Oshun

Beauty Isn't a Sin

I see so much beauty in the world and society. From nature, to landscapes, art, and people. However, in some cases our society will tear down and try and degrade the essence of true beauty. Then try to rewrite that beauty to make it a sin. In our world today we are so judgmental towards others especially if we don't understand it, we make fun of and take apart, rather than doing the human thing and make an attempt to meet common ground. To truly appreciate something thats different. Instead we become closed minded and belittle what is beautiful. To me, one of the most talked about and frankly argued beauty's today is the physical beauty of a woman. And i say physical because the complexity and true radiance of any woman stretches far beyond her physical beauty. However, in order to appreciate that and see it for yourself you really have to be patient and put in work. Get to know that woman and see what she is really all about beyond just physicality. But, that discussion is for another time, right now i just want to examine the hate, love, bigotry, and open minded tolerance i see. 

A woman is probably one of the most idolized and talked about creatures out there. Her beauty is talked about, duplicated, and hated. There are those who show the admiration and love that is rightfully deserved, but of course there are always two sides to a coin. and no matter how beautiful a woman looks, how gorgeous she is, or how "tight" her body is. The backlash, hate and frankly "sinful" talk will always come to the surface. So this time around i want to talk why this beauty is looked at as a sin. In Christianity, there are teachings in what is known as the "seven deadly sins" these sins " are behaviours or habits that are classified under this category if they directly give birth to immoralities". So to me the most deadly and impure sins humans can commit, are also in some situations used as a directl correlation to the descirbe some of the most beautiful things we see on a daily basis.  

So here is why beauty isn't sin:

Pride - There is beauty within everything around us. You just have to be able to see it and be aware of its presence. So yes, I am saying there is beauty in things like pride. The definition of pride "is the act of defining, or making something definite,distinct, or clear". And when we see a woman's beauty, we see that same pride. A woman has a way of leaving her mark where she goes. From the way she walks, look, act, talk, or just overall carries herself. If a woman chooses too she can own a whole room just by the way she enters it. She's idolized by so many in society, often imitated but never duplicated. Woman are what everyone craves, wants, and will fight to have. They are the backbone, they are the ones that make you grounded. They give the drive and desire to push forward. They are pride. 

Gluttony - Always seen as bad, but why be upset at being hungry for more? Being gluttonous for the right things can be a very good thing if done right. The beauty of gluttony is not giving up. Your insatiable drive to continue forward can push you towards great things. to be gluttonous to hustle, to grind, to be successful, gluttony to want more for your family, to no want to struggle anymore. Gluttony can be a tool to make a person better, stronger, and even more intelligent. Although, you have to be able to know what to be gluttonous for and then eat till you meet your goal. Woman are masters of gluttony. gluttonous to the ones they love or for the goals they set for themselves. They hustle, work, and push through till they get to what they want. A woman's gluttony is one of the most beautiful things about her. It makes her love harder, be better, and be able to drive past her limits, to always obtain anything she wants.  Appreciate that beauty of her gluttony, sit back, work hard, and eat with her. 

Lust - Lust is probably one of the most frowned upon (yes i said frowned upon) "impurities" of all. But lust can be so beautiful. Lust is pure desire. You want something or someone so bad, you yarn for it so much that you just cant wait to touch it. You want to have it, hold it, be with it. It's truly something else to have such a deep desire for something that you can almost taste. And the lust for a women is what is desired the most. The most sought after creatures on earth. That desire that you will go through or do anything to have. Your fire, your want, your passion to do anything for her.  Anything she wants she can have. Whatever she yearns for you will make sure its her. Her lust becomes your lust and you will go to the ends of the earth and back, to make sure it all comes true and she get every single thing her heart desires. The beauty of lust can be so bad... but also just as good. 

Envy - the definition of envy "is a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions". The beauty of envy is something people try to ignore but everyone realizes that its there. They know what it is, what it feels like, and the source of the feeling. But then at the same time it's a "guilty pleasure" so they try to deny what is right there in front of them. Envy can be seen as a step towards love. Envy is shed of light of true wanting and longing. However, when it comes to a woman's envy it can be a gift or a curse. Just depends on what she wants to do with that envy and how she will channel it. Will it be light that helps guid her actions? or will it be a force that will help break and destroy all that is in her way? Honestly none will know until the motions have begun. One thing is for sure is the envy from a women is a beautiful thing that can help push towards any goal, or make your life a living hell. 

