Interview - Erika from Empty Locket

Introducing Erika. Fresh faced natural beauty! 

Q: What is your hair story?  What kind of hair styles have you rocked, before embracing your natural hair?
A:  My mother permed my hair at the tender age of 5. I started out with two long, kinky, beautiful braids and ended up with brittle, bone straight hair up to my ears by the time I was sixteen. I was in high school when I began experimenting with various products and black rinses. One day I showed up at my childhood dominican hair salon and the stylist who gave me my first perm looked at me with a sad face and she goes "Ay mami why you hair look so bad?" 



I was ashamed of my hair ever since. I struggled with my hair all throughout my teenage years and it was shedding more by the day. I began to get braids which I hated. They'd pull and tug at my scalp. I hated the smell of the green gel they used, the smell of weave and burned hair and grease and throbbing headaches after I was done. A few years later, I cut my hair off just out of the blue one day.  I grew out an afro that was big enough to wear in a small puff, but it was still shedding. I was using vegetable glycerin and I had no idea what I was doing with my newly natural hair, I didn't know how to care for it at all. One day, my coworker and I were having a conversation about hair and she simply asks "why don't you get dreadlocks?" I thought about it all day and that night. I decided to do my research on locs and how to care for them. I wanted to go to a reputable salon to get them and I decided on Deeply Rooted in Atlanta, GA. I printed out two photos to show the stylist exactly how I wanted my locs to look :-P.  I drove 4 hours to Atlanta and my locs were born.

Q: Did you have any big fears about going back to your natural texture?
A: I have always been comfortable with natural hair but since it was so short, I didn't feel like it fit me or my personality. Some women look beautiful rocking a fro, but I did not and I knew that. I was especially afraid of how others would view me, but I quickly got over that and began to make the best of my hair as it was :).

Q: What are three products you can't live without for nurturing/styling your hair?

A:  I don't use many products on my hair anymore at all. For me, the health of my hair is mostly internal. So I'd have to say water, a good diet and my aloe vera gel.

Q:  You have a great  natural hair blog. What was your inspiration for starting the blog? And what has been the most rewarding part of your blogging experience?

A:  EmptyLocket initially started out as a personal blog where I had planned to talk about my love life (or lack thereof :)). But I  quickly realized that I was a lot more comfortable and interested in talking about my hair. A lot of my friends at college were interested in going natural and would always come to me for advice. I enjoyed educating them and seeing their faces light up when I'd give them transitioning tips, etc. It came as second nature to me and I decided to turn my blog, into a hair blog.

Q: How can we keep up with you and your journey i.e. blog, twitter, facebook, fotki, tumblr, personal or professional website? (Optional)

A:  http://emptylocket03.blogspot.com!

Interview with Natural Beauty - Isimot

 

   

Name: Isimot



Q:  How long have you been natural?

A: I have been natural all my life and when I was 5 years old I asked my mom to give me locs. It was pretty weird to hear a 5 year old asking for locs but it was something I really wanted and I have had them ever since, i am now 22 years old.



Q: Why has it been important for you to follow your heart, and not give into the pressure to have permed straight hair?

A: It was always important for me to follow my heart and not give into the pressure to cut my locs, and perm my hair or straighten it because I always knew I had a passion from a young age for my locs and I felt completely comfortable being different in my skin and with my hair naturally. In 1994-95 (when i was 5) you did not see many little girls with locs so having locs then always allowed me to stick out like a sore thumb but I loved it. I was always one to be against the grain and that is what has kept me from even having the smallest desire to cut my locs, get a perm or wear bone straight hair.





Q:  What would you say to someone that doesn't feel like they are beautiful with their own natural texture?

A: I would say that it takes time, it takes patience that one must have with themself. When that time finally comes when you accept yourself and your natural hair texture that is when you will feel you are beautiful. The most amazing part about finally reaching that point is the sense of liberation that comes with it. But time is of the essence in order to reach the point where you feel beautiful and liberated with your natural hair texture and yourself overall.



Quote: "Living is pretty, and being free while living is beautiful."  ~ Isimot



*To learn more about Isimot, see her on Twitter or on Youtube.

  

Interview - Artist Walter Hamilton

Q:  I love your art work. Where do you get your inspiration from?

A:  Inspiration came from a leg injury.  This made it impossible for me to stand and dj. A lot of my investment was wasted and all the time and energy put into learning my craft at that moment was lost.  I became upset and began to break up records.  Came back down to the basement some time later and had the idea to start doing the art you now see.

Q:  Did you go to school to study art? Or are you a self taught artist?

A:  Other than the art classes that everyone takes in elementary, middle, and high school, no.  I did take a beginning painting class and beginning drawing class once at Herron Art School, but those courses were quite basic.  I have always been great at pencil and portraits; however the rate in which I finish a piece is quite slow and so I don't draw very often.

Q: How long have you been a creative person? At what point in your life did you consider yourself to be an artist?

A:  I’ve always been an artist.  From drawing afro black guys with shades to shoes onto cartoons and portraits.  Even style wise and other aspects of life and seeing things, to my cooking and food prep, to costume making, and on and on...  I have the "eye of the art".  

Q:  What part of your art career has been your proudest moment?

A:  When I sold a piece for my brother.  It was First Friday at 45 Degrees on Mass Ave, Indianapolis, last April.  I told my younger brother Gabriel, who is a great artist himself, to do a vinyl record piece of Bob Marley.  It sold that night and the feeling that I had I have never had before and haven't had since.  It was such a good feeling.

Q: What types of mediums and materials do you like to work with? Do you have goals of learning how to incorporate new material that you have not used before into your creative work?

A:  Vinyl Records is the medium of choice at the moment.  Vinyl seems to be the oldest musical listening medium that has stood the test of time.  Vinyl owners have this bond with vinyl, people will keep vinyl for years never play them, yet never throw them away.  From cleaning the vinyl to setting the needle properly in the groove, playing vinyl is a ritualistic act.  I am not quite certain what medium I will explore next, since I feel I have not fully exhausted this medium yet.  With that said I would like to explore stained glass and stand alone sculptures.  I would like something that will stay around and be a functional or at least stationary either indoors or out in the elements.  Art is problem solving and getting to how I will make it happen, I have not solved yet.

Q:  What advice would you give someone that wants to get into art? Or someone like me that loves to create art, but is feeling like they are is not progressing?

A:  Hard question...  Well I would say #1 everyone can do art.  It is important very early to understand your style and even more important not to compare what you do to others.  If you are not always looking for acceptance in your work and in this crazed journey to become better, you will enjoy all that you do.  Do whatever comes natural, and then try to build on it.  Learn from others, copy, reproduce, and don’t get too hung up on being revolutionary or original.  All these may come to you but with time, practice, with knowledge of self and style.  You can’t always draw and create the way you want to- that’s because your desire, dreams, and goals always surpass what you can actually produce.

Q: What are you futures goals as an artist?

A:  Be in the Smithsonian or another collection that will ensure that others see my work for generations.  Above all, reach as many eyes as possible!

Q:  How can people find you?

A:  Facebook: Walter Lobyn Hamilton 

www.vinylrecordartist.com

Follow on twitter @Vinyartist

email me: Lobynh@gmail.com