Remembering Karyn: For Brown Girls Everywhere

by April D. Byrd

The blog titles on tumblr, can range from edgy and flamboyant to outright explicit, and the content is sure to follow. When I found For Brown Girls on tumblr I knew I had came across something special, not just on a natural level, but on some deeply cosmic, spiritual wave that transcended the confines of the internet. For Brown Girls was a movement living in my soul and Karyn Washington had manifested it into everything I could have ever dreamed. It didn't matter that it was after 1'o clock in the morning. I didn't hesitate to track For Brown Girls down on every social media account that it was active and let them know what it meant to me to have that kind of space and encouragement on the web.  As I followed, "them" turned out to be Karyn...and we connected.

Correspondence and digital smiley faces transferred like nothing through E-mails, Facebook and Twitter, We we're "friends". It was easy. We got each other. I fell in line with regularly posting for FBG. Our genius seemed to be in synch, because the topics Karyn conceived for FBG were exactly what I wanted to write about. I raved about the brilliance of Tika Sumpter in the "Chocolate Spotted" series, and reflected on the depth of lyrics from artists like Keke Palmer, Lauryn Hill, and Erykah Badu in "Motivational Melody" pieces. Karyn was the first to publish my rant about black women no longer being aliens before Blogher picked it up. The Gabrielle Impact highlighted the positive support for Gabby Douglas in the "hair" nonsense and celebrated the rise of Black women in American Society. Karyn reblogged a similar post of mine on tumblr through FBG and it became a hit! Even though I won a contest with it, I never will forget what it felt like, to feel like my voice was getting out to the masses. Karyn...through FBG, made me feel celebrated on so many levels.

Karyn not only helped me, she helped a community of women, by providing a community for women...Brown women. In the beginning when the For Brown Girls movement was catching on and gaining more notoriety, FBG re-tweeted appreciation tweets from women and girls alike, there were a lot! For so many women it was a source of hope and motivation, and in the end, courage. The thought that Karyn took her life to me is so unthinkable, that honestly I still don't believe it. She was MY friend, so full of inspiration and intellect. I find it hard to believe that she did it, but for the same reason I can't believe, I consider the culprit: Intellect. Somewhere in the entanglement of the internet and the wealth of information, geniuses are susceptible to madness. I avoided reading all posts about Karyn until I could fully express how I felt, but in the process thought back to Newsweek's cover story that covered the fate of Jason Russell and the effects of the internet on our brain.

The risk of  i-Disorder is especially high for bloggers and content creators. Working in new media can give us a sense of having to stay "connected" all the time, running the risk of real mental health issues. Seems the world wide web is now buzzing about the importance of mental health, but, my main concern is: How was her support system? That was a goal, and a value that Karyn truly expressed through FBG. The nature of For Brown Girls was to truly build a support system. To quote Dr. Maya Angelou: "Nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.", a truth that knows no race, no color. In the very sense that Karyn was just a social media acquaintance, I didn't know exactly how to feel when I heard the news. For a few seconds I cried real tears, and wanted to bury myself in pain, but something in the great impact that Karyn's life made wouldn't let me. Karyn had determination, and she had grit, the things I most admired about her. I just knew that one day we would meet in person and become the best of friends, but I'm all the more grateful our souls got to meet, even if it was through the web.

The very last e-mail I got to share with Karyn was a piece I wrote wanting to share with Brown Girls that the play "Da Kink In My Hair" by Trey Anthony had made it's U.S. debut. I got a chance to see the play and thought it was phenomenal. Karyn was excited with me, her last text in the e-mail was a smiley face. I knew we had a spiritual connection from the jump. Within the supernatural that I discovered as I wrote this, was that Karyn sent me a connection request on LinkedIn, before she passed. I was dismayed at first that maybe it was something I could have done to, but in a new light the omen is good because I can. It's a sign to continue to carry the torch. #ForBrownGirls will forever live on! I could feel Karyn's spirit through our interactions, but I could feel Karyn's spirit mostly because of the spirit of her creativity. All in one word Karyn's short autobiography exclaims that "Creativity fueled her being". A few words from my genius friend that exclaims the key of life for all the races and sexes of the world: Stay Creative! Stay Innovative, Stay Cutting edge! and For the sake of  Brown Girls everywhere, be bold, be fierce, and be fearless.

