Captured By A Quiet Soul

Images by Shameer Khan

"...focus on the positive things in life"

We meet outside the Starbucks on 14^th Street and introduce ourselves. He gives me a gentle hug and smiles. I smile back. After luckily finding a free table we sit across from each other. His eyes suddenly squint in seriousness and he stares me down. Somehow I feel like an ant being examined by a zealous teenager with a magnifying glass. I want to look away, but I know that I shouldn’t.

This scoping of my face goes on for seconds, though it feels like minutes. In a subtle voice he instructs me to turn my head slightly to the side. I do that and his thick eyebrows wrinkle. He's pensive. I’m told to turn my head to the other side, but his expression doesn’t change. I'm thinking this meeting is going so well. Maybe I'm not as striking.  Finally I'm told to suck in my inner cheeks. “Like this,” he says and assumes the perfect angular face with pouted lips.

Inwardly I’m saying to myself, this guy is crazy! But he seems to know what he’s doing and trustingly, I try it. Those black brows wrinkle, animatedly again, as he shakes his head no. Apparently I’m trying too hard. “Like this,” he re-demonstrates. I make another attempt and this time he nods with satisfaction.

“Okay good.  Let’s go,” he finishes.

I follow him out the Starbucks and seconds later we enter a building that’s his friend’s studio. The temperature has dropped tremendously so it’s too cold to shoot outside.

His name is Shameer Khan, a Trinidadian native living in New York. At the time we met, he was on the cusp of his teenage years. For his age he is extremely knowledgeable about the fashion industry, in particular—what model agents want. He reels out—in a non-bragging fashion—a list of girls he got signed with agencies like Elite and IMG. There's something about his photographs that captures the pure essence of a model, even the ones with the slightest potential. Now these agencies send him their models when they need development test shoots done.

As I was instructed, I keep my puffy extensions straightened. The weave is so well done, that it looks like I was born with that full head of hair. He presents an H&M bag with clothes he bought from the store and I dress in an orange leotard and black leggings. This outfit is much simpler than my usual shoots, but he reminds me that it’s about my body, not about the clothes. I already have on a light foundation, but Shameer applies an extra layer, still enough to look natural, and surprisingly, applies my eyeliner, lip gloss and uses the eyeliner to contour the sides of my face. Taken by the comfort of his actions, I ask him where he learnt all this. He explains that sometimes stylists and make-up artists are a no-show to his test shoots and so, eventually, he learned to do everything himself. I am very impressed.

The end result of my shoot with Shameer

He patiently directs me into the poses, in an almost-soft-spoken voice. The movements are not sudden or dramatic. Very simple. Just enough to highlight my length, my features and that I can, at least, pose. I suck in my cheeks just like we practiced and he snaps away. The easy-going Shameer is smiling and that is a sure sign that the images are good. After a few changes the shoot is over and I’m looking forward to the possibilities.

It’s hard to count how many models Shameer has discovered, but it’s safe to say at least twenty—males and females combined, and that’s just being modest. One of his greatest finds is Diandra Forrest, an albinistic model, who captivated interests by fashion agents right away.

In no time the Trinidadian born photographer realized that he was good at what he did. When others took notice, he quickly became a respected name in the New York fashion niche, receiving special features on models.com and publishing editorials in UMag, Hommestar—The Pop Magazine, and Highlights Magazine, just to name a few.

Shameer…

What’s the first thing you usually do when you wake in the morning?

First, I thank God that I am alive, then I reach for my phone!

What can’t you leave the house without?

Can’t leave without putting on my Chanel Homme Sport cologne that I got as a gift from one of the models I work with, Michelene.

From left: Oscar Reyes, Iman, Shameer, Joan Smalls

Give us an idea of your typical day?

Wake up, brush my teeth, make coffee, check my emails, visit my favorite blogs, then plan out my day, jump in the shower, get ready and head to the city. Some days I may have a shoot, other days—a meeting, or maybe just shopping or something.

Do you believe you have found your calling and when did you realize that?

Yes I think I have. When I was 16 years old I got my first camera from an MTV event and I fell in love with photography. Unfortunately I was robbed and that camera was stolen, but eventually, my parents later got me a professional camera because they saw how much I loved photography.  I still us that camera today. I never liked school so I didn't apply to college because I knew that this is what I wanted to do, for sure.

Anybody famous or intriguing you’ve met or come across in your career/life? What was that experience like?

I’ve met Tyra Banks through a very good friend of mine Oscar Reyes, who was her agent at Elite. She took us out for Frozen Yogurt and then to a comedy club. It was fun. She's actually an amazing person.

Who do you hope to meet or work with one day? And why?

