Triburban - 2013

Only a few more days until 2013!

The new year marks a anew start for many of us, including myself. I have many goals for this  year. I am determined to make 13 my lucky number! I do not do resolutions because I never keep them and also, the first of the year is not always the best time to change certain things, why restrain yourself?

I want to double my revenue from last year at least.

I want to organize my work space and put a shipping procedure in place.

Have at least 100 items in the store.

Develop a home decor collection.

Continue to grow my business and my creativity towards the ultimate goal: To be self- employed!

Post blogs regularly about my progress and about others like me who are striving to make the world more beautiful through their art.

Some of my personal goals include:

Get another tattoo.

Get out of debt  (at least a big chunk of it)

Road trip down the west coast with my best friend (already got my ticket!)

Document my room mate starting a business on my blog.

But first on the list is to clean up my space.My great aunt told me that however you bring in the New Year in your house, that is what your whole year will look like! I don't know about you, but I sure don't want my 2013 to look like dirty laundry and old hat.

End of the year but the beginning of new beginnings!

As 2012 is coming to a close I figured I would write a little bit of a reflection blog. Unique - no. Creative not so much. My prerogative- Abso- freaking -lutely!

So here it goes:

This year has been interesting to say the least. I spent half the year in Sweden and the other half back here in Montgomery, AL. In the past year I have been working with kids, seen the Czech Republic, learned how to sell and buy property, attended a funeral, done some souls searching and ultimately learned what I am capable of. I am far from knowing who I really am or what my life is for, but I know now that I can do anything and the only one who can really stop me, is me.

My online Etsy store has changed names from Intertwyned to Triburban, a transition that I think is becoming more and more symbolic of myself and my evolution. Rather than seeing myself as intertwined, constricted by my multiple heritage, I am starting to see myself as a triple threat. someone who transcends multiple cultures, embraces them and becomes them. I am and will always be Swedish but I am also a black woman in America. That automatically connects me back to Africa. My father's family has a lot of Native American blood as well, Choctaw to be exact.Three cultures that I can call mine. That is amazing! I believe all of us can claim at least three cultures and I think it is possible to blend them harmoniously both within yourself and for the world to see. That is what Triburban is all about.

Traditional Swedish Dress

Traditional Tunisian dress.

Traditional Choctaw Dress

In the months to come, I will be working hard to bring my vision of Triburban to reality. what we wear is a reflection of us, what we want people to see and know about us. Clothes and accessories tell a story and are very personal. Triburban is a store for anyone who wants to bring that tribal, original deeply rooted culture into the modern urban world that we live in. Sometimes subtle, sometimes in your face. It is up to you. Triburban is about fashion, but more importantly- it is about people. It is about how you feel in your skin and your clothes and how your clothes make the people around you feel. Embrace your originality, become Triburban!

I just did my first photo shoot last week and I will be doing two more session next week. I am also initiating a project that will allow my items to travel around the world to my friends and family.I am so excited about this and I will tell you more about this in the months to come! 2013 is going to be great, I feel it in my toes!

See you next time! (Unless the Mayans had it right in which case none of what I just wrote will matter in a few days!

Artist Feature: Heather Harris

My Facebook fan page is entitled: Triburban - Cultural Travels Reported from the Urban Jungle. I want this blog to be the main platform for such reporting. So far my blog posts have consisted of my travels around my local area but that is about to change. I strongly believe that we can all travel through the various mediums of art. A texture, smell, image, color or experience can transfer you across the world and back without you moving an inch. This is why I have decided to feature various artists who in my opinion have mastered this skill. Take a look at this picture taken by my friend Heather Harris; can you guess where it was taken?

Where in the world is Heather Harris?

Below is a Q & A session with Heather Harris along with some of her amazing photography.

Heather Harris

What do you want people to know about you?

 Art = life come get some.

First thought in the morning?

Get up you have to go to the gym.

Cous Cous or Bulgur?
Cous Cous!


Tropical Island or Ski resort?
Hard one but less clothing gets me every time, Tropical island.


Favorite travel destination?
Although I know this will probably change in the years to come, but out of all the places I have been I must say Aspen, Colorado. I know I live in Colorado but going to Aspen and being in this place so beautiful, serene, and quiet in the middle of the day surrounded by nature...wow! Just the best place to get away

from the city life to think and meditate.






How did you first get involved in art /photography?
I have always been an artist, I was born with art in my blood. I consider myself
more of a multi media artist because I create with everything. All my life I have
painted, drawn, sewn, and after my second year in college, I decided I wanted to
go in another direction which led me to photography. I am well rounded in art.

What do you love most about being an artist?
I absolutely love being able to express myself through my work. I love being able
to educate people with what I know.