Infographic Highlights Racial Success and Inequality in Hollywood

by April D. Byrd

source

African-Americans have 1,038 Billion dollars worth of buying power 12 Years A Slave pulled the same ROI as The Hunger Games with a significantly smaller budget, and Black Film Festivals are on the rise, so what's going on? Will we keep up the good trend? A new Info-graphic created by the New York Film Academy has nearly everything we could ever love to know about the progress and status of black people in the film industry.

The graphic includes a timeline of success and innovation in black film, as well as many ways African-Americans lag behind in media. Last year was really good for Black Hollywood, but are our stories being handled correctly? Producer Will Packer had some "Powerful" advice regarding that front as listed in the graphic:

"It's imperative that the next generation of young black film makers realize that their power is in their unique perspectives, unique skill sets, and unique stories. Standing out is a good thing in Hollywood."

That is highly agreed, director Malcolm D. Lee also advised quite simply to "Just keep making quality movies." How far have we come and How far do we intend to go? The info-graphic definitely stands as a good compass and resource. Check it out for yourself (below):

Click to See Full Graphic

                                                           Click to See Full Graphic

How are you feeling about the state of Black Film and entertainment? Do you think  Black Hollywood needs to up the ante? More Genres? More diversity? or are we feeling fine with where it's at? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and follow the convo on Trey Anthony's Facebook Fanpage. Let's Hear it!

"Selfie-Love": Are We Addicted To Social Media?

By: April D. Byrd

"looks like the first lady just wasn't having it!"

So, Roberto Schmidt the photographer that took the selfie that blew up on the internet says "Pictures can lie"... "the first lady's stern look was captured by chance". I say it looks like the first lady just wasn't having it! Did she really make the President change seats? and Exactly how inappropriate are selfies at a funeral? In his AFP blog post, Schmidt also said that All around him were South Africans dancing, singing and laughing to honour their departed leader. "It was more like a carnival atmosphere, not at all morbid." and it was totally relaxed. 

Social Media has seriously magnified the popularity of selfies. Now we'll probably never be able to tell whether it's vanity or really some in depth form of art? We can learn a lot about ourselves through a self-portrait. Mashable even made a list and rated The 16 Best Selfies of 2013. Social media has definitely made us "selfie" obsessed! Where is the dividing line between Arrogance and Confidence? Surprisingly the most arrogant  Self-confident rapper Kanye West recently made an anti-selfie move. At his concert "Yeezy" wore a mask that covered his entire face. To his credit when a fan shouted for him to take it off. Kanye screamed "I'm Kanye motherf**king West." then had the woman escorted out of the concert.

 we hope the fan got a full refund!

The impact of fame or recognition can make people a bit crazy sometimes. Social Media has done just that. Instagram is continuously upgrading with videos and now direct messages. Facebook is expecting a new upgrade as well. How bad is Social media really making us? The Diagnostic and Statistical  Manual of Mental Disorders has now actually included Internet Addiction Disorder and listed it for further study. Psychologists fear that Internet and mobile technology contributes to "compulsive personality traits" and is related to ADHD and OCD. Newsweek printed that a third of smartphone users go online before getting out of bed. 

I can personally admit that I'm a social media fanatic. My obsession even led to an internship. It's easy to get lost in social media world because those instant "likes" can make us feel like we're actually getting something done. However, It can be an effective tool, if we use it right. So I monitor relentlessly and hash-tag my heart out, all the while getting distracted by some other post in the process. Despite all the reports and statistics, Social Media is not all bad, it does give exposure. Without it I never would've started a magazine or met my she-ro Trey Anthony. In the instance that we do have something meaningful or interesting to say, it serves as a great platform. So by all means, Let the digital fun and discourse continue. 

What do you think of the Kanye and the President's behavior?  Do you consider yourself addicted to "selfies" and  Social Media?...how many hours a day are you on for business or personal reasons?
Share  and comment below.

April D. Byrd is a Writer, Founder of BOLD Journal online magazine and resident Social Media Blogger for Trey Anthony Studios. Send your feedback via social, you can catch her on Facebook and on Twitter/Instagram: @aprilinspired.

Want to Work For Me? Looking For a Writer to Join the Trey Anthony Studios Team!

 

Trey Anthony Studios is looking for a social media blogger/writer/intern. 

 

Want your writing blogs to be seen by over 3000 visitors per month! Then apply to our blogging writing team!

We are looking for a person who is all these things and more!!! 

• Extremely smart!
• Up to date on current events in the world and the entertainment industry!
•  Care passionately about womyn's issues! Especially womyn of colour.
•  A believer in sharing good news!  
•  Have the pulse on social media!
•  Innovative,  creative and have a strong sense of business and social media!
•  A great editor and possess  strong writing skills and grammar!  A damn good speller!
•  Enjoys working from home! And has their own computer and Internet access. 
• Got a good sense of humour!

