Monday, March 26, 2012

Sing for Peace and Bang For Freedom

So.

Here goes.

I'm not angry.  I'm not bitter.  I'm not full of rage.

I am, however, interested.  Confused.  Concerned.

Irresponsible, yes, but I intentionally avoided the Trayvon Martin story like the plague.  I knew the back drop (a black kid was murdered by a white man for no apparent reason) but that was all. I knew there was audio of what happened up to his last breath and I knew that a hoodie was involved.  But that was as far as I knew.

I haven't exactly been the nicest person lately.  I've had more douche bag days since I've moved to NY than I've had in my entire life.  After a lot of reflecting about who I was, am and will be I realized I needed to change.  Long story short, I've been practicing....happiness.

My instincts told me that Trayvon would surely send me flying off the handle and counteract any progress I may have made.  And I reeeealllly didn't want that. I didn't want to be filled with hatred and pent up aggression over something I knew I would have little power over.

But that's not a good enough excuse to turn a blind eye on injustice.
And my Facebook newsfeed was becoming overwhelmingly flooded with everyone else's two cents on it. Including Sinead O'Connor.

I think her brilliant, on-time, love-filled chastising of America, the youth and the music industry was the straw that broke the camels back.

So now its my turn.

Firstly, I'd like to lovingly say, "FUCK YOUR FUCKING HOODIE".  Yes, the gesture was admirable.  And, yes,  the message/meaning behind it may have completely went over my head. But from where I'm standing, I can't possibly see what good wearing a fucking hoodie is going to do to demand justice for Trayvon's murder, counteract the KU KLUX KLAN-intiated bad reputation and stereotype of hoods OR make other black youth in America feel protected by the law and its enforcers.

Seriously, I can't see it. I guess seeing a bajillion people wearing hoodies would slightly soothe the family of Trayvon.  But that isn't enough.  In regards to the local governments, other 'watchmen', etc:

Where is the action?

Where is the follow up?

Where is the accountability?

Where is the apology?  The empathy? Hell, the sympathy?  Where is the promise or at least the false belief that somehow/someway there are efforts in place to ensure this type of thing won't happen again?

Of all the times America has lied to me, why can't it be now?  I'm clutching onto my last shred of faith in this nation world.  The religions, the governments, the economies have always been question(ed)(able) but most of us subscribed to those things wholeheartedly because......

it made sense?
it protected us?
it kept the peace?

Well, I'm having a hard time believing any of those things today.  It would be nice if the government of the nation that black people built would at least pretend to give a fuck.  Just this once.

And hold the phone right there because I'm totally not about to go on some 'black this, black that/America blah blah' rant.  That's not what this is about.  I'm actually questioning the moral compass of all of humanity.

What in the fuck are we doing?
Or, should I say, What in the fuck are we not?

Am I the only one who thinks we ( i.e. every living person on earth) are being duped?

Didn't Jason Russell just launch thee most genius campaign ever for regular ass folks like myself to help change the world? To take down a powerful war monger...VIA FUCKING FACEBOOK?????? Did he not just remind the citizens of the world the true power WE have in numbers alone?

And then what the fuck happened?

Whitney Houston died.  Trayvon Martin was murdered.  Jason Russell went nuts.  The end.

The Kony campaign has been swept under the rug as if it never even happened.  Those fuckin conspiracy theories usually sound ridiculous to me but if ever there was one that I could find myself believing in, it would be one based around this shit here.

All I'm saying is that there has to be something we can do.  There has to.  If there isn't, whats the fucking point?  Why should I want to abide by the laws of a nation when many of those laws won't protect me?  Why fit into the molds of a society that thinks injustice is merely a word and not a disgusting action that can be fought against? The ways of intolerant organized religion and out dated governing systems have not seemed to make this world a better place, in my humble opinion, so why not try a different approach?  I don't know much about the 'end times' but from what I've heard, this could very well be it. And if it is, I think its just on time.  But if its not, still, I think the world is beyond ready for some change.

So why not be a rebel and revolt?

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Lipstick and Labels


I am profoundly inspired and proud to see so many positive things starting to come out of Detroit.

