SXSW 2015: Fangirling and Inspiration-Hunting

So, It's my first SXSW.

I'm uber excited.

Can you tell? (Mind you... I have like 1 or 2 days free days in which I can actually participate but...)

IT'S ONE BIGASS ARTS FESTIVAL in a state I was born and raised in and went to grad school in and I haven't ever fucking been!? WTH. I judge myself. I spent the early afternoon waiting in line sweating, feeling nervous, getting overwhelmed by the throngs of people that I've never seen in this city before, trying to figure out if it was actually going to happen. As if I didn't belong.

And after a bit of a wait, and more wait, followed by some stern eye shade at mofos trying to ump ahead and cut because that's how things sometimes go in life (namaste, I need to remember that for the future), I was awarded my first little humble free SXSW film wristband.

I felt like Charlie with his little golden ticket. #Goober #DontCare My employers gave me the choice of choosing between a film and music wristband and I chose film, much to their surprise. For a second I thought I was being whack but then I remembered crowds aren't always the safest for my kind. (I dare you to comment about what you think I mean by that). But whatever, I'm a budding media mogul. I need to be bouncing around my colleagues and get inspired. Isn't it cute?!

I left the convention center thinking two major things.

1. Man, I need to (continue) to make my own shit and don't self-promote it. If  I'm not speaking for myself, who will? And also, if I'm obsessing and overwhelmed by a sea of new faces at this immense cultural event, I won't make it. There just too much damn competition that way. Too many people "to beat out." But if I'm thinking, this is a neat idea, let's go shoot/write/produce/perform this real quick. Then voila, content created and I am the master of my own universe. 
2. Thought Deux - Fuck it! I'm buying an all-access pass for my birthday. Why the hell not? So many other people do. Why do I need to wait around to get a hookup, for someone else to give me something? I mean hookups are great but I can do all bad by my own. (I'm starting to feel like I sound like a 90s romance novel that's been stuck on the shelves of Wal-Mart for way toooo long. You know what I'm talking about?)

I can make my own shit and I should surround myself by other people who do as well. I knew I was on the right mental train of thought when I nabbed some cool swag. I mean how can I pass up a chance to get some inspo from "Maven/Mogul/Artist/Creator/BadAss AVA DUVERNAY?! Let's go! 

Side Note: Ya'll know when I tried to ask for a map they low-key shaded me and said, "well you should have it with your badge and your grab bag." Bump that. I have google map app and wifi and I can do bad all my myself. (Ok I need to retire that phrase for at least 3 months.) 

Oh yeah....Why do I feel like I'm not telling the complete truth about "going to SXSW":

• Do I have access to special events before other people? Yes. 
• Did I get this access for free? Yes. 
• Do I have access to everything that SXSW has to offer? No. 
• Would I be able to do it all even if I had? Hell-to-the-naw. Ain't nobody gots time for that. Literally

But who fucking cares! Let's experience some art and engage with it!

Guest Blogger - @jesimieljenkins - Moving to LA (Part 2)

If you guys may recall, my friend Jesimiel wrote, a couple of weeks back, about why he chose to move to LA in pursuit of his dreams of working as a host in the entertainment industry. Below, my dear friend elaborates one what he's learned in the last six months since he's been there. It's an eye opener and I think for all artists hoping to make it in LA, or any major metropolis (read: NYC, London, Paris, Tokyo, Rio... etc), you can learn a lot from his experiences.

Three things I’ve learned so far:

A career in the entertainment business is EXPENSIVE. 

-You must be willing to make a sizable investment in yourself to be taken seriously

            -This means paying for really great headshots

            -This means enrolling in ongoing acting classes at a good studio

            -This means buying great clothes that make people notice you when you walk into the audition room

Many people in LA want to be successful but few want to work for it.

-Many people want THAT life, that Beverly Hills life, but few will invest in themselves and work for it.

-It’s important to consistently work towards your goals in a sprawling city like LA and do things that you’re passionate about

-You don’t want to end up another embittered and angry artist serving tables and waiting for Steven Spielberg to walk in and notice you- take your career and your life into your own hands

Drugs are very very real

-I had a very sheltered upbringing in the suburbs of Virginia. I knew what drugs were but they were a very distant reality

-In LA, drugs are a close reality

            -Seriously, keep your drink close at bars and don’t go to an “after-party” with someone you don’t know, there will probably be drugs there

None of the families in Wilkerson’s book aspired to grace the big screen, they just wanted higher wages for their families and to live without threat of racial violence.  However, as I near the end of Wilkerson’s book, I am humbly reminded that I stand on the shoulders of giants and that I am not the first to take this journey.  Though my experience dims in comparison to the present and blood-drenched reality my ancestors lived in the south, I take pride in their bravery as they, like I, made the courageous decision to act upon their dreams.       

follow him @jesimieljenkins on Twitter

Empowering Yourself Through Entrepreneurship

I found this article Secrets of Start-Up Queens: How to Launch a Successful Business in Today’s Entrepreneurial Economy while I was on Buzzfeed today. The articles discusses the experiences of supermodel and business tycoon Iman and model and social media queen Coca Rocha. It struck a cord with me because I want to have longevity in my career and be more than just an actress. I want to have a platform and a voice. Here is a highlight from the article:

"Iman spoke of photoshoots early in her career, and the struggle to find makeup shades that matched her skin color. (Incidentally, the first time she wore makeup at all was on her first shoot.) So, years later with her supermodel status cemented, she decided to start her own eponymous makeup line targeted toward women of color. To be taken seriously as a businesswomen, though, she said she needed to “divorce herself from the [fashion] industry.”

I stopped going to fashion parties and networked not with fashion people but [with] business people. And I asked for help from executives. You will not believe, when you reach out and ask to be mentored by another female executive, how you will be uplifted.

Coco Rocha then told the audience she’d been peppering Iman with “entrepreneurial questions” in turn. While Iman branded a product she felt passionate about, Coco made herself the brand: “This is awkward because I’m listening to these ladies that are powerful businesswomen and I’m like uh… ME!”

She spoke of wanting to create a well-known persona in the same way the “old era” of supermodels did. She said, “I noticed that no-one knew much about me and no-one cared to know [either].” She cited social media as the way she’s created a personality to accompany the face. (As of writing, Rocha has 550,607 Twitter followers and 427,066 on Instagram. She recently wrote a “Why I Instagram” column for Vogue.)

[As a model] I had no way to have a voice — so in order to have a longer, more successful career, I started a blog. I wrote about nothing; I remember one post was about a bird named Tweety. And people were like, ‘Tweety’s so cool, he’s fantastic.’ I thought, ‘this is really awesome, I have an audience!’