I hope to work with Nicki Minaj lolll… I would love to shoot her one day. We are both from Trinidad and both grew up in the same neighborhood (Southside Jamaica Queens)

How do you usually end your day?

I just grab my favorite snacks, chocolate, and soda, jump on the couch and fall asleep watching TV.

Is there anything that has happened to you in your life that has sobered you up, or has impacted on your life today?

Just moving to this country at the age of 9, and going through a lot of struggles when my family and I got here, my parents sacrificed a lot to give me and my brother a better life.

What philosophy do you live by?

Take life one day at a time and focus on the positive things in life; and forget about all the negative things.

Any closing words from your awesome self? Like maybe your goals for 2012 and beyond? Anything!

My goal for this year is to travel and see the world. I haven’t been back to my country in 13 years and I plan to go very soon to see my family. Then I plan on going to Europe! Especially London and Paris, because I have a lot of friends there :)

Shameer's Portfolio:

See more of Shameer's work @ http://shameerkhan.blogspot.com/

'Wal Wal' Keeps It Going in South Africa

“…My dreams keep me going!”

Sometimes we are born in threes. Valentine “Wal Wal” Gaudin—pronounced, Valonteen Godah—knows all about this, since she was kicked out of her mother’s womb by her two brothers. In essence, she is the oldest of the triplets. 

The twenty-nine year old grew up in a small village on the west coast of France, called La Roche-sur-Yon, and as a child enjoyed playing with her brothers, bike riding, and basketball.  She decided at an early age that the nickname “Val” would sound much cooler as “Wal”, and as result is affectionately referred to as such. Or “Wal Wal”, if you prefer. Now light years away from those childhood days, Valentine is a proud Brand Manager at the TRACE network in South Africa. 

Her journey from France to South Africa was no coincidence. Since teaching English in France proved highly unlikely, Valentine decided that taking a semester abroad to teach in South Africa would grant her that opportunity. She fell in love with the country and the following year went back and enrolled in Rhodes University. In 2005, unbeknownst to her journey, we met. She was a French Teaching Assistant at Albion College and I was in my final year. Val's vivacious and affable personality took me by surprise.

You see, while I learned French in high school, a part of that study included learning about the country’s history. Much attention was given to the Anglo-French with accents so heavy, that even when they spoke English it still sounded like French; and the country’s racial and social divide, where blacks, non-whites, and immigrants faced grave discrimination. However, meeting this spirited French girl softened that image. I could easily understand her not-so-heavy accent. She showed appreciation to and knowledge of my Jamaican culture and music, and effortlessly integrated with blacks and the international students.

After her year at Albion, she returned to France and acquired her Master’s Degree in Marketing and Communications then packed her bags and left for her second home—South Africa.

These days Valentine remains driven by the excitement of life—one that offers her the perfect rhythm and beat. So there is no surprise that she now resides in one of the most culturally vibrating countries in the world, working in one of the coolest jobs. Granted it’s hard work, but why should one complain when he or she gets to work with and meet celebrities from all over the world? As Brand Manager to TRACE, South Africa, Valentine is proud to share that the network is launching their Sports Channel this coming April.

And what exactly is she doing when she isn’t Tracing? Val has established a jewellery brand derived from her self-given nickname, called WAL Earrings. The idea came to mind after persons continuously inquired where she had purchased a pair of earrings she had made.

“I thought it would be great to start making a bit of money while doing something creative that I love,” she explains.  While this may be her hobby, Valentine envisions her brand will burgeon to the extent of marketing and selling to retailers and eventually hire a production team. “Who knows?! My dreams keep me going!” 

So Wal Wal, tell my readers a bit more about you…

In your list of accomplishments, what has been the most memorable or meaningful?

I don’t have a specific one, but I’m proud of the hard work I’ve put in to be where I am today. I mean, who would have thought that a French girl, like me, from a small village would be the brand manager of one of the most famous music video channels in South Africa (TRACE)? Hard work pays off! 

What’s the first thing you usually do when you wake in the morning?

Shower! I really need that to wake me up. 

What can’t you leave the house without?

My phone!! I feel lost without it. I have a Blackberry, so I can check my e-mails, twitter, etc. With my position I need to be connected all the times.

Give us an idea of your typical day?

Well, it really depends on what is going on during that week. Usually I have meetings and press conferences, and I ensure to make time every day to work out. I usually go to Bikram Yoga from Monday to Wednesday and go to the normal gym the rest of the week to run. I’m currently training at night for a 10km run downtown Johannesburg, organised by Nike. So I need to get ready! 

