June 9, 2025 • 52 mins
In this episode, Josiah and Kofi dive into the journey of personal growth, self-awareness, and transformation. They explore what it means to live authentically, confront limiting beliefs, and shape a life rooted in purpose and freedom. Expect real talk, powerful insights, and inspiring moments from two dynamic voices.
Black in Every Color, Art in Every Form
Artist List
Team: Josiah David Jones, Kofi Siriboe, Nakeyta Moore, Audrey Wiltz
THE MOVEMENT - LA Catalogue
THE MIGRATION - NOLA Catalogue
Aiseborn LA
Ade Agunmono LA
Adrienne Muse LA
Autumn Breon LA
Brandon Gastinell LA
Brittney S. Price LA
Natou Fall LA
Jatairee Hudson Jr. NOLA + LA
JOJO ABOT LA
Kader Amkpa LA
Langston Allston NOLA + LA
LÁOLÚ Senbanjo LA
Miles Regis LA
Steven John Irby LA
Tumi Adeyele LA
Zay Monae LA
Doug Hickman Jr. LA
Pro$per Jones NOLA + LA
Ceaux NOLA
Giani Jones NOLA
J-Hand (Jessica Strahan) NOLA + LA
Compton III NOLA + LA
Delaney George NOLA + LA
Bianca Walker NOLA + LA
Jeremy Tauriac NOLA + LA
Black in Every Color, Art in Every Form
Artist List
Team: Josiah David Jones, Kofi Siriboe, Nakeyta Moore, Audrey Wiltz
THE MOVEMENT - LA Catalogue
THE MIGRATION - NOLA Catalogue
Aiseborn LA
Ade Agunmono LA
Adrienne Muse LA
Autumn Breon LA
Brandon Gastinell LA
Brittney S. Price LA
Natou Fall LA
Jatairee Hudson Jr. NOLA + LA
JOJO ABOT LA
Kader Amkpa LA
Langston Allston NOLA + LA
LÁOLÚ Senbanjo LA
Miles Regis LA
Steven John Irby LA
Tumi Adeyele LA
Zay Monae LA
Doug Hickman Jr. LA
Pro$per Jones NOLA + LA
Ceaux NOLA
Giani Jones NOLA
J-Hand (Jessica Strahan) NOLA + LA
Compton III NOLA + LA
Delaney George NOLA + LA
Bianca Walker NOLA + LA
Jeremy Tauriac NOLA + LA
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
I think leadership is also very brave, you know, to
be able to put yourself aside for the purpose of service,
you know, and just being able to navigate your own
emotions and like share that way, and to be able
to trust the people around you in return, to be
able to learn, and to also just be able to
rest and rely and depend on something outside of yourself,
(00:29):
which is so healthy in a healthy way.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
It's inspiring.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Welcome to the Shaping Freedom podcast, where we dive into
conversations that inspire personal growth, transformation and clarity and challenging times.
I'm your host, Lysan Boskia. Hi friends, Really quick before
you listen to this episode, if you haven't already, please
make sure to go to YouTube and subscribe to our
(00:57):
Shaping Freedom YouTube channel and make sure that you like
this episode and share it after you've listened to it.
All right, go ahead, do it now, and let's get
into the episode. Welcome to the Shaping Freedom with the
San basqueapp podcast, where we focus on emotional wellness, identity, work,
and the sacred responsibility of shaping our lives, our legacies
(01:21):
and the stories that we carry forward today. I have
the honor of creating conversation space with two men whose presence, integrity,
and artistry reflect the very heart of that mission. Kofi
Cirabou is an award winning actor, filmmaker, and producer and
cultural force whose body of work reflects depth, nuance, and truth,
(01:42):
shaping how we see and honor the fullness of black masculinity.
We've seen him in Girls' Trip, Really Love, Meet Me
Next Christmas, Harlem and Moore, and his portrayal of Ralph
Angel and Ava DuVernay's Queen Sugar earned him five NAACP
Image Award nominations. Kofi's off camera work speaks just as loudly.
(02:05):
Through his short film series What the Fuck Is Mental
Health and his production company, via Kofi Kofe, is curating
space for Black men to be seen in their full
emotional and spiritual humanity. Kofi, through his art, is curating
a much needed conversation that challenges outdated narratives about black
(02:26):
masculinity and emotional expression. Josiah David Jones is a writer, curator,
and creative strategist who founded Valance Projects, an independent curatorial
platform that reimagines how fine art and black storytelling are
experienced and valued. Through Valance Josiah is bridging the gap
(02:47):
between culture and commerce, amplifying artists whose voices challenge traditional
narratives and create space for deeper truth. His work involves
not only curating exhibitions, but also strategically positioning artists and
their work within the broader cultural and commercial landscapes. Together,
(03:08):
Kofe and Josiah recently co curated Black in Every Color
Art in Every Form, a powerful exhibition that opened in
both Los Angeles and New Orleans. The project is a
celebration of black art across disciplines and generations. I saw it,
it was amazing. Today, I'd like to talk about creative integrity,
(03:29):
mental and emotional wellness, identity, and what they, through their
individual and mutual journeys, hope to spark in the audiences
who watch them. What makes this conversation special is not
just who these men are or what they do, but
about what they both model strength, creativity, brotherhood, identity, and
(03:50):
the real work of shaping freedom on your own terms.
Welcome to the Shaping Freedom Podcast.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Thank you. That was the most eloquent and beautiful intro
I've ever had. So thank you, You're welcome, You're.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
I say had write that myself. I wrote it late
last night.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Actually, very gorgeous, Very appreciated.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, absolutely, I really appreciate the fact that both of
you have taken time out of your busy schedules to
come and have this conversation. I wanted to have this
conversation with you because I was in the room, as
I mentioned before, during the Black and Every Color Art
(04:38):
in Every Form exhibition, and what I noticed and observed
in that room was the way that you, in support
of black artists, laid out an experience for people that
was meaningful and that represented community and connection, great conversation,
(05:03):
and it was really special just to watch the way
that you both curated a space and created an experience
where people felt comfortable seeing, appreciated, heard, and respected, and
that isn't always what happens in these spaces. So I
(05:27):
just wanted to on behalf of everyone who saw it
walk through both in LA I didn't see the one
in New Orleans, but I imagine it was the same thing. Bravo,
and thank you so much for doing that. We need that,
we need that.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Thank you, thank you truly truly, I mean that's exactly
why we've been doing it and why we got together
to do this one is that's been really a lot
of the main feedback was like, this space is needed. Yeah,
So answering that call is really something that just keeps
me motivated with all this. So I appreciate that. I'm
happy that was their experience, truly.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Yeah. I actually spoke to a couple of people, and
one in particular who I knew and saw there unexpectedly,
and what he shared with me was that he had
been feeling kind of depressed and had been isolating, and
(06:22):
that he had forced himself to come out to this show.
And I didn't know he was going to be there,
and I don't think he knew I was going to
be there either, And he talked about how much better
he felt and how walking into that space he was
able to kind of just kind of shed whatever it was,
whatever that cloud was that was over him that day,
and so art and do amazing things for people, and
(06:48):
I think for the people who create it, for those
who curate it, and also for those who get to
experience it. So that was special. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
That's powerful. That's powerful. It was.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
It was.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
So my first question was going to be and I
have some questions specifically for you Josiah, and some for you, Kofi,
but this is for whoever or both of you. And
maybe we're kind of talking about that already. But when
you think about the impact that you want your work
to have, whether through art, conversation, community, or what you
(07:26):
each do in your respective worlds of creation, what are
you most hoping that it activates in other people?
Speaker 4 (07:35):
For sure, I'll take it. I mean something for me
is like driving factor really is like I'll creating these
things in these spaces is very much so the extent
of me working with my strengths, and I don't know,
it was a while ago I just started thinking, you know,
(07:56):
setting setting an example, like taking the lead and showing
what you can do is really I don't know, I
feel like that's the most I can do is set
that example. So by creating these space is like what
I've seen from it is people are going, oh, like
answering that call as well, we need more of these spaces.
They might see it a different way than I created.
And I've actually had conversations with different artists and different
(08:19):
folks about, oh, you know, they didn't like how you
did this part, so they went and created their own.
That to me is the most fulfilling to be able
to set any kind of example that inspires the next
person to do it. Great amazing, because we need more
of these spaces, we need more iterations of it, we
need more people thinking how can I create platforms for others?
It's just like what can you do with the overabundance
(08:40):
of your strength? So as long as it conveys that
for me, that's, you know what kind of motivates all
of it.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Well, Yo, to add to that creating space and also
just being a mirror, you know, and being an access point.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
You know.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I think that's what I value most from my favorite
artists and also from some of my favorite people in
my life and some of the most effective and constructive
people in my life, is that not only do they
reflect back my truth and my magic, but sometimes they're
a mirror. They're the mirror I need, you know. So
it's not always what you want to see, and sometimes
(09:18):
it's more than you even can believe. Mirrors and access points,
you know, certain songs and certain films, certain books activate
certain parts of me that I either knew I had
or that I didn't know I had, you know, which
now sends me on a path that is either necessary
or necessary, you know. So just being able to activate
(09:43):
and through that activation off of the opportunity of healing,
you know, and just revelation.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I mean, that's a gift, you know in itself.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
So yeah, yeah, And I think also being in spaces
with I think that's what I love most about being
in creative spaces is there's just this energy that is
present in those rooms, you know, and where it's not
just about the art on the world wall or you know,
(10:13):
in the space, the art serves as almost like a
cozy comforter over the experience for people, and that is
so very different from the experience that many of us,
you know, were brought up on. I know, I certainly
was where you walk into a museum and you don't
(10:33):
feel you may admire the work and feel resonance, you know,
have the work resonate something to you, but the work,
the art felt very separate from the audience and for
what you all have done. And I'd love to hear
more about Tola. There's something about that for people where
(10:57):
you can actually stand there and talk. You don't feel
like you're in a library around like ancient artifacts. You're
actually around the expression of something that activates that within you,
and I think that is what great art spaces have
the ability to do in support of both the artists
(11:19):
and those who were in that room.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
YO to Josiah's points, like spaces, you know, safe spaces
and like spaces you know as a co curator. To
be honest, that's why I met Josias in the Black
and Every Colored Space. I remember how that felt. I'm like, yo,
we're partners, you know what I'm saying. Like cool, But
when we think of like Freeze week y'all love the club,
(11:43):
I love parties, I love parks. That environment, you can
just tell it opened everyone up in a way that
was so unique. I'm from LA and there's people from
New York who hate on LA. But that night, that weekend,
it was like everything was all you could feel was
the possibilities. And again that reflection and shout out every
(12:04):
single artist because I mean that's so much energy coming
from all that different creating an environment where we felt safe,
we felt seen, and we felt we felt you could
you could feel the possibilities and.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
That was that. That was my takeaway. I'm like, man,
like I knew what.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
We was doing, but I didn't know would feel this good,
you know, and I still can feel it.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Yeah, you all did it. Yeah, Okay, since you said
shout out to the artist, do you mind shouting out
the artists, just shout out some artists.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Let's just do it.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
That's okay.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
Jr. Let's start there because that that boy had some
amazing work in New Orleans and we're able to bring
his show out to l A repeat his name, jar
Hudson Jr. Amazing autumn Brion, beautiful work, always so powerful.
