My Day as a Model!

Posted on March 28, 2012 by L Boogie

A couple of weeks ago, I forced my favorite photographer in the world to take pictures of me had the chance to step out from behind the camera and get in front of it for a change. Those of you that know me well know that photography is one of my passions, and I am in the process of making it a legitimate endeavor (even if it kills me first), and one of the things I desperately needed was an update to my personal photos. As in, I hadn’t had professional pictures taken of me since I graduated from college in 2009. How much has changed since then? I mean, I lost weight, I completely changed my hairstyle, I don’t dress the same…so in a nutshell, a lot changed, and it was time for me to go out and make some magic happen!

I knew that I wanted to do a set in a dress and do a set in everyday clothes – representative of how I have this newfound love and appreciation for dresses, but how I still love to wear my jeans and cardigans. The best photography mentor in the world, Keith, took me (and my makeup artist, Ca’Vette) out to a barn to get started. Yeah…you read that right…a barn. Now of course, the photographer in me was like “oh yeah, this will be epic…” I trekked on through, and this is what he created for me!

 

Me in a dress is still a miracle...

 

My sexy, serious face. ;-)

I think I was saying, "C'mon son..."

 

The smile looks fake, but it really isn't! I promise!

(All photos copyright of Keith Estep Photography)

Cute, right? I happen to think so too! ;-)

Here are some of my post-shoot thoughts:

1. It was FREEZING out there. DC had gone through a bit of a warm-up, but of course when it came time for my shoot, it felt like it was 32 degrees outside. :-| I mean, you see I had on a dress…my entire BEING was cold. I swear, even after I changed into the jeans, my teeth were still chattering, and I thought I was never going to thaw out, although I eventually did.

2. Ca’Vette BEAT my face! Looking at myself in the mirror before I got dressed was surreal enough, but then to see it on the computer screen?! The girl has skills. And she’ll make you laugh while she’s doing your makeup! ;-) I completely didn’t recognize myself, but it was in such a good way! Seriously, if you need your makeup done, whether it’s for photo shoots, events, weddings, whatever it is you need…hit her up. I promise you won’t regret it.

3. I don’t even know where to begin with the absolute admiration of my photos that I have. I don’t know if you can tell, but in real life, I’m really shy, so my first 10-15 minutes in front of the camera, I was like a deer in headlights. To get me over it, he joked on me (for the rest of the day) and started hamming it up with me. Seriously, he created a masterpiece here (and creates one every single time he gets behind a camera…), and I am forever indebted to him for this. He makes me sick on a day-in, day-out basis because I’m trying to get my pictures to look like his! I’m glad to have him in my corner and to be working with him, because I’d hate to have to go up against this dude…

If you love my photos, please give a major shoutout to Keith (and go book him for your own!). It wouldn’t have been possible without him! If you love my makeup, please follow Ca’Vette on Twitter, hit her up, and she will be more than glad to work with you. As for me? When I finally get my own photography thing off of the ground, you guys here will be the first to know!

Until next time…

 

 

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#NaturalHair – The Soundtrack

Posted on February 29, 2012 by L Boogie

the soundtrack to our curls. (all pictures from last.fm)

I love stereotypes. After reading that sentence, you may be giving me the o_O face, but I genuinely do. I love them because I love getting the chance to break them. (Or maybe I’m a masochist, who knows?) Now there are a million and one stereotypes out there about us girls that have decided to go natural. Everything from we’re all militant feminists, to we’re all vegan, to we could never dare be friends with ANY woman who could even remotely think of putting a perm in her hair.

(._.)

One of the BEST (and absolutely hilarious) stereotypes is that girls with natural hair only listen to “conscious” music. No Southern rap, no booty shakin’ music, and DEFINITELY nothing outside the genres of R&B/approved hip-hop.

 

precisely what my face looked like.

