STAND UP, AIM &TAKE THE SHOT

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

It’s amazing how many things we talk ourselves out of during the course of our days simply because of the fears of what might go wrong – or what someone might be able to say. It reminds me of one of the passages in my book that speaks of the perception that the most valuable real estate on earth are cemeteries – because lying there alongside their owners are all the ‘could dos’ and ‘should dos’… never to see the light of day. In other words, it wasn’t making the shot that made Michael Jordan so special. It was always the fact that he was always willing to take the shot… regardless of the outcome.

D Anthony SomethingtoShare

You can follow him on Facebook . Amazing teacher.

DECENCY….IS IT GONE …FOREVER?

I listened to Oprah and Rev. Al Sharpton’s interview and I share Oprah’s question and concern when she asked …since when does anything African American means the lowest common denominator? Take the word American out and put in any country. The current music, the lifestyles, the movies presented and just today in my country Jamaica the headline of the abuse of the windscreen washers on the street and the people questions a fleeting PM who will not answer. When you look at all of this I have to ask the question?

THE LAST SUPPER

No matter what generation or time the outcome would be the same…they would deny him 3 times, they would deny they know him, they would run away and hide and they still would not believe. It is not to be expected that human nature will change in a day , in a year or in millenniums.

TINE TEMPAH-FRESH ARTISTE AMIDST DESPERATE STANDARDS

TINE TEMPAH-FRESH ARTISTE AMIDST DESPERATE STANDARDS

Tine Tampah the UK’s newest export is a fresh artiste that is sadly emerging in a desperately sad and flat music standards. His debut album Demonstration is a sweet mix of urban rhythms with some interesting collaborative and powerful lyrics. Yes there are some that can be considered NSFW but it is the exception and not the rule so the expletives gives the lyrics power.

He speaks what he sees and feels and so his lyrics are relatable. Mixed with the eclectic music arrangements the album devours your mind while listening to it on your favorite MP# player. The music moves you. It gets you tapping and nodding. Its powerful.

If you are into pop/rap and eclectic music with surreal musical arrangement then download and listen to Tine. He’s now on my most played playlist.

 

 

WE ARE WHAT WE WRITE

A Fb friend D Anthony SomethingtoShare had an interesting discussion and his question was if you could change anything about your life what would it be? I responded and said I would change nothing except the times I allowed other peoples judgement and interpretations influenced me.

It kept me thinking and I also realized that frankly the path you have drawn in your life so far is written for a reason unknown to us. No one knows the journey we each must take but one thing is certain we must never be too quick to draw conclusions from what happens to us; simply let it happen and learn and be stronger from the experience.

This thing called life is a series of experiences we go through day by day. Every person, every thought, every smile, every thing we have done and are doing is but a chapter in our book. So we cannot look to blame anything we have experienced or our past . It has everything to do with making us who we are. In essence therefore we cannot change anything once it is written. We are what we have written. Once your book is printed, you can never un-write it but you can make the other chapters a work of art for everyone to love forever. Thanks D Anthony SomethingtoShare.

D Anthony SomethingtoShare’s Response:

D Anthony SomethingtoShare You are very welcome Paul! To your point, much like the first time we are watching a movie, often times in life things will happen and in the moment we simply don’t know why. However, if we are able to keep our minds, hearts and perspectives open there is virtually always meaningful growth possible and valuable lessons to be learned. And if we can manage to stay open to, and positive in the face of, those numerous daily opportunities, trials and tribulations we encounter… If we can manage to stay true to ourselves… Then in time our true destinies and potential can, and will, be revealed. Wishing you much enlightenment and success in getting there…

have a great day everyone and write your chapter. 

KEHINDE WILEY ‘THE WORLD STAGE: JAMAICA

“‘The World Stage: Jamaica’ is the seventh platform within a series of projects that explore portrait painting in the context of the broader evolution of global pop culture. I chose models through a street casting process in the neighborhood of Trench Town in Kingston, Jamaica, as well as the dance halls and clubs throughout the city. The works investigate the rhetorical strengths of 18th- and 19th-century British portraiture and draw a distinct line of cultural and economic lineage between the United Kingdom and Jamaica. ‘The World Stage: Jamaica’ seeks to provoke the viewer to reassess the visual vocabulary of the portrait and the depiction of black and brown people globally.” Kehinde Wiley, ‘Modern Painters’, September 2013

Kehinde Wiley is an American artiste that has a series of painting called World Stage where he visits different parts of the world to produce works of art drawing the connection of history , in this case colonial power to present  day life. His inspiration comes from his interest in colonialism , their wealth and power acquired from their life in the islands and the countries he visits, and in turn uses that period of history and display it using present day people in the same glorious effigies of their past masters. The work is interesting and fascinating as the results are what he calls’ BIG painting. This type of painting is dramatic, over powering, it draws on your sense of scale, it is as he calls it chest pumping painting. And he succeeds. They are Big!

