Black American Art

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859 – 1937) was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania during the time of slavery. Henry Tanner was a self taught artist who achieved international acclaim. His father Benjamin Tucker Tanner (1835–1923) was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). The first independent black denomination in the United States. His mother Sarah, was an escaped slave who made it north via the Underground Railroad. His sister Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson, was the first woman (of any color) certified to practice medicine in Alabama.

Coming from such a prestigious family legacy its no surprise Henry also inherited talent. Henry knew he wanted to be a painter by the age of thirteen. He took a chance enrolling at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1879. Henry was the first and only black student accepted at the school. It was during that time he developed his style and began gaining notoriety. Although Henry was  acknowledged as a skilled painter he had difficulty selling his work due to the racial climate of that time. 

Henry was selling paintings trying to save for a trip to Europe. In 1891 he made it to Paris. The artistic circles of Paris didn't care about race, all that mattered was talent. Henry had it in spades. By 1895 his work was known throughout Europe. He took inspiration from the Parisian painters and it can be seen in his later work. Aside from brief visits back to the U.S. for art exhibitions Henry spent the rest of his life in Paris.

 

The Banjo lesson is probably Henry's best known painting. It was the first of his paintings that I ever saw. I was moved by the emotion such simple imagery invoked in me. What's depicted is a grandfather teaching his grandson how to play the banjo. To hear it described its ordinary. It's the vibrant yet somber colors and the beautiful detail in their expressions that give this piece so much life. 

It's the ability to capture moments from peoples everyday life on canvas that makes his art so extraordinary. Even now over one hundred years later when I look at a Henry Tanner painting, It feels like glimpsing through a lens back in time. He is one of the originators of the Black American Artist movement. Below are a few of his many paintings. 

Until Next We Speak, Be Well 

Tha One an Only 

Summer Reading

I love books. When I was a child I used to pick up ants, spiders and other insects to study their anatomy. In my grandmothers basement was an old incomplete encyclopedia set. Whatever creature I caught would be researched in the encyclopedia's, then named and categorized. My insatiable curiosity was temporarily sedated after acquiring the desired knowledge from books. Those early days taught me that answers to all the mysteries of the world can be found between the pages of a book. (You only need to find the right book.) Below are a few summer reading books that helped expand my perception of reality. Perhaps they can do the same for you. They're in no particular order. 

The book that had the most impact on my self-esteem and ability to stay goal oriented is Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. This book changed my life. Psycho-Cybernetics, teaches how the brain processes information on the conscious and sub-conscious levels. It does this by breaking down the "self image," in laymen terms so u the reader understand how the brain creates a goal. Then, the book provides the necessary steps required to achieve that goal. You learn various mental practices, visualization techniques, breathing, and relaxation methods that produce quantifiable results. What makes this books so great is that its easy to read and based on solid proven science. 

The 48 Laws Of Power by Roberte Greene taught me how power brokers do business. It's an instruction manual on how to gain and use power. There are ruthless, cutthroat techniques that breakdown every aspect of how power is cultivated and maintained. Even if you're not a power hungry individual thirsty for global domination this book can still be useful. It teaches u about the cunning techniques employed to manipulate the average mind so that u can protect yourself from them.  It's like an instruction manual on how a magician does his trick. 

A book that taught me insight into male and female dynamics is The Game by Neil Strauss. When I heard there was a secret underground society of pick-up artists (PUA) I had to check it out. The book turned out to be more than a made up tale crafted in some forty year old virgins basement. The Game is more than about pick-up. Although it does contain a vast collection of techniques and material used in the art of seduction. The writing style is like gonzo journalism where the author is also a character in the story. Its a book about guys who decided to take control of their love lives and make it change for the better. The steps they took and methods used is what makes this book a great read for anyone who wants to improve their game. 

A People's History Of The United States by Howard Zinn is not what you learn in history class. I read this book before I migrated to Europe. It contains the factual accounts of  American history from its creation in 1492 to present. It's a hard book to read. Not because of the size. All the mortifying things u learn will change your perception about how America was founded and developed. It would be an understatement to say that the book exposes the complete white washing of history excluding contributions from various minority cultures. It also details the merciless eradication of the indigenous populations. If you're a fan of traditional holidays this isn't literature for you. After reading this book I guarantee u will never want to celebrate Thanksgiving again. 

This last book truly made me ponder the nature of consciousness and what makes people so unique. No two minds are identical even if the bodies are. Although twins bodies may be the same, how they think and who they are is individual. The Art Of Dreaming by Carlos Casteneda, is a story that's reads like a work of fiction. The author is an anthropologist who gets tricked into becoming an apprentice for a Yaqui Indian sorcerer named Don Juan Matus. It explores different shamanistic techniques to reach higher levels of consciousness, astral projection and alternate realities. Whether u believe the authors first person account or not, its an incredible story to read. 

That's my summer reading list for those who like to spend time building brain muscles. Have u read any of the books in this list? If so drop your impression in the comments below. If u like the list, share the knowledge, and tell a friend to tell a friend. 