 

My good friends Peebz and Alise that brought this assertion to my attention, and I got confused. Real confused. So what they’re saying is, the minute I chopped all of the perm out of my hair, I forfeited the right to listen to such great (and sometimes ratchet as all hell) artists such as UGK, Project Pat, and Gucci Mane? Oh. Ok. What am I supposed to listen to on the way to the bar? I mean, right now, I’ll listen to Racks on Racks, or Rack City, or The Motto (YOLO!) but am I supposed to be listening to Next Lifetime, Golden, or Doo Wop (That Thing) instead? And all because I have baby locs in my hair? NO MA’AM, NO SIR. I liked my ratchet music when I had a perm, and I might like it even more now because I get to shake these locs to it!

Don’t get me wrong, I love every song that I just named at the end of that sentence, but I feel like my selection of music shouldn’t be expected to change SOLELY because I don’t perm my hair anymore. Sometimes the world needs a little ratchet music. My iTunes isn’t indicative of what anyone else listens to but me. Hmph.

That being said, it was only fitting that I came up with a playlist of music that is #NaturalHair tried, tested, and approved. Here is a sneak peek into some of what will  help all of my natural-haired sisters through those long bouts of detangling, co-washing, re-twisting, Bantu knotting, and deep conditioning.

Sister Jill...

 

Because I am *not* my hair.

Queen Mother Chaka! (And ATCQ)

See? All vetted through the #NaturalHair Committee on Musical Selections.

The playlist can be found on my Spotify, and the more than 200 songs should prove to be your new go-to track list on your hair days, or any other day that you want to get a dose of approved music. :-)

To my readers, I come asking you for your help. If you have any suggestions on songs that could be added to the playlist (and that are #NaturalHair friendly), please toss them into the comments, and I’ll add them to my ever-growing list of songs. Happy co-washing and conscious music listening!

 

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Feature Fridays – Robert Glasper Experiment “Ah Yeah”

Posted on February 10, 2012 by L Boogie

Hello there good people! It’s been entirely too long since I’ve done a Feature Fridays post, but I knew I couldn’t come back with it until I had something that struck me to my core to write about.  Well, you and I both are in luck, because I heard a song about a week ago that I literally CANNOT stop listening to. If I love a song, I’ll keep it on constant repeat, and this song is no exception to that rule. The song that I am newly in love with would be “Ah Yeah” by the Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Musiq Soulchild and Chrisette Michele on vocals.

From the very first time I heard it (on Keyknow’s “Bulletproof Soul” mix found on SoulBounce), I completely fell in love. Every single thing about this song had and still has me intrigued. The groove of the beat, the mellow keyboards, the poignant and perfectly executed lyrics…I was obsessed with the song from the first time I heard it. Very rarely do I call a song perfect, but this song is complete and absolute perfection. For the first time in a while, I saw a song in color, and this song has a radiant hue of orange and a deep purple surrounding it – almost reminiscent of the kind of sunrise that reminds you why you’re grateful and thankful to be alive.

The music and the lyrics seamlessly sync with one another. Musiq and Chrisette sing about love, but in a different way. One of the lines is “I’ve learned/in this life/you’ve gotta be with someone you like…” How often is it that we focus on finding someone to love rather than someone we like? I feel like that’s so important nowadays, because love doesn’t really sustain relationships for the long haul; you’ve actually got to like the person you’re dealing with to get past some of the trials and tribulations you’re sure to face in your relationship. Luckily, the video above shows all of the lyrics, so I was able to see exactly what they were saying, and to see why I relate to the song so much. It’s like they put into song form what I hope my next relationship will be like.

I feel like the late kid in class since I’m just really finding out about the Robert Glasper Experiment, but…it’s better to be late than to never find out. I am a true fan now, and I cannot wait for the next album, “Black Radio,” to come out on February 28. I am definitely going to pre-order a copy, and I will definitely be checking them out whenever they come to or near DC. I hope you all will check them out as well!

Until next time, folks!

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Protected: At The Same Time…

Posted on February 8, 2012 by L Boogie

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The Write Questions

Posted on February 1, 2012 by L Boogie

I’m a writer. Me typing that sentence is somewhat of a new experience for me – for the longest time, I never really self-identified as a writer. I used to just say, “I write.” Well, I do, but I’ve finally come to the realization that I am, in fact, a writer. It sounds like a simple realization to come to, but in all honesty, it wasn’t. Taking on the identification of a writer has taken a lot of time. I’ve come to accept that it is as much engrained in me as my personality, my love of music, and my sarcasm. With the realization that I am a writer has come a myriad of thought processes, roadblocks, revelations, and questions. I have a lot of questions.