The artist’s work inspires you the viewer as it puts his subjects , and they are what you will call insignificant people, into the spotlight and makes their life as big as the picture they pose in. The art uplifts them to the point where they would never have the opportunity to be seen much less be heard.  Is is art imitating life? Its much more than imitation. It is empowerment. It is reversing the roles. It is reminding you the viewer that our past is still connected to our present. It is Art in its simplest and most controversial and political form. Thank you ACUBIEN for bringing this wonderful work to the front.

Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977 in Los Angeles, USA) lives and works in New York, USA and Beijing, China. He will be the subject of a major solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, USA in 2015.  Wiley’s work features in the permanent collections of numerous prominent institutions including The Jewish Museum, New York; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn; Studio Museum, Harlem; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles and Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.

ALL Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London.  Our kind thanks to Stephen Friedman Gallery and CCH Pounder on her visit to London for bringing this exhibition ACU|BIEN‘s attention.

THE PALE BLUE DOT- EARTH

Sometime you have to put down your chores, put away all the distractions and pause, just hit the pause button. Now press the play button of this video.You will be transported to the vast space called the cosmos and there you will see how small we are in relation to the vast open space we are suspended in. Earth is a small pale blue dot.

Over 7 billion people occupying this space and what you don’t know wont hurt you or even get your attention. So 7 billion people exist as if they are the only ones in this cosmos, occupying the only space they ever know. We kill, we destroy. we care, we grow, we love, we deceive, we cheat, we support, we celebrate – we are as inconsistent as the winds of time. We simply take this dot for granted. Why are humans so freckle, so weak and yet so strong? Why do we always take everything for granted? Is it a human trait bound in our DNA?

I beg to disagree. We are who we are because some of us choose to be so. Humans all have one gene in our DNA that is probably the only thing we all share- that gene called love. So simple yet so difficult. There are those that resist it while others cherish it . And so we live together on this planet like 2 different winds blowing in opposite directions.

We are a pale blue dot in time. Occupy your space and make your space a loving growing and rewarding stage where your audience can applaud your performance in your one and only act in this play called LIFE.

PROTECT YOUR INNER BOWL

‘It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of the deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs…[And] if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. (Theodore Roosevelt)

I was listening to Oprah’s super soul sunday with Dr. Brene Brown and she mentioned this quote by Theodore Roosevelt and how it changed her life forever as she was affected by comments persons made to a speech she did on TED Talk. I visited the quote and I shook my head and said..YES. As different as we all are so too are our opinions and if we respect each other’s individuality then we ought to respect their opinion, regardless how hurtful or flattering it is.

We never know where the opinion comes from- what hidden place it reared its head and knowing this fact why should it affect us? Everyone has hidden bowls filled with water unsettled by the waves of life, it crashes against the walls of everything we believe in. Sometimes the water is throw overboard and this is your emotion thrown. If it catches you , you get wet but you are forgetting you can dry it off. We cannot let people’s wet emotions flood our inner bowl of peace. You can’t possibly carry yours and theirs. Your bowl will burst. So protect your inner bowl.

People will always speak.People will always have to throw away baggage. Don’t let it hit you coming from their space.  We all have our own burdens to bear.

THE KINGS SPEECH – REVISITED

Have you seen the movie the King’s Speech? If you have then you will have no problem revisiting the scene when during one of the King’s therapy class he donned some ear plugs and read aloud without any interruption. Well here art imitates life and switch the scene to 2013 where a similar student has the same problem like King Edward and he donned an earphone and read aloud..for the first time.

Sadly Mushy, the boy, was bullied by his peers because they are still learning that we are all different. Mushy refused to be silenced despite his major speech impediment and talked he did. Moral of the story…as ever finger print for every human being is different, so too are all of us. Its a human lesson that we all must learn, some of us the hard way. Uniquely created, individually perfected, the human specie is flawless. Let us celebrate this every day we wake and see the beauty of the world.

Selah.

NATURAL LOVE – by Kirkland Horatio

 

..it’s MONDAY and you are not here …I sit here in this cold office and think back on your warmth and the weekend that was – the way my body conformed to you (almost obedient and child-like) in an unforgiving bond

…I crave you

…I miss you

…I need you

…I want  you so much

…I wish to return to you

…you are so firm, so well-built

…so, so nice and broad (just the way I like ’em)

…letting you go this morning was the hardest thing to do, but I had to leave – we knew this was coming, so I had to face the world without you and being the man that I am – I had to be strong

…know that I almost turned back, but I knew full well that if I did, I would have mounted you once more – oh God how I wanted to …I would have stayed in you all day this time …in you all day, and well into the night! …I can’t wait to see you again though – but alas, I can’t wait to jump all over you again

…my beautiful queen

…my queen sized bed, there for me always – until we meet again!

…with love:

Kirkland Horatio!