Monthly Archives: January 2010
life: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN – MLK SYMPOSIUM – DAY WITH VASHTIE – PHOTOSHOOT WITH BIG SEAN BY DANTE MARSHALL (1/27/10)
finally, after months of planning and date re-arranging…i made it to ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN for a F.O.K.U.S. event. since, my team is dead serious when it comes to “keeping busy” and i’m on the same page with overall making the most of your time — i was also scheduled to shoot with the amazingly talented DANTE MARSHALL. he approached me about doing a photoshoot a while back and this day, the timing worked out perfect with a cameo by BIG SEAN.
10:30AM – Land
11:30AM – Makeup & Styling
1:00PM – Meet & Greet
2:30-3:00PM : FOKUS Radio Interview
3:00-5:30PM – Photo Shoot with Dante Marshall + Big Sean
6:00PM – Screen Shot: Film as a Prominent Art Form 7-9pm
10:30pm-2:00am – 1992 Themed Party
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NEXT DAY: FLIGHT TO CHICAGO then FRANKFURT, GERMANY to shoot miss CLARA!
*dirt.
*DANTE MARSHALL (thanks for organizing such a great shoot on short notice. we MUST do it again soon)
*ASHLEE ARDER
*radio interview with TEDDY RUCKSPIN
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PHOTOSHOOT by DANTE MARSHALL + BIG SEAN + “day in the life of celebrity couple”
(behind the scenes)
*i said i didn’t want to wear anything tight, but the cardigan was a nice balance.
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*PANEL DISCUSSION
*BIG SEAN
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1992 THEMED PARTY
*me, BIG SEAN and ISIS
*the blew up and laminated all the 1992 flyers. OSCAR would have been so proud!
*a 1992 flyer i made from my DEF JAM letterhead!
*TEDDY RUCKSPIN
*so sad you couldn’t be here LUPE!
*F.O.K.U.S. CREW
*fake eyeslashes give me nightmares
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anyways. i just want to say a MAJOR THANKS to miss ASHLEE ARDER and the crew at F.O.K.U.S. who were extremely sweet and welcoming. their organization is doing super dope things and i am very appreciative that i was asked to come and spend the day with them. at the end of it all, the “1992 Themed Party” was the cherry on top. TEDDY RUCKSPIN killed it and (without cue) the decorations were almost exact to what OSCAR and i do for our own parties – candy, quarter water and balloons. also thanks to DANTE MARSHALL + BIG SEAN + TINA J + BRITTANY + ISIS ARIAS !!!
everyone was sweet and treated me like family. i hope to visit again soon (and watch a WOLVERINES game!)
PS: shout out to all of you who came out. i met a lot of blog readers out there and a lot of INDIAN descent. it was nice to meet some of my INDIAN sistrens!
conversations: ME and ANGELO BAQUE via googleCHAT on my VIRGIN AMERICA FLIGHT as i sit next to LINDA LOWNDES – the inventor of MICROSKIN
*they have internet in the air. holler…
on my last flight back from LOS ANGELES to NEW YORK CITY, i sat down on my VIRGIN AMERICA seat. next to me sat a blonde woman, who looked sleepy as most of use travelers did that day. i had placed all my jewelry in my pocket to avoid having to take it off for security and was now attempting to one hand clasp my vintage CHANEL bracelet (which is not real gold and beeps when i go through the metal detector). i can usually put it on with my eyes closed, but for some reason this moment was not it. LINDA, the woman sitting next to me – volunteered her help. rather than volunteer it, she just put out her hands and helped…quite like a mom would, and a mom – she was (i would later find out).
i was thankful and surprised by her generosity, since most people are content with ignoring when strangers need help. after a few minutes we were chatting like old chums. she told me she was from BRISBANE (Australia) and invented SECOND SKIN! yes, it took me about 45 minutes to really absorb what she was saying. even after that i couldn’t keep an attention span for discussing anything else. she showed me pictures of patients in the “AFTER” stage and asked me if i could see any skin flaws in the untouched photos. as a perfectionist who seeks out flaws, i found none. when she showed the “BEFORE” pictures of the same patients with large birth marks and burn scars – i was shocked. how life changing! this invention is wildly remarkable.
SECOND SKIN! for burn victims or people with skin conditions that have to use makeup or clothing to camouflage themselves, this whole new invention is a spray that matches your own skin…and breathes and feels like skin. LINDA figured out, through a computer program (she invented), the missing pieces of the chemical makeup of your skin and then creates it in liquid form. it lasts for a few days and sheds as your own skin sheds. you can also re-apply it yourself, with no need of professional help. it’s safe and natural – just brilliant.
her name is LINDA LOWNDES. she was just so humble and normal, not a tense doctor type. she’s not even a doctor, she just studied and set out to create something that would make people feel good. that’s so amazing. we exchanged information and maybe when she comes back to NYC we’ll get to hang officially!
life: DINNER WITH LUPE (1/25/09)
fresh off a treacherous mountain climb up MOUNT KILIMANJARO for charity, LUPE and friends met up with ELLE and I for dinner…
*food, fun and friends!