We had Brandon Gasonell, who's an artist we've worked with
(13:02):
since day one through with black and every color, and
I think projects was in our first show, along with
Brittany as Price who over the phone someone saw her
Made in America artwork and got the print. But then
not only that, they said, wherever it is, I need
it in my home. And for that to be one
(13:22):
of the first works that we ever showed and also
be something that just happened in the last one, just
absolutely amazing. You got some more New Orleans artists on there.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, I might have to.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
I might have to jump in and shout out with
my boy Langston, Man Leans and Austin, Like, uh, what
a what a what an honor to just be able
to witness the greatness at this stage, you know, like
he's already great, and to know that he's also still
unfolding and still telling his story. I'm like, I just
can't wait till to watch what he does. But also
(13:54):
Comptent Compton the third, and I'm also shout out Nikita
and Prosper and all the artists behind the scenes who
are also curating and working hard, sweeping, you know, painting,
you know, framing, all the stuff that it took to
really display the art in a way that it could
be received. So the list goes on shout out Cold Jayhan,
(14:16):
you know, and and everybody else.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
But you know, every everyone, every every everyone.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
And I just wanted to know on the spaces part, right,
it is like something that really hit me in this
like fine art journey, so to speak, is when someone
had talked about the industry as the narrative. So when
you go down read books like Boom and just anything
contemporary art history, it's like, what is the narrative and
how is it attached? And then you kind of compare
that with historical writings. Historical writings very much, so you know,
(14:43):
whoever might have won writes the history, and then you
kind of compare that in the fine art world, and
it's also the powers that be. What we noticed was
there has not been a lot of room for context
for our conversations and our art. It's very much so
been in the context of you know, we had the
the boom in the market twenty twenty, everything like that,
where it's still the industry. So what I've found fascinating was, oh, Okay,
(15:07):
what does happen if we are able to you know,
create the spaces, to create our own context and our
own narrative and even evolve that into like, Okay, we
know there's an ecosystem around our world, the fine art
space and industry, we see those methods and movements. How
do we apply that to our space. So I just
look at it in that sense of we're creating more
(15:28):
room for context of the conversations we're having, and I
think that's what creates that kind of visceral feeling while
we're in there. Is we go to a museum, it
is kind of like a holy space for that work
within the context of you know, our history narrative. But
when we're able to create that holy ground for ourselves
as well. I'm just always fascinated on the feeling that
(15:49):
you get from that.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
So yeah, what I'd love to do is and we're
going to shout out, give me a list, send us
a list of who those artists are in both locations,
and we'll make sure that we kind of amplify that
and get people to kind of take a look at
their works. Okay, I'd love to do that. What did
(16:12):
you each or whoever wants to answer, what did you
discover about yourself during the process of curating or co
curating and co curating this project?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
How deep we want to go? Now kidding, We're.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Going deep as deep as you all will allow me
to go. I'm not gonna bit like.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
But also it's kind of funny. I was like, oh,
these are real artists. You know.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I've always considered myself an artist, but when you you know,
sit in Lengthston's studio and just just hear where he's
creating from and just the depth is like, it's one thing,
we're gonna put art on the walls, you know, black art,
But then when you hear the come from and you
just hear the purpose and just the detail of expression,
(16:57):
and like every single artist vis it hit different, you know,
so I think that was probably the biggest. Like the
actual exhibits in the moment where everybody comes together, that
was fun. But the takeaway of like that piece, the
like getting a piece of each artist and really hearing
where they created from it was just inspiring and also like, oh, yeah,
(17:18):
these are the real art, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
So but but also again art in every form, it
just it was inspired.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
It just makes you want to level up and double
down and make sure that you too are telling a story,
you know, and making sure you don't lose connection to
that purpose the same way a painter is most effective
and most impactful when there's when they're speaking from a
place of truth and and it's personal and h that's
something that's.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Easy to lose when there's so many filters.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
You know, as an actor, you gotta wait to get
a job, you gotta get the dish. Like there's it's
different than being a painter or a musician where you
can't go to the studio and do what you want.
But even still, the industry and the business and all
of that stuff can somehow contaminate that truth and that purpose.
So just seeing all the artists that we interacted with
(18:10):
still have that connection to there come from that was
really powerful for me.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Yeah, I'm very courageous to kind of put your soul
on a thing or you know, on a thing, whether
it's a physical piece or creating it on a canvas.
I've always seen art in every expression as or in
every form, since I'm talking to you as like such
a such a bold, bold kind of declaration of the skills,
(18:40):
the talent, the gifts.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
That you have. Yeah, I mean it's so much vulnerability,
right when you put your life's practice into one, you know,
thirty six by forty eight painting, and then also there
enough to go show it to random people hundreds, thousands,
and then also you like, yeah, this is what I
do for a living. I mean, it's it's very brave, honestly.
(19:17):
If anything that I learned from this though, is like
how important really communication and the team is on this.
I when I was first introduced to coffee and everything,
I was just letting them out, like I've done a
lot of these things by myself, to the point where
I'd had artists come in and offer like, hey, can
I hang that. I was like, no, no, no, I got
it where that would happen behind the scenes because there
was a little bit of pride in me too, going
(19:38):
like this is I'm bootstrapping this, but I want to
give the full service, so y'all drop it off. It'll
be you know, you come back and gets hung up.
So very hyper independent in that sense. But this project,
we were working with the team Koffee Nikita Audrey, and
every day was grind time and it took very quickly
learning how to operate with one another, how to speak
(20:00):
with one another, and also like putting our own things
down to go help the other persons. And I don't know,
I don't think we kept count, but like multiple, multiple,
like eighteen hour days type thing. But through that, honestly,
it was just you know, very quick understanding of each
other and honestly like learning that okay, this is compatible
(20:21):
is where one person can stop and the other person
can continue. It was. It was honestly really great and
just like in that role, you know, you got to
put the hat back on because the artists didn't come
in and they go all right, y'all, y'all running the
show like we're the special guests, and we're like, okay, cool,
it's still not done. So to keep that poise as well,
and then you know, be those leaders of this space.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
I learned some some new new skills from Josiah. He's like, yo,
I do electrical I'm like, you do electrical about I'm
like this guy's like yo.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Like, I'm like yo, by any means necessary, Like I
admire that so much. Man like it.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Just I was like yo, He's like, y'all I could
hang now, Wow, yeah I couldnot.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
It's good. It's like knowing, knowing where your strengths are.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
We needed a light bulb. It's like twelve am shows.
The next day, I was like, you know what, I
literally did this last week for a friend.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Let me just I didn't know that you do electric work.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
I would not. I would not guarantee my work to anyone, like,
but I haven't spot down.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
So I was running a little late because my garage
wouldn't closed this morning, and I was like, damn it,
I wish I knew what to do with this.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
See I figured that one out. I'm hoping.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
I'm hoping it's resolved. What did you learn about leadership
by watching the other in action?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I think leadership is also very brave, you know, to
be able to put yourself aside for the purpose of service,
you know, and just being able to navigate your own emotions.
And like Josiah said, man, you know which I relate.
We spent so much time getting it done, having to
do it by ourselves, kind of like that long wolf,
independent by any means necessary.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
But to be able to.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Share that weight and to be able to trust the
people around you and in return, to be able to
learn things about things you don't know, and to also
learn about yourself, and to also just be able to
rest and rely and depend on something outside of yourself,
which is so healthy in a healthy way. It's inspired
(22:25):
again because it's like yo, I mean random, but like
shout out Obama, Like was it like a leader of
the whole country, you know what I'm saying, Like we're
just trying to put on an exhibit.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
But you know there's levels, and.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Like that's a an art form in itself, and it's
a skill set that's abundant. There's no there's no cap
there's no no ceiling on how important and how far
you can you can go, you know, as a leader.
So again it's inspired, you know, inspired and just like
that motivated.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
You know. Yeah, and that's something I actually like, really
I'm saw in Kobe as we went through this process
with the guy's got tastes and like he can get
very very specific in what he's looking for in the outcome.
And for me, my style is very much something like,
you know, set the stage and then whatever falls in place.
But what I found was like he knows how to
(23:18):
get things done very quickly and very well. I'm not
saying I don't, but his style in which he does
it I appreciate very much so, and it's something I
noticed in Clock while we were doing this and going like, oh,
there is room for me to say this thing or
that thing, to even get this thing done in quality
and in time where you know, it might give myself
(23:41):
and others a little bit more like grace leeway in
that sense. But really just I think he identifies really
well those moments where you have to take the action
as a leader. It's like, hey, everyone's here, we got
to get this thing moving, where sometimes I might take
takes the long road and kind of smell the roads
a little bit kind of on it, but I'm still
(24:02):
getting done. But so yeah, definitely like just action. Learn that.
