Follow the link
Monday, 24 August 2015
You Tired Of That Product Build-Up Huh ?
Follow the link
Friday, 21 August 2015
A Superbalist in Tokyo
Since I've entered the world of branding, I have become more observant and my choices have become more informed. Via Facebook, the brand Superbalist has been floating before my eyes and I decided to check it out.
Now Superbalist( http://superbalist.com/ ) is an online style destination exclusively for South Africans. Look at their brand essence: " It doesn't matter if you're the creator or the appreciator- Superbalism is a higher state of awareness. Where design matters and creativity become palpable. Superbalism finds joy in innovation and gets a high from the unique, it's that emotion when you fall inlove with something beautiful or the excitement of discovering our new favourite thing".
This is absolutely amazing, holistic and innovative. I'm not really acompetiton fenatick but when I saw this competition with Superbalist and a chance to shop and experience Tokyo, the best of Tokyo. I just had to share !
Do yourself afavour , enter here : http://www.letsgotokyo.co.za/LetsGoTokyo?ruid=3582&utm_source=email&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=superbalist
Happy Friday :D !
Now Superbalist
This is absolutely amazing, holistic and innovative. I'm not really a
Do yourself a
Happy Friday :D
Labels:
Branding,
Do It,
Freeflow,
Holism,
Innovation,
New Post,
Superbalist,
Travel,
Winning
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Do You Know Your Worth ?
Creative people surround me and many like myself, have been
in the dark about certain elements pertaining to their crafts’.
Do we really know and understand the
value of our intellectual property?
How many of y’all know a friend whose beats are tight, but
they stuck posting it on Soundcloud? How many of us know of the homie whose got
mad skills with a paintbrush, Adobe Creative Suite software, a mic or even the
spoken word but the higher power if forever taking advantage of them, you see
them in Braam every Thursday enjoying your money while you borrowing gwaps just
to get to varsity the next week?
During our formative years, our curriculum at school is
distorted. We learn the basics of Mathematics and Life Orientation and for
those who are privileged to have Fine Art, we are taught to imitate and not
express who we truly are. Essentially your value as a creative is something
that is non-existent. We are taught basic forms of art, iconic artists from
different time periods but we were never taught how to protect our ideas, how
to be business people in the world of art and how to overcome this term that
throws shade on all of us, “ Struggling Artist”.
The art world is quite polarized, with eight figures
exchanging hands on the one end of the spectrum and on the other just a
constant hustle to make ends meet. For the life of me, the language of Finance
is a foreign concept to many of us and this is were we are selling ourselves
short. We don’t choose to be artists, hell if I could have had the capacity to
be a world banker, you really thing I would be here getting the prerequisites
to be the top Young Creative in the game right now?
We are artists and it is something that we cannot shy away
from but this is no longer enough in this highly competitive and fickle
industry. We need to fulfill roles of everyone involved from art director,
curator and right down to financial advisor .
If we want to take control of our lives as creative
individuals, we need to fulfill these roles and acquire the knowledge we need
to stop continually getting fucked over.
However, this should not be the case anymore because we are
empowered by a vast wealth of knowledge from our predecessors and of course,
the Internet!
I have some tips that can help you feel more empowered to
protect what is yours:
1) Read! Knowledge is
power Fam . If you read up on your craft, copyright laws and how the system
works. Nobody can fuck you over cause you know what’s the deal.
2) Make sure you make
an agreement with somebody, it is on paper, it is signed, dated and there was a
witness of the event. How many times you hear somebody that owes you something
say, “ I don’t remember?” It’s a
legal document once it’s signed and be sure to make hella copies of it.
3) Protect your
ideas. By all means collaborate, that is how creativity and free-flowing ideas
are formed but keep the circle small. You should be surrounded by individuals
who believe in you as much as you do.
4) Get a mentor!
There is power is surrounding yourself with people who actually know more than
you because it’s a brilliant strategy and secondly, you learn so much under
their wing. You have the home court advantage.
5) Attend seminars
about finance and the market. This keeps you informed so you can plan ahead.
Yes it is not the most exciting event to attend but it’s an investment you need
to make.
We need to empower ourselves, to get the payment and
recognition we deserve. This term, “ Struggling Artist” is a reality that looms
if we don’t act now.
