The creative process of an artist has several components. Many of those elements consists of using five senses. However, did you know there are three more senses humankind rarely consider during the creative process?
Emmett Wigglesworth is an 82 year-old New York based artist who sat down with Artz of Culturez TVto explain how some artists choose to send a "message" through their work using more than just their hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch.
Are you an artist with the gift of being a messenger? We'd love to hear your creative process. Leave your comments below or email your views or a voice memo to TCsViews@gmail.com.
Every artist knows that in order to become great, you’ve got to put in the work. This week’s emerging artist, Univrse, figured out that he needed to take his passion for music to the next level, and to do that he knew he had to put in the work. The South Carolina native, who now calls Jersey City, NJ home, is the co-founder of the eclectic group, Emrld Swmp. One of the group’s first tracks, Monkey Jjump, featuring Mxrc Clxrk, hit SoundCloud in the summer of 2015. However, some music bloggers didn’t think that Univrse’s flow made the cut. As he focused on acclimating to college freshman year and balancing his social life, Univrse had a yearning to work on his craft. After the release of Monkey Jjump, he decided to branch out to work on an individual project. Instead of partying and hanging out with the college crowd, Univrse returned home almost every weekend to his makeshift studio, where he wrote, recorded, and studied his craft way into the early morning hours. His hard work and dedication shows in the way he delivers his rhymes. Univrse tapped producer Stimp-C for his newly released track Replay. The groove is mellow yet upbeat and the chorus is bound to stick in your brain. This time around, Univrse’s flow definitely made the cut. His voice is stronger, and his delivery is more confident. And it goes without saying that Univrse is a force to be reckoned with. Take a listen:
Now Univrse may not be saying anything of substance in this track, but stay tuned because his powerful lyrics are on the way. Follow Univrse on Twitter and Instagram: @univrse_ Are you an emerging artist that’s been putting in the work? E-mail your track to TCsViews@gmail.com
Vinyl record artist, Lobyn Hamilton, is slated as one of the featured emerging artists. If you were paying attention, you may have seen his work on the hit show on Fox, Empire.
HARLEM, N.Y. The Harlem Fine Arts Show is on its way to New York City and will set up shop at the historic Riverside Church. The show is known to be the largest of its kind featuring art from the African Diaspora. The four-day traveling exhibition will have contemporary paintings, sculpture, and photography for sale, and is open to collectors, art enthusiasts, educators and professionals. The HFAS will showcase more than 80 national and international artists and galleries from Feb. 4 - 7, 2016.
Portrait photographer, Raphael Rapior, sold nearly everything he owned to make his journey from Germany to New York City's art scene. He even sold his most prized possession – his camera.
However, Rapior's passion to snap faces of the living isn't driven by a big payday, he's inspired by by his younger brother. When he realized that his brother couldn't verbally express emotions, Rapior taught himself how to pay attention to his brother's facial expression. This gave Rapior the motivation to capture the emotions of people around the world.
Rapior hopes to inspire people with his work as he snaps images and share stories of cultures you don't hear or see everyday. First stop... India, which inspired his NYC photography debut of In Shiva's Shadows.
Press the play button to see and hear more.
Would you sell everything you own to pursue your creative passion? Share your answers in the comment box, or e-mail your views to TCsViews@gmail.com.
If you never heard of Record Store Day, you're not alone. I just found out about this joyous occasion in March from a co-worker. (Thanks Matt!) So what is Record Store Day? It's an annual event that was founded in 2007 and takes place on the third Saturday of April. Record Store Day celebrates the culture of the independently owned record store. Vinyl record collectors, fans, artists, and independent record stores around the globe all takes part in this glorious day.
A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event. Too bad there isn't a record store in Montclair, N.J. where I can stand in line in anticipation to go vinyl digging.
There's also a website dedicated to the yearly celebration. RecordStoreDay.com provides a list of some of the 600+ artists, locally regionally, and nationally known who will be spending the day rockin' out to the culture of their indie record store.
There's even an Ambassador for the day. This year Foo Fighter's front man, Dave Grohl, will grace the official seal for 2015. Pretty awesome right? This year I didn't have enough time to go through the list of artists who were putting out limited editions for Record Store Day. However, 2016 I'll be good and ready to go diggin' through crates with fellow vinyl record lovers. Maybe I'll even run into vinyl record volggers Mike and Sandy, who breaks down what you need to know for Record Store Day!
Did you hit your local record store to celebrate the annual event? What's currently spinning on your turntable? Are you even into vinyl records?
Have you ever come across a piece of art in the most strangest of places and wondered, “Who created this piece of work and why did they choose to place it there?” Well, this scenario actually took place during one of my evening commutes. As I headed on my five minute walk home from the train station, I came across a quote attached to a fence. Correction… I came across a knitted quote attached to a fence. I started to walk away but curiosity pulled me back and I had to snap a picture. That's when I saw the hashtag #LoveKnit stitched into the bottom right hand corner of the quote. I felt compelled to post my findings on Instagram and Twitter to see if I can find out who this artist is and what was the inspiration behind his or her work. Less than 24 hours after I posted my inquiry the artist responded on Instagram!
After shattering glass ceilings in corporate America, Paula Boggs decided to walk away from it all to pursue music
(Paula Boggs)
It’s not every day you hear of someone leaving the corporate world to pursue their love for music. So when I received a press release in my work e-mail with the subject – Starbucks’ Former General Counsel Paula Boggs makes bold decision to leave the world of law and business to devote herself to music – I was compelled to find out why.