I've noticed that from coch for sure.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
He's speaking about himself by the way everything fights versa
like genuine, genuine.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
I think that's what a great collaboration is about. It's
you know, we don't all come to the table with
the same set of circumstances or experience or a skill set.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
And I think a great collaboration looks like coming to
the table with what you have, with all of what
you have, and allowing each other to shine and to
lean into your strengths and uh and elevate your weaknesses
if you need to, you know. So I think that
that is an incredible model for people who are you know,
(24:48):
thinking about you know, I want to collaborate. That's a
word that people throw around so often, like you want
to collaborate. Yeah, but there's something to it, like you
have to stay into some bravery, you have to step
into some vulnerability and the ability to trust and to
(25:08):
allow another person to shine. And so that just even
in the way you're describing the experience post uh that exhibition,
I think is a great lesson for people who are listening.
You know, it can't be all about any one person
and what any one person has uh to bring you know.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
It takes two.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
What does emotional wellness look like for each one of you? Like,
how do you create space for it in your personal
and your creative life?
Speaker 4 (25:44):
That's a great question.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
I'll say these big questions. Lest an you got to relax,
I will not emotional wellness right now. My word is stability,
you know, and you know, just just stability. I think
that with abundance sometimes it could come come scatteredness, you know,
just a lot coming from different places. You're trying to multitask,
(26:09):
and you know, there's just an abundance of I mean,
isn't that life?
Speaker 2 (26:13):
You know?
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Where do I go, what do I eat? Who do
I talk to? Like I what do I focus on
right now? So there's so much that I realize, even
in success, even in power, et cetera, that we can't control,
you know, So really being able to concentrate on what's
in my bucket and remain focused on that despite the
(26:34):
you know, influxes, you know, the the ups and the
downs and et cetera. That's kind of where I'm at
now because to me, the stability creates sustainability, you know,
because if you can remain stabilized, you can remain consistent,
and you can remain effective, and you can remain of service.
And like you know, I'll talk about my plants or
(26:56):
my dolts since I don't have kids yet, but.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Like you can, there's no off day, you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Like, and even if there is, like that has to
be in rhythm because, like you know, you will have
to return to feed that dug, water that plant. And
there's like a dependency, you know, especially when you're operating
the ecosystem, you know, So yo, stability, stability. Stability is
like an anchor, right.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
Now, Can I share something before you go?
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Please?
Speaker 3 (27:25):
So for me, it's routine. I move around a lot.
I have a lot going on. I'm often juggling multiple
things at the same time. And the more I step
into the things that I want to do, the more
demand there is on me. And so I had a
lesson recently where I was just zooming all over the
(27:47):
place talking about plants and and I have a lot
of plants. I love plants. I just this to just
make me feel good. And so I left my plants
and I asked somebody to water my plants for me,
and I said you know what I do. You know,
could you take them outside in the back, just really
(28:07):
drench them, let them sit in the sun for a
little bit, and then bring them back in, but just
let them kind of like absorb that. And this person
who was really trying to help jacked my plants up.
I hope she's not listening. Maybe if she's listening, she
knows it's a friend of mine. And she jacked my
(28:29):
plants up, and I got back and my poor plants,
and then she jacked them up and then tried to
water them some more. I'm like, that's the worst thing
you can do. So the point to it, though, was
less about that happening, because they gonna live, Like we're
gonna be okay. Like I trimmed them, they're gonna come
back and all that. But the lesson in that for
(28:52):
me was to make sure that I'm keeping my routines
going no matter what's going on, and that's part of
my routine, like it's something I do, like you know what,
are them on a routine basis? And so that reminded me,
Kofi of that and how important it is that no
matter what you're doing, and even when you have an
(29:14):
abundance of the things that you want that are coming
your way that can be challenging, right. It's it's harder
than it looks how important it is to know what
that you know that that that bottom line undercurrent of
routine and to your word, stability is because when those
things are taken care of, everything else is okay. I
(29:39):
can't show up fully if everything else that is supporting me,
including the ability to hang out with my plants or
or my family or the other things that kind of
keep me going, if I'm not paying attention to that,
if I'm raggedy back there, whatever I whatever I produce,
is to wind up with a little bit of that.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Rag power and I relate, yeah power.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
I'm glad you brought that up too, because that's been
that's been a big topic for me lately, especially going
through this this last project, which took us like I
don't know, from September through February, just like NonStop, which
was me deciding to take all the time that I
had and do something that I absolutely loved doing all
passion and every moment, even the hard parts, was like, well,
(30:30):
this is what you've asked for. Coming out of that,
it felt silent. It was like, wait, what's what's going on?
And I had realized it's that, you know, everything was
put into that every every moment of the day. But
what I wasn't allowing myself was the space for myself
as well to have that consistent routine. There was the
(30:51):
point of the stability. You know, loved what I was doing,
but not providing that like the self care time, so
like the running, the working out, the meditations in the morning,
the ritual so to speak of things that I might
not do every single day consistently, but still there's some
consistency within that routine that keeps it steady. I had
(31:14):
to actually go back to the drawing board and go, oh, wait,
what is my ritual? What is my at my you know,
six am to nine am on Wednesdays? You know what
time am I providing to myself and really build that
out again, because through this very demanding time, which wasn't
by anyone else's choice but mine, you know, I kind
(31:36):
of lost that. Yeah, but what really hit me was,
especially being this entrepreneurial, creative role, is I had to
remind myself, like, every moment of the day is something
I decided to do, so what am I doing with
with that? It's not that I have to micromanage every minute,
but it is you know, at the end of the day,
how many boxes are checked of things you you know,
felt like doing or decided to do. And how is
(31:57):
that keeping you stable? How is that keeping you stable
through the ups and the downs. So that's been the
work happening now it's like reminding myself and getting back
to that place of I know, I'm better with routine
and structure. So no matter where I'm in the world,
what I'm working on what does not change because I
don't change.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
I'm working on that.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Me too.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
So oh I mentioned before, Can you tell us something
about Tola? When you mentioned it when we saw each
other back in February, your eyes lit up when you
talked about it. So you said something about it in passing.
So what is Tola?
Speaker 4 (32:40):
Yo?
Speaker 1 (32:41):
So, Tola's the other la here in New Orleans, Louisiana.
I moved out to New Orleans from work twenty sixteen,
so that's almost ten years ago.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
Now. I fell in love with the city. It just speak.
You know.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
I grew up here in a lot of like I
was twenty one when I moved to New Orleans. So
all of that being said, I spent my last ten
years out here experienced so much.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Tola really is like a means of preservation.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
You know, Like if I really simplify A, I needed
somewhere to put on my plants, B And I needed
somewhere to put all of my memories and all of
my experiences. And I also want to be able to
appreciate my memories and like collaborate, like you know, what
new memories can we create here? And like, you know,
how can we incubate and create a space that like
(33:30):
is regenerative and like not only am I putting stuff in,
but through that preservation, it's giving us something back. And
to add to that to that, it's like, yo, Tola
or this building, this house was built in eighteen forty seven,
you know, so it's it's one hundred and eighty years
old or going on one hundred and eighty something. I mean,
(33:52):
we already know what was happening in eighteen forty seven
in the South, you know what I'm saying. So to
be a young black man and to take that step
and to acquire the space into like knowing that it's
shared space for us, like specifically not closing the doors
(34:13):
to other people, but like we are prioritizing young black
artists and black people and our stories and yeah, and
more than anything, it's an experiment in an active service,
you know, in an active obedience.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
So it's still being developed.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
It's it will, by God's grace, be expanded and sustained,
you know. But more than anything, it's just like a
step in the right direction. It's what I've always wanted
to see. It's what I imagine coming to this city,
is what I imagined as a young artist. And so
now I'm like, how can we create it? How can
we make it a reality?
Speaker 3 (34:50):
You said that it was an act of obedience.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
Yeah, yeah, obedience is not always easy.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I remember twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
We're all inside, you know, And I had a condo
not too far from here, and again, I had like
a hundred plus plant like I just that was the only.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Thing open during the pandemic.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
So I just kept going to the plant store and
I probably had like thirty or forty before and then
like I was like, yo, and there's a whole other
lesson there. You can't just go get more plants, right,
take care of what you got. Yeah, part lesson. But
I just remember I heard it clearly. It was like
time to do this for real.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
You know.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
It's one thing to have a condo and decorate it
and make it beautiful, but I know that was my
next step in like.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Independence and agency.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
And also just like I knew I wanted to buy
some property, but I also know that I wanted it
to be a shared space. It's not like, oh, this
is my house, I'm gonna put up some portraits and
lock the door. But when I'm not in the city
and even you know, if I want, I wanted to
be a space that I could share with my friends,
share with other artists, and somewhere we can co create
(35:58):
and utilize to like just like yo, incubate and move forward.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
So it just was a it was a download. I
can't say it.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Was like I'm gonna create Tola and make this da
da da da da. It's just like I want to
acquire property. I wanted to be a shared space. Oh shit, Tola,
and just that development is like, honestly what we're still experiencing,
you know, So like now it's a lot more clear,
but Lauren knows again I had to remove myself and
(36:26):
really listen and continue to listen, cause it's like he
kept sculpting it in my mind, like I thought I heard,
and I did and I listened. But sometimes you gotta
take time. I heard, I thought, I thought I heard,
and I just ran and it's like, ah, slow down,
slow down. I know you like write direction, but you
can't skip. You can't cheat the process, you know what
(36:48):
I'm saying. You can't skip steps, And even in obedience,
there's still an education process, you know, so like in
the learning curve and being young, I'm just excited. I
was like, yeah, we're gonna do it. You ain't never
bought a house before, you ain't never renovated a house before.
You ain't never you know. So it's like grown up,
grown up, grown up lessons. But that's also what I
(37:10):
can now pass on to the people around me who
are yet to like take that step and every every second,
every second, and every dime was worth it, you know.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
So uh yeah, yeah, that's I think that obedience is
probably the hardest thing. And I appreciate that you saw
in that that there's like that download, but then you
have to continue listening. It's not just like go do
this thing and then you're like standing there, it's like
(37:42):
you're done. There are things in the middle, there's in between.
It's not because because you got the download for a reason.
