Tellin' Me Nothin'

Behind each song that I create, there is a real story. With every song, I will at least try to write a little something to my followers to allow them to know where I come from because I think it's interesting to know the thought process behind music made.

Tellin' Me Nothin' was an anthem after a very trying 2015. Emotionally challenged with what seemed to be relationship failures, I was immediately faced with the opportunity to discern who I did and didn't want to be. From feeling cheated of my worth to repeated accounts of others' unaccountability, I think I could say this was a positive outcome of  resentment.

This is for the ones who've made me feel small, the ones who've tried to multiply their status by verbally knocking others down in the process, and for the ones who cheated me of the respect that I felt I deserved. More importantly, this is for the ladies or men who struggle with knowing what they truly deserve. No one has the power to determine your worth and their actions will always tell you just what you mean to them.

Project: DANGEROUS with JG

R&B used to make people feel. It used to make you wanna fall in love. Beginning of August, I linked up with JG yet again to try to revive this style of R&B -- forget the girls, forget the club, forget the money and forget cheating. DANGEROUS was the outcome & we've been getting nothin' but love, straight up. Thank you all.

LUV IT

 My trip home consisted of a lot of studio time day and night with my good homie Justin Galisim (JG of Prodigy Studios). He is an extremely talented musician/producer/sound engineer whose musicality is insane to me.  He and I both have a different ear for music, but when we put our heads together and collaborate what we come up with is phenomenal.  We've always been musically great together because of our history of performances.

But from all that studio time we've worked on so much included Luv It, which was originally a small project I was working on for fun.  Again, started out of GarageBand and I had the privilege of working with a few musicians to help make this project come to life (Shout out to Lee for the mean bass progressions). JG really just made the shit come full circle and I'm so thankful.  We have more music coming up that I can't wait for everyone to hear. Peace & love.

Quake

Lately, I've been in and out of existence creating shit.  Pressure makes diamonds.  Its been a rough 4 months and I'm not gonna hide it.  But music is what lifted me from a hard time & this was the outcome and is the beginning of a beautiful project.  I wrote, like I used to years ago.

Could you stand normality?
What I meant to say was I miss you.
I mean, we strive so hard to keep shit normal;
Go day by the day to do what makes us feel sane
We go by grooves, swings and hangs of things
Nine to fives or five to nines
With him, with her, with them
from the crib to the bar to the studio
But you breathe and let it sink in.
We avoid what makes our life a mess
But these days the mess is what I miss.
I gravitate to what's true to my heart
The passion, chaos I left all that in the dark
But today what I don't have is my bliss.

I try to live my life good and well
But you dance your way back in
Maybe my conscience ain't clear but dreams.
They never lied to me.
And the last words ever said was we couldn't
But I'm trippin like maybe, just maybe...
You should've hurt as much as I did when u said that.
Fuck we were a tragedy but a pretty one at that.
Today. Everything is perfect. Everything is normal.
Everything is as it should.
But I still be prayin' on an earthquake, love.

And from this came a song, made and recorded entirely on GarageBand, called Quake.

"Rollin' With Rosales" · Lucky We Live HI

I spent 4 sweet days vacationing with my family.  It's been 5 months since I last seen them, I absorbed every minute of it.  It's tough to be away, especially from them because being genuinely happy around them is effortless, foreal.  I compiled this video because creativity just can't stay away and because I miss them already.  Scenes include Lulumahu Falls, Waimea Beach, Eat the Street, Kailua Beach and the nameless lookout off Kalanianaole.

Melrose in HI

Surfboard Alley, Waikiki 

Fashion is an art that I haven't really accepted and embraced as a part of me until after my senior year in high school.  So forgive me if I have trouble verbally expressing my looks.  In the heart of Waikiki, I am wearing JoyRich Clothing, an eclectic, trendy Los Angeles brand that I feel has been the timeless victor among many rising and falling street-wear trends.  Sporty shit is me and has been me for as long as I could remember.

I've paired this look with my favorite pair of Jordan XII's (Playoff XII's) and my cute croc crossbody bag via NastyGal.  The humidity and heat in Hawaii is a little unforgiving to a California girl, so I seized the opportunity to rock a turtle neck in chilly weather.... bottoms not included.

Refix: In This Life

Somewhere in Oahu 2015

With everything I've achieved throughout my life, I've come to find that when you're good at everything, perhaps you're never really great at anything.  I've been an writer, I've been a painter. A collector.  Graphic artist. A singer. Dancer. Even a bikini competitor.  Sure, I would love to become "great" at something, but the truth is, I have more of a will to wander.  If you all have had a watchful eye over anything I've done - my art, my fitness, my photos, my clothes - I have some good news. I've reconstructed my blog to better suit who I am.  Whether I'm in SF, Hawaii, or anywhere else on the planet, in this life I'll always be me.

