Today Was A Good Day...Well Sorta (PART ONE)

Last week was a momentous week for certain residents of Highland Hills, a small community located in Southeastern Dallas. For the past 8 YEARS the area lacked among other basic necessities a grocery store. Imagine 8 YEARS without a grocery store. Imagine having to go to another city to get food. Imagine having to ride the bus to go to another sector of Dallas, to go to a store and get fresh food. Imagine having to walk as much as 45 minutes to an hour to and from an adequate supermarket to get food. Imagine having to bring backpacks on your journey to load up with groceries to take back to your home. Imagine having to hop on the bus or walk with a couple of bags of chicken, a 15 pound bag of potatoes, a gallon of milk, bread, veggies among other things. I did all of that, and wore out numerous pairs of shoes in the process.

The previous local store, E-Zee Shop, which existed even before my parents arrived here in 1972, had become a shell of a supermarket until it closed around '07/'08. The atmosphere was dreary to say the least, and most of all meat, fruits and veggies were not up to par, the refrigerator equipment had become well outdated, causing meat and fruits/veggies to lose their freshness. Bread was rumored to have mold and droppings in them. I say rumors because I didn't witness it myself, but I clearly remember seeing Flour Weevils in a couple of cake mixes I purchased. When I went to the owner/operator to tell them what happened, they informed me of a switch in warehouses, mostly likely an older warehouse, as the reason for the change in the quality of food. 

Plus the people there were not always the best when it came to customer service. Some people had run ins with them. The old man who owned the building was somewhat cool, but after his death, it was off the hook. The story as some folks tell it was they closed up because they were robbed at gunpoint. Typical hood story, yeah I know.

However a neighboring tenant who ran her own tax service stated they were not only mean to customers, but also to her as well, and cited that mistreatment among local citizens may have actually caused the robbery, as an act of retaliation and not just some attempt to get money.

I can agree with that analysis, because after closing shop for several months, the same people came back as another so-called grocery store, this time they called themselves Value Giant, promising to open up as a totally different store, even promising to open a deli, and allow customers to rent DVDs. Doesn't sound to me like the robbery attempt affected them that much. 

Within days, maybe less than a week or two, Value Giant had to close down, selling off their meat at prices like 25 cents a pound. Did another robbery cause this to happen? Not at all. What happened was Value Giant was using E-Zee Shop's old outdated equipment (since they were the same people anyway), including the refrigerator, causing the meat to become brown and aged, and ultimately they could not operate any longer. My question is simply why would you try to re-open a store using the same antiquated, broken down, substandard equipment anyway? What does that say about your perception of the community you claim to serve?

Well you know how it is in the hood right? It's never their fault as to why these areas become targets of urban neglect, right? It's not the city's fault as to why a prison was built in the surrounding area before the crime actually came, right? It's all these damn criminals around here, right? Even if crime was not a problem at all, even when Highland Hills was considered a lower-middle class neighborhood designed and built especially for African-Americans who were looking to move their growing families into actual homes they could afford to buy, before the crack and drug era, before the proliferation of street gangs, but hey, let's not blame them, and definitely do not bring up the subject of racism. Racism and Dallas, Texas does not go together at all, even if in 2010 they allowed a casino named after a Native American tribe to post an offensive giant size advertisement in the middle of Downtown Dallas.

It's always the citizens' fault, and we blindly jump right on the bandwagon, with our self-hating, one -bad-apple-spoils-the-whole-bunch, believe everything they say about us, selves. Can you believe local ex and current politicians actually believed that developers refused to assist in "revitalizing" and investing in the area because of a few young Black men who wore baggy pants, and the supposed crime in the area? 

During a talk about art in 2013 one ex-politician tried to challenge me on not believing such an idea, leaving me to present the flyer that the city of Dallas was sending out in 2010, encouraging local residents to vote yes to allowing liquor and beer to be sold in local stores, claiming the money accumulated would help build roads, parks, and aid in the police force.

For more information on this please read my blog "Sobriety Is The New Enemy." Here is the link: http://realquwwa.blogspot.com/2010/10/sobriety-is-new-enemy.html

So imagine this community being persuaded to allow a store that we don't have, because nobody wants to invest in such a "crime-ridden" area (code word for "a place filled with niggers") to sell a DRUG which contributes to up to 20,000 road deaths ANNUALLY, but not good enough to actually put a STORE with FRESH, QUALITY, AND REASONABLY PRICED FOOD in a neighborhood to aid and assist its citizens? And don't tell me nothing about paying taxes...We all know about taxation without representation...

Now that's gangsta nigga....

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Rights For Who?

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, that among these are the Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

   The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776...

   Have no faith in Constitution...

                    lyrics from the song "Spirits In The Material World", sung by The Police

I'm trying to think how long I tolerated the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith, before ejecting the DVD and placing it back in the case. I think it was somewhere around the 30-40 minute area. The last thing I can remember was this man accepting a full-time, no paying, intern position, while his living conditions greatly deteriorated, causing internal strife within the family, and ultimately leading to his wife leaving he and his son behind. He also spent the course of a year homeless while he pursued his quest for "happiness."

Today Chris Gardner, the protagonist of the movie, is touted as some type of shining example of "initiative", or as conservatives say "pulling up the bootstraps" and all that mumbo jumbo. Personally, I saw the movie as another scapegoat of avoiding the rights of the people upon its' government,  which is to insure justice among its citizens, by using media to persuade the ignorant masses that access to the basic necessities is a "privilege", and not a right.