It was for those lessons and then at the end
you get to share or you know, be of service
to other people and other artists.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
To do that. And it was beautiful to see it
come to life because I mean when we were there,
it was talking about you know, conversations about really touching
(38:17):
on the rest rejuvenation and like inspiration there and these
artists having the space to show their work and having
you know, us to be able to bring so many
people and to celebrate it like Tola was living, breathing
its purpose. And I think, I mean especially I mean
I saw it on KOFE. It was like being able
to see it like you know, flags fully sailing and
(38:39):
everything was like, Okay, this had to happen to be
able to see what we can continue doing in the space.
So excited to really develop what's going on there with
with the arts and everything too.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Just to just to add to that, I was such
a creep like I would walk up to the house
and I see Josiah on the balcony, Nikita on her
laptop over there. I'm like they're using it like this
faces you like it's like oh shit, like this is
this is why? And like of course that just like
multiplied and multiplied and then the art goes up and
(39:12):
then the moments are happening, then people are meeting and
then it. But I'm like I spent years just hoping
I wasn't crazy, you know, like like hoping I wasn't crazy.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
I'm like and and by myself, you know, like like
not like I'm.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Looking around like not only am I loone and lonely,
but am I crazy too?
Speaker 4 (39:31):
Like shit, that's the name of the next show, honestly.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
But to see my people like in here and like
I said, man's just putting up like like yo by
any means. And to just see like the tribe come
together as we still get to know each other. It's
not like we're ten years deep, but like that instant
just understanding, you know, and again just being able to
like set ourselves aside for the for the active service.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
I'll never not like that. That's like that was the
biggest gift. Like that was I could just you know,
pre exhibit I was like, yeah, I'm done. I could
just stop, like we don't even have to keep going
like the product like I'm done, you know.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
So, yeah, that's fantastic. So tell me about tell us
about Balance Projects and what inspired you to create it
and how you took marketing and advertising, how that kind
of feeds into.
Speaker 4 (40:26):
This project for sure. For sure, Balance Projects was born
during COVID. At that time, I was transitioning out of
a marketing role for a startup that I was working
for out here, which brought me out to LA and
that had started throwing down quite a bit, and I'd
started working with just street artists mirrorless. At the time,
(40:47):
I was just doing my like like side hustle photography,
taking photos of things and everything and working with these
artists like I would just like, you know, you can
go outside and go shoot these murals because there ain't
nobody around. It's just you an artist, and we're getting
some really beautiful shots. But I'm going and speaking to
the artists like, oh, like you have an audience, you
(41:07):
have a platform, and every time we take photos of
these people are re sharing them their messages of inspiration
and hope, and people are really resonating. Now from my
experience in marketing. I went to school for marketing, worked
for a really big for red Bull for a long time,
and was able to see what they would do with
what they were able to do with their brand. And
(41:30):
for something as silly as just a sugary drink, they
get ninety thousand people out to one location to see
just a activation happen, and everyone's wearing the shirt and
I think they were telling us for every one they
would give away, they would sell for. So it was
like to be able to have something downpack like that. Okay, okay,
commercial stuff, Okay, capitals, Okay, I see what you're doing.
(41:54):
But I've got this artist in front of me who
is speaking as like a voice for their community, and
I don't see the same engagement. What is going on?
And especially when you have a time like COVID, where
you know there's just a lot of talks about just
community and how people are going to like come together
and everything through those times, I took all that and said, Okay,
(42:18):
if I can take the tactics and strategies that these
major brands do with their with their products and their platforms,
and we start having these conversations with these artists about okay,
we've got the photos you did this massive mural. It's
basically a billboard for your conversation. How can we leverage
different relationships and partnerships to great a campaign around this
(42:38):
that's not just to sell more products, but actually get
your audience and your your community engaged. So really everything
that I do with balanced Projects is through that process
of Okay, understand the the commercial marketing and branding strategies,
but what happens when we have a creative leader attached
to that that's actually directly benefiting their community through the
(42:59):
work they're doing. So whether that's through you know, impromptu
projects and just something that they're creating, or it's through
a brand partnership where we're saying, hey, brand, yeah you
can come in and work with this artist, but this
is for the community, so you can be a part
of what we're doing, but it can't be yours essentially.
So really, just yeah, impact campaigns and everything like that,
(43:20):
and Valence projects was born out of I've always had
fascination with like sociology and psychology, so I was just
looking up different different things and the valance chart or
valance chart came up, and it was the the scientific
gauge for emotion. So most positive valance is joy. You'd
(43:44):
see that on the chart. Pain everything that's negative, so everything,
and I call it valance when it's really valant anyway.
But so the ethos there was with everything that we're doing,
we hope for the most positive reading on that chart.
So as we develop more would be great, you know,
with clients and people who work with to be like, hey,
(44:04):
take this thing, you know, But truly it's that everything
that we put into the work wanted to be positively impactful,
not just you know, for positioning and marketing purposes, but
literally physically emotionally to the fact that we'd be able
to actually read that on a scientific you know meter,
(44:24):
And then that kind of just branched out into all
these different activations that we're doing. Working with the artists,
I saw what they were able to do there, but
I wanted to create something for myself and for my
community and really just show like every part of Balanced Projects,
which is really just an expression of all my passions.
So that led into Black and Every Color.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
I love how you both have taken a step into
doing the things that you have felt called to do
or the things that are important to you. I haven't
asked you, and I don't know if you're willing to share,
Like what how did you you step into the career
that you're in.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
It happened organically, you know, Like you know, I have
two other brothers, so it's three, three of us in total,
and I have a wonderful African mother. So she would
walk around La Beverly Center where three chocolate babies.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
And you know, you know, the whites s.
Speaker 3 (45:20):
I'm likes here inside here, look at this can.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
So you know, it started with like modeling and print
ads and just you know, real real light. But like
you know, there was there was there was a response
in fast forward. You know, I think, I'm you know,
about sixteen seventeen, and I'm just like really sixteen and
I'm looking ahead.
Speaker 2 (45:42):
I'm like, you know, I want to be this when
I turn eighteen, and da da da da dah. And
I'm like, you know, really on my spiritual journey.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
And I just really took being eighteen serious because I
was like, I need eighteen is the first milestone.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
And then twenty one. That shit bent a lot to me,
you know, it really did.
Speaker 4 (45:57):
You know.
Speaker 1 (45:58):
It's kind of funny, but I'm back at that place
ten years later. That's how I feel about thirty, you know,
and I'm thirty one o'clock is ticking. But long story short,
it just checked all the boxes. I love production, I
love people, I love traveling, I love being of service.
And in a lot of ways, I was like, it's
very it's very brave to go to a thousand auditions
(46:21):
in book, ten of them or five of them. So
just that process of putting yourself out there and trusting
that there's something bigger than just you know, like the
stat like you know, it's like, oh, for every those
one jobs would move the needle as far as you
didn't need you could. You couldn't do a thousand jobs
even if you wanted to. In your head, You're like
(46:42):
you got to take nine hundred and ninety no's and
still stay locked in, still stay you know. And I
think I got addicted to that a little bit because
it just really it made me feel alive. And I
also it strengthened my relationship with spirit, you know, because
it's like I'm focused on it's not about this, you know,
(47:04):
it's like it's about why, you know, And of course
Queen Sugar, you know, I mean the alignment there working
alongside Eva and Oprah and the store being introduced to
a city like New Orleans and a character like Ralph Fainjo,
and like having the conversations we were having, I'm like,
this is what you were preparing me for, you know,
(47:24):
like this is what you were preparing me for. I
had my milestones and I had my ideas, and you know,
you always think you know why, and like God will
use that as long as you continue to stay focused.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
And yeah, I'm still discovering the why. You know.
Speaker 1 (47:41):
It doesn't stop at Queen Sugar, it doesn't stop at
these exhibits, it doesn't stop at Tola. But again, staying
connected to the purpose of being of service and being
brave enough to obey. It's like I said, the obedience
is not it applies to all areas. And there's certain
areas where I'm can be more obedient than I can
(48:01):
and others, you know, So now I'm trying to diversify
and apply my obedience to all areas of my life.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
And that's the journey man that I.
Speaker 3 (48:13):
Love that, in the interest of time really quick for
both of you, you both have stepped in two roles
that I'm sure are personally fulfilling, but that also are
in deep service to others. What can we do to
support you?
Speaker 4 (48:32):
I mean, uh, just keep keep you know, posted with
what we're doing. Honestly, We've got different programs and events
coming up, and then through the through honestly the rest
of the year, what we'll be doing is just raising
funds for for Tola Black and every color for the
programs that we're putting out, like it has been of
(48:52):
service and out of obedience, and what we found is
like very philanthropic approach. We've got our own things going on,
but we want to be able to continue these at
the level that we know they can be at those
very visionary on this kind of thing. So really that's
that's what kind of continuation of the year is for
all these different activations and ways to show up as
far as black nervy color goes will be you know,
(49:15):
supporting the community and getting more resources towards the programming. Everything.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
Okay, obedient saying cheap so here go my cash, cheat
it is.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (49:28):
I'm kidding, I'm yo jose I just said it like.
Speaker 1 (49:32):
There's gonna be many opportunities to support and actually like
plug in right now, like yo, be be great, be great,
and be be a mirror to someone you know, and
like make sure you're brave because like I need it.
You know, I'm always and I mean I'll use you
like as like just watching you obey do your podcast,
(49:52):
have these conversations, show up, make the trip.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
You don't have to do that. You don't have to
do that.
Speaker 1 (49:57):
And this, this, these kind of conversations are so healing
and so necessary. Whether they get all the attention or
like whether one person sees it, I'm experiencing it and
it's very Yes, it's nourishing.
Speaker 2 (50:11):
It's what I need right now.
Speaker 1 (50:12):
So so thank you many ways to support TVD, plug in,
cash apps, fires.
Speaker 4 (50:18):
All that, you know what I'm saying, and even beyond that,
truly is like this is all to create the platform,
to provide access for all these other artists. We just
create the space, but in any way, shape or form,
right like great, if all the money is there, it's
that need more opportunities to show more artists work and
more spaces, spaces, places and recent information education all across
(50:40):
the boord.
