We’re ready for the South X Southwest conference. All we need is your vote and your voice behind us. Please click this link to learn about and vote for our panel. South X Southwest takes not only votes, but comments into account when deciding which panels will be selected–so please make yourself heard!
Our proposal video describes what we’ll be talking about in greater depth with pretty graphics.
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Posted in African Diaspora, Art, SXSW, Technology, Women
Much thanks to everyone who participated in our latest creative collab project, “Media Muse.” We asked you all to show up online via Twitter, Facebook and, here, on our blog, to tell us how you would finish this sentence: “You’re unchained when…” We then invited some of our favorite illustrators, cartoonists and designers to create an image based on the lines that spoke to them. Your liberated imaginations inspired some incredible pieces by brilliant artists.
Check out the works below and download your free “unchained” PDF. It’s our way of saying thank you for being an inspiration. Yes, that’s what you are to us 
.
Post by LU Team Member Lulu Kitololo
As Niambi mentioned last week, I too am very honored and excited to be a part of this community and share my thoughts, inspiration and passion when it comes to art and living unchained.
Fittingly, there’s a question that I’ve been asking myself and exploring
for years, albeit not always in these exact words and sometimes, not even
consciously: How can/does art enable us to live unchained?
Last week I came across a CNN interview with one of my favorite artists, Wangechi Mutu. In a lot of her work, she takes the female body and transforms it into something new that is often at once dazzling and provocative. In the interview, she talks about how she is inviting Kenyans and Africans (essentially, women of African descent) to celebrate and appreciate our bodies, rather than despise them as we have been taught or even forced to do.
"Untitled" by Wangechi Mutu
It made me think of how else art representing bodies is used to challenge
assumed knowledge or even address stigma – in short, to empower. One of
the first examples that came to mind is the Trust for Indigenous Culture
and Health and their body mapping work – an art project whose explicit intent is healing. Pioneered by an HIV positive women’s group in Uganda, body mapping involves painting large scale silhouettes representing your body, its experiences and how you nurture it. Through creating and sharing these pieces of art, the women chart their powerful emotions on the path to healing.
Indeed, sometimes the most powerful tool we have is the one we often take for granted, mistreat or view as an enemy – our precious body. With it,
we can be incredibly creative, even if we don’t consider ourselves to be artists or creatively-inclined. Engaging with it, listening to it, appreciating it, celebrating it and taking pride in it – regardless of the challenges it may present – is one way we exercise living unchained.
Our bodies are available to us right here now and so experiencing that
unchained living is simple. Take one of the things that makes me most
happy in this world – dancing. In surrendering my body to the music, it is
freed to move and express itself in a way that is independent from my
thoughts.
Though the moments may be fleeting, it is in these glimpses
where all the things I have been told (or told myself) about my body are
exposed for the irrelevant or even false statements that they are. Through
my movement, I create a new vision for myself. These are powerful times.
How does your body help you to live unchained?
Posted in Art, Body, Creativity, Dance, Live Unchained, Wangechi Mutu, Women
Born in Cashville, raised in Motown, resting in Black Hollywood, Ain HD (Ain Heath Drew) considers herself a writer with a passion for “poetry, African-American literature, children’s stories, music, revolution, experimental fiction, thrift store hopping, and all things artsy”–not to mention tattoo collecting.
Ain has been featured in PoetTree Magazine and the Kankazine. Her work has also been on literary sites such as Dotlit and Identity Theory. Ain’s essay, “Being a Sista at PETA,” can be found in the powerful anthology Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak on Food, Identity, Health, and Society. In addition to writing, Ain is active in her community, working with organizations like United Sisters Mentoring Program and FTP (Feed the People, Free the Prisoners, Fruition Through Persistence).
Her self-published poetry collection, [If] Life’s Rotten: Write to the Core, explores love, social problems and self-discovery. Here we discuss Ain’s book, the core personal experiences that shaped her poetry and artistic philosophy, and laugh about romantic fantasies.
We always begin by asking people background questions. For you, I’d like to start with the first writing prompt from your book, [If] Life’s Rotten, Write to the Core. “Who are you? If you were an object or an idea, how would people describe you? How would you describe yourself?”