Womyn of colour and first nation womyn and  members of the LGBT community are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities.  

• To keep the trey anthony blog current and up to date. Intern will  post three blogs per week on trey anthony's blog page, the truth according to trey.  Some blog posts will come directly from Ms anthony , however, the intern will also be responsible for providing weekly blogs.  These blogs will be posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before 9am.  These blogs will consists of inspirational quotes or videos or entertainment news and gossip worthy events,  pertaining to womyn in the entertainment industry.  Blogs should be thought provoking and entertaining.  trey anthony would like the blog to be a mix of current affairs, inspirational, humor and entertaining.  A blog where people will go to check out what's going on in entertainment but also a good news blog!!!

• Intern will also be responsible for ensuring all social media presence for trey anthony and Trey Anthony Studios is current.

• Responsibilities also include monitoring and updating f/book pages and fan pages, on all Trey Anthony Studios related pages.

• Also responsible for reaching out to other bloggers to do cross blogging and increasing blog membership and encouraging traffic to our blog site. 

Please send a brief cover letter or letter of interest to safiab@treyanthonystudios.com with the subject line social media intern, and explain why you would be perfect for the job! Please outline any previous blogging or writing experience. And also provide a blog sample/writing sample of your work. Please no phone calls. Deadline to apply is 5pm August 30th 2013.

Salary:  Bloggers will be compensated for their time. Time commitment is about four- seven hours per week. Depending on how fast you blog and do research.

MONDAY MOTIVATION: Delete the Digital Drama From Your Life

Have you ever had to pause and take a moment of silence (to calm yourself) after reading someone's Facebook comment or Twitter status? Or maybe you had to delete their comment all together from one of your social media accounts? Well, digital drama and cyber bullying have become an all too real occurrence these days with the continually growing popularity of blogs and social media. People have used online to express rude or hateful comments that they would most likely never say to you in person as they hide behind their send buttons. In these cases you can either develop a thick skin and ignore the cyber hate or you can find a way to take a (personal or public) stand against it.

12 year old Willow Smith has joined Seventeen Magazine's "Delete the Drama" campaign as a celebrity activist. The campaign seeks to empower young women to disengage from cyberbullying by deleting harsh and mean comments they see on their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages.

I've had a few times where I have read negative comments towards me on my social media feeds or noticed hurtful opinions that I was sensitive to. It made me realize how important it is to clear your space (even online) of any negative clutter. Relieve yourself of having any negativity in your digital view or engaging in it.

This week I challenge all of you to clear your digital drama: delete negative people off of your friends lists (it's not about the number of "friends" you have!), follow one less celebrity gossip blog, and/or don't contribute to any negative back and forth in the comment sections of a blog post or social media feed. 

Find ways to protect your spirit from hurtful words and negativity because sometimes the best way to battle negativity is to keep it moving and ignore the hate.

I posted this on my Facebook page and thought I would share this quote again because it is so relevant and a worthy reminder:

"If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive"

- Betty Eadie.

Have you experienced any digital hate? What do you do when people say hurtful things to you online via social media?

Happy Monday!

In Her Artist Shoes: Actress & CTV Flashpoint's, Oluniké Adeliyi + My Challenge Inspired By Jay-Z

Canadian born actress, Oluniké Adeliyi is a truly talented womyn and actress. With an impressive resume that includes starring in CTV's successful series, Flashpoint; a film role in Saw 3D (2010) and a television appearance on The Listener. Her story proves that success will come if you believe in yourself and work hard to master your craft. I'm so happy to have her as a panelist at my Millionaire Artist Workshop! I know that this womyn is filled with so much valuable advice to share with all of you.

Here are 3 things I learned about Oluniké:

On discovering her passion

I was an actor straight from the womb. I began to pursue it professionally after an encounter with Denzel Washington on the set of "John Q". He took a special interest in me and lectured me daily with fantastic advice on how to approach the industry. He suggested studying theatre in NY and I did it. He suggested fine tuning my skills daily and I continue to do so. He told me to never think about the money and I haven't. The main reason I followed my dreams was for my daughter. She has watched her Mom face obstacles and overcome them. She is now following her dreams, because I showed her it was possible. In turn my daughter became my biggest motivation to continue knocking doors down.