Speaker 3 (50:40):
So we see that, we see that I think I
am having this conversation because there is nothing more important
to me than legacy, and legacy that's based you know, financially, Yeah,
that's all great, but emotional and from a wellness perspective,
(51:02):
and us passing that along and you two taking the
time to sit and have this conversation with me will
help somebody. You know, there's someone out there, some man
or woman, young person of color who watches both of
you and is looking for answers and looking for support
(51:26):
just through hearing your story. I have an eighteen year
old grandson named Xavier, and he's eighteen and he I
know that for him, eighteen is a huge milestone. He
is treating it like it is just you know, he
is in it. He's in his eighteen year old experience
(51:47):
a milestone. And so I just want to thank you
both for showing up the way that you do in
the world. I want to thank you for showing up
for yourselves and for again demonstrating and expressing what black
masculinity looks like, what it looks like when you take
your life seriously and when you are obedient to your
(52:09):
own voice and to the voice of Spirit, God, whatever
you call it. So thank you so much for your
generosity and sharing today.
Speaker 4 (52:17):
Absolutely thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the
space for us.
Speaker 2 (52:20):
Sure you're welcome, Thank you so much, missus z A.
Speaker 4 (52:23):
You're welcome.
I think leadership is also very brave, you know, to
be able to put yourself aside for the purpose of service,
you know, and just being able to navigate your own
emotions and like share that way, and to be able
to trust the people around you in return, to be
able to learn, and to also just be able to
rest and rely and depend on something outside of yourself,
(00:29):
which is so healthy in a healthy way.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
It's inspiring.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Welcome to the Shaping Freedom podcast, where we dive into
conversations that inspire personal growth, transformation and clarity and challenging times.
I'm your host, Lysan Boskia. Hi friends, Really quick before
you listen to this episode, if you haven't already, please
make sure to go to YouTube and subscribe to our
(00:57):
Shaping Freedom YouTube channel and make sure that you like
this episode and share it after you've listened to it.
All right, go ahead, do it now, and let's get
into the episode. Welcome to the Shaping Freedom with the
San basqueapp podcast, where we focus on emotional wellness, identity, work,
and the sacred responsibility of shaping our lives, our legacies
(01:21):
and the stories that we carry forward today. I have
the honor of creating conversation space with two men whose presence, integrity,
and artistry reflect the very heart of that mission. Kofi
Cirabou is an award winning actor, filmmaker, and producer and
cultural force whose body of work reflects depth, nuance, and truth,
(01:42):
shaping how we see and honor the fullness of black masculinity.
We've seen him in Girls' Trip, Really Love, Meet Me
Next Christmas, Harlem and Moore, and his portrayal of Ralph
Angel and Ava DuVernay's Queen Sugar earned him five NAACP
Image Award nominations. Kofi's off camera work speaks just as loudly.
(02:05):
Through his short film series What the Fuck Is Mental
Health and his production company, via Kofi Kofe, is curating
space for Black men to be seen in their full
emotional and spiritual humanity. Kofi, through his art, is curating
a much needed conversation that challenges outdated narratives about black
(02:26):
masculinity and emotional expression. Josiah David Jones is a writer, curator,
and creative strategist who founded Valance Projects, an independent curatorial
platform that reimagines how fine art and black storytelling are
experienced and valued. Through Valance Josiah is bridging the gap
(02:47):
between culture and commerce, amplifying artists whose voices challenge traditional
narratives and create space for deeper truth. His work involves
not only curating exhibitions, but also strategically positioning artists and
their work within the broader cultural and commercial landscapes. Together,
(03:08):
Kofe and Josiah recently co curated Black in Every Color
Art in Every Form, a powerful exhibition that opened in
both Los Angeles and New Orleans. The project is a
celebration of black art across disciplines and generations. I saw it,
it was amazing. Today, I'd like to talk about creative integrity,
(03:29):
mental and emotional wellness, identity, and what they, through their
individual and mutual journeys, hope to spark in the audiences
who watch them. What makes this conversation special is not
just who these men are or what they do, but
about what they both model strength, creativity, brotherhood, identity, and
(03:50):
the real work of shaping freedom on your own terms.
Welcome to the Shaping Freedom Podcast.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Thank you. That was the most eloquent and beautiful intro
I've ever had. So thank you, You're welcome, You're.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
I say had write that myself. I wrote it late
last night.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Actually, very gorgeous, Very appreciated.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, absolutely, I really appreciate the fact that both of
you have taken time out of your busy schedules to
come and have this conversation. I wanted to have this
conversation with you because I was in the room, as
I mentioned before, during the Black and Every Color Art
(04:38):
in Every Form exhibition, and what I noticed and observed
in that room was the way that you, in support
of black artists, laid out an experience for people that
was meaningful and that represented community and connection, great conversation,
(05:03):
and it was really special just to watch the way
that you both curated a space and created an experience
where people felt comfortable seeing, appreciated, heard, and respected, and
that isn't always what happens in these spaces. So I
(05:27):
just wanted to on behalf of everyone who saw it
walk through both in LA I didn't see the one
in New Orleans, but I imagine it was the same thing. Bravo,
and thank you so much for doing that. We need that,
we need that.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Thank you, thank you truly truly, I mean that's exactly
why we've been doing it and why we got together
to do this one is that's been really a lot
of the main feedback was like, this space is needed. Yeah,
So answering that call is really something that just keeps
me motivated with all this. So I appreciate that. I'm
happy that was their experience, truly.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Yeah. I actually spoke to a couple of people, and
one in particular who I knew and saw there unexpectedly,
and what he shared with me was that he had
been feeling kind of depressed and had been isolating, and
(06:22):
that he had forced himself to come out to this show.
And I didn't know he was going to be there,
and I don't think he knew I was going to
be there either, And he talked about how much better
he felt and how walking into that space he was
able to kind of just kind of shed whatever it was,
whatever that cloud was that was over him that day,
and so art and do amazing things for people, and
(06:48):
I think for the people who create it, for those
who curate it, and also for those who get to
experience it. So that was special. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
That's powerful. That's powerful. It was.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
It was.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
So my first question was going to be and I
have some questions specifically for you Josiah, and some for you, Kofi,
but this is for whoever or both of you. And
maybe we're kind of talking about that already. But when
you think about the impact that you want your work
to have, whether through art, conversation, community, or what you
(07:26):
each do in your respective worlds of creation, what are
you most hoping that it activates in other people?
Speaker 4 (07:35):
For sure, I'll take it. I mean something for me
is like driving factor really is like I'll creating these
things in these spaces is very much so the extent
of me working with my strengths, and I don't know,
it was a while ago I just started thinking, you know,
(07:56):
setting setting an example, like taking the lead and showing
what you can do is really I don't know, I
feel like that's the most I can do is set
that example. So by creating these space is like what
I've seen from it is people are going, oh, like
answering that call as well, we need more of these spaces.
They might see it a different way than I created.
And I've actually had conversations with different artists and different
(08:19):
folks about, oh, you know, they didn't like how you
did this part, so they went and created their own.
That to me is the most fulfilling to be able
to set any kind of example that inspires the next
person to do it. Great amazing, because we need more
of these spaces, we need more iterations of it, we
need more people thinking how can I create platforms for others?
It's just like what can you do with the overabundance
(08:40):
of your strength? So as long as it conveys that
for me, that's, you know what kind of motivates all
of it.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Well, Yo, to add to that creating space and also
just being a mirror, you know, and being an access point.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
You know.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I think that's what I value most from my favorite
artists and also from some of my favorite people in
my life and some of the most effective and constructive
people in my life, is that not only do they
reflect back my truth and my magic, but sometimes they're
a mirror. They're the mirror I need, you know. So
it's not always what you want to see, and sometimes
(09:18):
it's more than you even can believe. Mirrors and access points,
you know, certain songs and certain films, certain books activate
certain parts of me that I either knew I had
or that I didn't know I had, you know, which
now sends me on a path that is either necessary
or necessary, you know. So just being able to activate
(09:43):
and through that activation off of the opportunity of healing,
you know, and just revelation.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I mean, that's a gift, you know in itself.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
So yeah, yeah, And I think also being in spaces
with I think that's what I love most about being
in creative spaces is there's just this energy that is
present in those rooms, you know, and where it's not
just about the art on the world wall or you know,
(10:13):
in the space, the art serves as almost like a
cozy comforter over the experience for people, and that is
so very different from the experience that many of us,
you know, were brought up on. I know, I certainly
was where you walk into a museum and you don't
(10:33):
feel you may admire the work and feel resonance, you know,
have the work resonate something to you, but the work,
the art felt very separate from the audience and for
what you all have done. And I'd love to hear
more about Tola. There's something about that for people where
(10:57):
you can actually stand there and talk. You don't feel
like you're in a library around like ancient artifacts. You're
actually around the expression of something that activates that within you,
and I think that is what great art spaces have
the ability to do in support of both the artists
(11:19):
and those who were in that room.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
YO to Josiah's points, like spaces, you know, safe spaces
and like spaces you know as a co curator. To
be honest, that's why I met Josias in the Black
and Every Colored Space. I remember how that felt. I'm like, yo,
we're partners, you know what I'm saying. Like cool, But
when we think of like Freeze week y'all love the club,
(11:43):
I love parties, I love parks. That environment, you can
just tell it opened everyone up in a way that
was so unique. I'm from LA and there's people from
New York who hate on LA. But that night, that weekend,
it was like everything was all you could feel was
the possibilities. And again that reflection and shout out every
(12:04):
single artist because I mean that's so much energy coming
from all that different creating an environment where we felt safe,
we felt seen, and we felt we felt you could
you could feel the possibilities and.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
That was that. That was my takeaway. I'm like, man,
like I knew what.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
We was doing, but I didn't know would feel this good,
you know, and I still can feel it.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Yeah, you all did it. Yeah, Okay, since you said
shout out to the artist, do you mind shouting out
the artists, just shout out some artists.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Let's just do it.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
That's okay.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
Jr. Let's start there because that that boy had some
amazing work in New Orleans and we're able to bring
his show out to l A repeat his name, jar
Hudson Jr. Amazing autumn Brion, beautiful work, always so powerful.