I’m never sure how to describe myself, but I know how I’d like other people to describe me. Of all the adjectives that get thrown around, I probably hear “weird” the most. I’m cool with that.
Where did the title come from? Why the “[If]“?
Writing has always been a release for me. I’ve never necessarily been one to
write poetry that captured the pretty or sweet. I go out and experience the things that I enjoy, I write about the things that I don’t. I’m not claiming 
that my poetry is dark, but I address a lot of rotten things that the world hands to us, including poverty, discrimination and inequality.
The brackets are present because I realize not everyone will agree with my statement and they tone down the extremeness of it.
In addition to poems,Write to the Core, has writing prompts for self-reflection that makes it feel like a life-changing personal reflection class. Why did you choose that approach?
I wanted to include the reader by adding the prompts so they could interact with the poetry. Critical thinking is a must in this age of mass media. I don’t want people walking away from my work trying to dissect my words; I want them to connect with them.
Many prompts concerned personal development, but some also addressed politics. Like prompt #9: “Classism is a big problem in American society. How do you feel about the separation of classes? Do we have a system set up that works to keep the privileged rich as the underprivileged get poorer?” How would you answer them for yourself?
I don’t believe in politics, I believe in people. Most political positions are about as useless as office managers. If you remove these people from power, I would hope that people would be able to govern themselves. Essentially, I ask these questions to challenge people to think about whether the system is working for or against us. What people do with the thoughts is up to them, but I hope for all of us to become more proactive.
Still, I don’t believe, I know the system is designed that way. In knowing that, I encourage people to become more 
self-reliant, support independent business, embrace the idea of cooperative economics and stop falling into the traps of consumerism. I don’t think I have an artistic responsibility to highlight or speak on these things–it’s my responsibility as a citizen. More of us should be having these conversations.
You mentioned finding “a love poem that spoke to my personal experiences, I folded it up and kept it in my underwear drawer.” What was that poem?
That poem was Sonia Sanchez’s ‘Poem No. 3.’ I dig the simplicity of it.
She wrote:
i gather up
each sound
you left behind
and stretch them
on our bed.
each nite
i breathe you
and become high.
This poem was a keepsake during a time that I was nursing a wound. She speaks of a love lost but she’s not mourning. She’s enjoying the comfort of memories.
…
Memories
by Ain HD
If I could live each day
From scratch
Not remembering what happened
Each yesterday
I would be content
Because all these little
Scattered pictures
Of your beautiful
Face
Would fade away
And if I saw you
In the street and you said hello
I would be clueless
As to who you were
Instead of wishing
You had said
Something more
…
If you could make love to any artist from history who would it be?
I’ve played these sessions over and again in my head so it’s hard to choose just one. I have a slutty imagination.
I have a Jean-Michel Basquiat fantasy. He seemed to have a muted sexual energy that probably translates into a great deal of passion. I also have a Tupac fantasy. He was both rugged and sensitive. That contrast is attractive. Then there’s Bob Marley and the beautiful Marvin Gaye.
…
Heaven
by Ain HD
I sang a duet with Nina Simone
Played craps with Tupac & Biggie
Did a routine with Aaliyah
Tapped with Gregory Hines
And salsa danced with Celia Cruz
Me and Left-Eye had a freestyle battle
Big L said it was a tie and Freaky Tah said “right right”
Because Big Pun said “both of these mamis’ tight”
And Easy E sat back smooth and said “yeah, they aiight”
In that smooth Cali drawl
And then we listened to a set of Barry White
Luther V. was live at dinnertime
When I ate with the civil rights greats
Who say that we don’t try hard enough
To have all this heaven
Down there
…
In your poems, and even some of the writing prompts in the collection, I saw a sense of longing and, I guess that’s where I’m at in my life–longing for my professional and spiritual lives to come together the way I’ve wanted. How would you describe the place you were when you were writing and compiling this collection?
I was in a few places (mentally, spiritually and physically) while compiling this collection. These poems were written over the course of several years. During some of that time I was either comfortable, transitioning or lost. At this time, I’m comfortable again and still transitioning. I’m still growing, which is something I hope I can say when I’m 99.