Earrings from WAL's Afro Hearts Collection 

Do you believe you have found your calling? And when did you come to that realization?

I can’t say that I’ve found my calling, but I enjoy what I do. I'm also trying to work on my own projects - such as the WAL Jewellery. That's definitively something I really enjoy doing. I will try to put more work into that project in the next few months, but for now I have to pay my bills. 

Anyone famous or intriguing you’ve met or come across in your career and life? What was that experience like?

Being in the entertainment industry I’ve come across quite a few celebrities such as retired French Footballers, Zinedine Zidane and Christian Karembeu, Trey Songz, Slum Village, Ryan Phillippe, and Sean Paul. You don’t really get to speak to them because of their 'status' but it’s always great to pose for a photo with them ^_^

Val poses with French ex-footballer Christian Karembeu

Val parties with Hollywood actor, Ryan Phillippe

She steals a photo op. with Dancehall artiste, Sean Paul

Who do you hope to meet or work with one day? And why?

This is a tough one. I know my answer is going to sound very typical but I would really like to meet Beyoncé and her baby, Ivy. The singer is extremely talented, keeps her private life out of the gossip newspapers, a fierce business women, and she's got curves like me!!! lol

How do you usually end your day?

I usually end my day by working out. I need it to chase all the stress away. Then I usually watch TV to unwind.

Is there anything that has happened to you in your life that has sobered you up, or has impacted on your life today?

Meeting my boyfriend Jimmy. He is an artist and follows his passion, which is music. He taught me to follow my dreams, find what I enjoy doing, and give it a try.

What philosophy do you live by?

As my dad would say: "There're no problems, only solutions". I love it! I also strongly believe that when you think positively, positive things will happen to you.

Any closing words from your awesome self? Like maybe your goals for 2012 and beyond?

Love u Chevy ;-)

See samples of Valentine's Jewellery Designs below: 

Afro Hearts

The above three photos are of WAL Earrings

See more of her collections at the links below:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.622031996093.2078017.36200529&type=3 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.602481530383.2075136.36200529&type=3

How Cheap and Clean do you get??

Young Jamaican fine artist, Ebony G. Patterson, seems to be the one most sought after by galleries these days.  After winning the Rex Nettleford Fellowship for Cultural Studies awarded by the Rhodes Trust last year, Patterson promised something grand and worthwhile.  It was no surprise that she continued with her exploration of gender, masculinity in particular, and fashion in Dancehall culture. Her new venture is titled, Cheap and Clean: Interrogating Masculinities Project.

Ebony has a chat with some of the fourteen participants in her 

Cheap and Clean Project at Arnette Gardens, Kingston.

The project includes fourteen young men from the inner city, made possible with the assistance of the Multi-Care Foundation of Jamaica, a non-profit organization working with youth from the inner-city in the Arts and Sports. Over the past few weeks Patterson has been working closely with all fourteen boys, learning first hand, from their perspective, how they identify the cultural roles of men in Jamaican society and themselves as males from the inner-city.  


Each child is asked by the artist to design outfits befitting their unique tastes, which they will embellish and later wear for the live projection and documentation of the actual Cheap and Clean project schedule to take place on Saturday, March 10 in Downtown Kingston, Jamaica. The project can be viewed via the web on Facebook through participating pages—Patterson’s artist fan page (Ebony G. Patterson), Alice Yard in Trinidad, Fresh Milk in Barbados, Bermuda National Gallery in Bermuda, the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in the USA, and Pop Studios in Bahamas.

On March 10 viewers will watch, in real time, a live performance with the fourteen participants.  They will be placed in a constructed photo studio designed to reflect a Georgian dollhouse. The young men in their uniquely enhanced outfits will pose for their photographs, which will be taken by noted Jamaican fine art and fashion photographer Marvin Bartley.

So what is this 'Cheap and Clean' concept? Well, I could easily say that it's a cultural habit fostered by Jamaicans, usually from the lower economic strata, who pride themselves in donning the sharpest and most expensive looking attires, without the lofty price tag. In other words: wearing “knock-off brands” that look the part, adding to the bling and flashy lifestyle. But let’s not judge too quickly, especially for those of us who love shopping in places like China town for our glossy looking “no-name” bags, paying a little extra to get high-end designer labels like Gucci, Prada, or Valentino on them.  So instead of forking out $1000 USD or more, you pay $30 to $40 bucks. Pretty much the same thing, right? That’s keeping it cheap and clean, or rather inexpensive but still feeling and looking like a million dollars.  However, Patterson sums it nicely by calling it “being trendy on a budget.”