You have no idea...

Or maybe you do.


After perusing a stylish friends Facebook list of 'Subscriptions', I came across a familiar name. It was the owner of a blog I used to follow like crazy a few years ago (www.ThoseGirlsAreWild.com, anyone?).  I checked in to see what they'd been into and after a few re-directs I found an article on The Lip Bar.

OMG.

The Lip Bar (http://thelipbar.com/store) is a cosmetics company that specializes in bold and highly pigmented limited edition lipsticks. The owner, Melissa Butler, is a Detroit native who dabbled on Wall Street for a bit before realizing her true passion and having the gall to pursue it.

The end results are amazing. I love the sleek detailed packaging and the overall branding of The Lip Bar.  From what I've read, it seems as if the brand operates in the same fashion as say, an OPI.  They launch collections in covetable hues that are only available for purchase through the manufacturer for a limited time.  After that, the shade is gone and so are your chances of getting your hands on it.

I love it.  I've recently become obsessed with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetic's Lip Tar, but I think The Lip Bar might take the top spot.  After all, it has the Detroit advantage.




Also, my superstalker eyes spotted that the visuals for The Lip Bar were provided by The Art Direction, which is another Detroit entity on the come up.  The Art Direction is led by Dante Marshall, a sick photographer who's been published in numerous magazines and has done a lot of promo work for Big Sean, ANOTHER Detroit player.

I LOVE it!

#BestCityInTheWholeWideWorld

http://vimeo.com/37156506

link:
EDGE Style Report: The Lipbar


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

the time has come for me to break out of the shell...



I just had a breakthrough.

I have not the slightest idea how to do anything graphic design-related.  It is important that you understand this in order to fully grasp why I'm so happy I can kiss a bum...

I have been working on a special personal project since August 2011 and I came to a major road block when I realized I seriously needed to hire a graphic designer and seriously lacked the cash to do so.  But if you know me, you've probably heard me say "Where there's a will, there's a way" at some point so I took my own advice and tried to go at it alone.

I have been fooling around with editing (see last post), web design (see 'www.andritarenee.com' and 'wix.com/pistolsandpetals/andrita') and I have learned some really rudimentary basic shit that I'm proud of.

Howeverrrrr....

Nothing compares to the joy I got when I figured out how to make the most basic/ simply chic business logo that ever existed! It was like I was in a race or something. Like I was either gonna go bald from pulling my hair out of frustration with this high tech new school shit or I was going to actually come up with something I could use.

Normally, I don't like to mention things that aren't really ready to go yet but I am so fucking shocked that I pulled this out of my ass that I want to tell the worrllld, dahling!

Diana, sing it out for these b*tches ;)

Monday, March 5, 2012

Click, Flash







I've been doing shoots over the past few months with photographer Shomari Roberts for SRGD Creative under the name The Iconoclast Project.  We've been working as a creative team to produce high quality shoots for artists in the metro NYC area at alarmingly affordable rates.  So far, we've completed about five shoots and a launch event since November 2011 and we're off to a good start. 

I feel like an ass for not writing about the experience more. After all, that's a large part of my blog- writing about my experience since I know there's no way in hell I'll remember it all.  

Anywho.

Here are a few images from our most recent shoot.  I have unofficially turned one of my coworkers to our in-house model muse and have been using her for test shoots during the entire length of The Iconoclast Project's existence.  She doesn't mind though, thank God.   I also got help from comedienne/musician Danielle Alexis to help with some color promo pics for my hair styling stuff.  On the not-so-pleasant side of things,  managed to piss off Shomari with my fake editing skills. I CANNOT help it.  I found Picnik and I became ad-dic-ted.  That, compounded with by impatience, bossiness and control freakiness would send anyone over the edge.  I get it.  Until I get my copy of Taming Your Alpha Bitch, everyone will just have to suffer unfortunately.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

'Cause you never know where the cards may lay



Dilemma...

You have two opportunities.

One - Kind of has a bit of glamour/prestige attached to it but not much more. Financial growth and personal advancement looks bleak here. You're mentally drained and constantly questioning what the fuck you're doing there and what is it that you're trying to prove.

