"Ill Learn One Day" pt.1

These photos are from an impromptu shoot I did in my house (Kasa De Kalae) on Nov. 30th 2010. I have been going to a weekly meditation class for the past 6 weeks and I learned a lot about meditating actively on the moment that you are in. Living it up, isn't the same as soaking it in, and although my life at times can be really hectic and fast paced-which I love-I'm not always completely present in those moments and therefor can only recall them as if they were a fuzzy dream. I often feel like a zombie going through life without any real recollection of time and matter. I think this happens to the best of us and is something we should discuss and put effort into changing each day. Even in those dull, uninteresting moments. I was reading a book by Rabbi Schmuley Boteach and he spoke about horizontal and vertical renewal. Horizontal renewal occurs when you move from one tangible noun to another looking for some sort of fulfillment that is normally never reached, whereas vertical renewal is about pealing back the layers of one single thing you may come across everyday to find the mystical and erotic nature of yourself and that thing and your relationship to that thing. This is what I did in my apartment. I found a way to turn my boring, mundane, been there, seen that apartment into a living, breathing, palace of inspiration. In this installment I'll walk you through 10 photos in my bedroom. If you've been to my house before I hope you'll appreciate these as much as I do.

Also, when I upload these photos they often turn up so small so please read the blurb and then double click the photo to take a closer look. :)

Enjoy

"I'll Learn One Day" (photos by Kalae All Day)



Erykah Badu painting by Kalae All Day 2010 (Unfinished)



This photo has a few things going on that are interesting. First lets start with my mother in the bottom right corner. This is her when she was my age in the 70's. You can see that I have a pair of vintage shades hanging from my vision board on the left side of the photo. I whore those shades to death with my afro big as I wanted it to be and never did she utter the words "Kalae, I used to look just like that." That's my mom though, she has always allowed and encouraged me to be me. I just realized that this pic also show's the backside of my backstage pass to a Lupe Fiasco concert in 2007. Lupe had his manager right his phone number on the back of it so I could go see him perform at SOB's the following week.. Sweet.



N*E*R*D album from 2010 that I never bought and therefor never knew the name of. I did however steal this poster off of a wall somewhere.. Rather in my house then eventually in the trash somewhere right? Pharrell will never go out of style, even though he's a dorkOmega. But who isn't? I know I am.



This is atop a turquoise dresser I found on 107th st and Amsterdam with the sign "This is Free" on it. I also found my new couch recently with the exact same sign-wtf? I wonder if I'll ever see the top of the dresser again.



Another dresser, with a small bookshelf and my now TINY CD collection above it. I found this book about the ARt of Verbal self defense a very short time after I was in a verbally abusive relationship in early 2008. I found a lot of helpful tools in knowing when someone was attempting to belittle me. You gotta get all the help you can ladies.



To the right of my sub par Roots collection, I have White Tara who is a Hindu God of compassion. She's sometimes Buddha in female incarnate. She means a lot to me because she was given to me with the mantra "Om Mani Padme hum" which is the mantra of the lotus flower. My mother taught me that mantra when I was just a child. It's resurgence into my life was part majestic part absolutely necessary.



FAFI took Mac by storm. She is my personal favorite visual artist and Mac is the most GLAM line in make-up. And I've worked in make-up. Fafi takes you to your childhood fantasies and mysticism and turns them into bold, daring, adult fantasies. She's an innovator.



I find it interesting that the top center of this pic reads "Artist." This was completely accidental. That is the bottom part of my Brooklyn HipHop Festival Artist badge in 2010. That turntable under it? I found that on the street and took it home to vandalize. Someone put a down payment on it and then never picked it up.



My nephew had a huge influence on me growing up and he had these Numark turntables. Well now I have them GWAHAHAHA. Now all I need are new speakers. That blue pleather couch is my reading couch. I found it on 112th bet Broadway and Amsterdam and it somehow found it's way into my bedroom during the summer. I have read all of 2 chapter on that couch before it turned into a makeshift closet.



This picture needs no explanation. But I will explain the title. I named this series "I'll Learn One Day" because I really believe that one day my apartment will look like civilized people live in it. But.. no day soon..

Thanks for going on this journey with me. Hopefully it gave you a bit of insight into me and my life. I feel like we're closer. :)
Stay tuned for part.2

exoh
KALAE