mike orie

Stay focused on the goal, but never be afraid to embrace who you are along the way. Meet Patriana Jones, an inspiring Black actress in Los Angeles.

Miguel performing at the Joy Theater in New Orleans. July 2015.

How to be Black in America.

Step 1: Do you.

Lupe Fiasco in Los Angeles right before showcasing some of his artwork at the Song For The Mute x H. Lorenzo pop-up shop . 2015

Last night in New Orleans I had the opportunity to shoot Chromeo live at Republic NOLA. It was my first time seeing them perform an extensive set, so I had no idea what to expect. The friends were friendly, they brought lots of energy, and it was a pretty packed place for it to be a Monday night. I promised Dave 1 kept a smile on his face the whole time, even as a fan snuck into the photo pit and eventually hopped onstage after sneaking a few photos. He never moved a beat. It reminded me of how I need to get back to that tunnel vision I once had. Those moments where you're so sure where you're going that it's all you see. Thanks for a great time last night and shout out to my friends over at Winter Circle Productions for the opportunity on behalf of The Conscious Tip. 

"I remember Marvin Gaye used to sing to me…he had me feeling like Black was the thing to be…"

Caught in the moment...

Model: Jessica Horton

XV © mike orie

A couple weeks back I had the opportunity to shoot a hip hop artist by the name of  XV in Baton Rouge. In all honesty, I kinda forgot about him. I remember hearing his freestyle on DJ Enuff back in 2009 with J Cole, and I was for sure that he would have blown up by now. A record deal happened with Warner Bros. and it seems like they've kept him sitting on the bench ever since. It was sort of refreshing to see somebody still working so diligently towards their craft despite maybe not being exactly where they planned to be in life. In short...we make a lot of excuses sometimes. We come up with reasons why we should give up, why we should move on...but if we just focus on the moment, we'll eventually see the results.