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As a writer, I get to experience everything three times: in my head, on paper and in reality. As an entrepreneur, I get to experience life in the augmented reality of wins and losses, relationships and services and it really is an awesome journey . But as a creative entrepreneur, (someone that builds a business from their creative talent) the ugly side is when these two hard hat careers don’t seem to mesh and balance seems impossible. No one really shares how hectic this dynamic career path is but I am here to share what it’s like as well as vital tips, tools and talented people that help me achieve balance as a creative entrepreneur! Stay steady and take note of any habits that may help, if implemented, to stable the scales of you’re unassuming life.
What do we know about Jamaica? What is at the heart of the island? Who are we as a people? What is in our souls that motivates us…that moves us? What are the stories that make up our history as we go about our day to day? What warms our hearts and remains with us even to this day, making us who we are? This is the fabric that makes up our heritage…our Culture. Undoubtedly, our heritage has influenced pop culture in one way or another, yet we can never seem to consistently capture for ourselves what so many visitors to our island home are able to do; create opportunity from the essence of our country and turn it into something tangible and profitable for themselves. After all, we are at a distinct advantage being born and raised in good old J.A., with the best vantage point to do just this, right? Jamaica is visually stunning. She is one of the most beautiful places in the World, inspiration right around every corner and within each person.
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Zooming in on a Day in the Life of a Jamaican Creative Educator, Michelle Carpenter
Posted on May 30, 2020
In the beginning, God created Educators, males and females created He them. He wired them to be global influencers, kingdom ambassadors and nation builders. On the anvil, with tender hands, He moulded them to be our children’s daily cheerleaders and destiny carriers. Educators can be likened to caterpillars who gently nurture the children entrusted in their care, transforming them into colourful butterflies. These servant leaders are destined to ENGAGE and EMPOWER others, they do it all! How do I know? Having spent over 24 years in Jamaica’s most intense dream factory, I know too well the ebbs and flow of being a Creative Educator.
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The Journey: An Insight into the Career Path of Jamaican Creative, Patricia Johns
Posted on May 30, 2020
I was born on a Sunday afternoon around 4pm on February the 17th, 1985. And it wasn’t long after that, that my first steps would be symbolic of many first steps that would lead to my career as an artist. I was encouraged to walk by reaching for a pencil that my aunt was holding. At one year old, I believe I was motivated to walk from the desire of wanting to draw. So, as one might assume, I started drawing as a child, as most children do. Art class at the primary level was always one of my stronger subjects, as, I loved experimenting with different colours. As an artist today, however my main focus is portraiture. As a creative today, I am an artist and a writer and have an appreciation for all things creative.
I had the pleasure of interviewing brother paw, photographer and author of ‘lemonade.’ Please take note that I use pronouns he/him/they/them to refer to the artist in this piece and when citing or making mention of the artist, please adhere with said pronouns. I met brother paw only a couple of months after I saw their Haute couture-like photos on social media. Their online presence effused high arts and fashion bravura with virtual profiles that exuded worldly travel. During their second-year university experience, they travelled to countries in Europe such as Italy, Spain and Turkey where their creative expression luxuriated. They’ve also been highly influenced by the creative works of Maya Angelou whom they discovered as a child while watching the Tyler Perry film ‘Madea’s Family Reunion’ where Maya Angelou herself guest starred and quoted her poetry.
The most that I’ve done during my short time in the creative circle has primarily been my involvement in the areas of music and drama. I’ve had passing interests in photography, painting, animation, and even dancing. But fashion? I rarely ever considered it. I don’t even consider myself to be a fashionable type – I pretty much just go out in whatever I throw on. Even when I perform, I’ve realized that if a dress code isn’t provided, I’ll just turn up in whatever caught my eye as “comfortable” (given that the women in the house didn’t tell me to take it off first). So for the Kingston Creative Online Open Commission, and for my first time since honing the craft of blogging in the arts-therapy niche (musicandpain.com), I decided to look at what exactly a fashion designer does. Do they eat? Sleep? I had to know.
Correspondence from the Continent; Jah9 on finding fulfillment amid the fiasco Music is never disembodied from Jamaican culture and lifestyle. Since the onset of what we know as Jamaican life, it has been used for things like education, passing coded messages, commentary, and sometimes informal reporting. After the country’s independence in 1962, when political structures were being erected, Jamaican music began to breathe it’s first breath. While political structures were naturally aligned to policies...
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Do You Really Know My Steez? The Journey of an Artist (and a Genre) in Jamaica – Five Steez
Posted on May 19, 2020
History is a subject I never studied in high school, but I always appreciated. ‘Black History’ or African history were my favourite topics as a teenager. As my love for music grew and I started making it, its development over time, naturally, became an interest. Being a Jamaican, I was familiar with Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Dub and Dancehall, but I wanted to know the details of who did what, when, where, how and why.
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A Day in the Life of a Jamaican Independent Filmmaker – Danielle Russell
Posted on May 18, 2020
A Day in the Life of a Jamaican Independent Filmmaker - Part 1 (The Journey to becoming a Filmmaker) “I want a doctor’s kit for my birthday this year,” I told my grandmother, “I want to be a doctor.” It was a few months before my 6th birthday and that was the 1st time I remember planning a future for myself. I did not become a doctor and as I reminisce on my journey towards the actuality of my chosen career path, a few defining moments stand out.
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Beat Street & Dennis Brown Tribute Concert: The Death of Vinyl and the Evolution of Reggae Music
Posted on April 26, 2020