Finally, what does Living Unchained mean to you?
Living Unchained means living without constraints and making your own rules. It means defining success for yourself and refusing to bend to the expectations of others. It means not conforming to commercial ideals and honoring traditions in a way that suits the lifestyle you desire.
Follow Ain HD on Twitter: @AinHD
Posted in Ain HD, Live Unchained, poetry, Women, Writing
“We have just begun…so get out of the way…we carry the sun…whoa oh oh oh ohh…the future is here…”
Ty Bello is representing Nigeria well. Love the aesthetic. Love this song.
Magic Photo Studio, Delphine Diallo
Delphine Diallo transcends the status quo in photography by simply following her spirit. Trusting it led her to Senegal–her father’s homeland, Indi–the little girl that became her muse, and dipping herself in blue after being inspired by the film Avatar.
Delphine was born in Paris and currently lives in New York where she has continued to work as a photographer, graphic designer, illustrator and filmmaker among other creative ventures. After graduating with distinction from the Académie Charpentier School of Visual Art in 1999, she worked as a graphic designer and animator for several musicians, including Coldplay, Smashing Pumpkins, and Manu Chao.
In speaking with Delphine about her background, travels and views on art and style, we learned that her major influences are love and spirit.
Indi, Delphine's Muse and Mona Lisa, Delphine Diallo
Avatar, Delphine Diallo
How does your background influence your work?
Being mixed and having an African dad and a French mom makes me realize that I might have something different to express. Also, working in the music industry with great artists inspires me to create artwork that is personal and very emotional. It helps me to take a risk and be totally free–to open my mind about a different vision of the world.
Some say art is like a window into themselves and the world. Do you agree?
Yes it is… art is a reflection of my thoughts, my beliefs, my fear, my love about the world. I have direct connection with the world… it is like a fluid, where media influences become secondary and where your mind is feeling every single moment of your life and translates to your own vision through photography. This vision becomes the part of your real world and you are able to build a strong link with the world around you.
Photography allows me to develop images that transcend stereotypes in a world that consistently perpetuates a singular attitude as to what is deemed beautiful.
"Monica" and "Azza" from the Queen of New York series by Delphine Diallo
What does art allow you to discover about yourself and others?
Art is the key to live in a better world if you know how to use it. Art has opened my mind to understand how as an individual you can contribute to improve others life too. I became more tolerant, less selfish, giving myself the freedom to understand the other and discover that without your friends and family, you won’t be inspired.
Can you tell us about how Africa came to be a recurring theme in your work?
Africa is the first place where I was inspired. In this land, no one is running and people take time to share and stay in family. I’m inspired because of the nature, light, people, colors, wildlife…everything about Africa is inspiring. It has a pureness of the beauty of the moment. A natural moment is unique, like a magic chemical, instant. My pictures are raw and full of natural emotion.
"Dream Life" from the Renaissance Series by Delphine Diallo
You created a body of work called “Renaissance,” which captures images from your trip to Senegal? Can you share with us what you learned from your experience in Senegal and what you wanted to capture in pieces inspired by that trip?
I FLEW to Saint-Louis, Senegal, land of her ancestors, in search of Something permanent. “Renaissance” is the body of work that resulted from this trip. It is a series of stories in which the protagonists are heroes of ancient tales, where beauty and violence coexist on parallel planes, the one reflected and made possible only by the other. The men and women featured in “Renaissance” are spiritually strong, beautiful, full of life, and proud despite life’s cruelty. In “The Beautiful Ones,” Anta, an eleven-year-old girl appears frequently in the photographs, symbolizing youthful strength, potential and innocence not yet lost. Khady Kebe & Loli, two seventeen year olds represent young ladies full of life, joy, and (perhaps naïve) hope for a better future. Kine Diop is a twenty eight-year-old who represents the proud African queen, symbolic of maturity and serenity in the face of hardship. My work is often autobiographical and these women are me at various stages of my own life. The images encountered are filled with weakness and suffering. “The Goats” depicts tranquility and slaughter, innocence as well as a supreme vulnerability culminating in death. “Le Boucher” is the story of a slayer, one who carves food from the dead to sustain life. He represents the cycle of life – destruction, distress, and the raw violence of reality in balance with life-sustaining nourishment and renewal. metaphorically, “Le Boucher” also represents a broken heart cut in pieces. The flesh is dead and from this carcass the spirit is reborn.
