The amazing artistry of Natiq

Recently, a very talented young yet experienced artist needed a place to take some photos to use as reference material for an upcoming art show to be held in early April. He found me online and  took advantage of my photography studio for rent in Pittsburgh.

He brought along with him a few samples form his portfolio and quite honestly I was blown away. I’ve always had a special admiration for anyone who can paint.

I’d like to share his work with my Creative Dreamers readers and I hope you enjoy his talent as much as I did.

Check out a sample of his work below as well as his Art of Natiq website.

Title: Why

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American Idol Charlotte and Baton Rouge audition recaps

Well, the second week of American Idol auditions seemed to provide a little more consistency in talent than did the first week showcasing contenders from New York and Chicago.

It seems that the southern states and cities always bring it when it comes to AI.

Here’s how I see things breaking down.

Charlotte auditions:

The real top notch contenders from Charlotte seem to be the wonderful Summer Cunningham, Seretha Guinn and Brian Rittenberry. Others that have potential to go deep into the competition include the following:

Isabel Gonzalez

Janelle Arthur

Ja’Bria Barber

Candice Glover

Brandy Hamilton

Ashley Smith

Rodney Barber

Taisha Bethea

Jimmy Smith

Haley Davis

Baton Rouge auditions:

In Cajun country Megan Miller, Burnell Taylor and Maddie Assel seemed to be the cream of the crop. Of course, several others could make a run too, including talents like:

Dustin Watts

Calvin Peters

Charlie Askew

Paul Jolley

Breanna Steer

I wonder what AI will have in store for us next week.

Completed Taylor Swift project

As mentioned in my earlier blog post “Taylor Swift Project” I have now completed my video message for Taylor. You can check it out on Youtube under the title “Taylor Swift – Would you please meet me?” or just by watching the video below.

In order to complete this project I:

1. Re-wrote the lyrics to one of Taylor’s favorite among her own songs – “Love Story.”

2. Got a karoke version of the music to use to go with the lyrics.

3. Hired an anwesome semi-professional singer through Fiverr.com.

4. Sought out public domain photos and art of Taylor.

All in all, I think it turned out pretty good.

American Idol auditions recap – New York and Chicago

I’m still not sure what to make of this 13th season of American Idol. The constant switching of judges over the past few years has been unnerving at best. And with this year’s crew, the only addition that seems like a good option is Keith Urban. In my opinion, at the risk of sounding nasty, Mariah used to be a good singer until she became more of a screecher/screamer and Nicki  can’t sing, she raps.

That being what it is, I thought it might be interesting to see what kind of talent the group would let through to the Hollywood. And here’s how I see it.

From the New York auditions:

New York was a bit surprising in that it seemed as though the city didn’t have that many real standouts. The only two that are likely to be potential contenders in the end where the outstanding Christina “Isabelle” and the skillful Frankie Ford. Others that showed potential to blossom into players that may make a run include the following (in this order):

Angela Miller

Ashlee Feliciano

Sarah Restuccio

Shira Gavrielov

Gupreet Singh Sarin

From the Chicago auditions:

Conversely to the NY outcome, I’d say that the number of highly talented performers in Chicago was quite astounding. I’d even venture to guess that the number singers who might have a chance to really beak out may even reach the double digits, which seems pretty rare for Idol auditions. The best where probably MacKenzie Wasner, Lazaro Arbos and Brandy Neelly with Isabelle Parell close behind. Others that could end up making a run include (in the following order):

Stephanie Schimel

Mariah Pulice

Clifton Duffin

Josh Holiday

Kez Ban

Johnny Keyser

Griffin Peterson

Here’s looking forward to the next set of auditions this season.

The resurgence and modernization of the fairy tale

One of the most creative forms of literature, which began long ago out of the desire to tell stories to the children of the world, is that which is commonly called the fairy tale. For a while, it might have seemed like the fairy tale had been relegated to the basement of the proverbial library, all but removed from the minds and hearts of readers for generations.

But, it would seem that perhaps the tide is changing. And as a creative writer myself, I’m curious to see how all of this turns out.

Where and when did this resurgence begin? We’ll that might be hard to pinpoint with any level of exactness. However, in my humble opinion, I’d venture to say that it really started in early 2012. Some might say that animated films like those of the “Shrek” series kick-started things but I’m not so sure that is the case.

In March 2012, Relativity Media released the film “Mirror, Mirror,” a new, yet not too far-fetched, version of the tale of Snow White. Soon after, a number of adjusted fairy tales began to emerge on the silver screen, all with new twists on the classic stories.

Some of these include:

Snow White and the Huntsmen (2012) – This movie is a bit more action, driven with a darker side to it.

Hansel and Gretel: Which Hunters (2013) – This one appears to focus on the chosen careers (as which hunters) after the original story. It is certainly of the action adventure variety.