Is there a place between words spewing out of you like lava and writer’s block? Is there a middle ground in between those two extremes? If there is, I feel like that’s where I live right now. I have such great ideas, I have amazing direction, and I can literally see the story coming together before my eyes, but I simply cannot find the words to translate that to paper. I’ve done everything I know how to, from listening to music that inspires me, to watching videos that give me inspiration, to imagining the story in my head…and nothing is working. It’s frustrating! I can’t tell you how many pages I rip out, how many lines I cross through, and how many times I just sit there frozen without the words to say to keep going through the story. It even happens to me while I’m trying to write blog posts, which is why sometimes it takes me forever to get posts up. I get stuck, I get frustrated, hell, sometimes I get angry.

But…this resurgence of my writing has proven something else to me. It’s proven to me that if I really want to do something, I’ll put my mind to it and get it done. Over the last few months, I’ve really stepped into the “writers headspace,” and am taking the time to actively get better. I try my best to write something every day. I’m starting to think the frustration is a good thing; to take it in stride instead of quitting and saying I can’t do it is a clear paradigm shift from how I used to operate. Granted, I have my days where writing is the hardest task I take on in the entire day, but it’s definitely all worth it in the end to me. That sweet day that I actually hold a copy of a book I’ve written in my hand? I can only imagine what that will feel like…

To all of my fellow writers out there, I commend you for the work you do. I know what it’s like to stare at a blank piece of paper and feel intimidation like never before, and I know the triumph you feel when you get something down on that piece of paper for the first time in days. I now turn this over to you and ask you a question: Do you feel this same level of frustration in your writing? I know I can’t be the only one, but I figured I’d start a discussion in the comments and see where it takes us…

Until next time, folks…

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

This Thing Called Fear…

Posted on January 19, 2012 by L Boogie

One of the most powerful emotions I have ever felt is fear. Fear has kept me from saying things, doing things, creating things…or it has caused me to do, say or be things other than what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. Do you know how debilitating it is to see the life you want or yourself, but to be too afraid to even think about the steps you need to take to get that life? Or even worse, to know what you need to do, but to be too scared to move? That’s the kind of fear that gripped me. I’d know exactly what I wanted to do, but be too scared to do anything about it…which to me, is way worse than not knowing what you want to do at all. Up until recently, that was pretty much my sole method of operating. I’d be so gripped with fear, or with the “I’m not good enough” thought process that I’d never even make the first step. What kind of a life is that to live?

I’ll tell you — not a great one.

Over the last few months, I’ve had numerous conversations about dreams, destiny, and what it is I really want to do with my life. I’ve had them with people that have been in my life for a short time, and those that have been in my life for years. All of those conversations have led to a consensus: we all have dreams, they scare the mess out of all of us, but we feel like they are things we absolutely have to do. I would be a bold faced liar to sit here and say that my dreams don’t scare the crap out of me, because if I sit and think about it long enough, they truly do. I’m getting to the point now, though, where I am working around and through that fear. I can’t sit back any longer and wonder “what if I had taken that chance?” or “what if I had followed through on what I really wanted to do?” Life is too short to begin with, and the last thing I want to do is live with a whole bunch of regrets.

Does this mean that I’m going to have to step outside of my comfort zone? Definitely. Am I going to still be scared at some points? Of course! But my goal is to do it anyways. I’m trying to take risks that I normally wouldn’t take, to relentlessly pursue my dreams like my life depends on it, because it does. The very core of my being hinges on this journey to live the life I believe I’m destined to live. If I decide to give in to fear…if I decide to let it run my life, I will effectively die. Part of me will cease to exist, and I’m sorry, but I like all of me at this point. I need all of me to stay around, because well…I’m a pretty awesome person!

I’ve said all of this to say that I refuse to be ruled by fear anymore. It is a process to get out of this way of thinking, because I’ve conditioned myself/been conditioned to think this way for so long, but I am willing to go through the process in order to come out a better, more fulfilled, happier person on the other side. To you, my readers, I have to ask…am I the only one that’s been this gripped by fear? If not, what have you done to try and get over or around it to become the best you that you can be? Share with me in the comments; I’m sure we can all learn from each other.