Personally, I’ve been through this struggle, more so a few
months ago when my allegiance to a brand I fucked with so hard, took my
marketing concept for an event, had meetings without me and made it seem like I
was not playing my part and basically executed the plan like it was theirs but
the direction and concept was all mine.
I’m tired of seeing my fellow young creatives’ struggle
while others are getting rich off our brainpower . I’m tired of seeing my homies
stand for something, only to have others claim it as their cause!
Know Yourself and
Know Your Worth!
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Peace To The Heavy Hearts.
An Ode to Refuge & Solace,
Have a bath. Make a cup of tea. Eat something lovely. Get dressed in your favourite clothes today. Take your favourite book and read it for today.
Remind yourself why you are here and if you can't find the answer today, that is okay.
Being a woman you take everything. Because they expect you too.
The greatest thing about choice: Is That You Dont have Too !
Boo, you need to be happy with you. Be good in yourself. Do not let such things throw you off in life.
For you, Sanele. Who stayed & Who always provided refuge in the early ams when the demons wont sleep and refuge no matter how close or far away I was.
Labels:
An Ode,
Hearts Alive,
Love,
Peace,
Self-worth,
Solace,
To Friends
Thursday, 23 July 2015
Well Hello Whole-Mouth Clean!
Check out my product review for the New Sensodyne Complete Protection.
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
You Are The Golden Light , You Always Have been.
" There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of those lights, the light of all lights."
- Bram Stoker, Dracula
This quote is from one of my favourite pieces of literature. It makes me giddy with excitement. I am in a good space and incredibly blessed today. The universe resides in me, for me and above me. I am apart of it and I have every right to protest what I feel would be a better choice for me.
The light of all lights x Holding the universe together.
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Purpose Driver.
Finding your niche ? Is that not to purpose of this life ? To find something that fufills you , feed your mind and your spirit ?
I struggled a lot, to find
a balance between my academics and creativity growing up. The world keeps
telling you to make a choice, to choose one, leave the other one to wilt and
die.
I chose both.
I made a conscious decision this year, to OWN 2015. I fed my mind and attempted every possibility that life threw at me. I was blessed and humbled to be included in the My Future First journey mixed with 11 brilliant souls who have become family.
I chose both.
I made a conscious decision this year, to OWN 2015. I fed my mind and attempted every possibility that life threw at me. I was blessed and humbled to be included in the My Future First journey mixed with 11 brilliant souls who have become family.
I have discovered so
much about myself. My strengths and the areas that need improvement. The
respect and understanding of my craft have grown tremendously.
Who in this day an age can say they actually enjoy going to varsity, I'm at Vega School of Brand Leadership and I am inspired everyday to carry out my dreams. I am a confident young woman with a passion for education and the creative market. Dynamic leader, Workaholic, people-driven, passionate and the happiest I have been in the past five years. I like having my finger on the pulse of what is happening.
Who in this day an age can say they actually enjoy going to varsity, I'm at Vega School of Brand Leadership and I am inspired everyday to carry out my dreams. I am a confident young woman with a passion for education and the creative market. Dynamic leader, Workaholic, people-driven, passionate and the happiest I have been in the past five years. I like having my finger on the pulse of what is happening.
I am different. I strive to
become the best version of myself, for myself and for the world around me.
You are looking at the future.
You are looking at the future.
Hello my name is Nefertari :)
P.s I see myself a food
blogger someday, among many of the other things I will be doing and no my Afro is not for sale!
Rainbow Power!
When I hear yesterday about the Supreme court ruling about same sex marriage as a right nationwide - my heart was overflowing with mixed emotions.
Everyone deserves to be happy. Love knows no sex , race or creed. I can only imagine how this ruling will impact our communities around the world. If this is possible after so many years, it makes me hopeful for the future , that my family , friends , neighbours and even my future kids will grow up in a world that is accepting , where they are free to express themselves and be who they are.
This ruling has paved the way. I'm on the way to feeling proud to be a human being again.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html?_r=1
Everyone deserves to be happy. Love knows no sex , race or creed. I can only imagine how this ruling will impact our communities around the world. If this is possible after so many years, it makes me hopeful for the future , that my family , friends , neighbours and even my future kids will grow up in a world that is accepting , where they are free to express themselves and be who they are.
