Preggers

In arts circles, expressions of a woman's right to choose flow freely on canvases, from microphones, and so on. Creative minds sermonize on a woman's ability to bear children and her perceived social responsibility to do so. From my seat in a neighborhood cafe where spoken-word and vibrant paintings temper the mood, the time-honored tradition of filling a single-family home with the pitter patter of 2.3 children's feet has no place among the subject matter. Sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll are nowhere to be found either. I hear harsh criticisms of popular media choices and plenty indictment of the folks who chose them. I see replications of what was once avant-garde. Something new needs to debut.

Try this. There are fewer pitter-pattering feet around African drum circles. The motherland's birth rate is folding. Irony. Economists project that Africa will finally have its opportunity to recover, err, make strides toward a healthier, unified economy. Economist.com says this:

In Mozambique in 1950 a woman had, on average, 6.5 children over her lifetime; now she has five. In Ethiopia the figure has dropped from seven to five; in Cote d'Ivoire it has almost halved from its peak; in Botswana it has more than halved. The only exceptions are war-torn places such as Congo.

Project #3: We Want You

Campaign

Select a social issue and create a campaign consisting of three pieces - a poster, a magazine ad, and an advertising postcard- using cause and effect. You are trying to persuade a particular audience to change some behavior with perceived negative or positive consequences. For example, to raise awareness about the dangers of crystal meth, you could show the effects of the drugs on its users by showing how awful they look from years of abuse. The cause/effect relationship does not have to be negative. You can point to the positive effects of weight loss or peace in Darfur.

How about pointing to the positive effects of hiring a full-time artist to provide a services for a professional environment? Or the dangers of waiting for a major record label to sign you and your band to a lucrative deal? Supplying artists of all media with the economic tools to pursue a life-long, sustaining career in their field of choice, is something of a personal priority. And, as a student and creative professional, I have the advantage of practicing on myself. Classes are great for sharpening my personal branding. The corporate environment is full of opportunities to exercise that all-important life skill, execution. Both are great for fostering developing fruitful relationships.
Watch this video of my band and I at Eden's Lounge in Baltimore, MD. "Organic Soul" is the name of both the event and the song. What's more important is that the video depicts indie-artist branding in action.

If You Shoot It, They Will Watch

According to research compiled by RowdyOrbit.com, a web-based medium for culturally relevant, short films, more than 40% of the films viewed online originate from folks like you and me. Was it a stroke of genius that prompted the new company to build its business strategy around consumer-created videos? Watch them grow.

My Mr. Potato Head is Done!

They were mashed together. Kanye West and Taylor Swift’s worlds collided on a public hot plate. All hopped up on hops, the crispy rapper from Chi-town baked insult into the country girl’s home fries. Chipped but not skinned, Taylor owes her rescue to the golden queen of au gratin Pop, Beyonce Knowles.

Face the fat. Pop culture serves itself up this way, smothered in savory gravy with a sweet-side of something candied. Consumers find the yammering irresistible though they know well how to achieve a balanced media diet, the kind that makes moms smile. The rules are simple and akin to those that govern the consumption of carbohydrates. Increase intake of the complex, reduce the simple.

Target demographics reported by Time Warner Cable in 2008 reveal that MTV heartily caters its message to persons ages 18 to 34. The network says “The driving force behind MTV is its deep bond with young adult audiences…MTV is their source, confidante, sounding board, partner and much more.” We talk. They listen.

When Pop culture decides to fry an artist, the world prepares to dine. Apparently, we, the treasured young adult audiences, should personally thank MTV for the food fight at the network’s 2009 Video Music Awards, and for future messes. The antics of a man, drunk and bold, have become the stuffing of conversations at break-room water coolers. They have been analyzed, boiled over, both on Baltimore’s notorious West-side streets and in the legendary west wing of the White House.

Ignored is America’s salad appeal, this country’s unique way of mixing the ugly, chilling for a while, then serving up beauty. It is the sadistic, selective memory of Pop culture, the American main stream, that skins pop icons, all in pursuit of dish.

And the Grammy Goes To...

When official Grammy Nominees are announced in December, my name may appear on the list. Yours truly is being considered for a Grammy nomination. I am in the company of amazing artists such as Wayna, Tamara Wellons, and my big brother, Kokayi. In his words, "I can't say the categories or anything, but I can say google everyone I mentioned and do the due diligence." Diligence created and has sustained the Revenge of the Smart Chicks movement. Smart Chicks,Inc., the Smart Chicks Network, and I have al benefited from your energy. YOU come to concerts and shows in the bitter cold and sweltering heat. YOU purchase our music and send your favorite songs to your best friends, heck, even your arch enemies. YOU drive my me in the street, honk your horns, and shout "Hey, Smart Chick!" with all the energy you can bolster. I will continue to share the purpose of this movement through my art. Make a daily decision to be yourself. Start today.