Greed - So greed and gluttony are similar traits but are very different when it comes down to the root of it. Greed is defined "as a failure of foresight or consideration, or is a result of compulsion to collect or acquire things, or a misplaced sense of competitiveness with others".Greed is one thing i can see the true beauty in. It's narrow minded thinking but can be so fulfilling at the same time. Greed is a singular mind set, you only think about what you want and about things that are only going to be beneficial to you. And, that can be a good thing depending on your setting. If going for a goal or to be a success greedy mindset is completely needed. Now going back to the beauty of women, if a woman wants to be greedy embrace it!! the beauty of greed is when its concentrated on you. When a woman wants only your time, when she wants you to only think of her, to be with her, to be loyal, trustworthy, and come home only to her. Thats when greed is lovely. Let the woman do her thing and treat you like a king. Let her be greedy with her time and efforts that are being concentrated solely on you.  Be the king she wants and enjoy being with the queen you deserve. Embrace the greed and enjoy the fruits of what it can truly be. 

Anger - Anger... the fire in your heart and soul. It's the passion that fuels your emotion and that gives you the gall and gusto to do things you wouldn't do in the normal mindset. Anger is beautiful. It's a passionate rage that most can't control. There's an old saying, that there are two times a person is most honest and tells the truth, when they are angry or when they are drunk. anger is that uncensored truth. And a woman's anger is simply a beautiful and sexy rage. Yes it is scary, but no woman is going to waste anger on a person she doesn't truly care about. Realize what her anger is. That fiery burn that's deep inside her heart is just another beautiful trait of any woman. Feel her passion, get in touch with her rage and understand her impatience. To put it simple, don't let an angry woman scare you away from something that can be the best thing that ever happened to you. 

Sloth - When most hear the word sloth they probably think of words like lazy, slow, fat, worthless etc. to associate with it. Which are all negative images. And sadly the type of women i see who get the most ridicule, and negative connotation are plus size woman. People are so simple minded nowadays. They fail to see that plus size woman are some of the most beautiful women we have the pleasure of seeing. From there big hips, to thick thighs,  and all the right curves in between. The beauty of a plus size woman is not only one of a kind, but it's long lasting. It's slow, methodical, sensual beauty that only stops when you want it too. The sloth is the most beautiful trail of them all. Its a drawn out beauty that can go further and is much fuller than most will understand. Enjoy a sloth and remember, take your time and enjoy whats in store for you. 

I know what it means to sin. But i'm also stating that some beauty isn't a sin, and the two shouldn't be compared as such. you need to enjoy the beauty certain people bring to the table. Don't automatically write them off because of the negativity, that some try to harbor on. Realize what's in front of you, make an effort to try and see past the normalities of society, and enjoy the times of the rare beauty of each individual person. 

SZA......CTRL

So when it comes to RnB, I don't have many artist I like to listen to a lot. I generally listen to mostly hiphop, I do of course venture out with other genres but hiphop is always my go to and fall back. If I do listen to other artist outside of hiphop its rare that I listen to a a full album production. But, today that has changed for me because of the new SZA album CTRL. This album is dope! That's really the best I can put it. I knew SZA had talent, but listening to a full production is frankly a nice change of pace in the best possible way. The combination of her voice with different beats and productions mixed in gives a real spiritual, almost calming feeling to me. When listening to this album I can just sit back chill and just kind of float away. It’s probably the first time I have kept an RnB album in heavy rotation since the usher confessions album. I think its because her style, voice, and sound kinda gives off an Erykah Badu feel and she is one of my all time favorite artist. So I think that mixed in with the creativity of her album is such a refreshing sound to listen too.

Because of this album I was inspired to create a new piece. After a few spins I felt it was only right to do a piece of SZA. This piece was created to give that calming float away type feeling. With the mixture of different reds, blues, purples and a moon,sky, and ocean background, I wanted to really show that almost spiritual touch. This piece is meant to give a sense of loss, with hint of melancholy.  Feel the emotion and creativity mixed into one.