Describe your photography in 3 words.
Heather
Shot
You

What do you do when you are not working on your art?

Thinking of things to create.

What kind of camera/s do you use?

I use a Canon Rebel XT. I'm way past over due for an upgrade, but the photographer

takes a great photo not the camera.

Do you edit your pictures and if so what do you use?

I edit some of my photos with Photoshop through the site Befunky.com. Although I edit, I think my most beautiful photos are the ones that capture that natural light and beauty and I do that so well people might think I adjust and saturate my colors.

Do you prefer editing in the camera or on your computer?
Editing in the camera is way more exciting than the computer. When it is done in the camera its like opening a present when you upload your images for viewing, always nice surprises!

What is one thing that you would like to accomplish in your life time?

I want people to know who I am and what I stand for as a Black woman, mother,

and artist.

What is your dream photography/art project that you would like to create?

I wish to continue on with my installation Myself When I'm Great, I want to fill even more walls I feel this is one of my strongest projects. With my photography I want to go on a years trip around the world documenting art culture, people like me.

View Myself When I'm Great

Name some of your inspirations.

Theory and art combined inspires me. I love reading the thoughts of Bell Hooks, and

Audrey Lorde. Artist that inspire are Carrie Mae Weems and Lorna Simpson just to

name few.

What is your advice to someone interested in getting involved with photography?
It is a field that takes dedication, a lot of learning, and a lot of money!

Favorite photo blog/s?

Dapperlou

Spaceshipgeorge

Sirrealphoto

Favorite saying/quote.

“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” –

Imogen Cunningham

Last thought before going to sleep?

I love my family.

If you would like to see more of Heather Harris and her artwork - and I know you do- please visit her website Heather Shot You and follow her on these social networking sites:

Instagram: @HeatherShotYou

Twitter: @ImBornRebel

Google+: @HeatherShotYou


Tumblr: ILoveHeatherShotYou or HeatherShotYou

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/heathershotyou/

Heather's Blog: http://heathershotyou.blogspot.com/

Heather's Art is for sale here: http://heathershotyou.bigcartel.com

When in Athens, GA...

At the last minute, I decided that a weekend adventure was in order. It seems as though I just can't manage to stay at home for more than one weekend in a row lately. I did stay home the previous weekend and was nearly bored to tears so I swore I would make something happen the following weekend.

Athens, GA is about a four hour drive northeast of Montgomery and you have to pass through Atlanta on the way. Because my car is from a time where the youth of today was a mere twinkle in their fathers' eyes, I made a decision when I got home. My car is not allowed to leave the city limits of Montgomery. In case the engine falls out or something begins to smoke.

I could have borrowed my room mate's 1991 Buick skylark and arrived like a pimp(read old person) in Athens, GA but I opted not to. Instead I decided to spoil myself and rent a car. That way I could pretend that I have a car from this century, even if it would just be for one weekend. I know, I am living a large and in charge lifestyle, somebody stop me!

I arrived in Athens after a nice comfy drive in "my" 2013 Chevrolet Impala, around 7 pm. It was great seeing my longtime friend and also meeting her boyfriend Patrick and super cute kitty Tweep. Since they live close to downtown, we walked to a local restaurant called DePalma's for some pizza.

Downtown Athens feels pretty large considering that the city only has about 100,000 people in it. The city owes most of the bustling activity to the University of Georgia (UGA) located downtown. There is definitely a very young population here. I felt ancient walking around the area.

Saturday was chill yet eventful. Danielle and I had breakfast at home, then hit up some yard sales. I found two really cool Haitian paintings at the first one and a bought a third one for Danielle, all for $5 bucks! Danielle found lots of things for the apartment and some clothes for herself.  We then came back to the house, hung out for a while, had some beer and home made pasta before heading out to a local craft show. Being a crafter myself, I must say that I admire people who participate in craft shows. I have not done it yet and perhaps I will in the future but it just seems like a lot of work for nothing. Many things were beautiful and wonderfully crafted, but I am just not going to buy a $40 mug to drink coffee out of. There is a thin line in the world of handmade between charging for craftsmanship and charging for crap. Some of the items were very ellaborate and took a long time to make I am sure, however it looked terrible. You just cannot expect people to pay outrageous prices for your time when the item is hideous. I was taking mental notes on what NOT to do if I ever decide to partake in an event like this.

DO NOT tell embarassing personal stories about your friends. It is awkward.I don't know you nor your friend and now, I won't know your products either because I walked away from the awkward.

DO NOT forget your business cards. Even if you don't have cards, print or write small notecards with your info so that people can get in touch with you or see more of the things you make and possibly buy them. It also helps if you have an etsy store, a website or even a facebook page where I can look at pictures. E-mailing you and randomly asking to buy something from you is odd. How will I know what I am ordering?