*thanks to DEAN for the complimentary grape juice…
*seared tuna salad with hard boiled eggs potatoes and beets (it’s my new thing! marinated just right – they are amazing)
*always great to see your fa-chay (face). don’t lose that pinky ring!
random: THEOPHILUS in BERLIN – “Vashtie what up!!!”
yay! check out THEOPHILUS here
“Spices for me Im a Trini / Lay over there the Sun rays hit you gently
Vashtie What up! The new york scene is never empty / The lifers go out and spread the love like it meant be…”
conversations: ELLE + VLADIMIR aka TOOKIE WILLIAMS iCHAT
when i walked in the room, i overheard them debating the space-time continuum…but, it looks like they were up to no good. i can see it in kitty’s eyes…and also, his hips don’t lie
vashtieVIDEO: “EXODUS” by CURT@!N$ directed by VA$HTIE
in order to maintain my love for art and creativity, i’ve decided to get back to my real roots of being an art fag and make stuff just for the fun of it. working in commercial art is cool and all, but there’s a high that comes from making things from a pure place (regardless of budget and artist involvement) that brings out something powerful. (might not be glitz and glamour, but it’s special…)
i plan to make a piece once a month to share with you little chickadees….
i shot, directed and edited a video for CURT@!N$ last week. it was fun, cold and loose…just like i like my men (haha).
anyways – i hope you enjoy, as there will be more videos from me to come!
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BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS (by ELLE CLAY)
listen: 1992 PRESENTS “YOUNG WORLD” – a mixtape compiled by DJ IRON LYON
so late on this one, but it’s still damn good…shoutout to OSCAR and CLEOFUS for the artwork and IRON LYON who smashed it.
DOWNLOAD HERE…
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XSTOSKUZ
conversations: ME and an ANONYMOUS FRIEND
vashtie: WHAT TIME DOES THE SUN SET TODAY?
friend: WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE? A NATIVE AMERICAN?!
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although you remain anonymous due to political incorrectness, that was hilarious.
invite: F.O.K.U.S. and MLK Symposium Present: The Harmony of Contrast feat. Va$htie Kola (UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN)
i am so stoked about this event. students from the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN invited me for a day of events, including speaking on a panel with fellow new and experienced filmmakers and a 1992 styled after party! i’m so mad football season is over, my jock friends told me that their games are FUN! special shoutout to the folks who invited me out there. with work piling up, the dates had to get the ol’ switch-er-oo and finally we have it locked in. i’m excited for this. and right after i’m done, i get on a flight to GERMANY (Lahnstein) to shoot CLARA (again).
if you’re in the area, come check it out…
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F.O.K.U.S. and MLK Symposium Present:
The Harmony of Contrast
feat. Va$htie Kola
January 27th 2010
Fighting Obstacles Knowing Ultimate Success, F.O.K.U.S.
Collaborates once again with the 2010 MLK Symposium at the University of Michigan. We brought you Janelle Monae at the Michigan Theater last year, and this year, we are doing it big yet again!
This years MLK Symposium’s theme ” I AM, WAS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE A CATALYST FOR CHANGE” embodies the essence of what F.O.K.U.S. believes ART symbolizes in the life of young inspiring artist like Vashtie Kola. Each facet of Vashtie Kola?s career has been motivated by the harmony of contrasts in some form or another. Just as the University of Michigan prides itself on providing a diverse and inclusive space for students to grow and learn, Vashtie has attempted to achieve these same goals through her film and entrepreneurial efforts.
This is a day full of events featuring special guest VASHTIE KOLA, an artist/ video director/ designer/party promoter hailing from New York:
Vashtie Kola’s Clothing Line Violette:
http://violettenewyork.com/collection/summer-2009/
Vashtie Kola’s Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/vashtie#p/u/20/-xz8FXgLpI4
Vashtie Kola’s Website:
http://vashtie.com/
Vashtie Kola Meet & Greet
Here, students will have the opportunity to meet with Vashtie Kola, as well as gain a sneak peak of her successful clothing line Violette.
Time: 1-2:30pm
Location: University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) Commons
525 South State Street
Ann Arbor 48109
Cost: FREE
Screen Shot: Film as a Prominent Art Form
This is an event in which the works of three U of M students (Jacob Mendel, Paolo Carone, and Tanya Zora), a local film maker (Marty Stano), and Vashtie Kola will be screened in a theater setting. Following the screening, the artists will serve interact with attendees in a panel setting.
Time: 7-9pm
Location: Rackham Graduate School Amphitheater
915 E. Washington St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Cost: FREE
1992 Themed Dance Party
F.O.K.U.S. and SAVA will be hosting a party in honor Vashtie’s own “1992″ party in New York. She throws this party alongside the famous musician Q-Tip and with her partner Oscar Sanchez. We will feature 90’s music, games, and clothing!
Time: 10pm-1am
Location: Sava’s Cafe
211 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Cost: FREE
**For more information about F.O.K.U.S. please visit our website:
www.onefokus.org**
SPONSORED BY
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC MULTICULTURAL INITIATIVES (OAMI), ARTS AT MICHIGAN, STUDENT AFFAIRS PROGRAMING COUNCIL, LSA-SG, AMBATANA, ASUBUHI, CAMEO, MOSAIC, AND BURSLEY FAMILY MULTICULTURAL COUNCILS
behind the scenes: DIRECTING JAHEIM + JADAKISS – “Ain’t Leaving Without You”
*KIRA KELLY and ANNA
*STEPHEN stopped by!
…and so did a little birdie
…and so did VAMPQUISHA
*GROOVY LEW!
*JADAKISS! this is our 4th time working together! i am now an unofficial member of D BLOCK!
*uncomfortable prom pose! when i asked JADA about TWITTER he said i needed to be on there, maybe…
*JOJO, JADAKISS, RAY J and GROOVY LEW
*ICEPICK JAY
*MARC KELLY and KAREEM…it must be difficult being a “stand in”, 
*ME and JAHEIM
*ISIS and ROB
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found this via NAHRIGHT.COM