What if this guy was unsuccessful in his pursuit? Would we have a movie entitled "Ni**er, Have You Lost Your Damn Mind?!" ? How many of us have been chastised or questioned for "quitting our day job," to follow our dreams, and pursue this ever-elusive "happiness"?

Looking back on this piece of propaganda now, and how it upset me so much, I think about the title itself and what it entails, and I think about the omission of the other "unalienable Rights" not mentioned in the title, which to me are more important than this "right" of the "Pursuit of Happiness", a vague "right" which was declared at the expense of the genocide of Native Americans, and the multitudes of African slaves who were exploited to the utmost degree while a few European immigrants sought their slanted interpretation of this pursuit, and to fulfill this "manifest destiny".

No Right to Life, and definitely no Right to Liberty for them. So don't even bother mentioning happiness.

Today when I look at this nation and its pursuit of happiness, I think of the constant propaganda campaigns by some liberals used to persuade people to be more concerned with legalizing certain drugs and certain lifestyles, same-sex marriage, instituting transgender bathrooms and gentrifying areas the local or state government neglected, forcing the current residents to flee due to the inability to afford high rent and property taxes, while neglecting what this nation seems to be doing to those who don't have access to the basic essentials of life itself; food, clothing, shelter, general health care, and so on.

Yasmin Nair, an LGBT activist, spoke last year about what she felt was the real intention behind this push for same-sex marriage. 

TRNN Video: Gay Marriage Victory Is Not About Equality

At the same time I see some conservatives denying people of colors' Right to Life, defend the killing of unarmed Black men, criminalizing the poor, justifying mass incarceration and disenfranchisement of Black men, using this so-called War on Drugs and the profits generated from it, legalize mass exploitation of people through banking systems, using Big Gov to fund their imperialistic endeavors, inflate prices upon the populace, and demonizing other governments and beliefs by accusing their way of life as backwards and barbaric in an effort to assure no one would look for alternative ways of life.  

In all of this furor, these "Rights" endowed by Creator, as the Declaration claims, seem to look more like privileges to those without any political voice, means, and definitely no media to articulate their concerns.

And BET and TV ONE do not count as Black Media...and definitely not OWN...so don't begin to kid yourself.

Deep in the heart of Texas, more people on food stamps are being "re-orientated" to get back into workforce, obtain jobs, or to get "better paying" jobs, in an effort to make themselves "self-sufficient". Recipients are being sent blue sheets of paper which state that it is a requirement for those on food stamps to look for work. This scheme requires a collaboration between the State Department of Human Services and the Texas Workforce Commission.

In this program people are being required to submit a certain amount of entries to businesses every week for a number of weeks in order to keep their food stamp benefits. Those who are working, but not working a required amount of hours are also being placed in this program as well.   

In order to sell this, propaganda, or PR was used, and you know the usual culprits; racial anecdotes of Black people and their "treacherous" ways of manipulating human services, selling their food stamps for money to buy drugs, abusing their Section 8 privileges by allowing uncertified people to live with them, and so on. This propaganda perfectly fits the analysis given by Mumia Abu Jamal of how the impoverished are portrayed in America as possessing "character flaws", or a "defect of the spirit".

While many may think this orientation process is admirable, the reality is that this scheme's ultimate purpose is to reduce the state's' "burden" of  having to provide access to decent nutrition to its citizens, a "right" or "entitlement" to the citizens of the state. The fact remains that the overwhelming majority of those on food stamps are not on it due to lack of employment, or of substantial employment, but the inability to afford sufficient nutrition for themselves and their families. 

But when the masses of people hear the constant rumblings in the media about LaQuita and her 5 children by 4 different men, the tendency of Americans is to welcome these "reforms" presented to the nation as a way to get rid of this "welfare state", or as Bill Cosby put it once, a "culture of poverty".

 Edward L. Bernays, the late psychoanalyst and nephew to Sigmund Freud called it "The Engineering of Consent."

So forget the statistics that show most food stamp recipients in America are White, you can't use them as the boogeyman, that won't go over too well. You need to reach deep down and pull out the most sinister culprit to remove people's entitlement to the basic necessities of life. Sorta like when "radical Islamists" are used to remove people's entitlement to privacy.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, under this program those considered able to work but unable to find "gainful employment" are subject perform "community service".  So now not having a job sounds like a misdemeanor. Just like the Black Codes. And you know what that lead to.

No wonder so many disenfranchised and poor youth either take the grimy road of hustling, or voice their displeasure of the way things work here in America, such as lyrics like these:

F**k your American Dream

That sh*t's not real

It's really more of an American Scheme

Cuz ' When I think of the American Dream

 I think about

Student Debt, Inflation, and how my Ancestors screamed

Look the corporations really hate you

and almost every institution is tryin to rape you

 But they don't care...

 lyrics from the forthcoming song "Like Us", performed by Knoxie-Ty.

My First Artwalk and the Liberty and Justice FOR ALL Exhibit

 This past weekend was filled with more excitement and enthusiasm from a creative perspective than I have witnessed in few years. Why do I say that, you may ask? Well let me tell you. The last time I participated in an art exhibit was almost 2 years ago, when I presented a piece to a gallery located downtown called The Art Hotel Collective. The reception was positive, and I met some cool artists down there. Well due to unforseen circumstances, the gallery moved to the Valley View Mall located in North Dallas, and the gallery became The SLANT Gallery Collective.  It's a much broader layout, and they're able to exhibit more work, including their own, like this cool piece here.

 This piece came from a young local artist Madelyn Sneed, who had an exhibitt with some wonderful paintings inspired by a trip to France. Great oil paintings!