This ruling has paved the way. I'm on the way to feeling proud to be a human being again.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html?_r=1
Saturday, 27 June 2015
Roco's Mama- One Hell of a Smashburger.
You see the thing about me is when there is too much "hype" around something - it pushes me away and makes me frustrated because it distorts my own view on that particular thing. You'll find out that when the "hype" is no longer concentrated, that is will I will enter, at my own pace.
Everyone I knew went on about RocoMamas - Smashburger , Wings and Ribs. It's like they had found the Mecca of grub around the city , thats all fine and dandy except I WAS NOT INTERESTED IN VISITING! It got to the point when I would actually walk away from conversations because hey I actually just did not give a rats ass about this place. You see food to me , is something I value - like a good meal, it needs to be reviewed and recommended by people I actually trust and it's usually a place that people would not visit often because this " hype" story ruins everything.
Tonight I went on another spontaneous adventure with my partner and RocoMamas recently opened in his area, so we went to grab a bite. Now I trust his opinion because he knows me well enough , to respect by body enough to fill it with goodness and wholesome goodness at that. His also the type of guy who forces me out of my comfy corner and makes me try new things and I would like to think I do the same. We sat down in this bright , shiny new place with friendly staff whom were eager to show us what they got. Another point was that the joint was not full at all so it made me feel better that possibly the service and quality of food would be exceptional.
You see this right here ? Got me excited because it gave me a CHOICE! Hells yeah I want to create my own burger and just the aesthetic look of the menu : fun , easy, typography is great and it really captures the personality of RocoMamas. Now they were reeling me in , the promised great food with fun - I'm all up for that.
My waiter joined us later to take our orders and I ordered ( with great excitement) , a Smashburger which is a standard 150g Beef pattie with red onion , tomatoe and Rocomayo . I added bacon, rocket and pickles. Now does that not sound mouth-watering ?
We waited for around 45 minutes, which we did not mind because we were conversing and the like , as well we let them take their time with my burger because I wanted it to be piping hot and have that " fresh burger smell" ... Come on you know it !
Let's just say this burger was love personified. I made love to my burger , I was cheating on my partner right infront of him! This burger was AMAZING!!!!
Juicy, fresh, all the right combinations that make a great burger or so I thought ...
Man when I got home, I felt gasy and destroyed the guest bathroom at my partner's home. I felt terrible, sad and even , let down. Was this not the greatest burger Jozi had ever seen ?
I'm sad to say RocoMamas , I don't see us having a future relationship and this saddens me because I had so much faith in you.
http://rocomamas.com/
Disgruntled customer, indeed!
On to the next burger ....
Everyone I knew went on about RocoMamas - Smashburger , Wings and Ribs. It's like they had found the Mecca of grub around the city , thats all fine and dandy except I WAS NOT INTERESTED IN VISITING! It got to the point when I would actually walk away from conversations because hey I actually just did not give a rats ass about this place. You see food to me , is something I value - like a good meal, it needs to be reviewed and recommended by people I actually trust and it's usually a place that people would not visit often because this " hype" story ruins everything.
Tonight I went on another spontaneous adventure with my partner and RocoMamas recently opened in his area, so we went to grab a bite. Now I trust his opinion because he knows me well enough , to respect by body enough to fill it with goodness and wholesome goodness at that. His also the type of guy who forces me out of my comfy corner and makes me try new things and I would like to think I do the same. We sat down in this bright , shiny new place with friendly staff whom were eager to show us what they got. Another point was that the joint was not full at all so it made me feel better that possibly the service and quality of food would be exceptional.
![]() |
| Location : RocoMamas Melville, Johannesburg. |
You see this right here ? Got me excited because it gave me a CHOICE! Hells yeah I want to create my own burger and just the aesthetic look of the menu : fun , easy, typography is great and it really captures the personality of RocoMamas. Now they were reeling me in , the promised great food with fun - I'm all up for that.
My waiter joined us later to take our orders and I ordered ( with great excitement) , a Smashburger which is a standard 150g Beef pattie with red onion , tomatoe and Rocomayo . I added bacon, rocket and pickles. Now does that not sound mouth-watering ?
We waited for around 45 minutes, which we did not mind because we were conversing and the like , as well we let them take their time with my burger because I wanted it to be piping hot and have that " fresh burger smell" ... Come on you know it !
