LorenceCharles

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Krystal Hardwick.  I’m biased on how great I think this woman is, because she is a dear friend of mine, but that’s not going to stop me from plugging how wonderfully, incredibly, amazingly gifted she is as an artist and vocalist.

Calling her a singer would be a disservice because her voice is her instrument, and she utilizes her vocal ability to express emotions, rhythms and sounds with an incredible skill that matches the winds, brass and strings of a symphony.

I’ve always marveled at her carefree approach to life watching her travel around the world from Europe to South America, and admired her loving and sensitive nature that tends to shine through in her lyrics and impromptu gimmicks and performances.  She is a wonderful blend of jazz, rock and world music, infused with R&B and soul, and polished with a sound of peace and love.

Words don’t really do Krystal justice.  She is a work of art that you have to see and hear in action.  If you reside in Houston, you can catch her next musical appearance in person.  For the rest of the world, we must follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube & anywhere else we can find her online.

Learn more about Krystal Hardwick:

Instagram: @krystalhardwick

Facebook: Krystal Hardwick

What is there to do in San Francisco?  It’s not a bar-hopping city like Chicago, there’s no fashion forward shopping like New York, it doesn’t scream party central like Miami, but the City by The Bay does have charm! San Francisco's appeal is a lot like New Orleans.  It’s maintained an identity deeply engrained in the buildings and streets preserving it’s unique political and cultural history.  But again, what is there to do!?  

I figured exploring the city with my camera was a good start.  The architecture is time stamped in an era I read about in history books.  San Francisco’s past seemed undisturbed.  The residents moved carefully about as if a universal law mandated respect for the generations who lived there before them.  The neighborhoods served as a reminder of the rich immigration history and each block was decorated with turn of the century landmarks.  In unflattering words, the city was old, yet all these things factored into the Golden City’s photogenic charm.  But damn, photography wasn’t the thing for me “to do” either.

After I toured  the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf and Lombard Street, I noticed that the foundation of the culture in San Francisco rest heavily on the Asian-American & Asian-Immigrant population.  No other city in America can boast having rich Asian-American history like San Francisco.  The city slowly began to expose itself and I suddenly realized, a lot of it’s bragging rights was probably found in the food! I finally had my “a-ha” moment, I found what to do...I was gonna eat Asian food!

What better way to experience the culture of a place than by eating the food it’s known for?  I yelped and sniffed out a list of restaurants like a hound dog, and my discoveries were shocking.  Those old charming Victorian neighborhoods, housed some of the best Asian culinary establishments in the U.S with centuries of cooking techniques, mastered to satisfy the palette (and my stomach).  I found myself saying, “mmm hmmm” “yep” “damn” and “ooo that was delicious” during each meal, my fellow dining neighbors proudly looking at me like “You must be visiting” “Bet you won’t find miso soup like this when you get home”.

And I’m sure they were right! I know “slap yo mama” good food when I eat it. And Frisco definitely grabbed that title for best, fresh, comforting, traditional Asian food in the U S of A.  It became a much easier trip once I obtained the mission to try the best Asian-cuisine in town.  The foodie experience was enough to make me fall in love with the romantic city.  Tony Bennett said he left his heart in San Francisco, I on the other hand however, left my stomach.  So next time I plan a trip to SF, I know now, I’m not planning on going there to shop, party or bar-hop, I’m going there to eat!

It all started on Facebook after seeing the picture in the middle posted on my newsfeed.  Here I was, looking at a woman laying on her side with menstrual blood stains.

At first I wasn’t quite sure what the hell I was looking at.  To be honest, I was a little taken aback. However there was something about the tone of the picture that peaked my curiosity and the menstrual picture began to morph into a beautiful piece of art. They say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, and after I perused through the photo owner’s Instagram account, I discovered that Rupi Kaur (the owner), a spoken word Sikh poet studying rhetoric at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, had a lot more than a thousand words to say.

“Thank you instagram​ for providing me with the exact response my work was created to critique.  You deleted a photo of a woman who is fully covered and menstruating stating that it goes against community guidelines when your guidelines outline that it is nothing but acceptable.  The girl is fully clothed.  The photo is mine.  It is not attacking a certain group.  Nor is it spam.  And because it does not break those guidelines I will re-post it.  When your pages are filled with countless photos/accounts where women (so many of whom are underage) are objectified, pornified, and treated less than human.  Thank you.  This image is part of my photoseries project for my visual rhetoric course.   You can view the full series at rupikaur.com.  I bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility.  My womb is home to the divine, a source of life for our species, whether I choose to create or not.  But very few times is it seen that way.  In older civilizations this blood was considered holy.  In some it still is.  But a majority of people, societies, and communities shun this natural process.  Some are more comfortable with the pornification, the sexualization of women, the violence and degradation of woman than this.  They cannot be bother to express their disgust about all that but will be angered and bothered by this.  We menstruate and they see it as dirty, attention seeking, sick, a burden.  As if this process is less natural than breathing, as if it is not a bridge between this universe and the last.  As if this process is not love, labour, life.  Selfless and strikingly beautiful.”

And just like that, I was blown the fuck away.  Rupi Kaur was schooling life and unknowingly put me in my place.  Her eloquent disdain for Instagram’s lack of support left me feeling as if I had just received a history lesson while sitting in the pews at church.  It was a well stated position that deserved a round of applause from any human being with a shred of respect for women.  Rupi continues her conversation with the world on her website giving us full personal insight as to why she posted this photo.  I was impressed reading her story and could literally hear her words passionately supporting a naturally beautiful process that many people see as ugly.