However it is the following exhibit that delighted me, because 1) it deals with something close to my heart, that being social commentary. For the months of May and June The SLANT Gallery will hold an exhibit entitled Liberty and Justice FOR ALL...This one was right up my alley, although I must say I didn't expect my entry to be accepted. Over the past couple of years I experienced so many dry spells, rejections, illnesses and personal issues that I had developed an attitude where my art was only to keep what little personal sanity that I may have. Lack of funds, resources, and the inability to find gainful employment kept me down. Not to mention offers to hold an art workshop at my library somehow fell through the cracks. After submitting proposals and stuff, and watching other programs become approved, as well as getting paid for those programs, I began to become completely despondent, and my art suffered greatly. My spirits had reached a critical low, and depression set in, followed by anxiety. This is not something I would wish on anybody.

When I submitted the pieces the previous weekend, I awaited for the response, which was supposed to have been before midnight Sunday May 3rd. I woke up the next day, didn't see any response, and chalked it up as another loss. However lo and behold, that notification came later in the day, and my picture Pariah: Apocalyptic Now was chosen to be displayed at the exhibit. The exhibit deals with all of the plights of different sectors of people and what they experience in the US, however there is an international flavor added to the exhibit as well. I did not get a pic of all of the pieces, nor did I get the names of the artists and the pieces for everyone, but since the exhibit will be shown during the month of June also, it gives me a chance to collect more for the next blog. 

       
                                                                                          

    This piece was on the exhibit poster, and the artist Karen Jacobi gave me a heads up on the construction of this piece. 

 This piece talks about the Arab Spring. I wanted to meet the artist, Seun Karim, but did not get a chance to. Hopefully next time around.

This was another one of my favorites, commenting on Mexican immigrants. 

This is Pariah: Apocalyptic Now, the piece that I entered into the exhibit, which by the way won rave reviews from many of the visitors, including the proprietor from the SMALL Gallery, which is right across from the SLANT Gallery. They had a similar exhibit, being that they are like a sister gallery to the SLANT Gallery. She has informed me that there will be an exhibition in the upcoming months, and would like to see me submit an entry there as well. 

The SMALL Gallery had an exhibition entitled Listen To The Songs of the Times, and had some marvellous presentations there as well. I plan to get more pics and info on this showing in next month's artwalk as well.

The only odd event that happened that day occurred while riding the bus to the gallery, and noticing the lady on the other side of the bus actually doodling me! Now that was AWKWARD as HECK! I'm not a photogenic type of guy, nor do I consider myself the type that could be an actual study. So, modesty and anxiety kicked in, and I turned my head toward the window so she couldn't continue...Not trying to be difficult, because I'm a chatty person, but that's gonna take some time to get used to....Anyway, till next time....Take care...

Shutdowns, Breakdowns and Meltdowns (Part 2)

peace all, I was contemplating whether or not to continue this blog over the weekend, however things happen that sorta leave you in a state of getting it out there sooner than later. Faced with constant letdowns(which probably should be included in my blog title), it looks like another letdown is coming up soon, as events and exhibits keep coming thru with opportunities to exhibit my work, yet due to a lack of funds to pay for entry fees, looks like I'll be out of these exhibits, which seemed to be promising to say the least. The theme of one such event was Thinking INSIDE the box, rather than outside the box, which defined the theme as anything that contains, holds, or traps and so on...What an excellent opportunity to showcase my work, especially my ongoing Lifestyles of the Ignored Series, or so I thought...Looks like I'm not going to meet the deadline for that exhibit nor the TVAA Exhibit in November, which the theme is collage, something I'm really getting into, plus I has a piece entitled Blood, Sweat and Mostly Tears that I wanted to present there, seeing that it's a big hit over in my area, focusing on events surrounding the community, where the poor(like me) are faced with ever-fading job opportunities to take care of themselves in a decent fashion, yet finding the most ridiculous advertisments in the so-called Employment guides calling for people with mental illnesses and domestic issues to offer themselves up for research, and being compensated(or so they say) for their participation. Oh well...

So here I sit in front of my computer, listening to some beats I made and checking the employment ads again to see who can I send my resume to, so they can call and feign interest in my services, until the next discrepancy shows up on my resume, like the lack of employment in the last 3 years...Uhh ruh, if nobody hires you, what do you do?

Which leads me to another subject I wanted to touch on, this crap about the government shutting down over issues like Obamacare, or I'm sorry, Affordable Health Care....People are up in arms about this, but I gotta question...If you have no money, or not enough to cover your basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter, how does supposed affordable health care help you? You gotta take your hat off to these corporations who continually find a way to trick people, and we continue to suck it all up. Now I'm being hit with mailers from this insurance group and that insurance group, as if I can AFFORD affordable health care...oh boy...us poor folks knew what this shutdown was about to begin with, along with the supposed clinics and doctors shutting down their operations...Poor people and especially people of color have always been a pain in the side for most of the medical industry...seems to them like our color of our skin and/or social status is a clear indication of our supposed inferiority....y'all remember that book entitled "The Bell Curve"? Saw a billboard last week stating TEXAS LAW REQUIRES college students to take a meningitis vaccine...It never ends does it? The Lifestyles of the Ignored continues... until next time..... www.qartworks.com

New Painting!!! Complex II

Peace all... This is a picture of a work in progress entitled Complex II : Tailor Made...Please click on the link to see the finished piece with caption...http://www.realquwwa.com/events.html In order to bring my website to the forefront, I've decided to move my artwork to my website and put pictures of work in progress only on my social networking pages. I've realized that although exposing my work to the public via Facebook and Twitter may generate some buzz, it takes away from my website, which was created to give a total experience, and not just to try to sell art. It's high time I took my site seriously and promoted it as I initially intended, and give all walks of life a chance to see my expression. Hope you enjoy the journey....Till next time...

