Gracie Ginian: Jewelry maker, Seamstress Interview 2012 

 
Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Gracie: I am not native to the Bay, but would visit a few times a year for work ( sewing and art installations)  before I moved here  3 years ago.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Gracie: I’ve been crafting since I was a child.. at  six I would make jewelry out of things I would find (bottle caps, barbie toys, twistie ties, ect.). By the age of 10 my mother gave me her  first sewing machine (an old singer from the 1950 ‘s) and I’ve been sewing ever since… going on 12 years now.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Gracie: Inspiration for me is everywhere, in the streets, in nature, people I see, music, friends, youth.  My fashion is inspired by pieces of culture from all over the world, my heritage, hip hop, traveling and art.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Gracie: I don’t remember, but it evenually turned into an artpeice

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Gracie: live your dreams, love yourself, express your creativity, laugh, dance and be yourself!

http://facebook.com/gracieginian

]]> http://maliamovement.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/mini-interview-with-gracie-ginian/feed/ 0 maliamovement Gracie http://maliamovement.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/support-bay-area-music-peplove/ http://maliamovement.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/support-bay-area-music-peplove/#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:04:33 +0000 maliamovement http://maliamovement.wordpress.com/?p=4686 ]]>
]]> http://maliamovement.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/support-bay-area-music-peplove/feed/ 0 maliamovement http://maliamovement.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/malia-connor-interviewed-on-hard-knock-radio/ http://maliamovement.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/malia-connor-interviewed-on-hard-knock-radio/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:57:03 +0000 maliamovement http://maliamovement.wordpress.com/?p=4653 ]]> For our upcoming 20th Anniversary shows in April, I was invited onto Hard Knock Radio by Anita Johnson…

photo by OooMami Flicks…

Hard Knock Radio Interview

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Leydis: No. Originally from Cuba but I have lived in the Bay since 2006…  it feels like home.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Leydis: I grew up with a record player in my house… That was the favorite sound system of my mother to listen to music and we were listening to all types of music. I was in my first Hip Hop dance group when I was 10 years old and after that I kept it for all my life ” I Love Music”

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Leydis: Like I said first, from my mom in many different ways… Growing up with a strong Black Woman, hardworking/willing to support me in all my dreams, she never stopped me and always said “yes you can.” After her I can say that I’m inspired every day and from so many people!

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Leydis:   one of my favorites as a child was “Menudo” but we did not have many options to purchase records in Cuba as here in the US but when I moved and got taken to “Rasputin” in Berkeley, that was the trip .

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Leydis: There’s something I would love to share you…

“A Message To my Sista “
At this time I’d like to say a few words especially to my sisters: SISTERS. BLACK PEOPLE WILL NEVER BE FREE UNLESS BLACK WOMEN PARTICIPATE
IN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR STRUGGLE, ON EVERY LEVEL OF OUR STRUGGLE.I think that Black women, more than anybody on the face of the earth, recognize the urgency of our situation. Because it is We who come face to face daily with the institutions of our oppression. And because it is We who have borne the major responsibility of raising our children. And it is We who have to deal with the welfare systems that do not care about the welfare of our children. And it is We who have to deal with the school systems that do not educate our children. It is We who have to deal with the racist teachers who teach our children to hate themselves. It is We who have seen the terrible effects of racism on our children. I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT OUT TO EXPRESS MY LOVE TO ALL OF YOU WHO RISK YOUR LIVES DAILY STRUGGLING OUT HERE ON THE FRONT LINES. We who have watched our young grow too old, too soon. We who have watched our children come home angry and frustrated and seen them grow more bitter, more disillusioned with the passing of each day. And We who have seen the sick, trapped look on the faces of our children when they come to fully realize what it means to be Black in Amerikkka. And we know what deprivation is. How many times have We run out of bus fare, rent money, food money and how many times have our children gone to school in hand-me-down clothes, with holes in their shoes. We know what a hell-hole Amerikkka is. We’re afraid to let our children go out and play. We’re afraid to walk the streets at night. We sisters, We have seen our young, the babies that We brought into this world with such great hopes for, We have seen their bodies bloated and aching from drugs, scarred and deformed by bullet holes. We know what oppression is. We have been abused in every way imaginable. We have been abused economically, politically. We have been abused physically, and We have been abused sexually. And sisters, We have a long and glorious history of struggle on this land/planet. Afrikan women were strong and courageous warriors long before We came to this country in chains. And here in Amerikkka, our sisters have been on the front lines. Sister Harriet Tubman led the underground railroad. And sisters like Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hammer, Sandra Pratt and our Queen Mother Moore have carried it on. Sisters, We have been the backbone of our communities, and We have got to be the backbone of our nation. We have got to build strong family units, based on love and struggle. We don’t have no time to play around.

Assata Shakur~

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Jay: funny thing on this one actually, I am a bay area native-born in Oakland. when I was 1 years old my moms moved to the east coast. my grandmother grew up in Brooklyn, NY and of course my growing up on the east was always heavily influenced by Brooklyn. I lived there for years and still to this day consider myself bi-coastal. Brooklyn to the bay>>>>>>>>>>>>I love being born in and knowing I came from Oakland.