We had Brandon Gasonell, who's an artist we've worked with
(13:02):
since day one through with black and every color, and
I think projects was in our first show, along with
Brittany as Price who over the phone someone saw her
Made in America artwork and got the print. But then
not only that, they said, wherever it is, I need
it in my home. And for that to be one
(13:22):
of the first works that we ever showed and also
be something that just happened in the last one, just
absolutely amazing. You got some more New Orleans artists on there.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, I might have to.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
I might have to jump in and shout out with
my boy Langston, Man Leans and Austin, Like, uh, what
a what a what an honor to just be able
to witness the greatness at this stage, you know, like
he's already great, and to know that he's also still
unfolding and still telling his story. I'm like, I just
can't wait till to watch what he does. But also
(13:54):
Comptent Compton the third, and I'm also shout out Nikita
and Prosper and all the artists behind the scenes who
are also curating and working hard, sweeping, you know, painting,
you know, framing, all the stuff that it took to
really display the art in a way that it could
be received. So the list goes on shout out Cold Jayhan,
(14:16):
you know, and and everybody else.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
But you know, every everyone, every every everyone.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
And I just wanted to know on the spaces part, right,
it is like something that really hit me in this
like fine art journey, so to speak, is when someone
had talked about the industry as the narrative. So when
you go down read books like Boom and just anything
contemporary art history, it's like, what is the narrative and
how is it attached? And then you kind of compare
that with historical writings. Historical writings very much, so you know,
(14:43):
whoever might have won writes the history, and then you
kind of compare that in the fine art world, and
it's also the powers that be. What we noticed was
there has not been a lot of room for context
for our conversations and our art. It's very much so
been in the context of you know, we had the
the boom in the market twenty twenty, everything like that,
where it's still the industry. So what I've found fascinating was, oh, Okay,
(15:07):
what does happen if we are able to you know,
create the spaces, to create our own context and our
own narrative and even evolve that into like, Okay, we
know there's an ecosystem around our world, the fine art
space and industry, we see those methods and movements. How
do we apply that to our space. So I just
look at it in that sense of we're creating more
(15:28):
room for context of the conversations we're having, and I
think that's what creates that kind of visceral feeling while
we're in there. Is we go to a museum, it
is kind of like a holy space for that work
within the context of you know, our history narrative. But
when we're able to create that holy ground for ourselves
as well. I'm just always fascinated on the feeling that
(15:49):
you get from that.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
So yeah, what I'd love to do is and we're
going to shout out, give me a list, send us
a list of who those artists are in both locations,
and we'll make sure that we kind of amplify that
and get people to kind of take a look at
their works. Okay, I'd love to do that. What did
(16:12):
you each or whoever wants to answer, what did you
discover about yourself during the process of curating or co
curating and co curating this project?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
How deep we want to go? Now kidding, We're.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Going deep as deep as you all will allow me
to go. I'm not gonna bit like.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
But also it's kind of funny. I was like, oh,
these are real artists. You know.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I've always considered myself an artist, but when you you know,
sit in Lengthston's studio and just just hear where he's
creating from and just the depth is like, it's one thing,
we're gonna put art on the walls, you know, black art,
But then when you hear the come from and you
just hear the purpose and just the detail of expression,
(16:57):
and like every single artist vis it hit different, you know,
so I think that was probably the biggest. Like the
actual exhibits in the moment where everybody comes together, that
was fun. But the takeaway of like that piece, the
like getting a piece of each artist and really hearing
where they created from it was just inspiring and also like, oh, yeah,
(17:18):
these are the real art, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
So but but also again art in every form, it
just it was inspired.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
It just makes you want to level up and double
down and make sure that you too are telling a story,
you know, and making sure you don't lose connection to
that purpose the same way a painter is most effective
and most impactful when there's when they're speaking from a
place of truth and and it's personal and h that's
something that's.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Easy to lose when there's so many filters.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
You know, as an actor, you gotta wait to get
a job, you gotta get the dish. Like there's it's
different than being a painter or a musician where you
can't go to the studio and do what you want.
But even still, the industry and the business and all
of that stuff can somehow contaminate that truth and that purpose.
So just seeing all the artists that we interacted with
(18:10):
still have that connection to there come from that was
really powerful for me.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Yeah, I'm very courageous to kind of put your soul
on a thing or you know, on a thing, whether
it's a physical piece or creating it on a canvas.
I've always seen art in every expression as or in
every form, since I'm talking to you as like such
a such a bold, bold kind of declaration of the skills,
(18:40):
the talent, the gifts.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
That you have. Yeah, I mean it's so much vulnerability,
right when you put your life's practice into one, you know,
thirty six by forty eight painting, and then also there
enough to go show it to random people hundreds, thousands,
and then also you like, yeah, this is what I
do for a living. I mean, it's it's very brave, honestly.
(19:17):
If anything that I learned from this though, is like
how important really communication and the team is on this.
I when I was first introduced to coffee and everything,
I was just letting them out, like I've done a
lot of these things by myself, to the point where
I'd had artists come in and offer like, hey, can
I hang that. I was like, no, no, no, I got
it where that would happen behind the scenes because there
was a little bit of pride in me too, going
(19:38):
like this is I'm bootstrapping this, but I want to
give the full service, so y'all drop it off. It'll
be you know, you come back and gets hung up.
So very hyper independent in that sense. But this project,
we were working with the team Koffee Nikita Audrey, and
every day was grind time and it took very quickly
learning how to operate with one another, how to speak
(20:00):
with one another, and also like putting our own things
down to go help the other persons. And I don't know,
I don't think we kept count, but like multiple, multiple,
like eighteen hour days type thing. But through that, honestly,
it was just you know, very quick understanding of each
other and honestly like learning that okay, this is compatible
(20:21):
is where one person can stop and the other person
can continue. It was. It was honestly really great and
just like in that role, you know, you got to
put the hat back on because the artists didn't come
in and they go all right, y'all, y'all running the
show like we're the special guests, and we're like, okay, cool,
it's still not done. So to keep that poise as well,
and then you know, be those leaders of this space.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
I learned some some new new skills from Josiah. He's like, yo,
I do electrical I'm like, you do electrical about I'm
like this guy's like yo.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Like, I'm like yo, by any means necessary, Like I
admire that so much. Man like it.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Just I was like yo, He's like, y'all I could
hang now, Wow, yeah I couldnot.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
It's good. It's like knowing, knowing where your strengths are.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
We needed a light bulb. It's like twelve am shows.
The next day, I was like, you know what, I
literally did this last week for a friend.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Let me just I didn't know that you do electric work.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
I would not. I would not guarantee my work to anyone, like,
but I haven't spot down.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
So I was running a little late because my garage
wouldn't closed this morning, and I was like, damn it,
I wish I knew what to do with this.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
See I figured that one out. I'm hoping.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
I'm hoping it's resolved. What did you learn about leadership
by watching the other in action?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I think leadership is also very brave, you know, to
be able to put yourself aside for the purpose of service,
you know, and just being able to navigate your own emotions.
And like Josiah said, man, you know which I relate.
We spent so much time getting it done, having to
do it by ourselves, kind of like that long wolf,
independent by any means necessary.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
But to be able to.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Share that weight and to be able to trust the
people around you and in return, to be able to
learn things about things you don't know, and to also
learn about yourself, and to also just be able to
rest and rely and depend on something outside of yourself,
which is so healthy in a healthy way. It's inspired
(22:25):
again because it's like yo, I mean random, but like
shout out Obama, Like was it like a leader of
the whole country, you know what I'm saying, Like we're
just trying to put on an exhibit.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
But you know there's levels, and.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Like that's a an art form in itself, and it's
a skill set that's abundant. There's no there's no cap
there's no no ceiling on how important and how far
you can you can go, you know, as a leader.
So again it's inspired, you know, inspired and just like
that motivated.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
You know. Yeah, and that's something I actually like, really
I'm saw in Kobe as we went through this process
with the guy's got tastes and like he can get
very very specific in what he's looking for in the outcome.
And for me, my style is very much something like,
you know, set the stage and then whatever falls in place.
But what I found was like he knows how to
(23:18):
get things done very quickly and very well. I'm not
saying I don't, but his style in which he does
it I appreciate very much so, and it's something I
noticed in Clock while we were doing this and going like, oh,
there is room for me to say this thing or
that thing, to even get this thing done in quality
and in time where you know, it might give myself
(23:41):
and others a little bit more like grace leeway in
that sense. But really just I think he identifies really
well those moments where you have to take the action
as a leader. It's like, hey, everyone's here, we got
to get this thing moving, where sometimes I might take
takes the long road and kind of smell the roads
a little bit kind of on it, but I'm still
(24:02):
getting done. But so yeah, definitely like just action. Learn that.
I've noticed that from coch for sure.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
He's speaking about himself by the way everything fights versa
like genuine, genuine.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
I think that's what a great collaboration is about. It's
you know, we don't all come to the table with
the same set of circumstances or experience or a skill set.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
And I think a great collaboration looks like coming to
the table with what you have, with all of what
you have, and allowing each other to shine and to
lean into your strengths and uh and elevate your weaknesses
if you need to, you know. So I think that
that is an incredible model for people who are you know,
(24:48):
thinking about you know, I want to collaborate. That's a
word that people throw around so often, like you want
to collaborate. Yeah, but there's something to it, like you
have to stay into some bravery, you have to step
into some vulnerability and the ability to trust and to
(25:08):
allow another person to shine. And so that just even
in the way you're describing the experience post uh that exhibition,
I think is a great lesson for people who are listening.
You know, it can't be all about any one person
and what any one person has uh to bring you know.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
It takes two.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
What does emotional wellness look like for each one of you? Like,
how do you create space for it in your personal
and your creative life?
Speaker 4 (25:44):
That's a great question.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
I'll say these big questions. Lest an you got to relax,
I will not emotional wellness right now. My word is stability,
you know, and you know, just just stability. I think
that with abundance sometimes it could come come scatteredness, you know,
just a lot coming from different places. You're trying to multitask,
(26:09):
and you know, there's just an abundance of I mean,
isn't that life?