The Nerve of It All...

Peace All,

Kinda thought I'd condense all of the past week's events into one blog, and call it the Bad and the Good, that way I can spill out the whole shabang about Q's News...lol

Anyway let's hit up THE BAD first shall we? You all remember last week when I put out a blog about whether or not I should voice my opinion about the continuing demise of my area and show how the public transit system is contributing to this process. Well at first I felt I may have been too hasty in thinking they would not listen to our opinions and such and take feedback in good faith, but once I saw the "DART representatives" from our area and heard the reasons for removing the 155 express bus from our area, let's just say as the Joker told Batman in The Dark Knight..."You didn't disappoint."



These people had the nerve to say the reason they want to get rid of the service is because "DART is not in the business in repeating its' routes" and the riders can catch the local rail station and get downtown in the same fashion. Excuse me, but the DART rail is far from ANYTHING EXPRESS!!! Not to mention they plan to open express busing in the West Plano area...The nerve of people to think that you can tell some people anything and expect them to believe it. I tell you, Thomas Jefferson was a bold man...



Anyway, then they proceeded to give convoluted information about the ridership of the express bus in saying that at a particular stop there are only an average of 6 people on the bus, which is besides the point. The fact is that the bus is FULL on its way to Downtown Dallas, so again, the insults to the people's intelligence rages on, all in a meager attempt to slash costs' and concentrate on people that they feel are "worthy" of patronage. Anyone with a keen sense and a critical eye can see that very little effort is being made to keep a quality standard of life here in the Southern sector of Dallas, and rather than tend to the needs of the actual Dallas citizens, these people are trying to expand and connect in areas outside of Dallas, along with spending money in the soon to be gentrified Trinity River area on an unneeded trolley system, it's clear to see what's going on here. I guess they really look at those who use public transportation from the inner cities as "undesirables".

So on that note, I abruptly left the meeting because 1)the two women there were only present to receive the barbs and the complaints from the people. They really don't have any input in the final decision making here, so why waste time, breath and energy on them? 2) The citizens of Dallas will not have a final say in what happens here, the "Board" will vote and "consider" all of the comments in March, which pretty much means if the 155 express continues by the summer, Q will be surprised to say the least.

Only God(Allah)knows the future, but I ain't optimistic in the least...Such are the Lifestyles of the Ignored



Then on top of that some fool hacked into my email account...The nerve of these fools...


CWATIC @ HTTP://WWW.REALQUWWA.COM. Click here to enter.

Peace....I'll tell you the good later, God Willing...

Patience.....Young Grasshoppa(A Year in Review)

Peace all,

I had to think for awhile about how I wanted to do a year ending blog, things flipped so quickly that if I really wanted to fully recap Q's year in review, it would probably be a long, cumbersome blog, so let's trim the fat shall we?

I guess I can say I began to see promise this past February when I was able to start up my own website and expose my art among other things with it. REALQUWWA.COM started slowly, and not having much fanfare, I tried to advertise on my Youtube channel as well as Facebook, but response has been slow to say the least. But I don't despair in any event because I know what to expect, especially as an independent artist, along with the subject matter of my work. Today my website has two displays, the ongoing Lifestyles of the Ignored and the See What I See exhibit (CWATIC) which I renamed The All Aboard the 554 Exhibit , which chronicles scenes in my area of South Dallas. 554 is the route number of the city bus that goes through my area.


The See What I See(CWATIC)Exhibit held this past October 29th marked a milestone for the Q, seeing that I had not presented an exhibit of any sort, the only time I really exhibited my work at any time was at a student art exhibit when I attended Community College, and that was a while to say the least. But the response was great, especially in the fact that many people were able to see the direction my art was going, and also gave the opportunity to expose the possibilities of visual art to an area that does not get a chance to truly see a cultural event like this. To show the mindstate of my area as well as American society as a whole, I received replies from people who were somewhat surprised and/or dismayed when I explained that this exhibit was for FREE, and not to commercialize my work. I mean don't get me wrong, I am not saying I will not sell my work when the opportunity comes, but the purpose of my art is not just to "sell things" and make money, but to make a difference, inspire, and motivate too. In my area people have relegated everything now to a "hustle" or "getting up" and we are missing out on making a serious impact in society today. This is the sad state of society, mostly stemming from the notion of not seeing things in a spiritual perspective, and only seeing things from this temporal materialistic existence. It's high time we start changing that perception. The corrupt only hold the money for a period of time, but in the end everything goes back to Allah(Al-Warith, The Inheritor).

Other events include the inspiring art sale I attend two weeks ago, held by renowned artist and Dallas resident Frank Frazier, Jr. He's a veteran at this thing, and his invitation thru Facebook was something I did not want to pass up. I met other artists, and saw astounding work that inspired me. I am very grateful to witness such an event. Also can't forget the BlogTalkRadio interviews with Angel Ayes and Lady Flava, which let me air out my outlook on many things in art and society as well.

This year has ended on a positive note in that the Paul Lawrence Dunbar Library graciously invited me to display my artwork. This was a library I had targeted for CWATIC, but finances prevented me from holding such an exhibit, but thankfully I was able to present a CWATIC display. Here are the photos:







So I have no choice but to take this as a step in the right direction. I feel that God(Allah) is putting me in a much better position, and I must remain patient and not be deterred from any naysayers, or any type of "slow" response, because in the end the victory will be there for me, if I just hold on. People are politicking for my work to be displayed in different areas, and other opportunities await me. I keep thinking about the day when I almost gave everything up, but that something inside me told me to just submit the proposal. Fear of rejection had pretty much overtaken me, but after realizing I'm just following the course that's already paved for me, things became a lot easier. Now I am more confident in my ability, and ready to expand my repetoire and come up with more artwork. 2012 looks to be very interesting, and I will not wait for February, when my next exhibit hits.