"Universal Magazine" and "Superstar" by Delphine Diallo
"Oulofs" from the Magic Photo Studio Series by Delphine Diallo
Could you talk about the use of collage and layering in your art? What draws you to merge photography and other mediums as seen in your collection “Magic Photo Studio”?
Photography is a process that can be reproduced and copied. I was trying to find a way to do something unique, so… I was definitely interested in drawing on top of it. The purpose of “magic photo studio” was to create a strong link with my family that i just discovered. It was also a powerful message about giving love through photography to the one who makes your life beautiful.
You once said your art reflects “spirituality and lots of love.” Can you say more about that? Would you consider yourself spiritually grounded and do you think that helps your art?
Being spiritual is sometimes something that you have in yourself since you are born. Let’s just say that for me, I was already with strong spirit but I didn’t know what it was. It’s difficult to explain, but it’s like having a lot of energy and feeling and not knowing how to use and control it for a long time. The maturity and experience help you to channel this power and transform it through art. Love, love is the key. It is hard to love yourself and be confident but that’s the first part, to be able to embrace your spirit.
Art is the battery, a meditative process to connect with yourself… you will believe I am crazy… but I think we should be able to be educated this way. Our wisdom and connection to the planet have been lost growing up in the 21st century.
What does living unchained mean to you?
I am, and my life is a journey to discover everyday what I’m going to become–with no fear.
…
Follow more of Delphine’s art, thoughts and musings on her blog, http://delphinediallo.wordpress.com/, and visit her professional site at http://www.delphinediawdiallo.com/.
When you see the name Society HAE, one question that may come to mind is, What does HAE stand for? The acronym stands for Harriet’s Alter Ego. Who’s Harriet, you might ask? C’mon, you know who Harriet is…
Yes, that Harriet. Harriet Tubman!
Initially Harriet’s Alter Ego was a Brooklyn-based fashion boutique and
art gallery that also served as a performance space. Think of everything you’ve learned about Harriet Tubman. Then imagine a place where a wondrous woman with that kind of passion, talent, and commitment to freedom could go to just…chill. Express and pamper herself. Get cute. Maybe read a little poetry. Or just hang out and enjoy the atmosphere.
When the store closed in 2009, the question for its founder, Ngozi Odita, and team became, “Where do we go now?”
They moved online, converting the project to an arts and entertainment social media platform. The Harriet’s Alter Ego crowd found them online and supported them in this new medium. Society HAE was born. Ngozi describes the community they’ve created as a place that resonates with artists, musicians and designers because it gives them a bigger voice.
In December 2010, the Society HAE team of bloggers, or Team SHAE, traveled to Dakar, Senegal to blog from the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture. Since its inception in 1966, the festival has provided a forum for political as well as artistic and cultural dialogue, attracting the likes of Alvin Ailey, Duke Ellington, and Clementina de Jesus. This time around, Yossou N’dour, Jay-Z, Wyclef Jean and Rhianna were on the guest list.
Team SHAE gave their readers live coverage of the three-week long event that showcases fashion, photography, theatre, architecture, music, design, literature, film, and even sport from people of African descent throughout the diaspora. (See SHAE video below)
Ngozi Odita
“I wish everyone could have seen it, “ says Ngozi.
Ngozi’s love for the arts began during childhood. She is proud of her heritage and remembers growing up dancing to her father’s Nigerian music in a household where there was always music playing.
“Fashion and the arts were always a part of me,” she says.
A humble and modest woman who laughs easily, Ngozi has grown this appreciation into a business that allows her to travel the world. She shares some words of wisdom for the budding entrepreneur.
“There are opportunities everywhere,” she says. “If you’re passionate about something, there’s an opportunity [to pursue it]. Look for the opportunities within that passion.”
