The Sartorialist
I have always been a fan of The Sartorialist. Although this is a little over a year old I wanted to make sure that it was posted on the blog for those that have not gotten a chance to see it. Pretty cool stuff.
Meijer in Detroit 2013
Today I had the opportunity to attend an event in Detroit where they announced the first Meijer in Detroit.
Redico Gateway Marketplace which will be located where most Detroiters remember the Michigan State Fair grounds.
8 mile has always been known as the dividing line for many things in Detroit. This being on 8 mile should really change some things. Let’s hope that this serves as a beacon in this revitalization process.
Motor City Rising
It is clear that Detroit is the underdog. However, you should never count the underdog out. This was a very exciting project to be apart of. To work with other young creatives who want to help shine light on Detroit.
People in the city have made everything a competition. If you are doing better than you were yesterday people in your own neighborhood say that you’ve changed and those that you once thought were friends are no longer viewed as such. It is really hard to move as fast as they do in other markets when you are surrounded by individuals who do not want you to succeed. This is one of the reasons the talent from Michigan relocates as soon as they get an opportunity elsewhere.
I am doing my best to help as many people as possible but you have to be open to growth. I know young black men who are afraid to even speak to white men. People who do not reach out to us for our help because they do not want to look stupid. So many questions go unanswered simply because you do not want people to look at you like you are silly. These things have to stop.
1.Show each other more support in the city. We will retweet the dumbest shit about Kim K. and Kanye but when it comes to something that may be beneficial to us all we look right over those tweets.
2. Get more involved with those who are doing something positive. Stop using the fact that you are young as an excuse.
Once people allow themselves to open up to change… Change will come. Lol, I promise I am not trying to sound like I am campaigning.
Rambling and didn’t even explain what these videos were about.
Earlier this year we (@theartdirection) along with a handful of other creatives had an awesome film crew that we were able to collaborate with while we worked on various projects to help uplift the city of Detroit. The show is called Motor City Rising and its pretty self explanatory. It is about young creatives in the city of Detroit who continue to rise against the odds. Above are two teaser videos from the series Motor City Rising.
follow us @theartdirection follow me @dantemarshall
stop hating!
Just because I tell you the truth does not make me a hater!
We are always looking for someone to gas us up. Someone to tell us we are the best. Its almost like we show people what progress we have made just to hear them say it looks good. When in all actuality it probably sucks! I am tired of people telling me exactly what they think I want to hear. In the long run telling me what I want to hear is not going to help me grow at all.
We are not always the best at taking constructive criticism. As soon as someone voices their opinion and it doesn’t come out as nice as we would like it to we instantly call them a hater. Our response typically goes something like… “Everyone else loves it, you’re just hating!”
I’ve come to the conclusion that most people don’t know what they like. I take that back, most people do not know quality. Most people are afraid to tell the truth because they will look like the hater and who wants to be classified as the hating ass friend? So instead, they just lie and say something along the lines of… “Aw man, this is really good! You did this?”
Let me be the first to say that I know I am not perfect, I know I have a lot of work to do when it comes to many things. I am a grown ass man! Do not spoon feed me the truth like I am a baby. Hit me with the real!
I am not saying that every time you do something it will suck. All I am saying is you have to know how to take constructive criticism because that is the only way you will get better. What I do is compare what I am working on to those I would consider the absolute best in my field. With my photography for example, if it looks like it can hold its own next to some of my favorite photographers then maybe I am on the right track. If not, I probably need to go back and brush up on a few things. We need to stop waiting for people to tell us what we want to hear.
I don’t want you in my circle if you are going to act like a bitch when I tell you the truth because I am not going to act like a bitch when you tell me the truth!
@dantemarshall
double †
This was fun.
ask yourself, what does it all mean.
@dantemarshall
@theartdirection
Do less things better
I get side tracked from time to time. So much I want to do, so much I try to take on. I have to tell myself to sit back and focus on the few things you want to be great at. It is a lot easier to be great at 1-2 things. If you take on 20 projects how can you really be the best you can be at all 20. You will eventually start to wear yourself thin and That’s when things start to get out of control. Focus on what is most important to you. No reason to try to be model, photographer, actor, director, rapper, singer, painter, set designer, website developer, lawyer, teacher, producer and anything else that seems cool. Focus on one thing at a time. You will start to see better results.
@dantemarshall
Lift: Detroit
This Saturday, May 12, 2012, join us for Lift: Detroit, a Black Tie Gala that will highlight professional companionship, social responsibility and community outreach as important strategies for the revitalization of Detroit. Young professionals and representatives from every industry in the Metro- Detroit area including: fashion, health care, beauty, hospitality, entertainment, sports, finance, technology, urban development, sustainable living and more will gather to discuss solutions and opportunities to building a stronger Detroit.
Plan ahead.
Growing up you have this plan. You know exactly how things are going to go. Its like a step by step plan that you feel will go exactly like you want it to as long as you do exactly what you say you are going to do. as time goes on thing slowly start to change, evolve, transform into something a little different. Its not that you’ve gotten off track its just that the track is a little different than expected once you really start to move forward. Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is not a bad thing. Everything is not going to go exactly as you planned for it to go. Thats not important! The important part is making sure you keep going.
Don’t worry about what those people say that have never been where you are going… They do not have much experience in your field. Build your empire and live your forever the best way you know how. After all, it is your life!
@dantemarshall
self timer.
I’ve never wanted to be the barber that gave the best haircuts but never has his own haircut. No I am not a barber but what I am saying is there is absolutely no reason why I am apart of one of the most creative teams around and I do not have cool photos of myself. Random I know but I am tired of looking at weak shit. Looking back at some of the work we have recently put out and I realize that it is not work that I am 100% happy with. I apologize to myself for falling off.
Dear self,
next time you get the ball, shoot that shit.
thanks,
Dante