Until Next We Speak, Be Well 

Tha One an Only 

Digital World

As blockchain technology becomes more mainstream we stand on the precipice of a digital world. In this world all services, social networks, games, films, music, insurance, banks and everything in between will be found on the blockchain. I'm aware that my prior statement sounds like science fiction, or the conjectures of a madman. Allow me to illuminate your mind to what already exists and what's to come in the near future. 

Back in 2018 I heard of a company building a video game on the blockchain. At that time it was a revolutionary concept because the world was focused on Ethereum based (ERC-20) tokens. The arms race between developers for DApps was in full swing and no one discussed NFT's. The company is named Phantasma. They were creating a racing game using NFT's that could compete with one built for a console. They succeeded. 

Fast forward to 2021. Everyone and their grandmother knows what NFT's are. They have essentially been the entry asset for most new people to crypto. (If u want to check out my NFT collection of music and art go to opensea and type my name in the search box.) Developers expanded their use case beyond video games. Advancements in VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) are being integrated with blockchain to create new digital worlds. In these worlds u have an avatar and can interact with people from any location on the planet. Think of the film Ready Player One. We're not at that point yet but companies like Decentraland, Flow and the Sandbox are working to achieve that goal.  

Currently all banking services are available on the blockchain. The use case for Defi (Decentralized Finance) is rising like inflation. Companies like Compound, Aave, and Maker offer interest on deposits and loans to bankless people around the globe. For decentralized music there's Audius, for videos there's Theta, for insurance there's Armor (Armor Finance). You name the service and there's some company building a decentralized version on the blockchain. There's even a company named Helium building an entirely decentralized internet. 

At this point it would seem like blockchain technology is the wave of the future. If you think that you're not wrong. Although blockchain is new technology that's still growing. In the near future it could become old news. 

DNA digital data storage allows the user to encode and decode binary data from augmented strands of DNA. This is the future. By using these strands of synthetic DNA petabytes of data can be stored in a miniscule amount of space. To give u an idea of how much information can be stored. All sixteen gigabytes of data in the Wikipedia English language version could be stored on a single strand of synthetic DNA. This was reported by scientists back in 2019. The potential use cases in all fields of science and medicine are so vast they can't be easily quantified. 

A digital world is coming. The more u learn about the minds and technologies being used to create that world, the easier it will be to navigate. 

Until Next We Speak, Be Well

Tha One an Only 

Life Goes On...

Like the title says...life goes on. No matter what struggle or challenges you face. The world doesn't care. If u were to disappear, people would miss you, but after tears were shed and kind words were spoken. Life goes on...

I made that statement because recently I was forced to accept that harsh, lonely reality. To be honest I'm glad I had to go through a tragedy that left my heart bearing scars. It's not because I'm a masochist. It's because it taught me three lessons. Each can be found in old expressions. "Life goes on" was the first. The second was "What doesn't kill u makes u stronger," is a fact. When I reached my lowest point is when I found the strength to stand back up and start walking forward again. Losing my daughter was the hardest thing to emotionally survive in my life. Now I'm conditioned, and there's very little left in this world that can harm me. 

One of the steps I've been taking to get back on track, is getting back in optimum shape. It's summer. The weather is hot. Masks are off. No better time to have a beach body. I spent the better part of two months doing my best impression of a couch potato. When I was in the bottomless abyss of despair the ice cream started talking to me. I'm not sure when it started. It was a few weeks after the break-up. I was sitting on the couch, crying like a child because Bruce Willis got shot in Die Hard 2 (or because I lost five figures on a trade), fluctuating between anger and sadness when the ice cream started talking. 

It would say "Hey, its cold and dark in here. Take me out. I'll keep u company and make u feel better." In all fairness the ice cream didn't lie. It made me feel better for a long time. I walked past a mirror one day and looked at my reflection. The mirror had become the enemy. I hadn't seen my reflection in months.  All it took was five seconds of appraisal for me to know the ice cream had to go. Immediately I rushed to the kitchen snatched the ice cream out the freezer and prepared to throw the whole pint in the trash. The Ice cream, frosty and emotionless asked. "Why throw me away? Didn't I make u feel better?" Trapped in the depths of rage and self hatred I yelled back. "Yes, but now I'm fat." Always cool, calculating, and compassionless, the ice cream replied. "I promised to make you feel better. Not look better. That's your job." The ice cream was right. It did what it promised to do. There was no one but myself to be angry with. Once I came to that realization my sanity returned. I thanked the ice cream by eating it. I haven't brought a pint home since. 

During the lockdown in Europe all the gyms were closed (like everything else). Here in the Netherlands we had a (21:00 - 05:00) curfew that only recently ended. No gym meant I had to device a way to get a full body workout at home. One thing to remember is no matter how much u exercise, if u don't eat healthy the results won't show.

The last lesson was perhaps the most important. "No Risk No reward" is also very true. Even if u don't succeed in achieving a goal, you gain more experience from every attempt. Trust me when I say, taking a risk on yourself is the best thing u can do. In eighteen months my entire life changed. I'm optimistic about the future, motivated in the present, and making peace with the past. The journey I'm on is like trying to climb Mount Everest, blindfolded, with one arm handcuffed behind the back. If you're going to stay around prepare yourself because its going to be a bumpy ride.  

Until Next We Speak, Be Well

Tha One an Only