to say my pink eyes are gone too.

Monday, April 16, 2012

diy jean shorts! finally!

what a week! first i get the flu, then loose my voice, then get pink eye in one eye, and wake today with pink eye in both! at least i can see and despite my cigar voice i can talk. and good thing blogs require only patience and a keyboard... this weekend i revamped 2 pairs of shorts. this first one is really simple. i didn't take photos since i did it on a saturday night while ya'll were out partying i was with my scissors on the couch watching psych...but yeah all you need are scissors and snip, snip, away:
they still have to go through a wash to give that authentic distressed and not man-made look but so far so good! this back cutout is best done on high waisted jeans. i thought about cutting out a portion of the back pockets along the horizontal arch but...too risque? not so if you have cut undies or swim gear on...perhaps tacky?
anyway pair #2 these ones require a sewing machine. there are tons of laces and crochets out there i was torn...i ended up going with these to rock with a black and white plaid top i have

cute, cute!

i have one more pair that are in production...i had to bleach them whitish which took the entire day yesterday...am i missing something? i didn't know bleaching a pair of light jeans could be such a pain! anyways, here's a sneak peek...and yes that is pink metallic leather :)

major thanks to my boo bear for taking photos of my derriere :)

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

i love love

i got some good news today! the wedding i shot in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is featured on the home page of Wedding Bells! for all you canadian brides, i'm just as obsessed as you! i had the pleasure of photographing my friend and very first model, Amanda Cann-Youssef and her husband Mark Youssef.  my first roll of film on my slr over 10 years ago was of Amada. she came over to my house in Toronto and sported my white fur coat and posed it up. she was amazing but my first roll was atrocious! we've both come a long way since then. it was such a pleasure to join her on her life journey with 3 adorable daughters, a beautiful marriage and an intimate ceremony in paradise.
and last month this beautiful shoot was also featured in Junebug Weddings
i'd love to shoot more intimate weddings in interesting settings. let's make it happen brides! i'm available everywhere :)


glitterati!

now i can die a happy woman!
while walking the streets of nyc with celebrity friend Andrea Lewis we popped into vintage store No Relation, located at 204 1st Ave in the Lower East Side. well, well, well, was it my lucky day or what. i founds me a silver sequin jacket that was custom made for ME!!! where the heck am i gonna wear this besides a fab drag show?
i could not believe my eyes when i saw this hanging on the racks for $15 bucks! what the heck?! $15! i thought it was a trap when i went for the jacket. "how is this still here?" was what i whispered while my beady eyes shifted from left to right like some creep. it was just meant to be i guess. i found this master piece after having first picked up this random knitted, purple sequin top.

i paid $35 for the 2! i have new found hope for nyc vintage shops. i'm big on deals and this was a score. i told David i wanted to be clothed in my silver jacket on my death bed and he freaked out on  me. i feel as though everyone would have a good laugh. but i digress. i need to figure out how i'm gonna rock this right...what bottoms should i wear? especially with this tacky purple one.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

diy denim part 2 of...

so it turns out i have quite the denim collection waiting to be revamped into something new. but before i go A.D.D. on ya'll i did in fact revamp my acid wash jeans yesterday. and because they were way too big i converted them into a cute pillow case. 

i was so frustrated trying to get these jeans to behave, i didn't take too many photos of "the making of":
cost: $4 zipper, $4 jeans
this would sit lovely with my  iny t-shirt pillow cases i did last year here

 as for my pile of jeans you ask? i've got fabric dye and i ordered gold studs online so once that comes in i'll definitely be revamping a couple pairs of shorts. mama needs new clothes!
UPDATE: DIY JEAN SHORTS HERE




learn to forgive

HAPPY EASTER!!!
what is easter anyway? as celebrated by christians, it's the day Jesus resurrected from the dead. and why is this important? it's lengthy but the short end of it, he sacrificed himself so the sins of mankind could be forgiven, thereby giving life after death.
i started reading the bible last august to find out for myself what the big hype was any way. how could a book over 2000 years old still be in circulation? what is it about the bible that is so controversial? i've only read the new testament, but i can see why it's still in circulation and controversial. if you're open minded and or hit rock bottom in life, i urge you to read at least the new testament of the bible. i don't consider myself catholic or christian, just a being curious about life and my curiosity has led me to be a believer of Jesus and what he stands for...love. how does a man who's betrayed, beaten, and finally murdered manage to maintain his peace? really? that's deep right there. i get all bent out of shape if peeps are walking slow in the train stations. sometimes the hardest thing to do is forgive, yet Jesus time and time again forgave. i don't agree with all that i've read in the bible but there are certainly good chunks especially in the new testament that challenge the reader. so if you don't believe in easter or religion or do believe, let's make today Happy Forgiveness Day. forgive someone that you truly can't stand. you may or may not acknowledge it verbally but at the very least acknowledge it to yourself. the burden of carrying a grudge requires too much work. forgive and find freedom.
HAPPY FORGIVENESS DAY!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

diy denim pt.1of2

in a world where everything is a 1or 0 and i'm glued to a computer screen, i realized i had to go back to my roots and create with my hands using my lovely swing machine. and what better time than now with this lovely spring weather :) i bought a pair of acid wash jeans thinking i could convert them into cute shorts but they're too big! i'm still gonna see if i can make it happen but if not i'm turning those bad boys into pillow cases! but back to the cute short...
studded shorts are all the rage these days

i'm digging the fabric and that jumbo stitch!
to see what's available i headed to the fabric district. first stop, the amazing M&J Trimmings:
endless possibilities!

here's what i'm working with...geek chic with a tres loose crotch

i'll be able to transform these suckas this weekend with a full diy post on either pillow cases or revamped shorts or both :)