Speaker 2 (26:13):
You know?
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Where do I go, what do I eat? Who do
I talk to? Like I what do I focus on
right now? So there's so much that I realize, even
in success, even in power, et cetera, that we can't control,
you know, So really being able to concentrate on what's
in my bucket and remain focused on that despite the
(26:34):
you know, influxes, you know, the the ups and the
downs and et cetera. That's kind of where I'm at
now because to me, the stability creates sustainability, you know,
because if you can remain stabilized, you can remain consistent,
and you can remain effective, and you can remain of service.
And like you know, I'll talk about my plants or
(26:56):
my dolts since I don't have kids yet, but.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Like you can, there's no off day, you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Like, and even if there is, like that has to
be in rhythm because, like you know, you will have
to return to feed that dug, water that plant. And
there's like a dependency, you know, especially when you're operating
the ecosystem, you know, So yo, stability, stability. Stability is
like an anchor, right.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
Now, Can I share something before you go?
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Please?
Speaker 3 (27:25):
So for me, it's routine. I move around a lot.
I have a lot going on. I'm often juggling multiple
things at the same time. And the more I step
into the things that I want to do, the more
demand there is on me. And so I had a
lesson recently where I was just zooming all over the
(27:47):
place talking about plants and and I have a lot
of plants. I love plants. I just this to just
make me feel good. And so I left my plants
and I asked somebody to water my plants for me,
and I said you know what I do. You know,
could you take them outside in the back, just really
(28:07):
drench them, let them sit in the sun for a
little bit, and then bring them back in, but just
let them kind of like absorb that. And this person
who was really trying to help jacked my plants up.
I hope she's not listening. Maybe if she's listening, she
knows it's a friend of mine. And she jacked my
(28:29):
plants up, and I got back and my poor plants,
and then she jacked them up and then tried to
water them some more. I'm like, that's the worst thing
you can do. So the point to it, though, was
less about that happening, because they gonna live, Like we're
gonna be okay. Like I trimmed them, they're gonna come
back and all that. But the lesson in that for
(28:52):
me was to make sure that I'm keeping my routines
going no matter what's going on, and that's part of
my routine, like it's something I do, like you know what,
are them on a routine basis? And so that reminded me,
Kofi of that and how important it is that no
matter what you're doing, and even when you have an
(29:14):
abundance of the things that you want that are coming
your way that can be challenging, right. It's it's harder
than it looks how important it is to know what
that you know that that that bottom line undercurrent of
routine and to your word, stability is because when those
things are taken care of, everything else is okay. I
(29:39):
can't show up fully if everything else that is supporting me,
including the ability to hang out with my plants or
or my family or the other things that kind of
keep me going, if I'm not paying attention to that,
if I'm raggedy back there, whatever I whatever I produce,
is to wind up with a little bit of that.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Rag power and I relate, yeah power.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
I'm glad you brought that up too, because that's been
that's been a big topic for me lately, especially going
through this this last project, which took us like I
don't know, from September through February, just like NonStop, which
was me deciding to take all the time that I
had and do something that I absolutely loved doing all
passion and every moment, even the hard parts, was like, well,
(30:30):
this is what you've asked for. Coming out of that,
it felt silent. It was like, wait, what's what's going on?
And I had realized it's that, you know, everything was
put into that every every moment of the day. But
what I wasn't allowing myself was the space for myself
as well to have that consistent routine. There was the
(30:51):
point of the stability. You know, loved what I was doing,
but not providing that like the self care time, so
like the running, the working out, the meditations in the morning,
the ritual so to speak of things that I might
not do every single day consistently, but still there's some
consistency within that routine that keeps it steady. I had
(31:14):
to actually go back to the drawing board and go, oh, wait,
what is my ritual? What is my at my you know,
six am to nine am on Wednesdays? You know what
time am I providing to myself and really build that
out again, because through this very demanding time, which wasn't
by anyone else's choice but mine, you know, I kind
(31:36):
of lost that. Yeah, but what really hit me was,
especially being this entrepreneurial, creative role, is I had to
remind myself, like, every moment of the day is something
I decided to do, so what am I doing with
with that? It's not that I have to micromanage every minute,
but it is you know, at the end of the day,
how many boxes are checked of things you you know,
felt like doing or decided to do. And how is
(31:57):
that keeping you stable? How is that keeping you stable
through the ups and the downs. So that's been the
work happening now it's like reminding myself and getting back
to that place of I know, I'm better with routine
and structure. So no matter where I'm in the world,
what I'm working on what does not change because I
don't change.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
I'm working on that.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Me too.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
So oh I mentioned before, Can you tell us something
about Tola? When you mentioned it when we saw each
other back in February, your eyes lit up when you
talked about it. So you said something about it in passing.
So what is Tola?
Speaker 4 (32:40):
Yo?
Speaker 1 (32:41):
So, Tola's the other la here in New Orleans, Louisiana.
I moved out to New Orleans from work twenty sixteen,
so that's almost ten years ago.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
Now. I fell in love with the city. It just speak.
You know.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
I grew up here in a lot of like I
was twenty one when I moved to New Orleans. So
all of that being said, I spent my last ten
years out here experienced so much.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Tola really is like a means of preservation.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
You know, Like if I really simplify A, I needed
somewhere to put on my plants, B And I needed
somewhere to put all of my memories and all of
my experiences. And I also want to be able to
appreciate my memories and like collaborate, like you know, what
new memories can we create here? And like, you know,
how can we incubate and create a space that like
(33:30):
is regenerative and like not only am I putting stuff in,
but through that preservation, it's giving us something back. And
to add to that to that, it's like, yo, Tola
or this building, this house was built in eighteen forty seven,
you know, so it's it's one hundred and eighty years
old or going on one hundred and eighty something. I mean,
(33:52):
we already know what was happening in eighteen forty seven
in the South, you know what I'm saying. So to
be a young black man and to take that step
and to acquire the space into like knowing that it's
shared space for us, like specifically not closing the doors
(34:13):
to other people, but like we are prioritizing young black
artists and black people and our stories and yeah, and
more than anything, it's an experiment in an active service,
you know, in an active obedience.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
So it's still being developed.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
It's it will, by God's grace, be expanded and sustained,
you know. But more than anything, it's just like a
step in the right direction. It's what I've always wanted
to see. It's what I imagine coming to this city,
is what I imagined as a young artist. And so
now I'm like, how can we create it? How can
we make it a reality?
Speaker 3 (34:50):
You said that it was an act of obedience.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
Yeah, yeah, obedience is not always easy.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I remember twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
We're all inside, you know, And I had a condo
not too far from here, and again, I had like
a hundred plus plant like I just that was the only.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Thing open during the pandemic.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
So I just kept going to the plant store and
I probably had like thirty or forty before and then
like I was like, yo, and there's a whole other
lesson there. You can't just go get more plants, right,
take care of what you got. Yeah, part lesson. But
I just remember I heard it clearly. It was like
time to do this for real.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
You know.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
It's one thing to have a condo and decorate it
and make it beautiful, but I know that was my
next step in like.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Independence and agency.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
And also just like I knew I wanted to buy
some property, but I also know that I wanted it
to be a shared space. It's not like, oh, this
is my house, I'm gonna put up some portraits and
lock the door. But when I'm not in the city
and even you know, if I want, I wanted to
be a space that I could share with my friends,
share with other artists, and somewhere we can co create
(35:58):
and utilize to like just like yo, incubate and move forward.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
So it just was a it was a download. I
can't say it.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Was like I'm gonna create Tola and make this da
da da da da. It's just like I want to
acquire property. I wanted to be a shared space. Oh shit, Tola,
and just that development is like, honestly what we're still experiencing,
you know, So like now it's a lot more clear,
but Lauren knows again I had to remove myself and
(36:26):
really listen and continue to listen, cause it's like he
kept sculpting it in my mind, like I thought I heard,
and I did and I listened. But sometimes you gotta
take time. I heard, I thought, I thought I heard,
and I just ran and it's like, ah, slow down,
slow down. I know you like write direction, but you
can't skip. You can't cheat the process, you know what
(36:48):
I'm saying. You can't skip steps, And even in obedience,
there's still an education process, you know, so like in
the learning curve and being young, I'm just excited. I
was like, yeah, we're gonna do it. You ain't never
bought a house before, you ain't never renovated a house before.
You ain't never you know. So it's like grown up,
grown up, grown up lessons. But that's also what I
(37:10):
can now pass on to the people around me who
are yet to like take that step and every every second,
every second, and every dime was worth it, you know.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
So uh yeah, yeah, that's I think that obedience is
probably the hardest thing. And I appreciate that you saw
in that that there's like that download, but then you
have to continue listening. It's not just like go do
this thing and then you're like standing there, it's like
(37:42):
you're done. There are things in the middle, there's in between.
It's not because because you got the download for a reason.
It was for those lessons and then at the end
you get to share or you know, be of service
to other people and other artists.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
To do that. And it was beautiful to see it
come to life because I mean when we were there,
it was talking about you know, conversations about really touching
(38:17):
on the rest rejuvenation and like inspiration there and these
artists having the space to show their work and having
you know, us to be able to bring so many
people and to celebrate it like Tola was living, breathing
its purpose. And I think, I mean especially I mean
I saw it on KOFE. It was like being able
to see it like you know, flags fully sailing and
(38:39):
everything was like, Okay, this had to happen to be
able to see what we can continue doing in the space.
So excited to really develop what's going on there with
with the arts and everything too.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Just to just to add to that, I was such
a creep like I would walk up to the house
and I see Josiah on the balcony, Nikita on her
laptop over there. I'm like they're using it like this
faces you like it's like oh shit, like this is
this is why? And like of course that just like
multiplied and multiplied and then the art goes up and
(39:12):
then the moments are happening, then people are meeting and
then it. But I'm like I spent years just hoping
I wasn't crazy, you know, like like hoping I wasn't crazy.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
I'm like and and by myself, you know, like like
not like I'm.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Looking around like not only am I loone and lonely,
but am I crazy too?