Let's just say this burger was love personified. I made love to my burger , I was cheating on my partner right infront of him! This burger was AMAZING!!!!
Juicy, fresh, all the right combinations that make a great burger or so I thought ...
Man when I got home, I felt gasy and destroyed the guest bathroom at my partner's home. I felt terrible, sad and even , let down. Was this not the greatest burger Jozi had ever seen ?
I'm sad to say RocoMamas , I don't see us having a future relationship and this saddens me because I had so much faith in you.
http://rocomamas.com/
Disgruntled customer, indeed!
On to the next burger ....
Saturday, 20 June 2015
Untitled.
Throughout
my life, disasters had a way of showing up. It was always around, like in most
families but mine seemed to be a never-ending story of misery.
I remember
it becoming so bad that I would almost anticipate it happening because I had
become so immune. I would look over my shoulder and constantly wait for
something to happen because in my head that was the best way I could deal with
it … If I was prepared for it.
Who in the
hell wants to live their life in this way, at 19? Are you kidding?
There were
many times I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, I removed myself from my friends,
I thought about suicide they way my peers’ thought about which club they were
going to hit next after a binge weekend, reeking of sex, narcotics and the
bittersweet joys of being a young adult.
I had become
so trapped in myself that I couldn’t get to me.
One morning
in February this year, I woke up and felt nothing. I felt nothing to the point
where I thought I was going to float away. This terrified me to the point where
I thought that this is going to be the person I’m going to become? I don’t feel
alive, I feel like I just existed. Taking up space, leaving my talents to lie
around and gather dust and for Gods’ sake I looked almost 30 years old, I
stopped taking care of myself.
I had
received word that the university of my choice, had no space for me so imagine
now the failure I was feeling on top of all the other stuff?
I sat at
that Internet café’ all alone and I cried so hard, I thought my chest cavity
was going to cave-in.
I walked home;
barely able to hold myself up. The road was quiet.
Something
inside me just burst, I screamed so loud for all the pent-up frustration, fear,
anxiety, depression, failure and loneliness I was feeling.
I screamed
because I couldn’t take it anymore, I needed to feel something because all this
bottling up was starting to over-flow and poison me. I felt like a toxic waste
bag of all my hang-ups, insecurities, pent-up feelings and things pushed onto
me by other people.
I had to
change my life. It became my biggest mission this year because this “ illness”
had over-stayed its welcome and it needed to be sent right the hell back from
whence it came.
I decided
from that moment on, to OWN 2015. To stop letting myself stand in the way of
myself because I realized that yes life has not been kind to me, I often wasn’t
dealt with a good hand after these last few years but I’m still here and as
much I have suffered but I have become so unimaginably strong and thick
skinned. I am terribly blessed to
have experienced what I have because these kinds of occurrences’ happen to
people much later in their lives and this is why many adults have to march
their asses’ to the shrinks office because they never dealt with their hang-ups
in their twenties.
I get up
everyday, ready to fight and to keep going. I am so inspired by so many
individuals around me because you are whom you surround yourself with.
Relapse is
not in my vocabulary.
Wednesday, 3 June 2015
Hold The Hell On!
A few week’s
ago I came across this interesting theory, The Helsinki Bus Station Theory. You
heard of it? Not? Oh let me school you real quick.
Imagine you
are at this bus station (but no I’m not talking about Downtown Jozi!); I am
talking about maybe the Gautrain station. You know it’s nice and clean, you get
fined for chewing gum – you know that kind of station. Do you remember the
first time you used it? How complicated it was?
This theory
is kind of the same. It relates back to the creative journey more specifically
and how we pick our careers as creative individuals. It also relates back to my
post “ Fool’s Gold”, about how people criticize and compare you to others,
which now sets of these alarms and your back at platform one … again.
Cool, you
are at platform one now but don’t try to set yourself apart too much from the
bystanders but rather strive for mastery in what you already do.
This takes
me back to when I first started Thrifting at age fifteen. When I started I was
not good at finding “ trendy” items of clothing or even time-less literature,
in fact I brought collected and brought home junk.
This lesson
goes hand-in-hand with my Thrifting actually. I would have never improved if I
stopped doing it. If I never stayed on the bus long after the conductor even
gave up kicking me off!