It's about to be fun.....Peace......CWATIC @ www.realquwwa.com

NEXT UP ON THE MENU!!!!

Peace all,

I've been hard at work(well sorta)putting the final pieces together, trying to come up with a theme for the exhibition at the Paul Lawrence Dunbar Library, hopefully I will be able to set up the display this weekend.

This library was one of the few in the southern Dallas sector that I targeted for the See What I See(CWATiC) exhibit, but other things came in the way, and with the exhibition that I'm working on for February 2012 entitled Back And Forth so close, I've kinda put CWATiC over to the side. However I received an email a few days ago requesting some of my artwork to be displayed there. When I received the picture I was like "OK, great" and began to look for some smaller scale paintings to display there, more in the 8x10 to 9x12 range, however when I arrived there personally to take a look, I was amazed at the amount of space that I saw, and from there the ideas just started flowing...



Basically I plan to mix it up a bit, showing works from both the Lifestyles of the Ignored series and a couple of works from the CWATiC exhibit, especially the bottles I worked on for The New Gold Rush and maybe a couple of new twists in store. So it looks as if the CWATiC exhibit will continue, but in a different fashion this time around...I hope I can capture a few shots for a promo video of some sorts, ya know?

Also the same weekend I'm planning to attend this function held by renowned artist Frank Frazier Jr, who also lives in the southern Dallas area as well. I attended an exhibit he held a few years back and recently we became Facebook friends. So this looks to be an exciting and educational weekend ahead for me, and I hope to take full advantage of the opportunity...



Take care all, hope to be back soon with another blog....Peace!

CWATIC @ http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Is It Really?(Not Enough)

Peace all,

I had intended to do a blog about this tripped-out documentary I saw entitled "Prohibition" from PBS, about the history of the Law of Prohibition on Alcohol in America, and the repealling of the law, but I'll hold off on that, because I'm still trippin' on it....LOL


Things have been jumping recently for me, and I have everyone to thank for the support, it is greatly appreciated. For starters, I have received an offer from another library to display my work...I can't begin to tell you how pumped up when I received the email, and now I have other things on hand to boot, but I can't tell ya right now....

LOOKS LIKE THINGS ARE COOKING UP FOR THE Q!

Yeah, they do look that way, I just pray that I can take everything in stride, not forgetting what and Who am I doing this for! I keep thinking this thing almost didn't happen.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

I mean I had presented the proposal to the librarian for the CWATIC exhibit, even after going through all of the other drama, and I had pretty much dropped the whole thing, but something internally inspired me to give it to her. The day I was ready to chuck it all in, she summoned me up to the desk and after explaining everything to her, I showed her the website, and then she introduced me to another librarian, who saw what I did, and she just took off and took it to another level, and it hasn't stopped since. Regardless of what happens, this is definitely a lesson to keep going regardless of how things look...I am ever grateful to my Creator for this, and grateful to those who supported me in any and every way.

SO WAS THIS ONE OF THE PICTURES AT THE EXHIBIT?

Yeah, it's called Not Enough. It was constructed almost two years ago, but I displayed it at the exhibit, and it was well received by both young and old. I didn't think it would go over so well, but they loved the blue and the message it contained. The red bowl added to the contrast.

SO EXPLAIN BRIEFLY THE MEANING...

Well it just to show that a growing number of Americans(and the rest of the world too as a matter of fact) are not able to fulfill their basic needs due to the criminal economy and the hyperinflation of basic goods and needs to a point where the average citizen may have to face a decision of whether to drop the health insurance, or have to cut back on nutrition, or letting go of some other type of basic need. Despite this there are some who are not suffering who do not see this discrepancy and do not see the effects of globalization, and make statements such as "any job is better than no job at all." But they miss the point greatly when they realize the menial jobs cannot cover the ever increasing costs of health care( or as one author wrote in a book disease care, which seems more appropriate) and the costs of food(whatever happened to Wal Mart price rollbacks?), not too mention insurance for every freaking thing from homeowners to car insurance to life insurance, to....oh my!!!!

SO PEOPLE REALLY MAKE SUCH STATEMENTS?

Yes they do...funny how humans can forget about others' plight and only judge another's situation based on their own experience, they also fail to understand the difference between a "little" job and not having any job is that even with a "little" job, you will eventually lose everything you own, it just doesn't happen right away....This picture also reminds me of a young man with five children and whose wife recently needed surgery, but was denied Medicaid because his $10 an hour job was deemed as too much for Medicaid to cover the surgery. Then we have politicians who prove everyday that they are more concerned with the corporations and the elite who oppress and exploit, who say in their campaigns for election that they are content with seeing someone dying rather than to sehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife to it that they would receive care.



WHAT ABOUT OBAMACARE?

Please don't get me started on that....just check out the language, and not just what they say, but what they "don't" say.

SO TRUE...

WHERE CAN ONE SEE THIS AND OTHERS LIKE IT?

www.qartworks.com Just click on the link and I hope enjoy it...

Take care all....CWATiC @ WWW.QARTWORKS.COM

All Aboard the 554

Peace All!!!