I applaud you Rupi and I’m curious to see how others respond to your photo.  If Rupi Kaur inspired a change in the way you reacted to the menstrual process please let her know and thank Rupi for sharing her photo with the world!

Learn more about Rupi Kaur:

Website: www.rupikaur.com

Blog: rupikaur​

Instagram: @rupikaur

Ever meet someone and say, “Damn, they’ve got some really good style!”? Well that was me when I met Carm for the first time. In a world where we like to follow trends for the sake of fitting in, Carm’s unique sense of style has always managed to take a trend and incorporate elements of his individuality to make a trend of his own.

When I took a look at his fashion blog, I got a visual montage of men’s fashion reminiscent of 1940’s & 50’s gentlemen era, infused with east coast Hamptons class, with a hint of LA “swag” and a splash of “I would’ve never thought of that” which I attribute to be a direct representation of Carm’s boldness and authentic approach to men’s clothing.

What draws me most to Carm is the openness he exhibits to his followers giving us insight to his childhood; a time in his life when he was bullied for his love for fashion by those who didn’t accept his style.  His vulnerability with his audience gives him substance in a world that many deem to be shallow and superficial.  And here he is now showing us all that his favorite fashion trends he loved during his childhood are in-style today.  Way to go Carm!  Show the kids how it’s done!  Bullies have several seats please.

His blog is designed to showcase international fashion discoveries to inspire us to be stylish regardless of budget. It’s an imaginative world of fashion that he states is “dedicated to every little boy who ever wore a bow tie, a sweater vest, a newsboy cap or a pair of suspenders.” I’m particularly impressed with the fact he’s not afraid to recommend bold colors and prints for even the most sophisticated occasions.

I tip my newsboy cap off to this gentleman and salute him for paving a way through fashion for the awkward sweater vest kid in us all.

Follow Carm:

Website: www.carmdesgarcons.com

Instagram: carmdesgarcons

Today’s “office” was at the stunning Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. The grounds were more impressive than the home itself, lending picture perfect breath taking views of Los Angeles from its countless gardens and what seemed to be endless pathways.

Just when I thought I found the perfect spot for an outdoor wedding, or a cocktail hour for a product launch party, the property said to me, “no sir LorenceCharles, think again!” As I walked aimlessly around, I continued to stumble into more hidden gems on this estate that gave me further reason to rent out the mansion for a private event.

Like most historic homes, the mansion is attached to tales of a haunted history, decorated with ornate fountains and garden statues that seemed to “watch” me when I walked by.  Even though I felt like I was in the movie “The Haunting” moments away from a statue crying out to me for help, the stone features were personal touches that played a very integral part in the beauty of the estate, making the experience more pleasant than creepy. 

My exploration was fascinating and intriguing and the home was attractive, warm and inviting.  I got the sense that the original owners wanted their guests to know they were in the company of someone who paid attention to details, and I left the mansion feeling as if I attended a great dinner party with fantastic hosts.

The grounds, which is actually a public park closes at 5:00pm.  No dogs, picnics or sports are allowed so it is the perfect destination to walk around and observe nature and architectural beauty in peace.

Learn more about Greystone Mansion:

I’m all about supporting businesses who support the world and the people in it. I was introduced to this fashion & philanthropic company, Humble Hilo, by a dear friend who gave me one of their #humbledeeds bracelets as a gift. Wearing the bracelet serves as a reminder to do a good deed for someone else (nice touch right!?).

Their business model brings ancient designs & techniques from Central America to the fashion world, creating women’s and baby apparel, bags and jewelry.  A portion of your purchase is donated to Infant and Child Nutrition, Education, and Microfinance for Women projects in Guatemala. Props to the founders Lauren & Erica, please keep up the good work!

Learn more about Humble Hilo:

Website http://humblehilo.com

Shingai Shoniwa in action. Just watch her smile when she performs, it’s infectious! 😬😊

Learn more about Shingai Shoniwa:

Instagram @Shingai

I had the pleasure of meeting this vibrant and gracious woman last night who embodies the soul of a goddess.  I watched her shake hands and smile with everyone who approached her and patiently waited my turn so I could tell her how much I loved her energy and amazing sense of fashion and african inspired pieces.

From her head wrap and jewelry, to the colorful prints on her clothing, she was full of life and the only thing I could say to her the moment I spoke was, “You are everything!”, and THAT she was.  Just look at her Wonder Woman power poses!

Shingai comes by way of the UK and has traveled the globe delivering lyrical content and feel good music inspired by sounds from abroad. Best part of our convo when I asked her “why did you move to LA?” she responds with a smile, “To uplift the world”…damn, #thereitis #speechless

Learn more about Shingai Shoniwa:

Instagram @Shingai

Unique, eclectic, out of the norm, out of the box, the underdog, the unknown, the diamond in the rough.  Those are just a few examples of adjectives I use to describe myself and words that explain what I look for in the world around me.

I think and see at the same time, constantly asking “how” and “why” things are the way they are and what purpose do they serve in life.  I am drawn to places, ideas, music & lifestyles that provoke thought, offer something different, embody beauty and provide something good for humanity.

These are the fundamentals of my lifestyle.