The circle of powerful womyn she looks up to

I look up to Viola Davis. She is looking to pass the torch and I'm working hard for it to be me. She blows my mind the way Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, Angela Bassett did and still does. I want in on that circle of talented women. So I'll work my butt off daily living and loving.

Best advice

"Always maintain your grace." Phylicia Rashad gave me that advice personally at theatre school. I had the pleasure of being in her presence. I've never forgotten her words to me and I have been tested many times in this industry and life since then, but my grace is always in tact. My grace is always remembered and re hired :)

Make sure you secure a seat at the workshop - limited spots available! Register here: www.millionaireartist.eventbrite.ca 

And, My Artist Challenge to You All - Are You Ready? 

I do difficult in an hour--impossible in a week! 

The running joke with several of my colleagues is that every one else has 24 hours in a day, and I have 32! Needless to say my favorite Jay Z quote is,  " I do difficult in an hour, impossible in a week!"

People ask me every day how do I get so much work done, how am I able to be so productive in my career, life and personal life? How can I balance writing, producing, acting, coaching, and public speaking plus just every day living! So I'm going to give you a few tips!

On Monday, we will begin the seven day Millionaire Artist challenge!  For seven days I will post one simple tip for you to follow to increase your productivity as an artist. Let me know you are up for the challenge by any means of social media!  I will be giving away five tickets in total through out the week  to people who make a comment on either their facebook page, twitter or my blog, about doing the Millionaire Artist Challenge. Let me know how it's going for you, are you learning anything? Doing things differently? 

Remember to tag me or tweet so I know you're doing it! You never know which day I will pick a winner so it's always good to post your comments pertaining to the challenge! Remember  the Millionaire Artist Challenge starts on Monday! I'm looking forward to giving away some tickets! See you soon! 

Change, growth and life lessons

The last few months there have been many changes in my life.  Many shifts, turns and major transitions.  All this has allowed me to really take a look at how I deal with change. And I have been pleasantly surprised. The things which I held on to for dear life and resisted the most to change have given me the biggest learning lessons in my life. I also have seen that the things which I did not want to let go of have been replaced by wonderful amazing experiences and new things. And, I have learnt a valuable lesson: sometimes God/Universe has bigger and better plans for you than you can even imagine – so trust that. 

I have also learnt that what you think you are worthy of will show up in your life and you will attract that to where you are. Since I've been clearer on my worth and value to others, to society, and also to myself I have attracted people, things, and experiences that I could never have imagined and I'm thankful for all the new and wonderful delights that seem to have just shown up on my doorstep! Yet, I wonder if they have really just "shown up" or  were they always there? Perhaps, in the midst of the confusion, unhappiness, unworthiness, I just could not see them or value them?

I'm at a different place now. I'm truly enjoying the womyn I'm becoming and I'm really enjoying seeing other womyn in my inner circle  also grow in leaps and bounds. I encourage you to embrace change and you will be surprised at all the wonderful opportunities that change will bring!!!

I would like to take the time to publicly acknowledge the wonderful Zakiya Toby who has been part of my social media team and who was instrumental in developing new ideas and postings for my blog! I felt very comfortable leaving my "blog baby" in her hands to co-parent.  Zakiya, is now leaving to pursue her own interests and start her own company. I'm proud to have worked with her and to have also mentored her. When Zakiya first informed me that she was leaving I felt a twinge of sadness but I also realized that I should feel proud that she is a womyn who could recognize when it is time for her to "leave" and try new things. How many of us have sat in situations and stayed in things that we have outgrown or that no longer serve our own purpose?  I'm glad that she recognizes she needs to leave the "trey nest" and spread her wings to fly. And so my wish for Zakiya is not only that she  fly but  that she soars to heights beyond our wildest dreams!!! She has been an amazing addition to my team and to my life and I will truly miss her.  Please check out some of the incredible things she is doing with her new company, SociallyYours.

I also want to welcome to our team, Eden Hagos and Safia Bartholomew, who will be joining our social media team! I'm excited to be working with these dynamic womyn, and I'm sure you will notice some really positive changes to the blog. They will also be guest blogging, so please welcome them and let them know what you think of upcoming blogs by posting comments and any feedback!

I also want to thank all of you for supporting my blog. I'm so surprised to see that we now have followers in  Germany, Australia, Italy, Poland, Indonesia, Turkey, India, Panama, Vietnam, Romania, the Netherlands and the Philippines! I have no idea how you found out about my blog!!!!  Please let me know, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or send me an email at trey@treyanthonystudios.com.