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!! THE CWATIC Exhibit!!! Featuring the revised Lifestyles of the Ignored Exhibit, along with the new exhibit held in my hometown entitled Aboard the 554. Just click HERE to enter the website.



I am also in the process of working on prints and posters!!!! I should be out with those in the upcoming days!(IA)...

I hope to be back next week with another blog, but for now, enjoy, and CWATIC @ www.realquwwa.com....Peace!!!

More to Come?(CWATIC)

Peace all,

Actually this blog was set to drop earlier this week, especially since I was reeling from the positive response of the See What I See(CWATIC) Art Exhibit, but maybe that enthusiasm turned into brief dementia, as I goofed up and apparently erased the whole frag nabbin blog, and I wrote some stuff! I mean I wrote some quality material.

OK Q, GET ON WITH IT, PLEASE?

OK. Well the crowd was pretty moderate, considering the many promises I received from those local homeys and stuff, telling me that they will support it and show up. I mean some had reasonable excuses, family emergencies, and the librarian who really urged me to take this further had a sudden death in the family, I mean, I'm not trippin' or anything like that, but some people claim to wanting so bad to see something different being presented, but yet the continuing apathy seems to rear its face.

OK Q, AGAIN, GET ON WITH IT!!!! PLEASE!!!!

OK, anyway, those who came gave glowing reviews of the event, the content of the work which ranged from the marginalisation of Black Youth in Written Off to the stigmatizing of Blacks with usage of the words ghetto and gutter to describe certain unruly behaviour in some Blacks, especially poor Blacks, as well as delving into the real meaning and the true implications of the word itself, and why do Blacks gleefully accept this terminology or apply it to others in a double standard fashion.

OOOOOHHHHH.....

Yeah...I went there....

ANYTHING ELSE?

Of course, I mean after all it was for the community, and I only scratched the surface with this. Then there was Preoccupied Territory which may actually turn into an exhibit on its own. This piece dealt with how a neighborhood can be drawn away from the machinations of those who wish to exploit them in any fashion, being distracted from everything with useless or meaningless trinkets including cell phones, texting, social networking and the Golden Age of Wireless...

YEAH THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT CAN LEAD INTO BIGGER THINGS. WHAT ELSE?

Oh, then there was Blood, Sweat And Mostly Tears, which dealt with the spurious ads one may find in the local Employment Guide. I mean people were taken aback to find ads requesting those who may have been diagnosed as bipolar or having Hepatitis C to be used as labrats, I mean when did such things become opportunities for employment? And to top it off, ads advertising the giving of plasma? In an employment guide?

And then the piece de resistance, The New Gold Rush, which explains the high anticipation of the selling of alcoholic beverages in my area, turning the gas stations into overnight liquor stores, and neighboring areas into hangout spots. This was the supposed solution offered to create revenue to fix our streets, pools and library. Now the library has drastically reduced its hours, cut employees and inserted electronic check out machines...Gotta love efficiency....Now we hear the same suggestion being used to turn the nearby city dump into the main disposal unit in ALL of Dallas....Did I forget to mention we still don't have a grocery store here, and the post office is closing down its customer service center, causing potential customers to go out of their way to send packages? All of this decline of quality of life, and yet nearby neighborhoods are blossoming and money being spent on providing trolley service to gentrified areas of Dallas? OOOPS, did I go there?

YES YOU WENT THERE...

Well, someone has to...

GO ON THEN...

There were other works, and the one entitle Not Enough really captivated everyone. Guess it was the blues that got them. Then there was a collage that wowwed everyone.

SO WHAT'S THE FUTURE FOR SEE WHAT I SEE?

Only Allah knows, but I don't think this is the end yo...

CAN I SEE PICTURES?

I'm working on a slideshow of the entries to place on my personal website...www.realquwwa.com...I'll fill you in on the haps, God Willing.

SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD IT ROCKIN' UP IN THERE, RIGHT?

The joy of it all was the children who attended, who asked questions, and finally saw someone put their area in a different light, rather than the usual corporate media stereotyping BIRTH OF A NATION-esque fashion, showing people that we are unfit of any entitlements or any justice, rather imprisonment and exploitation....I went there again, didn't I?

YES YOU DID....

Well, bout time somebody did it...And I just begun....So CWATIC @ www.reaquwwa.com

Peace all...PS...I'm coming back up there in February, go get ready Highland Hills...I wanna know what else do you see?



Eid Mubarak to the Ummah....

FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

Peace all, and belated Eid Mubarak to the Muslims coming from the fasting of the month of Ramadhan. May Allah accept our fasting and deeds done for His Sake.

A very interesting Ramadhan and come and gone once again, filled with many lessons learned and very interesting concepts reflected upon. All in all, it was a very enlightning and uplifting experience. I pray I am able to see and experience another blessed Ramadhan again, there is nothing like the experience.

Keeping oneself focused was the task at hand, I mean imagine me walking constantly through the scorching Texas heat, not having eaten anything substantial in the last few hours, to go to the library and type out a passage or two reflecting on issues very few people ever contemplate over, only to write them on a Facebook book page with only 28 friends that subscribed to, and not even all of them read my writings. But again, mass appeal is not the object. But it does take focus, focus that even I didn't think I had...LOL...But where there is a purpose there is a will. I leave Ramadhan now with even more focus, and still thinking of more writings to fill up my Reflections page. I feel like I've only just begun.

But now I also have to turn my attention to my proposed Art Exhibit entitled Down Here on the Ground, and gear up for that event now. I've sent the proposal for space and I am awaiting a response. I've been looking through several pictures and trying to come up with different ideas to create. Right now I am on a mixed media and collage binge, looking for that right connection or that right energy. This looks to be very exciting, although I still lack many resources to pull this exhibit off. I set the date so I can have some kind of tangible deadline to make my self work and not procrastinate, which happens to be a great friend of mine...lol.