Moving along. After the craftshow we ran some errands around town. Since I had a car and Danielle does not, it only made sense to get some grocery shopping done while I was there. 7 hours later we were done and starving. Patrick suggested a Mexican restaurant that he had been to once before called Tlaloc. If you like authentic Mexican food i.e. not Chipotle, Taco Bell or Moe's, this is the place to go. We ordered a bunch of different combo plates and shared them between us. The customers are mostly Mexican but there was also a few groups of college kids dispersed in the restaurant. As a former resident of Colorado, I know my Mexican cuisine and this hit the spot. I would frequent this place often if I was living in Athens, GA.

Sunday was my travelling day but we had time for a quick brunch downtown at Nona's. It is a New Orleans inspired restaurants with a cool looking dinig area in the back and a bar/bistro area in the fron of the building. we sat in the window so that we had a view over the campous and the people walking by. I had the French Quarter Breakfast which included cheese grits, honey bacon, and three beignets. Three!! I really liked them....The bacon was very sweet, a bit too sweet for me especially since I had beignets too. Did i mention you get three of them?

After brunch it was time for me to head back to the Gump. I really did have a great time and it was great seeing my old friend. We are a little bit older, a bit wiser and if I may say so myself, a bit hotter. 30 is the new 20, I don't care what anyone says.

Road trip planning -Stand your ground

OK, I just had to come on here and rant a bit. A few weeks ago, I booked the airline tickets for me and my best friend to go on a roadtrip down the west coast. I'll fly out from Atlanta and she will get on in Denver on my connecting flight and we will end up in Seattle. On the way back we will do the same thing except in reverse and from San Diego.

So, a week after i booked everything, I get an e-mail from Frontier Airlines stating that my flights have changed and a  big link saying: "Click here if you accept the changes to your flight". Underneath it, in the smallest print they could find that was barely visible it said: "Call 1-800-xxx-xxxx for further assistance" or something like that. Obviously, I did not drink the Kool-Aid, I picked up the phone and called them.

The flight schedule from Denver had changed. Frontier Airlines therefore took the liberty to put me on a 6 am flight from San Diego while my friend was not leaving until 3 pm that same afternoon. Their afternoon flight to Atlanta from Denver no longer exists so they bumped my flight out of CA to 5 minutes past buttcrack of dawn. That was not going to work for me.

I explained to the lady that I did not mind spending the night in Denver and leaving for Atlanta the following afternoon. I personally thought this was very accomodating of me seeing how I did not book the flight that was now offered to me. I was working with the company, making their life easier. I thought.

The lady told me that normally they would not make those kind of changes without charging me extra. She did say that she would check and placed me on hold. I was getting ready to put on my grumpy customer face and play hardball. I figured if they wanted to charge me more, I would just cancel the entire return trip. I was just going to buy 2 new tickets with another airline and the joke would be on Frontier Airlines.
Luckily, the lady came back on the line and informed me that the ticket prices were equal and she rebooked my flight from San Diego back to the original departure time and gave me a overnight layover in Denver!
The moral of this story: always buy that little travel insurance that they offer at the bottom of the page when booking airline tickets online. Also, you don't always have to play hardball. :)

It's a small world after all

I have never claimed to be particularly "together" in fact, I probably would be inclined to claim the opposite. So in perfect accordance to this statement, I managed to lock my keys, my phone and my computer in my car in the parking lot of my job. Fantastic! One of the wonderful perks of having a 16 year old car with no automatic anything. I meant to unlock the passenger door, get out of the car, walk around and grab my thing on the other side. The plan was perfect, except it was not fool proof. This morning evidently, I was indeed a fool.

So, my morning was not off to a great start. Luckily, I have the best roomies in the world who also happen to have smartphones AND check their facebook. I logged on the office computer and arranged for one of them to come and unlock the car. Success!!

While I was on Facebook, an old friend of mine messaged me on the chat.
To understand how amazeballs what I am about to tell you is, you have to know this person.

Sunset in Malta. I love this island!!

In 1994,when I was 15, I visited the small country of Malta situated in the Mediterranean sea. I was there for an EF English language course. In hindsight this seems like it was a tremendous waste of money as I knew how to speak English already. My brother had spoken English to my mom and I at home since I could remember and I had English class in school 5 hours a week since I was 9 years old. Anywho, off I went.
 At the time, I believe the population was somewhere around 350,000. This small island had one stop light and you could drive around it in a day. I met Danielle there. She was half English, half Maltese. I met her again in 1996, when I came back to the island on vacation with some friends. Somewhere in between there or after, I met her in London for a few hours. We have not stayed in touch per se but we have always stayed friends. I think the last time I saw her in person was in 1999 when I was back in Malta working as a bartender after high school.

