Void in Art

For the last couple of months I’ve been assisting an old high school buddy with taking his art career to the next level. Given that I’ve grown into a social media junkie, I’m also consulting on his social media presence and how to polish up his personal brand and message.

Shades by DWats

No, I’m not an art curator, nor an art expert, but I did take plenty of art history classes in college which taught me how to appreciate the art scene. But, before I could help my friend I had to educate myself on what the art world is all about, specifically the African American art scene. The ultimate goal is to get his work into notable art galleries and in front of the eyes of perspective collectors. Yes, Shades is by DWats. 

Given that I love to read and research, I decided to head to Barnes & Nobles to pick up a couple of books on African American artists. I was surprised that I couldn’t find one book on the topic in B&N’s art section. They probably just sold out…besides I only went to one B&N. 

Cashing in on Braids

Braids have made a come back and it's the hottest trend? This is news to me, because I didn't know that braids left the hair scene. Nor have I seen a trend of braids break out on social media. Have you?

Well, CBS Sunday Morning discovered that braids are hot on the red carpet and on the runway. But what about around the way? As far as I'm concerned braids never left my neighborhood. I still style my own hair in braids... you know the two braids cornrowed back and off to the side. And yes, I do them myself.

Are you living your dreams?

For the last several days my Facebook and Instagram feeds have been blowing up with images and quotes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Most of the comments and messages are from Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream," speech which contains a list of inspirational dreams. Some of those dreams have manifested into something greater than I ever imagined. For example, I never thought that I would live to see the day that an African American would be elected as president, twice. 

Mahalia Jackson & MLK(bottom right) 

If Dr. King listened to his advisers who told him not to do the "I Have a Dream" speech for the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, I'm pretty sure the United States would be very different today. Good thing Dr. King listened to gospel singer Mahalia Jackson who shouted out: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!"  (YouTube clip of the speech below)

What Would You Do?

ABC's What Would You Do? has a way to make viewers think. The actual title, "A White Male Haircutter Faces Racism At A Black Barbershop," should give you an idea of what to expect.

Trending Inspirational Words: Trent Shelton

The one thing I love on social media news feeds are motivational messages. Trent Shelton recently appeared in my news feed with a brilliant message. After doing some research, I found that Shelton has a mass following in the social media arena...and here's why. (LISTEN CAREFULLY)

To keep up with Shelton's inspiring words be sure to like his Facebook page. 

Miss. Needy vs. Miss. Independent

The other day the image on the right hand side of your screen managed to hit my Facebook news feed.

The post triggered a memory from a conversation I had with an old family friend that turned into a heated debate about independent women.

My family friend, who I'll call Bruce, is on his second marriage and is now mulling around the idea of a second divorce. "I've decided to just call it quits and pay alimony."

That's two women and two children he's taking care of. I asked him what the problem might be. "It seems that I only date needy women." I quickly corrected him and told him that he was attracted and drawn to needy women. "When you've settled your heart and mind after your divorce you may want to consider dating independent women," I advised.

Resolution for 2014: Stick to the Plan

It’s that time of year again, resolution time. People are sharing their annual goals on social media sites and pushing #resolutions2014 into the trending topic list. So far I’ve seen the following:

·         New Year, New Me

·         Get a new job

·         Limit my time of Facebook

·         Exercise

·         Get better friends

·         Get rid of toxic friends

·         Travel

·         Take care of me

No, these aren’t my resolutions for 2014 but I’ve seen these and a list of others in my newsfeeds leading up to 2014. (Ok, well two of those were mine from 2013. I now have better friends and I keep the toxic ones at a distance.)

I recently told a friend of mine to write out his resolutions. “I must admit that putting it on paper surely put the things that are important to me into perspective,” he wrote in an e-mail.