What does Living Unchained mean to Ngozi Odita? To Ngozi, living unchained means being free, doing the things that move you. It means having the freedom to be who you are, free to engage people.
…
Article by Ciara Calbert of Everybody is a Journalist
Posted in African Diaspora, Blogging, Creatives, Entrepreneurship, Society HAE, Women
I aim to explore the beautifully natural and the stunningly fantastical…to express things that are inexpressible in words, which only live on the tips of tongues, in the subconscious, and in dreams of suppressed purposes and identities. –Daisy Giles
Live Unchained had the pleasure to speak with painter Daisy Giles, who studies and creates art in Minnesota. An admitted Harry Potter fan, she recognizes the magical in everyday life and translates that into vibrant, fantastical and beautiful paintings. We discussed her art, creative process, and inspirations.
Photo of Daisy Giles by Gyasi Jones
Can you tell us a little about your artistic background?
How did you become interested in art and why?
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. My mother’s and my paintings cover the walls in our home (and my father’s office). My mom always loved to paint, as did both of her brothers and her own mother, so I suppose you could say its in my blood. Art was always a hobby for me however, and it wasn’t until taking some elective art courses at the University of Minnesota that I was opened up to the idea that I could pursue art as a career. I am incredibly thankful to my parents for always being supportive in this interest – my father bringing home stacks of recycled paper from his job for me to draw, my parents’ paying for private and community art classes when I was younger, building special storage in their basement for my artwork, and most recently – providing me with financial support that enabled me to quit my job so as to spend more time on the my art as I complete my BFA program. I am incredibly and eternally grateful to them for supporting my passion.
Mette by Daisy Giles. Oil on Panel.
Of your art, you’ve said:
In my work, I aim to explore the beautifully natural and the stunningly fantastical…My work is meant to express things that are inexpressible in words, which only live on the tips of tongues, in the subconscious, and in dreams of suppressed purposes and identities.
Can you say a little about what you mean by this? How did you come to be committed to this purpose?
Guilty pleasure and embarrassing admission: I am a Harry Potter fanatic. I love the Twilight series, I love fairy tales and folktales, I love campfires and spooky stories, and I love the idea that there is hidden magic all around me. I also am very interested in showcasing the beauty in things and people as they are: round bellies, soft bodies, wild hair, and humped backs. I feel like I am constantly painting portraits of myself, be it how I feel or how I want to feel.
The relationship between these two interests is what I am most concerned with exploring. I like the tension it creates when these two ideas collide. I think that there is something magical in every one of my paintings, something hidden and secret, something private, but something powerful nonetheless. I like playing with the simple situation of a beautiful and natural woman, pot bellied and relaxed, with the implausible situation of her hair growing three feet past her head and branching out to become a resting place for nearby birds. I like creating images of things that aren’t actual possible but that I wish were possible and that somehow feel like they could be. I think that these feelings are ones that many women can relate too, but that they perhaps can’t quite put their finger on and can’t quite define. When I am creating images, its always to express a feeling or an idea that I feel cannot ever be fully expressed in words.
Pomi's Roses by Daisy Giles. Oil on Canvas.
We’re sure it differs from piece to piece, but in general, can you share what the creative process and inspiration has been like for your portraits and your new series, Roses? How would you describe the aesthetic of these pieces?
The works in Roses, like all of my final works, begin with sketches, sketches, sketches. I let myself daydream and sometimes I let myself sleep. I like to create environments unto themselves, where my subjects are able to ponder whatever they so desire in solitude. Roses was no different from my Trees & Birds collection, in that I wanted to create these fictional locations, however in Roses, I really wanted the focus to be much more on the environment and on that seclusion than on the subject. So, rather than use the sparse open spaces that I created in my previous series, I came up with this concept of flowers crowding and encasing someone. I always begin my sketches with an overwhelming feeling (or some times multiple feelings) that I want to come across and then I go from there.
Who are some of your artistic inspirations?