Until next time, folks…

Posted in Change, Growth, Progression | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments

“Greater Than The Sun” for Breakfast!

Posted on January 9, 2012 by L Boogie

Hey folks! Happy New Year! I know we’ve been into 2012 for more than a week now, but this is my first post of the year, so I figured I’d wish each of you a prosperous, amazing 2012. What better way to kick off the year than with a post that is a cross-section of all of the things I love: writing, music, photography, and food. This past weekend, I had the chance to have a house to myself, and that meant I got to play around in the kitchen. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do, but when I’m trying out a whole bunch of new stuff, I prefer to do it alone. That way, if it sucks, I can throw it away and no one is hurt that they’re in the house hungry but me. ;-)

Rewinding back a few days, I was on GChat with Cheekie when I mentioned an idea that I had for a post. I follow an amazing food blog called Carnal Dish, and the owner of said blog, Resha, has a recipe on her site dedicated to one of her favorite artists: Big K.R.I.T. Browsing her website and realizing that I had an entire weekend to play around in the kitchen, I had a brilliant idea. Why not do something along the same lines for my favorite group, The Foreign Exchange? And that’s what brings us here together today. Without further adieu, I introduce to you the “Greater Than The Sun” breakfast, inspired by the song of the same title off of Zo’s album “Sunstorm.”

i admittedly need to work on my pancake skills, but trust me. this tasted awesome.

I took a page from Carnal Dish, and put my own spin on the Lazy Lemon and Vanilla Bean pancakes. I was without vanilla bean, so my pancakes feature lemon zest, orange zest, and vanilla extract. The orange zest made something really special happen with these pancakes, and I’m certain I had a smile on my face from the first bite. Instead of syrup, I put together a glaze with raspberry preserves, lemon, lime, and orange juice, with some sugar and a bit of water. Once it reduced down, I poured it on top of the pancakes, and it added just the right amount of sweetness and tartness to the pancakes, and sort of reminded me of the color that the sky takes on when the sun is setting.

On one side, you see God’s gift to breakfast – bacon. Yes, there are 4 pieces there. I could get creative and say it’s one for every word in the title of the song, but it was really because I was starving. ;-) For my scrambled eggs, I used spinach, sundried tomatoes, and Monterey Jack cheese. MAN. Talk about some kinda good! It was just the right amount of heat, and the veggies really set it off. Last but not least, to celebrate the morning time, I poured a big glass of orange juice. Had I had some champagne in the house, it would have been a mimosa, but I figure I can save that for the next time I make this recipe!

So folks, there you have it. My culinary interpretation of “Greater Than The Sun.” Between the food on the plate and the song on repeat, it is impossible to have a bad start to the day. If you don’t already have Carnal Dish bookmarked, please do so, and if you don’t have Zo’s “Sunstorm” album, please traipse on over here to order yourself (and anyone else you care about) a copy.

Until next time, folks!

and this is what was left when I was finished...

Posted in Food, Music, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

2011 – A Year In Review

Posted on December 29, 2011 by L Boogie

I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a “Year in Review” post for the last couple of weeks, and until recently, I had no idea of how I wanted to write it. Now that I know how to write it, it’s high time I get this thing out and in the open. It’s truly hard to believe that 2011 is winding down to a close. I feel like I was just surrounded by my friends, sipping champagne, and watching the ball drop. Now here I am, in the last week of the year, blessed to have gotten to this point, and amazed at how awesome of a year I had. The best way for me for me to remember my year, and to take you along for the ride with me is to give you the Top 10 (in no particular order) Moments of 2011. Here we go!

10. In April of this year, I decided that I no longer wanted to perm my hair…mostly because it was costing me too much money on a biweekly basis to keep it up. I went to the hair salon one day, asked my stylist to chop all of the perm out, and haven’t looked back since. Having a tiny fro (which then became a medium fro) was such an awesome thing – I gained some self confidence, got to play around with products, got some cool accessories, and really started coming into my own. A little less than a month ago, I decided to start the process of locking my hair, and I’m definitely excited to see where it is by the time I write a post like this in 2012!