But throught it all, I keep pushing, hoping for something to come along that will give me that much needed boost. I guess I am just nervous due to the fact that about what happened last year, I don't think I can take anymore letdowns. Confidence does wane, especially after recurring instances....I pray this is not the case.




Take care.

Taking it Slowly....

Peace all...

It's been a couple of weeks since blogging and seeming to be so excited about a possible art exhibit. Well the enthusiasm is still there, but it's been tapered a little bit because of two factors:

The first is this heat, with sweltering temperatures in the 100s for the past couple of weeks. Thank God we finally received a little rain, which was enough to provide some shade for a change. These past few weeks have been murder on me due to the fact that I'm walking to the library, which for only God knows, opens in the middle of the day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So imagine me walking to the library, looking for paths of shade on the sidewalks because when the sun is in the middle of the sky, roads are not going to provide shades from trees. Thursdays thru Saturdays are not too bad, but this rain or just this one day without the sun beaming on me was badly needed. Thank you Allah.

The second thing is the month of fasting, or Ramadhan. This is my first Ramadhan in the summer months, fasting from the break of dawn to sunset. I've fasted before in the summertime, but never on a consistent basis, and compound this constant walking in this heat, it has sapped my energy and fatigue can set it as well. I am trying my best to complete this proposal, but being drained and fatigued has set a delay in presenting my proposal. But hopefully I will present it this upcoming week, God Willing. I will keep you updated, I'm looking toward holding the exhibit between September 24th and October 1st. That will give me more time to recollect my thoughts and re energize. Plus it gives me time to move about with my camera and develop a video to present as well. I've contacted some friends who have asked to help construct the video, which is just dandy for me. Helps me to concentrate on some other things.

Anyways, I will keep you posted on this event, and I will talk about it in upcoming blogs, and also will include details on a non-profit organization, run by a good fried of mine. In the meantime, to my Muslim family, May Allah accept our deeds and fasting for His Sake....Ameen

To the rest of the world....Look out....LOL



Peace...

Keepin ya HIP!!!!

Peace all,

Been a while since blogging, but still at it...Blogging gives me a sense of expressing myself in ways I don't necessarily think I can on Facebook or Twitter(especially Twitter since you are only allowed 140 characters anyway.)But here I get to spew completely uninhibited random thoughts without worry...well maybe some worry...lol

Anyway keeping you abreast on some things have become a bit of a task since my internet has gone kablewy, but on the real it was not all that I had expected in the first place...the wireless internet became more of a pain than an upgrade, and from the onstart I encountered problems with this system, especially being in a neighborhood with homes older than 20 years...And the customer service has been a problem too...

ANYWAY ENOUGH OF THAT...WHAT'S BEEN UP WITH YOU? HOW'S YOUR HEALTH SINCE THE PIT BULL ATTACKS?

Well, the wounds have healed pretty much, and I wasn't diagnosed with hypertension, but was given a strong warning to watch my diet and exercise more. The daily walks are great, but they want more of a faster pace to get the heart going. Eliminating or reducing stress, now that's a horse of another color....haven't been able to figure that one out yet.

HERE'S TO HOPING FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY...NOW WHAT'S UP WITH THE ARTWORK?

Well I have several projects on tap, I can't fill you in all at once, but hopefully as things develop I will ...First off I have opened the Lifestyles Of The Ignored Gallery on my website http://realquwwa.com. I have a few photos there, and plan to build more as time progresses...I really like what I have done so far, and I pray this is only the beginning. I have also began posting my tshirts and other apparel on the site too.

THAT'S GREAT...ANYTHING ELSE ON TAP?

Oooooh if you only knew...I am filming footage for future video in the works...Shooting most of the footage in my hometown area...

ANY WORD ON THE DIRECTION OF THE VIDEO?

Well it took a turn the more I started filming and gathering more info. It started out as something personal, but as I filmed more on the subjects, it looks like something else is going to come out of this. Not so much as focusing on the homeless, but moreso my area in general and attitudes toward certain sectors of towns, including politicians and such...Can't tell you all about it yet, but it is taking more shape now...This coming Ramadhan, the month of fasting for the Muslims, I will spending it reading The Qur'an and A Book Entitled Black on the Block...It's about gentrification in the Black Neighborhoods, and the behind the scenes look at who really benefits...This will help give direction as well..

GOTTA NAME FOR IT RIGHT NOW?

Tentatively it's called Down Here On The Ground I'll keep ya hip to the latest updates, God Willing.

COOL...ANYTHING ELSE?

Gotta stay tuned...Working on my own exhibitions...May have one in the works...But that's all I can say on that matter for right now...Can't give it all away just yet...

OK, I'LL GIVE YOU YOUR TIME TO KEEP UP POSTED....ANYTHING ELSE?

Just to be on the lookout...I love being under the radar....LOL...PEACE



http://realquwwa.com

Letting It All Hang Out!

Peace all,

12:05am on the dot! Jumuah for the Muslims....Friday morning....Wait a minute....What am I doing up? LOL

Playing with this Nintendo Wii thingy is addictive, even for a person whom the Wii Fitness Meter estimated to be BLAHBLAHBLAH years old...LOL

My arms are sore from the boxing game. Must admit I haven't moved my arms like this in a loooong time...SORE BUT LOVING IT! No pain, no gain, riiiiight?