Kara Walker is a huge inspiration. Her work literally gives me chills. I think I am so enamored with her work because she is able to walk that line of fantasy and the barely plausible so well. Her large-scale installations allow her to place the person viewing her work into her created environment and further heighten the tension created by the dark and violent images she creates. I admire her ability to create extremely beautiful and delicate images that are at the same time so heavy, so disgusting, and so off-putting. Mark Ryden greatly inspires me for similar reasons, although these tensions are expressed very differently in his work. I sometimes spend hours browsing his website and I absolutely never become bored with his highly detailed and romantic surrealism.
Ms. Paris by Daisy Giles. Oil on Panel.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I am constantly working on new and different projects. I like to keep it moving so that I am never bored with what I am working on and so that I always have five different things I can work on at once. However, I am currently most excited about my first portrait project. I have always drawn and painted commissioned portraits for those that would like them, but the portraits in this current project are created completely on my own terms. I am using real people and their real personalities for inspiration. (-Big thanks to my good friends who didn’t put up a fight when I begged them to model for me!) I have so far completed three of these life-size portraits and I have four others in progress. It is a new direction that I am very excited about.
Finally, what does living unchained mean to you?
Living unchained can mean many things, but to me, it means following your gifts and your passions without fear. The fear of failure can be overwhelming at times and I fall victim to it as easily as does anyone else, but it is important to me to not let that fear paralyze myself from action. I plan to give my art everything that I have and I’ll know then that I tried. The worst case scenario is that I never make it big, but I do know I will have created some beautiful things along the way and that’s okay with me.
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Join Daisy’s e-mail list here http://daisygiles.com/contact.html to get the latest on her shows, exhibitions, new work, and publications.
Posted in Art, Black Women, Creative Process, Creatives, Creativity, Dreams, Freedom, Inspiration, Introduction, Live Unchained, Painting, Process, Women
Guest post by Felicia Montgomery
Felicia Montgomery dedicates her life to connecting communities through creative communications as a non-profit fundraising and communications expert, social entrepreneur and multi-media producer. She resides in Washington, DC and blogs, tweets, and speaks on issues ranging from philanthropy and social business to race and human rights. Contact her or follow her musings at http://twiter.com/4socialgood or http://www.linkedin.com/in/feliciamontgomery.
When I learned of Live Unchained and its focus on women of African descent, I think the image was rather literal in my head. Since the end of slavery, we have been living in a sense, unchained.
Yet, I thought it was rather interesting to explore that thought, that question of “are we truly living unchained?” If so, how are we achieving that? What factors inhibit our ability to live unchained? And, what sparks the desire for some to go down a different path that varies from the strict social construct of the black woman living in the Americas.
I’m proud that there are projects like Live Unchained that seek to provide a spotlight on so many black women living in the nexus of creativity, activism, entrepreneurship, technology and communications. I definitely put myself in that category.
Posted in Activism, Creativity, Live Unchained, Social Justice, Spirituality, Women
Tara Betts’ career, writings and experiences show that art serves an important social purpose and, simply, some people were put on this earth to write and help others develop their creative voices.
Tara has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and the Black Family Channel series Spoken with host Jessica Care Moore. After winning Guild Complex’s Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award, she represented Chicago twice at the National Poetry Slam. She has performed in Cuba, London, throughout the Midwest, the East and West Coasts, and the South. In addition to all this, Tara has coached and mentored countless young writers and performers that have participated in Brave New Voices and the Louder Than a Bomb teen poetry slams.
We are so grateful for the opportunity to have a discussion with her on creative inspiration, the importance of poetry, her new book Arc and Hue and, of course, what it means to live unchained.
What sparked your interest in poetry?
My interest stemmed from my love of reading, and it also came from the music that I enjoyed. I loved MC Lyte, KRS-One, Public Enemy, and the Native Tongues crew, but I also loved U2 and The Cure. I felt like lyrics moved me and inspired me, almost as much as my trips to the library, where I eventually held my first job and snuck around reading in the stacks. I also dabbled in classical music like Bolero, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky.
I just wanted to soak up anything that fed burgeoning images that would emerge in my head. Of course, poets like Paul Laurence Dunbar, Ntozake Shange, and the anthology The Black Poets edited by Dudley Randall really inspired me.
From what sources do you gather inspiration?
Posted in African Diaspora, Creative Process, Creativity, poetry, Women, Writing