Keep on
persisting to be the best at what you do and actually enjoy doing. It’s hard to
be a person in this generation we live in today and not a bunch of characters
from a social media account but just.be.YOUrself.
You never
know where these roads might take you and which platform you end up on.
PLATFORM
NINE & THREE QUARTERS x STAY THE HELL ON THE BUS x WHY YOU GETTING OFF ? x
OKAY x YOUR ASS WILL WALK THE WHOLE WAY THEN x NO SERIOUSLY, STAY ON THE BUS !
Working With Your Hands : Tools To Thrift.
This past
weekend I embarked on an expedition with a friend and my partner. I called Thrfiting
an expedition because it takes guts, energy, doing it constantly to actually
get the hang of it and lots and lots of patience.
You know
when something is just your niche, like you could do it in your sleep and fear
waking up looking like an antique catalogue? That is how much I eat, breathe
and live all things Thrift!
Anyhow, I
wanted to welcome you into my world of Thrift. I hope you enjoy what you find
here, learn a great deal, feel inspired and try Thrifting out for yourself even
if it is a one-time thing.
We were in
funky Melville, Johannesburg and explored the different stores before we got to
the Thrift stores.
We had an
absolute blast http://junkiecharitystore.co.za/, which is a real gem and has so much
character and http://www.charitysa.co.za/bounty-hunters.html which is filled with adorable kitties you just
want to load in your car and take home as well a great finds on books, jewelry,
vintage shirts and well as one off doo dads!
| Welcome. As you can see you will not be disappointed. |
I am
constantly on the look out for cool and nifty finds. This would be accredited
to my childhood, I was always a curious kid, poking my nose where it does not
belong (getting into a lot of trouble while doing it) and growing up in my
Grandmother’s house is the possible reason because all the trinkets and things
from yester year that are there that sparked it all.
I was always
in Antique and Thrift stores with my mother and grandmother, so exposure was
key in this sense and ever since then I was hooked.
It is the
most fun I could have on any given day, leave me with all the things you
consider “ garbage” and I will sort them out for you. Leave me in a Thrift
store in Melville, Downtown Johannesburg or Orange-Grove, you name it. I’ll
give you cabin fever just looking at me go!
I feel most
inspired when I use my hands, it is the most stimulating thing you could do
for yourself. You need to enjoy what you are doing to create outstanding work.
Once you get the hang of something through continuous failing and diligence,
this is how magic begins. This is when you find your NICHE. While you sift of course, you are going
through a mess to get to the great stuff that is worth keeping and investing
in. I use the same analogy in all areas of my life as well as particularly in
my creative work.
Just like
Thrifting, you go through a process of selecting the most worthy items to go
home with you as well with all things creative. Try them all out, check the
value and use it with pride. Take your time as well.
This is all
we ever ask for as creative’s’ right? Time.
Take time to
be bored, try new things even if they seem scary at first and never forget to
have some fun.
Here is
some of my Tips To Thrift:
1) Drive
unexpectedly to a place you have never been, as long as it is not a place where
you could get injured, it is all-good.
2) Wear
comfortable clothing and SHOES! Because … 2.1) You will get dirty, 2.2) Sweaty
and finally you need to be comfortable enough to move around, pick things up
and try on.
3) Don’t
take a handbag, keep cash or your cards in your pocket (yes we live in the 21st
century and these places have electronic machines’ now, isn’t that great!).
Your handbag gets it the way and could get stolen.
4) Keep
hydrated and eat something! It’s going to be a long day and you need the
energy.
5) Pace
yourself, otherwise you will get overwhelmed. It is okay to take your time.
6) Pacing
yourself will lead you too cool finds and vintage magic, keep your eyes peeled.
7) Talk to
locals, they always have their ear to the ground on great markets and stores
which stock the best stuff at great bargains’.
8) Keep an open
mind. Don’t be hard on yourself if you come home with not-so-great stuff on the
first day, it’s cool. Everything comes with practice and giving it another shot
right?
9) Take a
friend with you and share the experience. It will also assist you having
someone around who can give you an opinion you can trust as well as a fresh
eye.
10) HAVE
FUN!
| What is the point of doing it if you can't have a bit of harmless fun ? They owner kept checking on us to see if we did not break anything ha ha ha ! |
Inspired by
the lesson: “ Do good work and share it with people”.
