The Indianapolis Bench

The Indianapolis Bench
Personal Photos

I'm outside waiting for the truck to find its way back to the garage so we can load it up and go to the banquet and as I'm sitting on the bench I see a lady sitting across from me. She's the very picture of a strong black woman. Her braids securely pinned down and held to her head with a mesh hair net. She is a janitor here and began to tell me how she looks like a mess and her husband told her she should be ashamed but she liked her sweatpants and t shirt. I told her comfort is important and I thought she looked beautiful. She went on about her vacation plans and how she planned on wearing dresses everyday and sandals. She even plans to get her toenails done so she can strut all around. "ima take the bus too because I ain't go nowhere to be. Ima enjoy my time off." She hasn't taken off in years because there was no one to cover her shifts but they hired a new girl recently. Then another woman walked up. White with a mullet, she plopped down next to her friend and they both started talking with me. This woman and her husband were just pulled over by a cop who's been bugging them for a while because their truck isn't safe to drive. "howmeye supposta get to work? I live on the west side and this cop was nasty." The other woman replied, "he iddit hafta do that." It felt good to speak with them. Not sure why exactly, but it did.

National Seaperch Challenge 2013

National Seaperch Challenge 2013

Indianapolis, Indiana

I went to Indianapolis this weekend to host the live webcast of the National SeaPerch Challenge along with 5:00 Films and Media.

Now more than ever teaching children the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics needs to go beyond the classroom. Programs like SeaPerch provide an invaluable resource for the engineers of tomorrow.

The only way I'd be more excited for this gig would be if the children were engineering fully automated creatures from the Mesozoic era...but, I mean, they are talented lil babers- maybe robodinos aren't completely out of the question.

Silk Route Music Festival Commercial Shoot

Silk Route Music Festival

Commercial Shoot

This past weekend m’lady and I went to the land of wild ponies to shoot a commercial for the Silk Route Music Festival in Cyprus.

With my glow-in-the-dark skin and Jenn’s almond eyes of joy we were the perfect hires for a commercial to air all over the Middle East and Russia…blended right in with those Persian and Iranian girls, practically twins.

Like most beach shoots with perfectly clear skies, it was freezing and I honestly believed for a moment there that my nipples were going to push out of my skin and skidder on down the beach they were so erect. A park ranger came by and gave the hula hoop a whirl. (And, as is the norm for our generation, everyone captured the moment via their cellular devices.)

To anyone who has ever mistakenly thought I was well adjusted or could handle myself responsibly in situations where others are present, ya’ll some silly ass geese. I’m awkward as fuck. My social anxieties are evident even when on a set. I’m tall and thus normally am placed in the back in group shots. This is great because then I can really cut loose and explore my dance moves…get real wild with that shit. I, unlike most gals, don’t give a flying fuck if I’m on camera or not. You need a filler, someone who will have only the back of their arm in a shot? I’m your girl. No ego here, work is work. As long as I will get a copy and credit, I’m golden. I can be seen above “blending in" with all the beautiful people…and by that I mean standing out in a painfully profound way.

It hurts to be this cool, it really does.

Today I made..."Wings Outstretched" Owl Sculpture

Today I made...

"Wings Outstretched"

Today I sold another commissioned piece!

"Keri Kyphosis": An ACL Digital Short

Keri Kyphosis

An ACL Digital Short

Like any raging queen, nothing sounds better to me than a good wig and expressive hand motions. Above are some snapshots of the different characters I portray in my most recent comedic short, "Keri Kyphosis".

Keri is an unlikely model who proves that the world of high fashion has room for one more mishapen ball of clay.

Check out the video and subscribe to my youtube!

Mautner Project Gala 2013

Mautner Project Gala 2013

with Ashley Linder and Tagg Magazine

It was both my honor and pleasure to cover the Mautner Project Gala on behalf of Tagg Magazine this evening. I interviewed three state delegates including the honoree of the evening, Maggie McIntosh, who helped to pass the legislation legalizing gay marriage in Maryland.

The Mautner Project is committed to improving the health of women who partner with women including lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals, through direct and support services, education and advocacy.

Check out the video produced by Kelsey Brannan:

On being fierce, fabulous, and yourself

Thoughts on being fierce, fabulous, and yourself.

Joining "The Fashion District DC" Team

In early 2013, I received an e-mail from my friend, Stone, who asked for my help with his latest project. He wanted to produce an online fashion video digest that put DC in the spotlight. The nation's capital is known for many things-- free museums, politicians, government, traffic congestion, borrowed architecture, but... fashion? Do Washingtonians have any real "fashion sense"? Stone wanted to tackle that question by creating a visual record of just what was happening in the DC fashion scene, leaving the answer up to the viewer.

Fashion is something I do not know much about. My own personal style consists of thrifted clothing, comfortable fabrics, offensively bright colors, interesting textures, patterned leggings/hose/tights, and cool things my sister is no longer wearing. Comfort has always been my chief concern. I mean, you're going to be schlepping around in these garments for a while, why not enjoy how they feel against your skin? If it feels good and is reasonably priced (which hardly anything in this area is anymore, hence why most of my clothing is from the thrift store), I'm down to complete the sale and call it my own. 

No one has ever told me I was fashionable. In fact, when I was a traffic reporter on television, the higher-ups expressed that my style was too colorful, too vest-ful, and most of all, "not newscaster-y at all." Only after years of hearing how different my clothing tastes are that I finally understand it... I don't dress like people think I should, and that's not a bad thing. 

Everyone has their own sense of what looks good and what feels good. In the fashion world, there is a place for everyone to shine. You like bold animal prints and hoop skirts? There's an outfit for you, honey. You want to wear nothing but black for the rest of your days? There's a community that's there to support you, booboo. You want to spend hours doing your make-up and glue foam to your face every night? There is a world waiting to hold you close to its breast (the NYC club kids are still going strong and are impeccably dressed night after night). It doesn't matter if you think you fit in or you don't. Fashion isn't about fitting in, though the corporate machine would like us to believe otherwise... It's about being innovative and standing out.

With fashion, it's important to never lose your personal center. To quote Stone Lyons, creator of 'The Fashion District DC':

"Be fierce,

 be fabulous,

 but most of all, be yourself."

Photographed: Quintin Hill, Ashley Linder, Stone Lyons and Bryan Ita