Two - No glamour whatsoever.  In fact, this opportunity is the anti-glam.  But its genuine. And its built on ideas you're accustomed to and respect.  Even though you aren't particularly interested, there is room for growth here and a promise of stability for the taking.  Most notably, you don't feel at war, but at peace in a lot of ways.

The outside world (the general public) will say that you're fuckin insane to even consider Opp Two.  Your world (your friends and family) are all FuckYeahOppTwo.tumblr.com and shit.

You... are too indecisive, uncertain and afraid to make a decision either way.  And then, like clockwork, a simple decision becomes a larger than life self-debate about what it is that you really want in life in general.  Sure, you've been here more times than anyone else you know but this time its different.  This time you actually sorta feel a tiny bit of pressure to actually come up with a legit answer.  Like, for real.

And you can't.

And it seems like subconsciously, your mind/body/spirit/whateverthefuck is working against you.  Like they don't wanna fuckin help you figure the shit out!! Like you try to sit down, draw it out, think about it and within 30 seconds, your watching old episodes of Pepper Ann on YouTube.

And in the end, you just tricked yourself into avoiding dealing with a multitude of inconvenient, thought-provoking, important real-life shit that may have made your life that much simpler.

...And you still don't know which Opp is best for you





Knew the toll, but I would not pay



...thanks ms badu

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Pistols + Petals: The line

The Scarving Artist.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PistolsandPetals





At the end of last fall I did a small collection of scarves for Pistols + Petals.  One style, four colorways and various widths/lengths, 100% handmade using wool blend yarns. They are available through the Pistols + Petals shop on etsy for $25! I'm working on a few new color stories and ideas for a Summer 2012 collection.  In the meantime, check out the shop and the lookbook on the Pistols + Petals Facebook page.


Photography by: SRGDCreative
Oh, and order one too ;)

Friday, March 2, 2012

Love Was The Egg....



 Boy becomes the apple of Girl's eye.


Boy meets Other Girl.


Other Girl becomes apple of Boy's eye.



Boy and Other Girl live happily ever after.


Girl moves on.










Photography by Hayley Louisa Brown
Styling by Safiya Yekwai
Hair by Magdalena Tucholska
Makeup by Catherine Chater
Model(s) Jake Shortall @ AMCK & Valeria B. @ Premier

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Oooo, I Love You So...
















'Embody' by SebastiAn always gets me in a better mood.  The video is, by far, one of the best videos of 2011.  I think there's a flyy little black boy in all of us ;). Cassius' 'I Love You So' is one of those random songs that you hear one time and never really remember who made it yet you somehow never seem to forget it.  These tunes plus the continued genius of the house of Alexander McQueen make spring 2012 something to look forward to.

"I Mirror the Life of a Millionaire..."


"And I’m sorry if this planet that I’m living on is quizzical
My lyrical ambitions sometimes don’t ring a bell
I’m sorry if my visual don’t line up with my feelings
And my physical exhibit doesn’t represent me well
I’m sorry if I’m curious, delirious, and I don’t take life serious
I mirror the life of a millionaire
I’m sorry if I’m talking shit
But I really do mean well"
-God Given Name, Solange

This song has always struck a special chord with me.  It doesn't always seem like people get where I'm coming from when I go off the bohemian deep end and start talking that shit but its cool, I don't really expect everyone to get it.  Some people are so wrapped up in the ways of the world that they forget the power they have over their own lives and happiness.  I just pray I never become like that.

You know that saying, Work smarter not harder? Well, I've been doing exactly the opposite for the first two months of 2012.  I have been hustling backwards, my friends.    So I had to do something about this retardation.  I don't actually have a legit plan yet but I've begun planting some seeds that will get me back on track in no time. I'm starting to also focus on my happiness and ownership over my life.  

I want to honestly be able to say that I run MY world.  I want to be happy and fulfilled with the choices and moves I make in life, even if they are standing next to those of some Beyonce-type.  My goal is to make sure that my time here on earth isn't wasted, taken for granted or miserable in any form.  

That's my newest priority.  

Wish me luck