A BIG shout
out to my friends http://junkiecharitystore.co.za/ for allowing me to shoot in your
beautiful space, teaching small, detailed lessons that have a big
impact on my perception and sharing your knowledge with me every time I visit.
| Viva La Thrifting ! |
Thank you to favelafrica.blogspot.com, for being my designated photographer for the day, I hope you learned as
much I did loved to share it with you.
P.S Check
Out some of these cool places to Thrift:
Junkie Charity Store
4th Avenue, Melville Johannesburg - http://junkiecharitystore.co.za/ .
Bounty Hunters Charity Store
4th Avenue , Melville Johannesburg - https://bountyhuntersthrifting.wordpress.com/
Orange Grove HospiceWits
Corner 9th street and Louis Botha Avenue.
SHARE x
THRIFT x BE SELECTIVE x LEARN x LOVE x BE CURIOUS.
Sift in
order to carry on Thrifting!
| Walking around the block , Melville Johannesburg . |
| Every time I thrift , I cannot believe my finds ! |
| Thrifting Haven ! |
| How beautiful is that genuine leather drum ? |
| The jewel of your eye , a vintage perfume bottle. |
| Step into my world. I will give you the grand tour. |
| Books x books x more knowledge x more exposure x better dreams. |
| Lps are back in fashion . Rummage through all these crates , could take you a good few hours. |
| Let's go somewhere ? Run away x wander x get lost x so beautifully stacked x waiting to be bought. |
| Alice in Wonderland x Neff in VegaWorld. |
| We from the Motherland baby ! |
| So many shoes ! |
| Welcome to China x me love you long time . |
| Welcome to Mexico x Guantanamera x Blanca. |
| Make that Afro Pop! |
| Afro x For Your Afro Pop. https://www.facebook.com/tiaan.art.design |
| All hail The Queen of Thrift ! |
Floetry Poetry!
“
At fifteen you had the radiance of early morning. At twenty you begin to have
the melancholy brilliance of the moon.”
- F. Scott Fitzgerald.
An Ode to the Creative Light
Half empty,
Half full,
Deep enough to drown in.
It has been a ride,
A bit of an open tide,
You showed me all you had to offer,
like an open book with no lines,
I became intertwined in this new
world like a pair of vines.
Thank you for being complicated, one
big mess to sort out, beautiful and misunderstood.
As I continue to walk around curious
to keep sifting while thrifting.
This
is my attempt at Haiku poetry http://tylerknott.com/, inspired by a treasured writer : Tyler Knott
Gregson.
| This photograph was taken at Ogilvy&Mather Johannesburg ( http://www.ogilvy.co.za/ ), a place I am proud to say has become my second home. I always leave there with something , be it a lesson , a new insight ,laughs , a big smile , full tummy and most of all inspired x1000. |
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Infuse The Muse.
It
is all fine and dandy I give thanks to these muse’s around me but there one I
had to save. This had to be my dad.
He had his
roots deeply embedded in the soil of the Cape Flats that no matter where he
went, he always came back there and if I reflect back how his face used to
light up at just the sight of Table Mountain. Growing up, I remember how I used
to hear the dreamy sounds of Herbie Hancock’s “ Watermelon man” play from the
record player that rested on the counter top that I could never reached, smells
of the mystical Nag Champa burning as if it calling for “Namaz” which is a
sacred ritual perform by my father every morning to give thanks to the mystics
for another day. Later on I got to the conclusion that this was the very ritual
that started the magic; it had invited all of my father’s muses’ to join the
open jam session that was about to commence.
My little
hands used to hold the coat stand as I watched my father almost enter a
trance-like state from deep within him. To me it was the most fascinating thing
to observe because his head would go low-down and sway from side to side and
his fingers would move in such a melodic way, almost like how blind people read
brail; his fingers just knew what to do as if they were born knowing how to
bring out the notes from the piano. Just as my little hands would grab the coat
stand, so would they be grabbing onto various objects like the walls of
backstage, the doors of his dressing rooms, recording studios, his office http://www.ufh.ac.za/centres-and-institutes/eavc/about.html ) and
ultimately his hand. It led me into his world, the world where of crazed
drunks’ and substance users, hazy underground jazz clubs and dysfunctional but
brilliant artists from all walks of life, my father never had an itch for the
spotlight. He was quite an elusive man, if I reflect back on those years, he was
a very grounded and disciplined.