Jack the Giant Killer (2013) – Also an action-oriented film, this take of the original looks to be a visual spectacular.

Other movies in development include revised versions of “Sleeping Beauty,” “Peter Pan and “Pinocchio” among several others.

As far as I can tell, most of these movies seem to be geared toward a more grown up audience with more graphic and mature themes.

At the very least, it should be interesting to see how all of this plays out and whether or not this current trend will be welcomed by the masses or simply turn out to be yet another fad of sorts within the entertainment industry.

Video Contest – $100 cash prize!

The Alternative Modeling community at Twistedangels.net is seeking your videos to feature on our website! If you’re an aspiring film maker or just love to goof around with your video camera or cell phone, this contest could be for you.

We’ll accept videos from virtually any type of recording device including video-only cameras, still cameras that shoot video, cell phones, webcams and more, so long as the quality is reasonable.

All entries must be submitted by March 31, 2013. A winner will be announced on our Facebook and Twitter accounts by no later than April 8, 2012. And he or she will be have the option to be paid via Paypal or by mailed money order.

While the grand prize winner will take hone the cash, there will be one First Place winner who will get a HP Photo Printer with 4×6 photo paper and carrying case, a second place winner who will earn one year of free access to our website and a third place winner who will be able to select up to 5 hard copies of full-resolution 8×10 photos from our website featuring the model of your choice.*

See rules below:

Videos must be original content (you can use songs from any artist in them though) and cannot be published anywhere else on the Internet without our expressed written permission.

Videos should be centered around themes focused on goth, emo, or punk subcultures or body art and body modification.

Videos may not exceed 100 MB in file size, the smaller the better as that submitting larger files can be difficult.

In terms of subject matter, pretty much anything is acceptable from the silly and playful to the intense and sexy. ** If you aren’t sure, just ask.

There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit.

All people featured in the video must be at least 18 years of age.

To submit your video:

Upload your video to a private file sharing tool like Yousendit, Dropsend, Transferbigfiles or Google Drive (share the download like only with us).

Visit our “Contact Us” page at TA leaving any relevant information about your video (title, cast, location…) in the message box along with the other required information. You may leave the download link in the “Website” box, message area or send it to twistedangelsnet@gmail.com .

 *This prize applies specifically to models shot by our staff photographer, not those submitted by other artists.

 **Artistic nudity is acceptable but graphic pornography is not. And the videos cannot contain any illegal or discriminatory activity.

Taylor Swift poject

As you may know…

I’m something of a Taylor Swift Superfan. After all, what’s not to like – she’s smart, talented, driven, beautiful and down to earth.

So recently, I came up with the highly ambitious idea that some how, some way, maybe I could get her to meet me in person. And what other tool will I use but Youtube of course. Hey, while it is probably a million to one (or even less likely) shot that it will work, it has worked for others who put out messages to their favorite singers of actors.

Anyway, as part of the effort I reworded her song “Love Story” and wanted to share it below. When the video is up, it will be featured on my Youtube channel and you can feel free to check it out.

Dream Story

————————-

You were so young when the world first saw you.

I heard your voice it was the perfect art

I was sitting there relaxing in the living room chair

——————————————————————————-

I saw you sing, saw you dance, heard your sounds

As you made you way across cities and towns

I thought “whoa,”

But little did I know…

———————————————–

That you’d be a star, talented on so many levels,

My mind said, “She’s beautiful and would never settle”

And moved sadly through the rat race

Wishing you’d only know

And I thought…

———————————————

Taylor, take me somewhere  that I’ve never known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

I’ll be the audience, you’ll be the songstress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————————

I’d even sneak in to the show to see you,

And keep quiet, just to enjoy the view

But for now, I close my eyes just imagine your smile

Oh, oh

——————————————

You’re now a star, talented on so many levels,

My mind said, “She’s beautiful and would never settle”

And moved sadly through the rat race

Wishing you’d only know

And I thought…

———————————

Taylor, take me somewhere  that I’ve never known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

I’ll be the audience, you’ll be the songstress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————

Taylor save me, I don’t know how to feel

This may be difficult, but you could make it real

Don’t be afraid, no need to have any stress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

Oh, oh.

——————————-

I’ll never tire of waiting

Hoping that you might come around

Maybe your heart needs persuading

Like mine until I first heard your sounds

And I said…

——————————-

Taylor save me, from wondering what could be known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

Could you have heard what I said? Maybe seen my Youtube link

When you come back to my town maybe we could meet

Listen to me Taylor, I’ve always loved your sweet, sweet tone

I feel new, every time your soft tones flow
I really want to meet you bad – but I don’t mean to press

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————————

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

———————————–

You were so young when the world first saw you