9. I left the nest! In September of this year, I did what I had wanted to do since I graduated from college – move out of Mom Dukes’ house. Now, anybody that knows me knows that that wasn’t because we had a bad relationship or because she tried to dictate my life, because she didn’t, but it was time for me to spread my wings. I feel like my relationship with her is now stronger than ever, AND I have two of the best roommates a girl could ask for. Win-win!

8. This July, I took my first trip to Canada and descended on the city of Toronto for its annual Caribbean celebration, Caribana. I had the time. of. my. life. From the epic dinner I had with my friends upon getting into the city, to the parade, to the hype-as-hell Sunday night party, I had a ball up there. I’m sure I’m going back next year.

7. I’m a smaller version of myself than I was a year ago at this time. In December of 2010, I weighed 210 easy. Nowadays, I’m teetering around the 190 pound mark. I haven’t lost a pant size yet, and I need to get back into the gym/back into exercising and revamping my diet, but I’m making progress. 2011 showed me just how important it is to be fit, and to physically feel good about yourself, and that’s something I’m definitely taking into 2012.

6. I thought that 2010 was the year of meeting people from the internet. Nope, 2011 took the crown and took the crown early. From the now infamous Three Deez VSB Weekend in DC in April to the DMV Tweetup Cookout in June and all of the random encounters in between and beyond, I have met a lot of people from Twitter this year. Some of them have turned out to be really great friends, and I’ve shared some amazing experiences with a lot of the people I met this year. If you’re reading this and you were introduced into my life in 2011, I am so glad to have met you and I hope that 2012 tops how awesome this year was for all of the social happenings, and I hope we create even more memories next year.

5. I started this blog this year! I’d had a blog for a while, but I actually sat down and took the time to buy a dot com and start an adjoining Twitter account for my little corner of the internet in 2011. I haven’t posted like I wanted to, but I’m proud of myself for taking a chance on this, and so thankful to each of you reading this right now. You push me to continue honing my craft, and apparently, you care somewhat about what I have to say – that means the world to me.

4. 2011 was the year I got back to my roots, and rediscovered my dormant love and appreciation for photography. From taking photos to editing photos to looking at photos, I love everything about being behind the lens of a camera. 2012 is sure to bring a host of updates and progression in this area of my life, and if you want to follow my challenge to myself to take 1 picture a day for all of 2012, you can do so here.

3. Three words: The Foreign Exchange. If you’ve spent any time with me ever in life, you already know how I feel about them. So it’s only fitting that 2011 was the year that I first saw them in concert (3 times- Falls Church, VA, Baltimore, MD, and Charlotte, NC), and the year that I made it my mission to expose everyone I could to their music. If seeing them in concert and getting to meet them wasn’t awesome enough, they also have a picture I took from the Charlotte show as their Twitter avatar. *squeals* :-)

2. In the vein of music, 2011 was the year that I chose not to deny myself from seeing any and every concert I wanted to see. From Eric Roberson to Sade and John Legend; Jill Scott to The Foreign Exchange; Phonte and 9th Wonder to Rebirth Brass Band; to Jay Z/Kanye West and The Roots this coming Friday, I’ve exposed myself to a wide array of music, and have had experiences that I can’t put a price on. I have to keep that going next year…

1. I turned 25 back in October, and as cliché as it may sound, I really do feel like my life took a drastic change that day. It was that day I decided to cut out toxic people from my life, to focus on honing my God-given talents of writing and photography, to appreciate my family and friends more than I ever had before, to chase my dreams no matter how unrealistic they might currently seem, to open my mind to the idea of new ways of thinking, to take time to treat myself better than ever, and to simply have fun and chase my happiness down no matter what it took.

If you’ve made it this far, you’ll see that 2011 was a year of great change, great triumph, amazing discoveries, and life-changing experiences. Yes, there were negative experiences throughout the year, but they don’t really have a place in this post. The last year has taught me many valuable lessons about myself, and I am grateful for every experience I’ve had, whether it was viewed as positive or negative at the time. I hope that 2012 is an even better year for me, and equally as amazing for you, my readers. I appreciate you all, and Happy New Year!