I thank you for being a part of my international community and family! And thank you for spreading the word and telling others about the blog. I thank you for all your feedback. Much love!

t

WANTED: Social Media Blogger! Apply Today!

Our amazing social media blogger Zakiya Toby is leaving to pursue her own wonderful ventures and we need someone as dynamic as her to fill her shoes!!!   

Trey Anthony Studios is looking for a social media blogger/writer/intern. 

 Want your writing blogs to be seen by over 3000 visitors per month! Then apply to our blogging writing team! If you have read trey anthony's blog and enjoyed it and thought I could do that, then apply!!! 

We are looking for a person who is all these things and more!!! 

• Extremely smart!
• Up to date on current events in the world and the entertainment industry!
•  Care passionately about womyn's issues! Especially womyn of colour.
•  A believer in sharing good news!  
•  Have the pulse on social media!
•  Innovative,  creative and have a strong sense of business and social media!
•  A great editor and possess  strong writing skills and grammar!  A damn good speller!
•  Enjoys working from home! And has their own computer and Internet access. 
• Got a good sense of humour!

Womyn of colour and first nation womyn and  members of the LGBT community are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities.  

To keep the trey anthony blog current and up to date.   Intern will  post three blogs posts per week on trey anthony's blog page, the truth according to trey.  Some blog posts will come directly from Ms anthony , however,  the intern will also be responsible for providing weekly blogs.  These blogs will be posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before 9am.  These blogs will consists of inspirational quotes or videos or entertainment news and gossip worthy events,  pertaining to womyn in the entertainment industry.  Blogs should be thought provoking and entertaining.  trey anthony would like the blog to be a mix of current affairs, inspirational, humor and entertaining.  A blog where people will go to check out what's going on in entertainment but also a good news blog!!!

Intern will also be responsible for twittering, and ensuring all social media presence for trey anthony and Trey Anthony Studios.

Responsibilities also include monitoring and updating f/book pages and fan pages, on all Trey Anthony Studios related pages.

Also responsible for reaching out to other bloggers to do cross blogging and increasing blog membership and encouraging traffic to our blog site. 

Please send a brief cover letter or letter of interest to trey@treyanthonystudios.com with the subject line social media intern, and explain why you would be perfect for the job! Please outline any previous blogging or writing experience. And also provide a blog sample/writing sample of your work. Please no phone calls. Deadline to apply 5pm August 17th 2012.

Salary:  Bloggers will be compensated for their time and salary will be negotiated. Time commitment is about four- seven hours per week.  Depending on how fast you blog and do research.

Moms Punishes Daughter for Inappropriate Instagram Picture - Very Clever!

This mother taught her daughter a valuable lesson by posting the picture below on Facebook.

it says:
"Since I want to post photos of me holding liquor, I am obviously not ready for social media and will be taking a hiatus until I learn what I should and should not post! BYE-BYE :( "

A 12-year-old girl was recently banned from social media by her mother after she found a picture of her daughter with a bottle of closed vodka with the caption "Wish I could drink this vodka."

When novelist ReShonda Tate Billingsley allowed her daughter open an Instagram account, she made sure to educated her daughter on the do's and don'ts of what pictures would be appropriate to share.

Her daughter broke the rules and is now suffering the consequences.

Billingsley posted the picture above on her daughter's Instagram account as well as her personal Facebook page and within hours it had gone viral.  At first the girl was obviously embarrassed and ashamed, but after a few days,she realized that what she did was wrong and asked her mom to take down the picture of her holding the bottle of vodka.


This is a far cry from the discipline methods most of our parents would have used.  I grew up in a Jamaican home and as you can imagine, had I done something like that the consequences would have been much MUCH different.


Through this lesson Billingsley was able to open up the lines of communication regarding social media in a way that was on her level and something she can relate to.  We have all heard the phrase "the punishment should fit the crime" and in this case I think it has.  I don't think she would have gotten the point if she had been grounded or spanked.

It's nice to see parents stepping into their children's online lives and teach them how to behave!  We hear so many stories about children being preyed upon, taken advantage of, and even killed because of inappropriate behaviour online and we always ask..."where are the parents?"  Well here they are...taking a stand and teaching their kids how to effectively use the technology that is available to them.

As you can imagine, there are some people who think that this was the wrong way to punish her child....saying that this will haunt her for the rest of her life (crazy people)....but I want to know what you think?  Did she go to far?  Did the 'punishment fit the crime'?  What would you have done differently?