Anyway, let me tell you about the Tuesday night interview with Lady Flava on Flava News, one of the many shows she has on Blog Talk Radio. First let me say that this lady is a dear friend of mine and a huge supporter of the arts, regardless of genre. However I think the interview was a great shot in the arm for the both of us, for me because out of the other respective interviews I've had in the past, this one was more of a relax, let-it-flow, let-it-all-out thing, and when the internet was working fine, it was real intense. I got to touch subjects I did not cover in previous interviews, and no disrespect to the other because I love them all, but this was the most intense interview I have encountered so far, mainly because the questions were more hard hitting and more to the point of what motivates me and the driving force behind my visual art.

But I also think it benefitted her as well, and gave her more diversity in the sense that she now can prove she is an avid supporter of the arts as a whole, and not just the music scene, with the spoken word scene coming right behind it. She had been trying to get me to get on the show and add some visual artist credibility to her repertoire, and I think it went over fine. Plus she covered the technical difficulties well by putting in some great jazz, too bad I couldn't hear it...LOL

You can catch the whole thing on her site or on www.realquwwa.com. All you have to do is click on the REALQUWWA link above, then click on About Quwwa and then Interviews.

PS...She gave me some very uplifting news when she informed me that she received very positive feedback from people who listened to the archives, and thanked me for a candid and honest interview...

All Praise is due to Allah Alone...

Later y'all...Love ya!

What Now?

Peace all...

It's 6:14pm and I'm sitting down with this hot laptop on my lap, I guess I took the name laptop too seriously(lol).

But anyway, I have some good from the homestead! After over 6 months ya boy landed a JIZZOB!(YAY!)The time it took and the mental beating it took on me was brutal, but yeah, I landed one, so all those naysayers can sit down and shut up! But we know that won't happen right? HA HAAA!


With that in mind, the question now becomes what happens now? I mean granted it is a job, however it's a mere job that barely covers my immediate needs. I mean I'm grateful, but I also have to be a realist. Am I relegated to hopping from one job to another? And what does this mean for my art: is this another spiraling tale of unfulfilled wishes and dreams, is it a stepping stone for something greater? Granted when I left my previous job I felt it was the beginning of something great, with a show lined up, people digging some of my creations, and all of a sudden I lost a lot of things. My car was the most devastating thing because it was a source of independence for me. A symbol of efforts made along with patience and faith in God(Allah) and myself. Now I'm back to spending 2 and a half hours just to get to a job that takes 30 minutes to get there by personal transportation.

One of my Facebook friends told me that sometimes you have to purge yourself and keep those things that are needed. I'm realizing that now. It doesn't make sense from the outset when you look at it, after all I have to go and wash clothes, buy groceries, go to work, etc, etc, etc....LOL. But I think I'm getting the jist of what she meant. So I take that deep sigh, but move on...

It's gotta get better somewhere, somehow, someway...




Take care all...

Letting it go...

Peace All,

At this point in my life I've come to learn to accept the fact that if I had a middle name it should be struggle...LOL

The past few months have completely taken a toll on me, as well as forced me to take a long look at myself, to check my intentions, look at my high points and low points, and try to come up with some form of strategy for both short and long term goals I made.

I thought I had a strategy all in place earlier this year, and I thought my departure from my job would signify a new era for the Q beginning with the exhibition, not to say this is why I left my job(though some have garnered serious allegations and slandered my name) but however things turned topsy-turvy, and I found myself sprawling into a pile of stress, worries, accusations and downfalls. I now find myself defending my positions to people who either don't know me fully, or don't really understand what is going on. At times I have even doubted myself and have stepped back many times to see if it is something I am doing wrong, or is it a test from God(Allah) which will purify me, develop more of a trust in Him as well as gear me up for something bigger down the road.

They say you should always have a good opinion about God, and I do, but it's really hard being a mere human being, trying to trust Him when you don't see the whole picture. I understand that's what the tests of life is for, and also understand that if He doesn't care or deem good for a person, He will not try them so severly. Last week was another one of those tests, I almost lost my storage which included very personal and important items, many of my books and videos among other things that I accumulated over 8 years.

The outcome was good, and I feel like my trust in God has grown, but I'm growing more tired of having to explain myself to people who don't see these things as tests and trials from God, but rather shortcomings or failures of my own. People ask why have I become somewhat of a recluse in the past few years. In reality I am not a recluse, just a man who is tired of being around people who don't seem to take things in a serious manner or who look at things from a superficial point of view.

I know of people who are unemployed for the same amount of time I've been, or even longer, yet in their conversations they don't seem to mention anyone doubting their intentions or integrity, so why should I be different? Why should I be looked upon as some deceitful, light-headed, non-serious guy with a dream simply because I'm looking within myself to advance myself instead of ever-chasing a permanently temporary job, and why am I being blasted for defending myself, my sanity and my integrity, as if to say these things are not important anymore? When did money replace integrity, decency, honor, and respect?

So I continue to travel lightly. One day, God Willing, it will all make sense.



Take care all...

HOMESTRETCH!!!!

Peace all....

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

27 more days to go before the show....

Getting very excited and anxious here....Plans are being made, guests are being booked and ads are a flyin' everywhere. I had to refocus my energies on this project, so my ETSY and Zazzle items have taken a back seat somewhat, while I focus on finishing up the last pieces of work. Plus with the entrance of Ramadhan, the Muslim month of fasting coming up, it is imperative to finish up everything, well at least the physical work, because Ramadhan in the summer promises to be very interesting. The last time I tried to paint during Ramadhan I found out how very draining it could be....LOL...

Why did she list me also as a spoken word artist? OH BOY.....

Peace...