Wanderers tap their feet into anything, but there's no telling how long they might stay.  So I've revamped my site to represent anything and everything I am, and all that is a part of me.  Whatever I do, recognize the raw artful vision behind it and the woman, whatever she is or was, who has stood behind her name from the beginning.

XOX.  PS - Enjoy these photos. They were taken somewhere in Oahu, where I currently live.  It is literally an unnamed place off of a Waimanalo highway.

Painting: OKASHE · Amazon

Featured painting at USF's UnderRated

18x24 | Sold

Event: USF's UnderRated 2K14 (Coverage)

This event was such a success and put together nicely by the

students at USF. A big thank you to Trish for allowing

me the opportunity to be around some TALENTED

and amazing people.  I enjoy going to showcases

like this because sometimes I forget how deep,

beautiful, and complex human beings are.

I was meant to be there tonight.

As for my live painting, I was short of supplies and didn't

have tarp to cover up the nice carpet, so instead I did

a quick sketch (pictured above).

Again, such a success especially for my first show

in about a year.

<3 U ALL :)

P.S.  Pieces will be up on the blog & for sale real soon, 

as well as my ape evolution post. 

Berkeley Shootout

PC: AJ Quimson

Event: USF underRATED 2014

It's been one hot minute for me and acrylic.

USF was kind enough to invite me back to underRATED,

an awesome showcase for very artsy individuals.

It is on April 25 and I'll be painting live (dear lord lol) 

and showcasing my workjust like in 2011. <3 

Peace love and see you there.

PS - Next post will be something of the history
and progression of these primates and how they became
my "thing". (:  Stay tuned.

Drawing - Rangi & Papa

Art takes you places. Today it took me to Aotearoa. 

Something about Maori culture captivated me from the beginning.

I've seen so much artwork on Ranginui, father of the sky & 

Papatuanuku, mother of the earth - Rangi's face at the sky
and Papa's face or body of coming out from the ground.
Wanted to find another way create their image.

I've been seeing this image every night before I slept this week

and finally was able to draw it out. 

Peace & love <3

Disney's Pocahontas (1995)

Every girl obsesses over Disney Princesses, but mine has been a different kind of obsession.  I haven't gotten a clear understanding why I connected well with the movie when I was just a little kid up until recently.  Pocahontas promotes oneness with the spirits of the earth and the abiding of energies to guide you through your spiritual journey.  Everything around you is alive - everything has energy.  Aside from the underlying messages, there is something beautiful, metaphysical and kind of genius about the artwork in the movie especially in "Colors of the Wind".

The flow of her hair throughout the movie influenced the flow of lines in many of my pieces.  A lot of the time I found flow to be the spirit of my own pieces. 

This beautiful shot of both John & Pocahontas in the eye of the eagle represents the oneness with the land.  They are depicted in this one scene, they are one. We are all connected to one another.

The following picture reminded me of Polynesia's aumakua.  She prays on the help of her guardian bird to help her 'fly' before it is too late. The idea of the shadowed bird and the side by side views are powerful.

These are only a few photos, there are tons more. 

If ever you come across this film again take a closer look at details of scenes and the angles they choose to use to portray the story line or lyrics.  They've inspired a lot of my works and if you could read between the lines with movies like these, that just makes Disney that much better.

FROM TIME - ERICALISA x MAX (UNDRDGS)

FROM TIME (FEAT. ERICALISA) - UNDRDGS MAX

Good Afternoon, guys! 

So as I said, I've been discretely doing my own thing,

a heap of different things actually, and as promised,

I intend to share with you all the new shit (or old) that I've
been getting into lately.  Max released this only yesterday
given that we had recorded it what seemed like forever ago.
It's our rendition of Jhene Aiko & Drake's "From Time". 

A little background info, Max is a brother to me and
he and my blood brother have been doing some huge
things for 19 year olds.  They, as the UNDRDGS have created lyrical
soundscapes for their gen & the generation to come, and
have been a part of exclusive brand VVS.

I encourage you all to give the UNDRDGS a go.
They are talented individuals,

young blood for a long history of hip hop.
Everybody is tryna be someone in this world now days,
but these boys - I admire their lust for life.
(Thank you JUSTIN GALISIM of Mack Studios)

Here's a little vid:

The Wander Is Over

I've been blessed with the ability to learn new things; 

blessed with the ability to execute imagination;

blessed with the ability to create; blessed with talent.

Although, lately it seems that my talents are stagnant and aimless,

and to whomever still follows, my hiatus on the arts has made that apparent.