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Jay: the year was 1991 and at a very young age I found that the first time the needle hit the record by the grace of my hand I was hooked like it was a drug and I stayed heavily medicated ever since. from djing it flourished into many other aspects of organizing and executing large events to making beats/videos to mixing/mastering to owning a studio, record label, internet radio station to my newest endeavor of putting together a digital magazine.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Jay: I find my inspiration in many things……….sometimes a song gets stuck in my head that I just can’t shake, sometimes its coming across a talented artist in multiple settings, from the streets to studio………sometimes its just the energy of the downtown area of Oakland that my studio is located in and the flava that surrounds it. when i walk to the studio through the skyscrapers, just the feeling and vibe of the city breathing inspires me to do my thing: from a shot in a video to the swag in a beat. sometimes it could be a person,their actions, or my emotions……..it varies…….blessings and curses that come from this life of being an artist.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Jay: pink floyd the dark side of the moon was my first record ever!!!

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Jay: support good music and talented artists. take the time to care about the music you consume and the manner in which you consume it. find ways to support artists you care about. treat people how you want to be treated and don’t forget about the power of music. in ancient times musicians were considered healers and personally I believe there is more to music than most people realize. that’s why I heal the world one song, one mix, one emotion at a time. balance in life is essential.

http://urbanumpires.com/

http://www.inthemixradio.com/

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Sam: Born in Alta Bates hospital in Berkeley, but it’s Oakland4Life! Got some kind of paper degree from UC Berkeley in Psych & have lived/taught all over Oakland. I still wish enlightenment for the %1 cuz I am the only member I know of OCCUPY APGAR ST. (2 block strip I lived on for a few years across st. from Oakland Violence Academy on Market/40th). My General Assembly meetings reach consensus quick!

Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Sam: started my path when my dad had the wisdom to put me & my 3 siblings in the Wen Wu School of Martial Arts in Albany, Ca to study kung fu with Master Y.C Chiang. Master Chiang is an amazing human being. His martial arts tradition required excellence in Meditation, Tai chi, Shao Lin & many animal form/weapons techniques. He is also a master painter/calligrapher/philosopher & doctor of many areas of traditional chinese medicine. Master Chiang would teach 1 new movement each week if we did our made our best effort in class. If we didn’t give the effort he would say very quietly “trouble trouble trouble” & the lesson would be over. The ride home from those classes with my dad was always intense.

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Sam: Inspiration forever dedicated to awakened beings/mestres of all kinds. my Mom taking me to be blessed by 16th Karmapa, her mestre Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and literally over 100 other enlightened beings. As crazy as it sounds at age 8 my dad took me & my sister for a summer with his spiritual guru who was a sufi living in a small village outside of Nablus Palestine. That’s the side all the guns are pointing towards & it was the 1st time I saw soldiers in the streets with normal peaceful people. 2nd entifadah (not sure if that’s correct spelling tho) right after we left. I was a sensitive kid so the suffering of a lot of my playmates really got in my head. I came back from that trip more connected to a sense of empathy requiring a lot of personal effort & integrity for it to make a difference. Wishing someone well & sitting still is actually more harmful than doing nothing bc it wastes time we don’t have.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Sam: I think it was a muppet record or something. I remember liking the artwork very much. I have had to design my own logos & business cards & all that BS & I finally understand why some people really like owning records even after their time has passed. We compress everything so small now that it hurts my eyes.

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Sam: – from a traditional song: Na vida se cai, se leva rasteira, quem nunca caiu, nao e capoeira In englsh it means: in life you fall, life trips you up, the person that has never fallen does not live the capoeira life.

Q#1: Are you a Bay Area Native? and if not, how long have you lived in the Bay? Dafina: I grew up in Los Angeles,  Baldwin Hills, actually, and I moved here (to the Bay Area) on my Sun’s birthday, March 11, 1999.

 
Q#2: When did you start on the creative path you are currently on? Dafina: My elder relatives used to tell stories about me climbing on a chair and performing massage, humming as I massaged their shoulders, hands and feet when I was 2 or 3 years old.

On my 13^th Christmas, my Popi gave me my own phone. That was a big deal because kids rarely had their own phones back then. It was given to me so that I would keep the family phone lines open and do my “psychology work on my own phone.” In those days, if someone was on the phone, there would be a busy signal, no call waiting.

Funny thing, while I was home for Christmas, my Mom pulled me aside to tell me about myself and how I have always carried the world on my shoulders. “You have since you were a child and you still do.”

Q#3: Where do you find your inspiration? Dafina: I think the question should be, “where don’t I find inspiration?” I find it everywhere, in my family, in a child’s laughter, success stories from family & friends, watching someone’s dream become reality; watching young people take a courageous stand, listening to an elder, looking at the gorgeous view outside my bedroom window, watching interactions between people, even if they’re negative ones, from difficult challenges, from so much… Inspiration is the Holy Breath moving through us.

Q#4: What was the first piece of vinyl you ever purchased? Dafina: Oh, I’m certain it was a Smokey Robinson 45rpm. When I was a girl, if a boy didn’t like Smokey, it was no use him liking me! Haha, but true..

Q#5: Anything else you’d like to share? a joke/quote? Dafina: We’re living in rapidly changing times. It is in our best interest to take note and commit to self-development and self-actualization. “Know yourself” appears in the Temple of Delphi. It’s not enough to know, we must then, be true to ourselves. Gain the courage to be authentic. Life is sacred! Open your heart, forgive transgressions, keep good people around you. You may have to go through hell to get to heaven. Keep moving, and rise above the mire.

“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul.” My grandmother said that way before I heard it in a Bob Marley song. Yet still…

http://treasureyourhealthinstitute.com/