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Almost forgot....

We support hustlers at Hollagraphics Design Services. Shout out to mvpbus.com. They are about that bread + this driver is apparently related to Ricky Bobby!

Headed OT

If I'm on a Chinatown Bus, it can only mean one thing: there is production work in NYC. The third partner of HDS and owner operator of Hollagraphics Productions, Keve Huggins, gave me the call last week. The art dept needs us for a commercial or something. I never really know until I get there. I do know we will be at SilverCup Studios in Brooklyn.
I love and hate these trips. I love the exposure, the experience, and the opportunity to be in the film industry....even if most of the time it's independant. I hate the bus, late night subways and leaving my wife. Sacrifice is essential in life and business. You've got to give to get. I've come to grips with this concept, yet I remain indifferent with the ramifications. In other words, yeah, yeah I know, but it's still wack!
The ultimate downside is making a sacrifice for a project that's destined to disintegrate due to poor planning. I always manage to draw a jewel from these situations, but I just can't replace the time and effort. The interpolation of egos is a trip as well.
This is why Hollagraphics, as a movement, struggles for power over marketshare. The power is in the people. Network trumps net worth in the world of the unwealthy. We want to control Our products and propogate them through Our networks. Obviously, we work for other people. We just don't always see eye to eye with them. This is commonplace for individuals that only assimilate in theory not belief. In otherwords, saying "sure we can do that for you" while thinking "but it's still wack!" Integrity without honesty is a boldfaced lie. If that rubs you wrong, you're probably being lied to often.
Well thanks for letting me work this out of my system. I hope you got a little more insight on the philosophy behind the Hollagraphics Brand. I'll be posting pics of my trip soon. Next time......

the write of way

My favorite class in school was Geometry. My favorite teachers were English teachers. Geometry taught me to argue mathematically, while English teachers gave me practice. English teachers always got more out of my rants than the rest of the instructors. They just couldn't convince me that I was a writer. Although I've been doing it for years, I've just recently started to BELIEVE.
Hollagraphics Design Services has put me to task as far as writing is concerned. Producing the copy for the Business Plan, Website and all of the marketing wasn't extraordinarily difficult but it did require a style I do not normally use. I had to be more informative than poetic for the sake of the company. So far no complaints, no negative feedback. Now I'm blogging. So far no comments. Where are my English teachers now?
Still I post. I have an ever ascending standard of excellence and a commitment to self mastery that will not allow me to focus on anything but elevation. So still I learn.
You're not really asked to write at length as an adult unless it is part of your job detail. Frankly, it is a skill that fades quickly when not in use. Most of my clients, friends and family are scared to death of writing. My opinion in no way means that the world is sympathetic to those who choose not to be represented by the written word. Not hardly. If you run a business, you should be writing. In my opinion, ANY family in America IS a business. We should all be writing. If we don't, someone else will be writing the plan for our futures. Think about it personally and professionally. When you are asked to produce will you be able?
I will be revisiting this topic often, but for now read this I found this an article from the latest issue of Website Magazine. When you don't know where to start or how to build your copy, this should help.
I appreciate you letting me practice.

Penitentiary Too exploitative.......

Alright, I watched two Penitentiaries when I was young. Too young to know I should be offended. Too young to recognize the difference between the east and west coast. Too young to notice the omnipresent hand of Corporate America guiding this primarily all-black cast into a stereotypical hell. I saw Schlitz malt liquor hats, babies being fed Coca-Cola, and "Too Sweet" in the street with a Puma sweatsuit. I was uncomfortable watching Ernie Hudson play the bad guy and they had Mr. T dressed up like a genie (complete with magic lamp and a gold MC Hammer suit....top & bottom) I also noticed that Leon Isaac Kennedy looked like Lil Bow Wow does now. Creepy.
After having had worked on a couple of Independent Films (Wonderwall, Stickup Kids, etc...), i could watch this debacle with a critical eye. Zero production value but major corporate sponsorship? Maybe that's wrong. I'll say prominent product placement by major corporate players.....in a prison boxing movie. Either way, if you want to see Power Brokers capitolize off of social conditions and simultaneously perpetuate those conditions you can watch CSPAN (all day & nite) or rent Penitentiary II.
We wiil probably spoof this trash when we get a budget right. What up R. Carty? What up Keve?

For Real......

To all my hustlers worldwide, don't forget to eat. There aren't enough hours in the day to chase ALL the paper down. Sometimes, you just have to eat and take it down. I know, you can't produce anything in your sleep but a dream. I made that phrase up. However, deprive the body of a necessity and it will shut down or revolt. Like a car with no oil or the Earth with no soil, If you respect the game, honor the balance. You used it up, put it back.
So far today I've fallen out of consciousness 3 times already. I still assembled a flyer (Hollagraphics Marketing), revised several estimates (3C's Down Home Soul Food) and completed a pro bono logo (Ethiostar Entertainment). I'm currently on a teleconference, cooking Jerk Turkey Chops and blogging. The thin line between love and addiction is on a hunger strike. Business and Design run my life! Neither care if I eat or sleep and are constantly reminding me that they don't need me. I can't hear them over the growl of my gut or my playlist on youtube. Nope. I can't hear them and I can't stop. I can, however, fall out, so I will slow down for dinner. Peace.