TWO SHOWS ON FRIDAY, 9/25
Baltimore Book Festival
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Main Stage

Babylon
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Falls Church, VA

By the way, you can stalk me on these two sites:

Reverbnation.com/CMalachi

My Press Kit

The Gospel of Green

Smart Chick Aminah West, and her two business partners, preach the gospel of green to all who will hear. I witnessed the CEO and founder of Reclamation Energy, LLC in action at this weekend's Black LUV Festival. Aminah and her new company will be the subjects of my next assignment: Hey, What's Up?

ASSIGNMENT #2
Hey, What's Up:
Write one 500-750 word article plus a sidebar describing something new-a new technology, form of transportation, music, etc. Choose something that had piqued your interest and that has you foaming at the mouth to share with others. Your subject could be something that is old but is new again. Lay the article out in a two-page spread. Think about the kind of publication in which this article would appear. What kind of visual voice should you both be referencing and developing?         

Mr. Potato Head

ASSIGNMENT #1: What Are We Eating?

HEY, SMART CHICKS. HELP ME WITH MY HOMEWORK!

Begins like this: "They were mashed together. Kanye West and Taylor Swift’s worlds collided on a public hot plate. All hopped up on hops, the crispy rapper from chi-town baked insult into the country girl’s home fries. Chipped but not skinned, Taylor owes her rescue to the golden queen of au gratin Pop, Beyonce Knowles. "

And ends like this: "Ignored is America’s salad appeal, this country’s unique way of mixing the ugly, chilling for a while, then serving up beauty. It is the sadistic, selective memory of the American main stream that both scallops wartime bloodshed, and skins pop icons, all in pursuit of dish."

At the moment, I'm losing my footing in the middle, attempting to correlate Kanye's crucifiction over Taylor to Barack Obama's over healthcare. It's a stretch, but do you have any ideas about how to relate the two?

First, a Marriage. Then, an Introduction.

Gather here. Witness the marriage of the business of willful self-definition to the pleasure of self-discovery.

While the latter will surely tickle the imaginations of a few newcomers, card-carrying members of the Revenge of the Smart Chicks (ROTSC) movement know that being a Smart Chick or Clever Dude means making a daily, smart decision to be yourself.

Allow the writer, just for this blog post, to write in first-person perspective. She deserves an introduction any way. My name is Carolyn Malachi. I am a performing artist, graphic designer, communicaions specialist, and event producer. Revenge of the Smart Chicks was just a sassy title I crafted for my first CD which I released in September of 2008. It has since become the global network of artists, educators, and entrepreneurs from which I launched Smart Chicks, Inc., a non-profit organization that sources creative professionals to corporate opportunities. Smart Chicks, Inc., the Smart Chicks network, and the music I create with the Revenge of the Smart Chicks theme comprise the Revenge of the Smart Chicks movement.

For settled members of ROTSC who have been migrated from our previous blog format, allow me room to 'splain. I am in my first year of graduate studies pursuing my MFA in Integrated Design. For my first class, Words & Images, one of my responsibilities is to maintain a professional, course-relevant blog. Our ROTSC community is the right audience.

I look forward to sharing the knowledge and skills that I learn throughout my academic and artistic journey. Know that you can also visit this blog to enjoy social commentary, access my performance schedule and, if you like, cretique my homework assignments. Visit this blog to connect to the rest of the Smart Chcks network as well.

That's enough informality for now. It's time I get to my first assignment:
"We're Eating What?"
Describe a food ingredient. The description should be informed by a definite purpose and shaped by a clear sense of an intended audience.

Hmmm, I think I'll use Kanye West's cheesy antics at the VMA's as inspiration.

Carolyn Malachi
Creative Director
Smart Chicks Inc.
Twitter.com/Carolyn_Malachi
Facebook.com/CMalachi
Myspace.com/MsMalachi

Next Gig:
Carolyn Malachi & A Band Called Q
Tuesday, September 15
Organic Soul at Eden's Lounge
Hosted by Olu Butterfly Woods of Poetry for the People of Baltimore and Blackout Studios
$5 Cover
15 W. Eager St
Baltimore, MD
Set time 9 pm (Well, 9-ish)