Ebony provokes one of her participants further to gather reasoning behind his design

No, your eyes aren't fooling you. Ebony adds the finishing touches to this colourful design by one of the participants

Out of curiosity I badgered the busy artists with a few important questions to further explain her experience with planning the project.

What will you find yourself doing up until the launch of the project?

Well, up until March 10 I will be meeting with the 14 young men involved in the project, embellishing a massive dollhouse, discussing designs with the tailor, Chris Pablo, and telling everyone to friend the Facebook page to see the project. Also, I’ll be talking to (the web savvy) Ryan Lincoln about the technical stuff with the project and waiting on the edge of my seat hoping it all falls into place.

How has the experience been so far,  working with the boys and the young men?

I work with young people all the time and have always loved it; plus I already have a relationship with the Multi Care Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that sets up Art and Sports programmes in the inner city communities and schools. I’m extremely grateful for them allowing fourteen of their young men to participate in my project. This is the first time I’m working with only boys and young men, though, and it has proven to be quite revealing. I’ve learned that some of them have had to grow up pretty fast because of their community upbringing.

What do you hope people will take away from your Cheap and Clean project?

I hope the project will call people to question the performative nature of gender. We are all playing roles—masculine and feminine—and in the context of the Jamaican culture these roles are played amid major contradictions. I’m hoping that by using young men and boys it will indicate a particular place and stage where we begin to formulate these roles, and question how this affects our larger understanding of gender dynamics. Hopefully, people will question, again, whether or not these so-called roles even matter today.

After this outlandish and impressive project, what on earth will you do to top this?

Oh dear! I’m excited by this project, but it does not end on March 10^th. The core happens then, but there is a street video series that goes in conjunction with it. I had a young man, Dushaine Loraine, conduct a series of interviews with men in his community about their ideas on masculinity. These videos are quite raw and revealing! These clips will be compiled in a web archive with the documentation from the rest of the project, including essays from O'Neil Lawrence, Curator for the National Gallery of Jamaica, and Nicholas Laughlin, a writer from Trinidad.  After all of that, I’ve been invited to do a solo project, which will be in Martinique in May this year. I’ll be building 73 coffins in response to the Tivoli incursion that occurred in Jamaica in 2010.

See below, related images from Patterson's on-going Out and Bad exhibition which opened in January this year in the Bermuda National Gallery an runs until May 2012.

Embellished life-size mannequins

"Out and Bad" tapestry

And to think that, at the end of her final response, Patterson has the nerve to modestly say, “that's all” to the various projects she has planned. This forward-thinker clearly does not understand the meaning of “too much,” as she continues to turn heads and wow the art community and those surrounding it with her prolific ideas and execution.  

Be sure to meet the artist herself, tonight at 8pm Jamaican (eastern) time, where she will be delving into her ‘Cheap and Clean’ project. To gain access, simply like her fan page—Ebony G. Patterson, then click on the U-Stream link located on the left bottom of the menu. Oh, and please support Ebony and spread the word.

Also, don’t forget to tune back in on the artist's page on Saturday, March 10 for the highly anticipated live viewing of Cheap and Clean, also through U-Stream at 3PM Jamaican/Eastern time!

The Memorial Visit

Almost eleven years ago stood two colossal glass coated structures. Now, in its place are two deep cavities in the form of a water fountain or pool.  

I came across the 9/11 Memorial site by accident, on my way to Washington Street to research a location for one of my novels. When I realized my proximity to the location I decided that it wouldn't hurt to check it out. Apparently a pass is needed to enter the site, which you acquire from their website. However, in the wake of Presidents Day, the passes were readily available on spot.

Strangely, I learnt about the twin towers the day they were destroyed. It was merely two months into my first year at Albion College in Michigan, when a girl from our dorm burst into my room, exclaiming, "Oh my God, they just hit the towers!"  My roommate, who has lived in America for quite some time, responded with knowing shock, while I, on the other hand, was just bewildered.  

This wasn’t the welcome to America I anticipated. What I saw on the news channel felt like a movie.  In fact I was convinced that it was, until the channel changed and I saw the same thing. And the same thing again and again, which was a lofty pointed glass building with one of its sides burning—soot, rubble, and unidentified objects falling from it in the process. It appeared the other—its twin, still untouched, watched helplessly as the mirror image of itself burnt and slowly crumbled. For weeks a heavy and foreboding sadness mixed with anger and confusion settle over the college.