Name: SZA

Size: 18”x24”

Year: 2017

Ochosi

Here is the first part of my new body of work called "I am a hero" taking real life individuals and Turing them into super heroes. only thing is these heroes have a real back story, taking there own life experiences and turing them into character bio's. And, here is our first character story.

Ochosi

Character Bio:

Growing up in City X, the slums; a misguided youth begins to want more for his own life. No longer wanting to be apart of the usual lifestyle of a young black main in a run down city, waiting to just become another statistic. This youth now yearns to be more and learn more. And, through hard work and hustle the young man is able to be apart of a study abroad program in Africa. After a 9 month program he learns about different spirituality and beliefs of african religion and begins to realize his own roots. 

Coming back to his hometown he takes on the task of educating and speaking to his own people. Letting them know who they are, true kings and queens hailing from Africa. Many embraced his words and teachings however, there where those who got wind of the youth and what he was doing in the community, and the positivity he is spreading to others. Due to his actions, the young man was targeted and framed for a crime he had nothing to do with and was thrown in jail. After doing 5 years in jail the youth is now released. Beaten, battered, broken, and institutionalized he now heads back home. 

Now back in City X he sees how his community, his home, and his life is now worse than ever. His people even more enslaved and being run down by those who wish to do nothing but degrade, enslave, and eradicate all those he loves and cares for. Now filled with anger he wants not only to protect but also seeks justice. However, the truth is he yearns for vengeance deep down in his heart against all those who unjustly imprisoned him for something he didn't do. But, also has no idea where to begin. One day during a protest a race riot breaks out in the middle of town. Everyone in City X starts fighting each other. Men, women, youth, and some children all involved in an all out brawl. During the chaos the young man who is trying to avoid the fighting is grabbed and thrown in the melee. In the process he has his shirt torn off, his back exposed, and everybody sees that carved in his skin on his back is a swastika. Given to him during his time in jail the youth was beaten up and tortured by a white supremacy group. However, during this instance unbeknownst to the youth a mysterious old man was in the crowd who has his attention fixated on the young man. 

That night the old man appears before the young man. Wanting to hear his story and about how he got the swastika engraved in his skin. reluctantly the youth begins to tell his tale to the old man. Realizing he has lived a similar life the old man begins to advise the youth of the council and offers to take him under his wing as his protege and enlighten him even more, about who he is and the roots of his people as well as train him. Accepting his offer the young man is led deep into the mountains where he begins to train in advanced martial arts, swordsmanship, and other various assassination tactics, as well as furthering his knowledge of african culture and religion. After completing his training, the youth emerges from the mountains clear of his mission that he needs to protect and liberate his people. Vowing to hunt down and bring justice to all those who have ill will towards his people, he now takes on the name of Ochosi and goes forward as a member of the council. 

AZ Hiphop Festival

So with the AZ hiphop festival over and things finally started calming down i wanted to touch on the fest a little bit. So first of all i was very honored and humbled to be apart of the art walk at the hiphop festival. So many talented visual artist where all a part of the art walk and seeing so much dope art and artist in one spot was crazy. As an artist it's always a great experience when I am able to be around others who have different styles, different ideas, and different motivation than i do. Whether they are a painter, drawer, multi-media, or digital artist, it's refreshing to see the original ideas of those you don't know and get inspiration from that going forward. So the hiphop festival was a great experience for me as a visual artist, the love and respect TK art received was surreal. So many people showed love to my work and really appreciated the art i work to put out. 

The hiphop fest itself was dope. Having so many pieces of hiphop culture in one place is great. So many people don't realize that hiphop is more than just music, it incorporates aspects of dancing, graffiti/art, music, and knowledge. And, to have a festival that tries to incorporate all aspects of that culture in one place and for the most part succeeded is very impressive. This festival is a big thing for AZ and i hope it continues to grow and more and more people become a part of it. Hiphop is an ever changing element and there are a lot of artists who are trying to make there mark and be apart of the movement. So big ups to the AZ hiphop fest for giving the opportunity to so many artists to be displayed, featured, and put on stage to showcase there talents to the people of AZ. Lets continue to push this movement as a people and push each other to continue to grow and become better.