You can do business without being busy. I get busy even when it's not. Right now it is. I'm juggling several projects currently and they are due impart to my website (Thanks again MediaLab and Yahoo). I am getting positive responses from all over! Between this blog (Thanks Blogger) and Twitter (Cheers Twitter) I'm making a minor spectacle of myself.
I'm being RSS fed to a couple of sites (like Star Quality Entourage ) and I'm gathering followers! I only have plans of digging in deeper and developing this brand into a noteworthy venture and a family keepsake.
I decided to pump my brakes and take this time to say thank you to all the hustlers in the universe that give themselves to the game of life in the pursuit of excellence. Thank you to all the workers with the will and all the customers with the wants. We do this for you, not for TV.
Shout out to Deepside Digital and Mr. Samuels. Don't worry brothers, Hollagraphics is working it out like Spring Training! I will be posting some of the latest projects soon. Plus an interview with a funkgee black chik........One!

back in the building (the foyer anyway)....

Wow. You get so used to running hard (even if in place) that you forget that fatigue is real and has the patience to outlast your will. That is not "bitchassness" as Combs might quote, as much as it is a metaphysical fact of life. If your using a lot, you have a lot replace. Being conscious of this, before the crash, may be a saving grace. I eased up a bit. I did so just long enough to realize how heavy life is right now and was damn near crushed by the thought(s). I need sleep, money and atonement. The fact that I can't tell which is more important, disturbs me on so many levels.
If money came as easy as sleep, I'd be great. Unfortunately it doesn't and I'm a grouchy when desperate. My Vice President (my wife for those that haven't read past blogs) paid the car note, which was past due 60 days. Even as a self-proclaimed philosopher I must say losing and being a loser just SUCKS. At times like this, I can answer to no other title. To my defense I have may be $3000 worth of speculative work on the table @ the deposit phase, but that doesn't work @ the gas pump. To make matters worse, I have to locate my swagger in order to handle new clientele. Not an easy task to achieve, when you're watching your wife carry weights no one person should lift. Bad time to blog.
Today I woke up, composed myself, and made all the right emails and calls. Finalized a design for my Father's 60th birthday party invitation, responded to a Muse revision request and had delightful client interview with the Co-owner of a Soul Food restaurant. Suddenly I realized how heavy my skill set is and I started flexing before the mirror that is my mind. Coordinates of Swagger triangulated. Blogger, I'm back......woohoo!

Supernova on novacaine

Right now my tongue feels like a boogie board stuffed in a baloon. Nothing like hi tech needles in the AM. The machine removing all feeling from a quarter of my face sounds like a garbage truck in reverse. My bottom lip is Hindenberg status right now. Oh and let's not forget the drool..........so sexy. Can't wait to get back to the office. I've got Myspace pages and T shirts to design.

cycle ad

A motorcycle club wanted to see how I handle bikes in a layout. They didn't supply a name so I had a guest appearance by Gene Eric (generic, ha). I think they both work.

I love it when people don't settle. That's not to say I draw joy from unrest, but when bland is a trend we forget the world is round. By that I mean, when people lose themselves in other peoples opinions and decisions, the individual is placed in jeopardy and identity is compromised.
Nadia Surin of Social Work Express, came out of nowhere as a client. She followed all protocol (deposits, email requests for revisions, timely responses, and active understanding of workflow) and purchased a logo, business cards, and two (2) sets of flyers from us. Her website is Social Work Express.
After perusing the original site, I offered a little professional advice. Her banner consisted of just the logo and an uncomfortable amount of white space. I offered to redesign it, because I felt it was taking away from the serious tone of the sites function. Also, she had Comic Sans font sprinkled on different sections of the page. Not cool.
She contacted me 2 days ago and requested a color change for her logo. She had her site redesigned and I must say, now it looks proper. I snatched a PDF screenshot of the proposed site, swapped out the colors and sent them off. Now the site is balanced and as an owner, Nadia can hold her head high.
The moral of the story is: be professional, don't cut corners, hire professionals you can count on, and don't settle......

this aint a shoe blog, its a true blog

Okay so, I'm an admitted sneaker freak and b-boy for life. Yeah, I sport the button ups and slacks with the casual cut when I'm in the CEO of sales role, however I think I was born in denim, my first baby shoes had a swoosh and my first word was probably "word". I tend to attract the mathmatically minded, so putting two and two together, you may have also realized that I am a lyricist, complete with a partner that'll make a pinata of your rhyme book. B-boys are vehicles of expression. We are not limited to one area, medium, means, or style. We spill over into everything we do...like these custom painted kicks. The B'more Greens are my design, but the ultramagnetic Dno Dunks (designed for Defend New Orleans)and New Orlean Swamps are Slavemarket Clothings'.
They will soon be available online. Stay tuned.