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Looking to the Left…

Posted on December 13, 2011 by L Boogie

I was laying here in the bed trying to figure out what on Earth I was going to write about tonight. I kept telling myself that I need to do better with updating my blog; keeping myself in the habit of writing is my true goal in all of this. I was coming up at a loss on what to write about when I remembered that earlier today, Slim Jackson of SBM and I got into a dialogue about an article that he linked from Marc and Angel entitled “30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself.” I told him that I planned to print it out and put it on my “Wall of Inspiration” in my room, and he asked if I had written on how I had come up with that.

Well, whaddya know? I hadn’t! So here it is: short, sweet, and to the point. I went to do a favor for my friend Greer, and in her room, she had a list of the things that she wanted to accomplish on a posterboard in the direct line of vision from her bed. That got the wheels inside my head turning. I’m a person that likes to plan things – whether it be my grocery list, what I’m wearing this weekend even though it’s the beginning of the week, or a vacation, I feel like part of my destiny is wrapped up in the ability to plan things. Therefore, I thought it would be apt to come up with a plan for how I wanted the next year to go. Based on Greer’s example, I decided to break my life down into categories, and give myself goals/tasks in each category. Some of the goals/tasks are date specific, and others are lifestyle changes that I hope to implement starting now and transferring them into the new year and beyond. I also decided to take things a step further, and ask my friends for their favorite quotes to add to a forthcoming quote board. I finished that on Monday evening, and it is proudly displayed next to my plans for 2012. All I need is a few pictures, a new vision board, and a couple of other articles/items and my wall will be complete!

The title of this post comes from the fact that I have to look up and to the left when I’m laying in my bed to see these lists I’ve created. I sleep facing the lists, so they will now be one of the last things I see before I go to bed at night, and one of the first things I see when I wake up in the morning. I am confident that both of these will serve as guides to seeing my goals come to fruition and watching my dreams come true.

So, here’s your turn to share with me. Is there anything in your room or in your home that serves as inspiration to you? If so, what is it? If not, do you think that something like this could help you out? Let’s talk about it – something you see here may help you out! :-)

Posted in Progression, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A New Journey…

Posted on December 5, 2011 by L Boogie

Over the last year and a half, I’ve made many transformations. I’ve introduced logic into my way of thinking (long story), I’ve rediscovered my wit, I’ve lost 20+ pounds, I went from driving a Saturn to a Honda…all important, all visible, all worth it.  One of the most unexpected changes I’ve made over the last year, however, is all about my hair. If you remember, I blogged about my decision to cut all of the perm out of my hair and go natural back in April. At the time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I hadn’t seen my hair without a perm in it since I was a little girl, and wasn’t sure of how I would adjust to having just a little bit of hair on my head.  Needless to say, I got used to it really fast. I went out and bought a lot of Shea Moisture and Oyin Handmade products because my hair LOVES the stuff, and experimented with a lot of different accessories, from headbands to flowers, and got some new jewelry and makeup to accent my face. I sort of went through a transformation when I cut my hair, and it’s been all for the good.

Well, as of Saturday, December 3, 2011, I’ve started a new little hair journey.

my hair is so long! :-)

That’s right folks, those are comb coils in my hair! Meaning, I’ve started the process of locking my hair! *the crowd goes wild* I’m really thoroughly excited about starting this process. Ever since my sister got Sisterlocks back in 2004, I’d always entertained the thought of locking my hair. I think they’re gorgeous, and since I have this newfound freedom with my hair (with the overarching thought being it’s just hair…), what better time than the present to try something new? I know there will be days I don’t like my hair, and days where I’m totally in love with it – this happened when I had a perm, it happened when I cut my hair short, it happened when I went natural, so I fully expect it to happen as my hair grows and does things I’ve never seen it do before.

I’ll pause here so you can see what my hair now looks like:

 

the top of my head! :-)

 

side shot!

 

the sepia view.

 

I’m so excited to be starting this journey, and I’ll be sure to take you all on the ride with me! :-)

Posted in Change | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments