Oddience is a four part music collective based is Los Angeles CA consisting of Miche Maya, Tulip Pezely, Jimbo Stewart and Eddingtonn.

The group met at an arcade in Koreatown, Los Angeles, when Eddingtonn and Tulip connected during a conversation about Jeff Goldblum and the anatomy of a fly.

“When you work for an audience you are dead! You have to be innovative one step a head of the audience”. -Loic Zimmerman

Film is the epitome of art. It is such a personal and combined art form. When you watch a film and are moved by it you are forever changed. Being able to receive that same experience from a painting is rare, but when it happens you never forget!

Know your power – you’ll walk in your power.

WoMen™, one of the most beautiful creatures created; our bodies are like no others’ and has been adorned and admired by even the greatest of artists. Till this day we are looked upon and admired and desired for our beauty and we are so much more than that. We are powerful beings, we are more than what is seen on the outside; we are beautiful and strong both inside and out, we are Iron WoMen™ (created by me to describe a woman who is strong and powerful inside and out). We are powerful beings and are capable of doing big and mighty things; we create life, carry life and then birth/give life! We are amazing! We’ve just got to learn how to bring our power up and out of us so that we can walk in it daily.

Women are bombarded on a daily basis with images of what society says makes a woman beautiful and powerful; the media is misleading us and causing confusion amongst not only young girls, but older women as well. We need positive, strong, powerful role models and the ones we are seeing on television right now are not promoting the type of women we need to mimic. These shows are telling our women that yelling, fighting, dating married men, and acting a fool gives us power and strength when in fact, that is not the case. Behaving this way affects not only the woman who is acting this way on TV, but it affects all women in general. It gives us false expectations from the wrong behavior and in the REAL world acting this way does not get you far. We are above this type of ignorance, but we’ll only get better when we know better [about ourselves].

There’s a perfect poem I want to share with you, about what a Real Strong WoMan™ is, its from the King James Bible in the book of Proverbs 31:10-31 –

Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her
husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him
good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh
willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from
afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a
portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands
she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her
arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with
scarlet. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the
land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She
openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh
well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children
arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters
have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:
but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her
hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Isn’t this a powerful description of who we truly are on the inside! This woman is you! This woman lives on the inside of each and every one of us, we just have to believe it and then walk in it. Everyday we must remind ourselves of our worth. Our mornings should begin with a few minutes of “us” time. Put on your favorite music, sit in the still quietness of the morning, whatever floats your boat, but do it and take that time to build yourself up. Say the above poem to yourself every morning until you know it by heart. Create this image of yourself in your mind and it’ll change you; you’ll start to see yourself as the Iron WoMan™ you are. Walk in your greatness and show the world what a true Power looks like!

Photo Source: Celebrating Girls

It’s how you start the day that determines how you end your day!

We all want to have successful days; we want everything we are involved in to prosper. It’s something we want, but don’t always know how to get. We seek advice and don’t get SOULutions™ leaving us even more frustrated. This causes us to fall into a rut and become stagnant, but we can change this we’ve just got to put in the work…

Hailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is Youth and Motivational Speaker Jim Hernandez. With his ‘Create your LIFE Development Series’ doing well, Jim talks influences, goals, and upstart.

Jim Hernandez travels around the world mentoring young adults from various ethnic backgrounds and takes time out of his schedule to discuss his purpose.

Derrick Smith: How old are you and what inspired you to become a motivational speaker and mentor?

Jim Hernandez: I’m 28. What inspired me? Good question. I wanted to do something positive, something that would empower others. I wanted to do something that no one else around me was doing. Why not become a motivational speaker and a mentor, be myself, share wisdom and knowledge, be positive, and have fun while doing it…

Educators are very important in many ways. They help shape our kids and our future. Reading, writing, and many of life’s lessons are attributed to educators.

Derrick Smith: What inspired you to become a teacher?

Deidra Dunbar: I could answer this question with the predictable, “I had a teacher growing up who inspired me,” but the truth is the teaching profession chose me. I always seemed to have a connection with children. My younger cousins, nieces, and nephews were always drawn to me. Growing up I helped care for children at my daycare and day camp. Going into education was a natural move for me.

DS: What would you say to all aspiring teachers?

DD: To aspiring teachers, I would say examine your motivations. Some people may go into teaching thinking it is an easy way to get a paycheck, but the truth is it is very hard work if you are going to do your job effectively. Children can identify with people who genuinely care about them and those are the people who have the potential to be very effective teachers…

This mixtape has amazing flow and puts you in a great mood. The covers of some of our favorite songs will surely have you going back down memory lane and it’s available for FREE download. A must listen!

I’m a sucker for a teaser film especially when there’s added mystery. Charlene Bagcal did an great job keeping the subject matter ‘ANONymous’ in her teaser film ‘ANON’. Looking forward to seeing the extended version and more work from her.

Words by Jerris Madison

This video may not be current but it sure packs a punch!

I’ve seen a lot of music videos with so-called messages but this video by PLACEBO moved me. This is a great tale of father and son where the kid takes on the responsibility of taking care of his father. Very cinematic and great storyline. Truly a ‘Song To Say Goodbye’…