Inside the 9/11 Memorial site

Now, I have finally acquainted myself with what has become a part of America's scar. It was extremely cold that day, but I curiously joined the long line of visitors and accepted my pass from the officers donned in their 9/11 Memorial jackets. After the line sluggishly progressed, my pass was scanned. I went through the security check point, had the pass marked with a red permanent marker then followed the queue into what resembled a park. The winter season made it appear starkly destitute, with no semblance of lushness or green trees. The main attraction, though, were the fountains that indicated where the towers once stood. The names of the lives lost from the September 2011 attack and the Pentagon bombing were engraved all around it, and I along with everyone else just took it in, feeling something, yet, at times, feeling nothing but the biting cold.  The sound of drills, cranes and the like humming heavily in the background, as construction won’t be completed until 2014.

The museum was closed that day, so there was only so much exploring I could do. One thing is certain, the two dents in America’s history have managed not be an eye sore, but more a tourist attraction.

Have you visited the 9/11 Memorial site yourself?  Feel free to share your thoughts and experience.

See more images  within and around the memorial site:

Except for coins. Many visitors treated it like a wishing well

A few sombre faces take in one of the memorial pools

An unfinished section of the site

An intriguing root-like sculpture at the Trinity Chapel on Wall Street (a corner away from the Memorial site)

Good ol' Borders... what's left of it (across the street from the Chapel/Church)

Love this shot of the street by the Trinity Chapel, just around the corner from the 9/11 Site

  

The Unconventional Gift

The Unconventional Gift 

A view from Strawberry Fields

What will you be doing this Christmas? For us believers we will most likely be spending the morning in church, revisiting the reasons why we believe and serve; to forget about ourselves and focus on the "Light of the World." For others it will be a day where folks from across the globe make that extra effort to convene in one location for big dinners and merry making. Drink some wine, get a little tipsy, perhaps a little drunk, fatten our stomachs on the stuffed turkey or ham, the pound cake, the sorrel; the list goes on. And for a chosen few, the 25th will be a day of quiet reflection on the months that have passed and on how suddenly the year is ending. Those New Year’s resolutions will be in tow as we convince ourselves that the coming year will be “the year”  for the fulfilment of our dreams. 

For those who have no idea how they will be spending the rest of the season, here's an unconventional idea. Take a trip away from the city cluster and stress of Christmas shopping to a getaway where man meets nature and nature embraces man.

A few days ago I took a road trip with one of my friends to his backyard in the banana parish, a place also infiltrated with the Rasta vibration. To my surprise I pounced upon a few skin-bleachers, but mostly I was greeted by humble country men and women who understood and enjoyed the simplicity of life. The people of St. Mary will welcome and hail you, not with a “Wah gwaan”, but instead, with a colloquial “mannaz” deriving from the word “manners” meaning “respect”.

However the purpose of this trip was to experience what I now describe the “Bongo Living.” I took lodge in the hills of Albany at a bungalow owned by a Rasta, affectionately called Bongo, who takes on the subtle temperaments of an Indian Yogi. Very much wise for his years, he stays abreast with the current happenings of the world without the use of the latest gadgets. All he needs is his radio permanently stuck on the BBC and his daily reading of healthy living magazines, which he retrieves on a monthly basis from his American friends without having access to a mailbox. The information he gathers transforms him into a well read and knowledgeable machine.

A laid back, slow talking dread he is, but a man cognisant of spirituality even not limited to that of Rastafarianism. Bongo is the all around health guru, from his solar electricity to his vegan diet, complemented with his daily consumption of herbal and "bush" teas and vitamins. My friends and I never leave the Bongo cabin without a full dose of his special bread and smoothies, and not to mention swinging idly in hammocks or dosing on the cots against the wooden floors. We take a small recess from Bongo's cottage and drive  to another part of the country area, trekking partway to Winter Hill to take in the lush vegetation and the striking mountain view, while sucking on slices of sugar cane. 

The next stop is Robin’s Bay to a small resort called Strawberry Fields. While my two companions swim, I, donned in my swimwear, use the ambiance to reflect and write pieces to a developing new story. Like a tourist I trot around my friend’s backyard, already deciding to make another trip. 

So, I ask again. What are your plans this Christmas? If you are still battling to find a solution, how about a peaceful escape similar to my St. Mary experience. I can’t truly explain the pleasure that overcomes me while the breathtaking surroundings inculcate my senses. You have to experience it yourself.  


This season experience God’s gift to us—beautiful lands and seas. Discover the island’s hidden treasures, including the one’s often times overlooked, like the banana parish. This could be your perfect gift to a special someone, your friends and or family and even to yourself. It’s inexpensive and most of all, exhilarating. And if the day is already designated to something else, there are still six days left in the year to unwrap that package of escape.

Have a wonderful Christmas and may your endeavours be fulfilled in the coming year.

God’s blessings!

A slice of Bongo's special wheat bread

On the way up Winter Hill