Many
occurrences’ happened in that way, I was surrounded by creative beings
everywhere I went. In many ways this was the key to the creative process which
belonged to him, sometimes he needed space … the space to be himself and alone
with the music. He needed a space to be surrounded by his masters and channel
them. Other times he needed people, because when fire and fire come together
cause more friction, bigger fires and that’s how magic is born. There is no “
how-to-guide” when it comes to creating brilliant work and having something
magical happens, that is what I have come to a conclusion about. You either
stumble on it by accident or its your usual routine, nothing special cause if
you keep at something, no matter how mundane it is, something different will
occur.
Every now
and again, I perform the same ritual he once did. He filters through many of
the creative channels I have pursue in my own life and in many ways he is still
here, a master in his own right.
Many people
never understood why “ Hotep Galeta’s daughter “ does not know how to play the
piano. My dad was a perfectionist, now please imagine little me sitting there
pounding the piano like a scene from an Oliver Twist movie with bowls and
spoons demanding more food, I kid you not that is what it looked like.
In all
fairness he tried but it’s hard teaching your kids because they are close to
you and of course it’s damn frustrating.
He passed on
long before he could fill me with all his worldly knowledge and creative
insights but the box he left me, that I hold very dear to my heart has and will
come in handy much later as my journey carries on.
He did leave
me with a few tips that I thought I would share with you:
1) Respect
Your Craft; It will thank you for it someday.
2)
Everything in Moderation.
3) Be kind,
to yourself and the world around.
4) Be
curious.
5) Work hard
in all spheres on your life and take pride in all that you do, even if you
would like to set your boss and the desk on fire, don’t. Just carry on giving
your best even when people don’t give you theirs. People are stupid; don’t
blame them cause they do not know any better.
And lastly,
“Neff please put the dishes away when you are done!”
I miss you. I love you always. My hope is that , one day I could have just an ounce of your greatest be in my life as well as my work.
RIP <3.
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| The opening of the Miriam Makeba Centre of Performing Arts/ Audio Visual Centre in East London. My Dad created and nurtured this idea of preserving indigenous music as well as art in South Africa. http://www.ufh.ac.za/centres-and-institutes/eavc/about.html |
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| This is the frontal view of the MMC, I remember coming here from primary school , sitting in on meetings with my dad and even taking paper from the printer and lying on the floor and drawing. |
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| Back in the day , underground jazz clubs. Young Hotep on the keys. http://www.capetownjazzfest.com/ |
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| No wonder you had to flee from the country, busy with white ladies at the train station during the height of Apartheid . Oh my gosh ha ha ha ha ! |
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| Papa and Uncle Nat Reeves , back in the Big Apple! Looking dapper. http://harttweb.hartford.edu/faculty/academic/jazz/nreeves.aspx |
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| Keep the muses close. Grandaparents x Father |
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| In the recording studio at the state of the art Audio Visual Centre in the Eastern Cape. My father with his esteemed friend, poet and political activist Willie Kgositsile. It also just came to my knowledge that is the father of one of the coolest rappers from Odd Future http://oddfuture.com/ EARL SWEATSHIRT ! http://www.unisa.ac.za/news/index.php/2012/09/poet-laureate-keorapetse-kgositsile-lifelong-education-is-key/ |
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| Continuing your legacy. 2007 winner of the Johnnie Walker Pioneering Spirits award. Check out the Walk of Fame in Newtown, Johannesburg. http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/sowetan/archive/2007/05/21/local-jazz-legends-are-now-walking-on-fame |
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| One of my favourite albums, especially the song you created for my younger brother and myself . " Bolero for Nefertari and Jazz." http://www.allmusic.com/album/malay-tone-poem-mw0001477020 |
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| My Dad's last album , released around the time Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009. My Dad was truly inspired by this moment in history , considering he spent 30 years in exile in the United States. http://www.capetownmagazine.com/social/cape-town-creates-beads-and-beats-for-obama/118_22_10067 |
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| This how the magic is born. |
| Jam session. Robbie Jansen Band x circa : 2003. http://www.capetownjazzfest.com/ |
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