Speaker 4 (39:31):
Like shit, that's the name of the next show, honestly.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
But to see my people like in here and like
I said, man's just putting up like like yo by
any means. And to just see like the tribe come
together as we still get to know each other. It's
not like we're ten years deep, but like that instant
just understanding, you know, and again just being able to
like set ourselves aside for the for the active service.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
I'll never not like that. That's like that was the
biggest gift. Like that was I could just you know,
pre exhibit I was like, yeah, I'm done. I could
just stop, like we don't even have to keep going
like the product like I'm done, you know.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
So, yeah, that's fantastic. So tell me about tell us
about Balance Projects and what inspired you to create it
and how you took marketing and advertising, how that kind
of feeds into.
Speaker 4 (40:26):
This project for sure. For sure, Balance Projects was born
during COVID. At that time, I was transitioning out of
a marketing role for a startup that I was working
for out here, which brought me out to LA and
that had started throwing down quite a bit, and I'd
started working with just street artists mirrorless. At the time,
(40:47):
I was just doing my like like side hustle photography,
taking photos of things and everything and working with these
artists like I would just like, you know, you can
go outside and go shoot these murals because there ain't
nobody around. It's just you an artist, and we're getting
some really beautiful shots. But I'm going and speaking to
the artists like, oh, like you have an audience, you
(41:07):
have a platform, and every time we take photos of
these people are re sharing them their messages of inspiration
and hope, and people are really resonating. Now from my
experience in marketing. I went to school for marketing, worked
for a really big for red Bull for a long time,
and was able to see what they would do with
what they were able to do with their brand. And
(41:30):
for something as silly as just a sugary drink, they
get ninety thousand people out to one location to see
just a activation happen, and everyone's wearing the shirt and
I think they were telling us for every one they
would give away, they would sell for. So it was
like to be able to have something downpack like that. Okay, okay,
commercial stuff, Okay, capitals, Okay, I see what you're doing.
(41:54):
But I've got this artist in front of me who
is speaking as like a voice for their community, and
I don't see the same engagement. What is going on?
And especially when you have a time like COVID, where
you know there's just a lot of talks about just
community and how people are going to like come together
and everything through those times, I took all that and said, Okay,
(42:18):
if I can take the tactics and strategies that these
major brands do with their with their products and their platforms,
and we start having these conversations with these artists about okay,
we've got the photos you did this massive mural. It's
basically a billboard for your conversation. How can we leverage
different relationships and partnerships to great a campaign around this
(42:38):
that's not just to sell more products, but actually get
your audience and your your community engaged. So really everything
that I do with balanced Projects is through that process
of Okay, understand the the commercial marketing and branding strategies,
but what happens when we have a creative leader attached
to that that's actually directly benefiting their community through the
(42:59):
work they're doing. So whether that's through you know, impromptu
projects and just something that they're creating, or it's through
a brand partnership where we're saying, hey, brand, yeah you
can come in and work with this artist, but this
is for the community, so you can be a part
of what we're doing, but it can't be yours essentially.
So really, just yeah, impact campaigns and everything like that,
(43:20):
and Valence projects was born out of I've always had
fascination with like sociology and psychology, so I was just
looking up different different things and the valance chart or
valance chart came up, and it was the the scientific
gauge for emotion. So most positive valance is joy. You'd
(43:44):
see that on the chart. Pain everything that's negative, so everything,
and I call it valance when it's really valant anyway.
But so the ethos there was with everything that we're doing,
we hope for the most positive reading on that chart.
So as we develop more would be great, you know,
with clients and people who work with to be like, hey,
(44:04):
take this thing, you know, But truly it's that everything
that we put into the work wanted to be positively impactful,
not just you know, for positioning and marketing purposes, but
literally physically emotionally to the fact that we'd be able
to actually read that on a scientific you know meter,
(44:24):
And then that kind of just branched out into all
these different activations that we're doing. Working with the artists,
I saw what they were able to do there, but
I wanted to create something for myself and for my
community and really just show like every part of Balanced Projects,
which is really just an expression of all my passions.
So that led into Black and Every Color.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
I love how you both have taken a step into
doing the things that you have felt called to do
or the things that are important to you. I haven't
asked you, and I don't know if you're willing to share,
Like what how did you you step into the career
that you're in.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
It happened organically, you know, Like you know, I have
two other brothers, so it's three, three of us in total,
and I have a wonderful African mother. So she would
walk around La Beverly Center where three chocolate babies.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
And you know, you know, the whites s.
Speaker 3 (45:20):
I'm likes here inside here, look at this can.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
So you know, it started with like modeling and print
ads and just you know, real real light. But like
you know, there was there was there was a response
in fast forward. You know, I think, I'm you know,
about sixteen seventeen, and I'm just like really sixteen and
I'm looking ahead.
Speaker 2 (45:42):
I'm like, you know, I want to be this when
I turn eighteen, and da da da da dah. And
I'm like, you know, really on my spiritual journey.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
And I just really took being eighteen serious because I
was like, I need eighteen is the first milestone.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
And then twenty one. That shit bent a lot to me,
you know, it really did.
Speaker 4 (45:57):
You know.
Speaker 1 (45:58):
It's kind of funny, but I'm back at that place
ten years later. That's how I feel about thirty, you know,
and I'm thirty one o'clock is ticking. But long story short,
it just checked all the boxes. I love production, I
love people, I love traveling, I love being of service.
And in a lot of ways, I was like, it's
very it's very brave to go to a thousand auditions
(46:21):
in book, ten of them or five of them. So
just that process of putting yourself out there and trusting
that there's something bigger than just you know, like the
stat like you know, it's like, oh, for every those
one jobs would move the needle as far as you
didn't need you could. You couldn't do a thousand jobs
even if you wanted to. In your head, You're like
(46:42):
you got to take nine hundred and ninety no's and
still stay locked in, still stay you know. And I
think I got addicted to that a little bit because
it just really it made me feel alive. And I
also it strengthened my relationship with spirit, you know, because
it's like I'm focused on it's not about this, you know,
(47:04):
it's like it's about why, you know, And of course
Queen Sugar, you know, I mean the alignment there working
alongside Eva and Oprah and the store being introduced to
a city like New Orleans and a character like Ralph Fainjo,
and like having the conversations we were having, I'm like,
this is what you were preparing me for, you know,
(47:24):
like this is what you were preparing me for. I
had my milestones and I had my ideas, and you know,
you always think you know why, and like God will
use that as long as you continue to stay focused.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
And yeah, I'm still discovering the why. You know.
Speaker 1 (47:41):
It doesn't stop at Queen Sugar, it doesn't stop at
these exhibits, it doesn't stop at Tola. But again, staying
connected to the purpose of being of service and being
brave enough to obey. It's like I said, the obedience
is not it applies to all areas. And there's certain
areas where I'm can be more obedient than I can
(48:01):
and others, you know, So now I'm trying to diversify
and apply my obedience to all areas of my life.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
And that's the journey man that I.
Speaker 3 (48:13):
Love that, in the interest of time really quick for
both of you, you both have stepped in two roles
that I'm sure are personally fulfilling, but that also are
in deep service to others. What can we do to
support you?
Speaker 4 (48:32):
I mean, uh, just keep keep you know, posted with
what we're doing. Honestly, We've got different programs and events
coming up, and then through the through honestly the rest
of the year, what we'll be doing is just raising
funds for for Tola Black and every color for the
programs that we're putting out, like it has been of
(48:52):
service and out of obedience, and what we found is
like very philanthropic approach. We've got our own things going on,
but we want to be able to continue these at
the level that we know they can be at those
very visionary on this kind of thing. So really that's
that's what kind of continuation of the year is for
all these different activations and ways to show up as
far as black nervy color goes will be you know,
(49:15):
supporting the community and getting more resources towards the programming. Everything.
Speaker 1 (49:18):
Okay, obedient saying cheap so here go my cash, cheat
it is.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (49:28):
I'm kidding, I'm yo jose I just said it like.
Speaker 1 (49:32):
There's gonna be many opportunities to support and actually like
plug in right now, like yo, be be great, be great,
and be be a mirror to someone you know, and
like make sure you're brave because like I need it.
You know, I'm always and I mean I'll use you
like as like just watching you obey do your podcast,
(49:52):
have these conversations, show up, make the trip.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
You don't have to do that. You don't have to
do that.
Speaker 1 (49:57):
And this, this, these kind of conversations are so healing
and so necessary. Whether they get all the attention or
like whether one person sees it, I'm experiencing it and
it's very Yes, it's nourishing.
Speaker 2 (50:11):
It's what I need right now.
Speaker 1 (50:12):
So so thank you many ways to support TVD, plug in,
cash apps, fires.
Speaker 4 (50:18):
All that, you know what I'm saying, and even beyond that,
truly is like this is all to create the platform,
to provide access for all these other artists. We just
create the space, but in any way, shape or form,
right like great, if all the money is there, it's
that need more opportunities to show more artists work and
more spaces, spaces, places and recent information education all across
(50:40):
the boord.
Speaker 3 (50:40):
So we see that, we see that I think I
am having this conversation because there is nothing more important
to me than legacy, and legacy that's based you know, financially, Yeah,
that's all great, but emotional and from a wellness perspective,
(51:02):
and us passing that along and you two taking the
time to sit and have this conversation with me will
help somebody. You know, there's someone out there, some man
or woman, young person of color who watches both of
you and is looking for answers and looking for support
(51:26):
just through hearing your story. I have an eighteen year
old grandson named Xavier, and he's eighteen and he I
know that for him, eighteen is a huge milestone. He
is treating it like it is just you know, he
is in it. He's in his eighteen year old experience
(51:47):
a milestone. And so I just want to thank you
both for showing up the way that you do in
the world. I want to thank you for showing up
for yourselves and for again demonstrating and expressing what black
masculinity looks like, what it looks like when you take
your life seriously and when you are obedient to your
(52:09):
own voice and to the voice of Spirit, God, whatever
you call it. So thank you so much for your
generosity and sharing today.
Speaker 4 (52:17):
Absolutely thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the
space for us.
Speaker 2 (52:20):
Sure you're welcome, Thank you so much, missus z A.
Speaker 4 (52:23):
You're welcome.
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