IT'S STILL A JOURNEY for me and it always will be.

I've branched out into glorious opportunities

of dance, music and art, and will continue to do just that

with every ounce of passion in the deepest part of my soul.

That being said, I have new stuff up and coming 

- soundscapes, paintings, or photos alike - 

that I'm dying to share with you all.

Stay blessed.

"It's the thought that counts."

This old saying comes from the idea of gratitude that the smallest or simplest forms of effort are acceptable as effort. Essentially this means that one could get away with doing the bare minimum. So what you're then saying is that it's okay for you to give endless amounts of yourself like a bottomless pit while they sit around giving - at the very least - thoughts? No. Slap yourself.

A relationship or even just a mere exchange of effort between two people requires matching work.  All relationships in life follow a give-and-take impression; it would feel improper to continuously take without having given.  It is typically a form of relating to one another and building value upon the relationship.

With that being said, this statement, "it's the thought that counts," is correct... for simple people who want simple relationships. So many people will argue with me about this because simplicity is encouraged. But we hail from a world, or universe even, of billions of possibilities.  Ideas can be simple. But reality is not.  So is anything ever really that simple? But we all demand some sort of structure and complexity in what we want from people that having "good intentions" is not nearly as good enough as executing good intentions would be.

Some couples walk around with matching shoes and matching t-shirts. Why? To make a meaningful statement about how they relate to each other (although it's not the most beneficial way to relate). Similarly, to make a meaningful relationship and to build value upon a relationship, two people must have an ongoing exchange to match each other's work and fulfill a beneficial relation. What are ideas without execution? They are stagnant and unmoving.  Therefore, it takes much more than a "thought" to make a relationship work.

LOVE: The Real Deal

What is your idea of love and how significant is it in the spectrum of life?

When I was 5, love was introduced to me as a divine blessing, hard to attain. If you were loved by someone, they'd give you a card on Valentines Day. Judging by movies, they'd get married and kiss a lot. In TV shows, the boy would always give the girl flowers. My parents were young and my grandparents were old and that told me love lasted a long time. I was so simple and naive; I always thought about meeting the love of my life and so closely attached myself to love, as an ideal.

But, growing up, still, love to me was the hero of every story. One of those things you see old people do and thought was beautiful, but never understood why it was beautiful. All I knew was that I wanted it - whenever I was old enough to have it.

I don't know if this influences my reasoning of love's importance in all of life.. I have bound my hip to this glorified idea of love so much that ... Either I fell in love with this idea, or knew this idea of love was real just by how this idea made me feel - and that, if this idea were a man, a conscious human being who perceives, interprets and responds to the love I give him, then maybe he could reciprocate this idea of love back, and it could animate an illustration of feelings painted by two artists into a full, complete, and beautiful work of art.

This glorified version of love may not be the same for everyone.. But love to me is the completion of a complete human being. It's one thing to give love (a thing that family and religion has raised us to do), but it's a complete 360 to receive it.  Love has governed how we choose to live our lives. We've been taught all our lives that there is someone out there who god-willingly chooses to love you for what you are; And will even get a government certificate just to spend the rest of their life with you. We go about our lives in search of who this person might be.. in constant competition with time; because no one wants to be alone the rest of their lives. People wind up unhappy, lost or broken having lost love. But the only reason they are unhappy is because for whatever reason the one they love is not or no longer loving them back. We read it in books, see it in movies, ... But media and society couldn't be falsifying the whole thing - if that were the case, then songs, written by other people, couldn't speak what our hearts feel. There must be a reason why when you found love, you feel like you found it all. For the same reason that nothing feels like everything with her/him.

Love is just that important because going far in life means going together. Because theres someone out there who may make life worth living; Or someone you might want to do all of your greatest adventures with; Or someone who music just sounds so much better with; Or someone who makes love movies look so dull by comparison; Or someone who is that "sun" after a long night; Or someone who makes you laugh more than the funniest comedian in the world could; Or someone who for whatever reason makes a carpet, a fish and a video game remind you of them;  THAT someone. There is no greater God-given blessing than a God-given love projected through a person who loves you, flaw and all, just the same.

Update?

I know its been a while and seems as though I've gone MIA with art.  Truth is, its true, I haven't painted in a while.  A huge part of it is because I am going on a trip of a lifetime in July to Tahiti.  I've also been doing other things other than paint, exploring life if you will. 

However, another good news is that I still have the drive to sketch and create in my black book.  When I get back from my travels, I have huge plans and surprises for those who've been keeping their eyes peeled, I promise.

Here is the latest:

Painting: Untitled 8x12

Painting: Silverback 12x12