Did you ever have one of those friends who you just click with? That person that no matter how long ago you saw each other last, you pick up right where you left off? That is who Danielle is for me. so when she sent me a message, it was like getting a message from any of my friends. i was happy to hear from her and figured she just wanted to say hi.

Well, it turns out that the universe has a weird way of making my life super interesting and coincidental in an amazing way. I am not sure why i got this cool life, but I am glad i did!

It turns out that Danielle now lives in Athens, GA - A 4 hour drive from my house!!!

I am planning to visit her as soon as I can, hopefully within the month. I can't wait to catch up with my friend of 17 years. We have not seen each other in over a decade so I am sure there will be a lot of chattering. Stay tuned for a follow up post with pictures and update!

Cecile

Road trip planning - Plan ahead

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself enough to get this blog post written!! I AM GOING ON VACATION WITH MY BEST FRIEND!!!!! YEAY!!!!

Ok, so those of you who know me might say "Hey, you are always traveling somewhere, what is the big deal?"

I'll tell you. This is the first vacation in years that I have planned and decided to go on simply because I said so. Also, the first real vacation with my bestie! Although we have visited each other since I moved to Montgomery, AL (me mostly being the visitee ( I know, not a real word, it's ok)  and her being the visitor), we have never been on a planned vacation together for more than one night.

So, as I am sitting over here jumping from site to site online, looking for attractions, money saving ideas, flights, car rentals etc, I decided to share my findings with anyone willing to read about it.

On my way to somewhere in the world.

I think I will make this into a series on how to plan a cheap, fun and adventure filled road trip.

First of all, this trip will be epic and will go down in history as the most spectacular event in history. Also it is 6 months away. This brings me to my first essential tip:

• PLAN AHEAD -If you start looking way ahead of time for flights and such before going on vacation, chances are you will get a deal. The alternative is to wait until the last minute. This option could also get you a good deal, possibly an even greater one but it could also result in you not going at all. You don't want that.

If you decide to go with option one, please keep reading.

• PAY YOUR DUES - As a person who in a way is voluntarily poor on an almost constant basis because I refuse to conform to capitalistic societal norms, I detest bills. Unfortunately, I still receive them. My favorite part about planning ahead when traveling is that I can pay the trip off BEFORE I even go on it. That way, I can enjoy the vacation, instead of obsessing about my growing credit card bill. Another benefit is that it leaves lots of room on my card to spend on emergencies or just fun things that I didn't plan.

• KNOW WHEN TO GO -The cheapest days to fly, at least within the U.S. are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It makes sense being that everyone and their mother usually wants to go somewhere over the weekend. Sometimes if they really want to live large, they will even take a day off and leave on Thursday. But never on Tuesdays or Wednesdays! Look for travel on these days for extra cheap flights. 

• YEAH BUDDY! - If you know someone who works in the airline industry and you don't mind getting to know the inner workings of your airport, buddy passes are great and cheap alternatives. Buddy passes are a fraction of regular tickets and are great if you don't have a need to be somewhere on a specific date or time. Make yourself comfortable, you could be spending the night. Some airlines require you to dress nicely when using a buddy pass since you may be seated in business or first class. Leave the cargo shorts and flip flops at home for this one.

So, you have no friends in the airline industry and you still insist on flying to your destination? Keep reading.

• START SEARCHING - Below are some of my favorite sites to scour before I decide to buy. 

1. KAYAK  - Great for domestic U.S. flights.
2. MOMONDO  - International flights
3. VAYAMA - International flights
4. HOTWIRE  - Will not tell you all the details until after you have booked. Great if you like surprises!

This is where I spend most of my time. I search, tweak and search again to find the absolute best price. Someone told me that prices drop late at night because there are less people searching. I am not sure if that is true, I always fall asleep. Someone please confirm or deny this for me.
If available, always use the options of nearby airports and/or flexible dates. Where i live I have three possible airports to choose from and sometimes the drive is worth the money I save. Make sure that you don't have somewhere else to be on the dates that pop up if you choose the flex option.

MAKE A DECISION. When you find a flight that works for you, buy it. Double check that prices include taxes and that all the dates are correct and work with your plans. I speak from experience, double check it five times! Once, i booked a flight home that arrived a day after my friend was visiting me. Luckily I have fantastic room mates who entertained her while they waited for my dumb ass. We made it work but if you can avoid it, why not?
Congratulations!!! If you followed these steps you have booked a flight and hopefully got a great deal! Now all you have to do is rent a car, plan your days, get somewhere to sleep, find the sights and make a budget. Piece of cake!!

Next tip: RENTAL CARS