Turns out Paula Boggs, who is a Black-American woman, spent nearly 30 years breaking through glass ceilings in corporate America. Boggs was an Airborne Army officer, and she also served on the White House Iran Contra task force. Her most recent gig was at Starbucks Corp. Boggs was the top lawyer of the global coffee chain and she reported directly to the company’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz. Boggs accomplished several accolades during her career and has been recognized by Fortune and NASDAQ as one of the most respectable legal counselors in America. Boggs decided to leave it all behind and dedicate herself to the critically acclaimed career of a singer-songwriter. She found her love for music at the age of 10 and considers herself as a “lifer musician.” She is now venturing toward what she calls her "true north" by pursuing music with the same dedication that fueled her corporate accomplishments. Her journey to music didn’t come out of the blue. After a tragic accident killed her sister-in-law in 2005, Boggs picked up her guitar to heal. It had been years since she Boggs played but gradually, songs came to her and she had a creative reawakening.
Doug Seegers never gave up on his love for music. At the age of 16, Seegers had a dream of becoming a country singer. People told him it would never happen but he kept strumming his guitar. At 62, Seegers finally got the break he had been trying so hard to get. I first heard of Seegers’ story on WNYC’s Morning Edition via NPR. Seeger was homeless and living on the streets of Nashville, Tenn. Jill Johnson, a singer from Sweden was in town shooting a segment for her TV show about “down-and-out musicians,” and discovered Seegers. She found Seeger playing his guitar and singing his song near a food pantry where he usually sets up shop.
After Johnson heard his heartfelt, soulful lyrics, she and Seegers headed to the studio to record his song for her show. Days later, his song – Going Down to the River, rose to the No.1 spot on Swedish iTunes. (See Seegers’ full story: Homeless in Nashville, Huge in Sweden)
October 2014, Seegers released his debut album, Going Down to the River. If you appreciate country music like I do then I suggest you buy his album, which you can purchase on iTunes. Seegers’ story of not giving up speaks volumes. It’s a constant reminder to hold on to your dreams. I hope you’re holding on to yours. Related Stories:
It's time to mix things up a little with one of my favorite pastimes ... Music. An emerging artist with a classic or new sound really pulls at my heart strings.
Lyrics, style and flow are the three characteristics that I listen out for when I hear a new musical artist. I also prefer the ones who have yet to make it to the airwaves of popular radio stations throughout the U.S. You know like the ones you come across at a small venue, SoundCloud or Twitter, which is where I discovered my new musical favorite – Billie Black.
Billie Black shared her video from her single 'I Don't Need Another Lover' this week on YouTube and then it landed in my twitter feed. The British 19 year-old singer songwriter is not trending in social media just yet but I am sure once her EP 000100 drops on Nov. 3, 2014, people will take notice.
'I Don't Need Another Lover' has a smooth funk soulful vibe to it and I couldn't get enough. Take a listen ...
Billie Black is excited to headline her first "proper show" at Old Blue Last on Dec. 4, 2014. So if you're in London on that night be sure to check out her show and update me on how she moved the crowd.
I'm rooting for you Billie Black! I know a good voice when I hear one! - @TCsViews
I'm still waiting to hear back from Billie Black for an interview with Arts of Cultures to find out her story. I know she has one. In the meantime, we just have to keep track of her progress on the following social media platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisbillieblack
Although International Women’s Day has passed there is always time to let you know about another inspiring female multicultural artists who is making a difference in humanity with her art. With that said, I like to introduce you to Patricia Brintle, a Haitian born artist residing in Queens, New York. Brintle is on mission to help those rattled by the catastrophic earthquake that struck the island of Haiti more than four years ago.
For the
last couple of months I’ve been assisting an old high school buddy with taking
his art career to the next level. Given that I’ve grown into a social media
junkie, I’m also consulting on his social media presence and how to polish up
his personal brand and message.
Shades by DWats
No, I’m not an art curator, nor an art expert,
but I did take plenty of art history classes in college which taught me how to
appreciate the art scene. But, before I could help my friend I had to educate
myself on what the art world is all about, specifically the African American
art scene. The ultimate goal is to get his work into notable art galleries and
in front of the eyes of perspective collectors. Yes, Shades is by DWats.
Given
that I love to read and research, I decided to head to Barnes & Nobles to
pick up a couple of books on African American artists. I was surprised that I
couldn’t find one book on the topic in B&N’s art section. They probably
just sold out…besides I only went to one B&N.
I recently found one way to support my addiction for the arts. Every Wednesday night, from 8 o'clock p.m. to 12 a.m., a group of singers, musicians and poets share their talent at Trend Coffee & Tea House open mic night in Montclair, N.J.
On Nov. 27. 2013, Dan, a young Montclair local, took the stage at Trend's open mic and shared a moving, inspirational poem.
Introducing Daniel Cruz ...
Know an emerging artist you'd like to see featured on Art of Cultures... E-mail your submissions to TCsViews@gmail.com or Tweet me @TCsViews
If you never heard of Record Store Day, you're not alone. I just found out about this joyous occasion in March from a co-worker. (Thanks Matt!)
Have you ever come across a piece of art in the most strangest of places and wondered, “Who created this piece of work and why did they choose to place it there?” Well, this scenario actually took place during one of my evening commutes.
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